hello all. new to the forum and long time mini fan... not going to lie the movie Italian Job is what made me fall for the mini. I have never driven one but it looks really cool and i like that it is small, may fit my driving style of quick and like to pick my way throw traffic. I have been looking at a few different cars, BMW 335i and audi s4. Great cars but they seem too cookie cutter for me. I can not drive down the highway without seeing one. May sound sad but that really turns me off from those cars.

When some of you went to the dealerships, how was your experience regarding negotiations? Were they open to negotiations? or are mini's (cooper s) flying off the lot and good deals are hard to get? I also love the miniusa.com website too many option combinations.

What options are considered must haves? I would want navigation, sun roof, JCW suspension and definitely the aero kit. would consider CA.

 

Hi and welcome to the forum. No matter what got you interested a drive in a MINI will have you hooked!

Unless you hit your dealer for a 2010 model year closeout you probably won't find a lot of room for negotiations outside of free floormats and swag. That's been my experience and I think the 2¢ of the general MINI population. Good luck and keep us posted. Hope to welcome you to the ownership family soon!

 

There's a thread called "2011 Ordering". I know it's a long one, but there's some info in there on what type of deals some of us have been getting on 2011s. Remember, the economy is still crap, and if you put in some time/effort, you can get a chunk of change or two knocked off MSRP. Especially since you're about to be able to buy one off the lot (you might have to be flexible on the options though...usually you have to buy more than you wanted, but hey, you sometimes get a much nicer price overall)

 

i do not think i would want to buy one off the lot. i am picky and i would want one the way i have it customized on miniusa.com i know will have to pay since it will have to be on order but i am hoping to get a decent deal since i will be adding a lot of options.

anyone able to reply to the second question i have posted above? what options are considered must haves. one example i listed was navigation, because i love nav and i also am not crazy about huge speedo in the middle

 

Buying off the lot will get you some chance for deals.

Custom ordering gives you absolutely no chance for deals. The dealer has you backed into a corner, and they're at the advantage.

My recommendation is, try to research different dealerships all around you to see if you can find a MINI on their lots that is close to what you want, and buy one of those. It may even be worth driving or flying to a different city or state to purchase that MINI, if you can get a deal. Many dealerships are offering low APR's on MINIs on the lots.

(You can always have it serviced at your closest dealership, obviously).

But the minute you declare that you wish to custom order your MINI, all negotiating power and possible bargains go right out the window.

I know first hand; I had mine custom-built, and paid 100% sticker price for it. And you know what? I'd do it all over again. There's a real satisfaction knowing that there's no other MINI on the planet like mine.

 

Expect to pay top dollar then. The most people have gotten off recently is $1000 with a couple of freebies (floor mats). Doesn't matter really how big your order is..sorry

 

I custom ordered my 2010 MCS in November of 2009. It MSRP'd for $24,100 and I bought it for $23,100. And, they gave me a trade quote on my old car and kept the trade quote until my car came in, despite 1000+ extra miles. So yes, in this economy, getting money off and ordered car is possible.

 

I would definitely get the cold weather package and at least the H/K stereo.

 

Welcome to the forum, don't expect any big savings particularly if you are in an area without multiple dealers within 50 miles of each other. Here in Salt Lake the nearest dealer is in Vegas 360 miles, Denver 500 miles, Frisco 700 miles so don't expect much more than floor mats. At least right now there isn't any premium. If you are in Montana, forget it.