Just got an email from my MA. Roadster has cleared the VDC and is over at the Baltimore Port (BALPOA) awaiting truck transport to my St. Louis MINI dealer. Should have a firm ETA by Tues. AM and will then update here.

VIRGIL was loaded on a ship in South Hampton on 1/31. And 15 days later it has crossed the Ocean, been offloaded and taken to the VDC, processed through the VDC and then taken to the Baltimore Port for shipment home. So this appears to have been about a two week process.

Hope this time frame helps others as you await delivery of your new MINI.

Ken-

 

My wife and I are just back from placing an order for her Roadster at Mini of STL. Just curious ... Who is your MA?

Steve

 

Awesome... I'm excited for you Ken. Soooo close! Looking forward to photos.

 

Ours should be in New Jersey any day, then a couple more to Habberstad mini in Huntington NY! Can't wait, it'll have been almost 3 months! Hopefully the snow will be gone by then and we'll have some warmer weather.

Steve

 

hishonor, my MA is Karen F. She is extremely knowledgable; been with the dealership for nearly 8 years. She also drives a Roadster so had some good advise. Your wife is gonna LOVE her's. What colors, options, etc.

VIRGIL has been held up the last few days in Baltimore due to the snow storms. Should get a delivery date SOON.

ScottyM, Thanks. Also, I don't always understand the instructions for how to host/post pics on this forum so may ask for some help from our members to learn the process so VIRGIL can appear as the new guy among his peers.

 

We're working with Mark E. This will be our 5th Mini with him .... soon to be 6 when my lease is up later this year. We have always been extremely impressed with the buying experience at St. Louis Mini and Mark just adds to the fun. This will be our first build. The other 4 over the years have always been off the lot.

We've ordered an automatic JCW Roadster, Midnight Black, black Challenge spoke wheels, with the red treatment on the stripes and mirror caps. The cold weather package and the rest of the options are "minor" adds of black headlight housings, white turn signals, xenon headlights, the rear fog lamp (just because), H/K sound system with Sirus and the upgraded climate control.

We normally would't spend this much on a car but this time, it's all about fun!

Let the waiting begin!

Steve

 

Steve, sounds like you and your bride are very avid MINI's owner's. This will be my first but I have driven the two my daughter has owned and they art a "hoot" for sure.

Like you I probably ordered more than I needed but "wants vs. needs"..the wants won out. But VIRGIL will take Mary and I on 4 "Road Trips" this year.

Are you and your wife members of the St. Louis MINI club? Not everyone wants to belong to a car club but the St. Louis club is a GREAT mix of owner's and everything Mini.

Regardless, we should hook up sometime in the future…especially when your Roadster arrives.

 

Not sure we're current on our dues at the moment, but we have been card carrying members over the years. We're not much into the "club thing" but who knows ... That may all change with the JCW.

 

Understand I'm not a patient individual but ...

Ordered the JCW Roadster on the 19 of February. It's now headed into April and the car is still not into production. I do realalize waiting is part of the "fun" but really!

At this point in the process we will be a full month past our lease expiration on the existing Cooper and not expecting arrival until sometime in June. Is this "normal" ? ( see what I did there?)

Steve

 

Steve, that's not typical.

We were told 6 to 8 weeks is the typical time for manufacturing and shipping at our location (north east > western PA). It took ours 8 weeks from the time we ordered to the time it arrived at our dealer.

Look at the "how to track your MINI" in the 1st gear section.
I know there's a number you can call to have more direct information about manufacturing of yours via MINI help center something...

It is possible they have back order on some specific parts.
It's also possible it is being made and the system isn't being updated.

 

Agree that something is not right here. Did the dealer confirm their availability of a manufacturing slot when you placed the order? If so, it's common for a vehicle to go into production within a week or two of placing the order.

In my case, I placed my R59 order with MINI of Des Moines on Sept 5th (2012) and I took delivery and drove it home on Oct 26th. Since my configuration is fairly rare (base Cooper with factory JCW trim inside and out) I'm almost certain it wasn't already in the pipeline when I ordered. I suspect that MINIs bound for Des Moines and St. Louis both come through the VDC in Baltimore so timing expectations should be comparable.

 

Thanks for the confirmation. We did not receive any info from the dealer after placing the order. Didn't think much about it as we left for vacation shortly afterwards, and then our MA was out enjoying the birth of his child. The first contact about the order was receiving the production number on 3/10.

We'll be talking to the dealership tomorrow for some reassurance.

Steve

 

Yes .. That was the timeframe we were expecting as well. We've be in touch with the Ask Mini folks ... An excellent customer service experience. And I've been combing through the various threads ... including the one you mentioned in the 1st Gear section... Does help pass the time

Steve

 

Holy Mother of Mini .... The Roadster has been finally been delivered to Mini of St. Louis ... 3 months since it was ordered. It's going through whatever prep the dealer does and we'll pick it up on Wednesday.

Now I just have to say, Mark and the MiniStl crew have treated us extremely well during this ridiculous wait. We dropped off her 2011 Hardtop on Saturday, May 3rd when the lease expired and they put us into a 2014 Paceman to drive until the Roadster arrived. Not quite the same "experience" but it is an All4 and she enjoyed driving it. It has an aftermarket tint on the windows she liked so much that's now been done to the Roadster. They've also made us whole on the excess mileage we put on the vehicle during the wait and have also waved some wear and tear costs at lease end.

Now the rest of the story. While dropping off the hardtop, I looked around for the White JCW Countryman that's been on the floor forever and didn't see it right away. I asked Mark if he had sold "my" JCW and he shook his head pointed up to the Jewel Box ... There it was in the ceiling.

Half kidding, I asked why he hadn't tried getting me out of my lease (6 mo left) and into my new car. He frowned and said the numbers never work ... But let take a look. He was typing and jabbering away saying this and that and just stopped talking. Now you have to know Mark and realize that he just never stops talking ... He just looked up and asked "are you serious?"

And it was just that simple that I drove home with my new JCW before my wife's had even started production! That makes 6 Mini's for us and why we keep going back to Mini of St. Louis. It's always an experience.

Steve

 

I couldn't follow the point of the story very well but congrats on finally getting the roadster . . . boy 3 month wait is long!!!

Good you're getting just on time for the warm season so not too much of a loss