Well, I thoroughly enjoyed my 12 JCW (PW/CR) for the 3 months that I owned it, but it wasn't the right auto for me. I've returned to the BMW stable and picked up a brand new M3. If anyone is looking for a very lightly used loaded 12 JCW hardtop, there's one wainting to be plucked in the Atlanta metro area. Happy motoring!

 

Have you sold it back to the dealership and of so to whom or do you still have it? Got more pictures? Specs on the car? I'm about to visit dealerships in Dallas, Oklahoma and Kansas City - I'm not looking for a JCW but if the price is right I could be persuaded.

 

Sold it to United BMW in Roswell GA. They will post pictures soon. Check their website.

 

Sent you a PM - not sure if you get those notifications....

 

Wow, only 3 months of ownership. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of financial hit did you take. Depreciation had to be significant. I love my MCS, but it's not for everyone. Needless to say, it's tough to go wrong with an M3. Did you go with an M3 Coupe, Sedan or Convert.? Best of luck with your new ride.

 

I called them ten minutes after I saw your post to find out some details on the car and what they are pricing it at - still waiting!

I can be on a flight Friday or Saturday but I'm not going on a fool's errand.

Would you mind posting some detail on the car? The original window sticker info - MSRP and what options it has?

 

Awesome car, sad to see her go. But the M3 is really awesome as well. Didn't like mine too much while stock though, feels a little too civilized, you will enjoy it much more as you mod it.

 

what kind of M3 ?? new one ?? loooooooove the E46 ones. and even the CSL version ... sorry the mini didnt work out but have fun with that M !!!

 

I love the M3, and I would easily get one over a MINI. One slight problem, they are way...way...waaaaaaaaay too expensive (new/relatively new). And don't get me started on a used one, been there done that. Goodness those things are expensive to fix. Awesome car...if you have the money. But I guess if you got a new one you got a nice warranty as well.

 

Just a follow up for those that might be interested and might have insight.....sticker on the car is $34,450 and the dealer wants $32,500 because of the extras (carbon fibre gear **** and steering wheel - OEM also come with the car). I have a local dealer in Houston who will discount a new car $2000 of MSRP, so this makes no sense to me at all, especially as I would have to travel 800 miles to go see it and/or buy it.

A buddy of mine here in Houston bought a new $63,000 2011 BMW535i just as the 2012's came out. The 2012 version of the same car stickered at $65k - he bought his brand new 2011 for $53,000 and traded it back in after three months with 5000 miles on the clock) and got $46,500 back out of the deal.

So are Mini's holding there price that much better?

 

No not really, dealers need to make at least $3,000.00 on each car to cover floor space, overhead, any repairs, detail work, etc.

For instance, I just bought a 2012 CM All4 fully loaded for $37,900 in October. But I decided it wasn't for me and I am trading it for a JCW Roadster that will be here in April. The dealer has quoted me $31,000 for a trade offer but I am hoping to get somewhere around $32,000. The CM will have less than $5,000 miles when I go to trade.

However, if the dealer buys my vehicle for $32,000, they will ask for $35,000. That's only about 10% less than the new sticker price but it is available now, still has 3.5 years of warranty, has no defects, paint chips, scratches, has less than 5000 miles, and is a 2012 model.

A new order would be $38,000+ and take 2-3 months to get delivered to the dealer.

 

If the dealer quoted you $31k I hope you have that in writing because it's more likely he will give you less rather than more when it comes time to do the deal. $31k trade in quote is $31k.

I appreciate that you have shared what you bought the vehicle for and what they plan on giving you back on trade in, but what are you paying for the roadster? MSRP? Other fees - sometimes called document fees which some dealers charge $195 and some try for $495 a vehicle? Dealers make on financing, from the hold back on vehicles which increases depending on the number crossing the dealer's lot - there is way more to this than what we see on the table.

IMHO you might want to think about selling your ALL4 privately? Do you live in a State where you can offset sales tax?

 

No, I won't get less. They will stand behind the trade-in quote. The JCW Roadster is at MSRP of $47,200 with options. No add on dealer costs. Just one price straight out of the configurator is also the out the door cost from the dealer less state tax. I pay cash for all cars. No loans or special incentives involved in either deal.

My state does offset sales tax but my sales tax is only 1.9%.
I would sale outright but it is kind of tough because I live in a remote town of 10,000 people who generally earn low wages or are retired. It is 300+ miles to the nearest city of any size.

I am not into internet deals as the extra $2000 or so that I might get would not be worth the hassles of trying to arrange a long distance trade with a buyer that I would not be sure of in the time frame that I want.

 

Since we haven't heard from the OP on this yet, clearly he meant it when he titled his post "Signing Off". Too bad, because his experience could be helpful.

In looking at the information above I would guess the OP was allowed somewhere around $28,000 + or - in real world money, probably inflated somewhat on paper by the discount he received on the new BMW. The dealer lists the car on the lot $32,500 and will probably let it go for $31,000 + once he has a buyer with cash or financing in hand. MINI's don't depreciate any less than BMWs. I think a few months of ownership and 3K-5K miles of use will cost most folks 10%-15% of purchase price on a trade. Actually, that's not bad because I would guess with many common Ford, GM, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota, etc trades the hit would probably be closer to 20%-25% of purchase price.

All in all though, an expensive proposition for those that trade vehicles within the first year of ownership.

 

Real World trade is a much bigger hit than 10-15% on a new car. In the OP instance I think you are probably right - they probably gave him $28k for his JCW. (As an update, the dealer he sold the car to has now told me they want $37k because of all the 'extras' - extras he paid for but probably never saw the close to full value of when he traded in).

On b&wcm's trade in, the dealer is making 12% off the roadster he is buying after hold backs/dealer volume discount plus whatever else they can try to squeeze so they can afford to sell him at MSRP and let him believe he is not getting as hard a hit as he really is on the ALL4.

The best way to know what the real world value of your trade in is Carmax. It's no frills - they do not offset cars afaik.

 

Without giving too much detail, I got a fair deal on both ends of the spectrum. The nature of the beast when trading in on a car twice the price of the jcw. That jcw was sick, but we're about to have a baby (a recent surprise). So it had to go. Lots of CF/alcantara goodies added to that car. Whomever gets the jcw should know that it was well taken care of. Low 30s seems a fair price in my opinion. Nothing further to add and happy motoring!