Bought a new 2012 S convertible in December. Have 900 miles on it so far. When I bought it I really wanted a Roadster S but dealer was out. So today I call and ask for a trade price for my 2012 with 900 miles that was originally around $33500 list. New roadster S is about $35500. About fell down when they said they wanted $9000 to trade plus tax. What happened to resale? I was thinking $5000.

 

did you try talking them down? thats the dealers for ya :(

 

Yes I tried-would not come down-I offered $6000 to trade and they said no-I walked.

 

I have a 2012 JCW Roadster that I purchase in April of 2012. It is in mint condition, fully loaded, one of the very few with Recaro Leather racing seats, only 4000 miles.

I paid $47,500 in April. Dealers on trade toward a truck are only looking to give me $27,000 to $28,000. The reason is because they are rare, have limited appeal to the general purchasing customer, and are a hard sell.

Basically the dealers are calling Mini dealers around the country and that is all they are willing to pay. I have check with 15 different car dealers in metro areas. $28,000 is the best offer so far.

As a result I am selling on the private market. I am willing to lose 10 to 20 percent but not 40%.

 

Cars don't hold their value. They depreciate. There isn't a car on the planet that doesn't.

The Mini holds it's value "better" under *regular circumstances*. If you drive the car for several years and take care of it, it should retain a higher percent of it's value than other cars will.

It's gonna hurt financially if you trade in that early. You're going to have to private sell if you want more, but don't expect that much more.

 

working backwards from retail... realize that the dealer stands to make some 4k on a new sale, maybe more??? Add that they want a profit margin on your trade. Add (or subtract) that they can not sell yours as a "New" car. Already been titled. Add that the next buyer may negotiate the dealer downward somewhat from what ever they ask for it. Or perhaps they "stretch" on a trade for the next buyer. Subtract a cushion for what ever. 9000 difference was not a bad first offer from the dealer. Remember it was his first "offer". If you negotiate hard (they have to know that you are ready willing and able to pull the trigger) they may come down a bit. Don't assume they beleive that you are a qualified buyer just cause you own what you own. They will need to understand that you ARE willing to suck up some difference. Then the only question is- how much? I would recommend go there in person, title in hand, with your 9k difference as a starting point. Dealers are notorius for NOT tipping their hand until they know they have a buyer in front of them. Even though a little more discount would put the deal together in your mind. Anything else, to them, is just conversation. You may have done all of the above but I'm just giving some things to think about.

@B&WCM- Any chance of finding a MINI dealer who happens to be under the same umbrella as the brand of truck you are shopping for? ie. same parent dealer owns both franchises even if at different locations. Having that intimate connection to a MINI dealer will allow them to give top dollar and move the car on to the next buyer as opposed to MINI dealers here and there with no connection to the selling dealer. I would suspect that car will sell privately but it is easier to drive in and drive out with the new truck. Hope things work out!

 

Remember that the dealer is going to offer no more than wholesale prices. I you want retail, you will need to seel it yourself as a private seller.

 

Where did you get that $4K profit for a dealer? I'll bet that if you divide that by 3 you might be closer, and that may even be a bit high. Sure, they do get incentives from their factory, and that's why you will see discounts on some Minis, at some dealers. When I was in the car selling business, granted that was a few years ago, you wanted to sell used cars, as that was where the money was. Selling new cars meant making mni commissions, and not Mini Cooper.

 

I just bought a used 2013 Roadster, 3800 miles. It had an MSRP of $33,800. A woman traded the car to a dealer...dealer put it in a dealer auction and sold it for $26,600 plus auction fees to the buyer in OH. The buyer, a new car Dealer, had the car 3 months and no takers. A convert in the snow belt is a dumb move in November..its a Spring/Summer sale car. I bought the car for $24,500....dealer lost money just to get it off the lot.

I was a Dealer for 20+ years. Dealers take risks...lose on some, win on most.

 

Your thinking of $5000 was correct if you were trading from 2012 roadster to a 2013 assuming the $2000 diff. in window price. The problem is at lease in the area where I live is that your convertible S does'nt have the resale value of the roadster S.