I can't wait until they finish the new dealership.

my husband son and I and I live in Cibolo, TX.

First post is updated.

Have they even broken ground yet? :sad:

I haven't driven by, let us know what you see if/when you drive by. Thanks.

I'll do the same when I travel that way.:nod:

Bumping a really old thread in hopes of good news...don't see any dealership listed when I check on Edmunds and other sites...

We're in Charlotte, NC and have a SUPER dealership here (Hendrick), and likely moving to Austin sometime in the relatively near future. Have my eye on that new 370Z and this could be the tipping point. :-(

Just got this email from the Austin Mini group today:

"Santa granted all of our wishes this year because I received a postcard in the mail saying that BMW of Austin is now offering Non-Warranty Service, repair & accessories for all Mini's. Could our hometown Dealer ship actually open this year????"

Someone else chimed in and said they are supposed to open this summer.


Holding my breath.
Ty

Thanks for the update Ty. I guess I'll wait till the last minute to decide on MINICHI's fate to see if the dealership is open and if not, how the BMW dealership works out for folks. I typically only keep cars for a few years, but this MINI has gotten under my skin and I just don't want to dump it!

I was just at the BMW dealership today looking at an X5 for the wife.
The sales guy told me they are just waiting on couple of permits to start construction and should open Spring of '09.

Again, holding my breath,
Ty

Thanks Ty,
I'm holding my breath too. My husband and I were wondering if it was finished or not.

I just checked and they are NOT selling new MINIs. They do however have a ton of hail damaged BMWs.

Just to resurrect the dead.... :wink:

http://www.minicooperofaustin.com just resolves itself back to the BMW of Austin website, so no help there.

But... Don't know how long it has said this, but the Mini Cooper website dealer locator has Austin as second on it's list... Fall 2009.

http://www.miniusa.com/#/shop/dealerLocator-m and then click on "MINI DEALERS COMING SOON"

Now, for all I know, it's been there for ages, and said:
Spring 2008
Summer 2008
Fall 2008
Spring 2009
etc.... :lol:

You are correct...:mad: :lol:

word from SA at Mini of San Antonio is that Penske BMW of Austin has broken ground on MINI dealership/service center...:popcorn:

Confirmed! (if you trust me)

I work about 5 minutes from there (much nicer than having to trudge to SA, not that I'd mind driving my Mini, but I'm originally from there and it's a really really boring/annoying drive, and often costly if the wife makes me stop at the SM Outlet). Today on the way back from lunch, drove by. I had noticed some work a few weeks ago on the field next to the BWM dealership, but couldn't really tell anything. Now there is a fence around it, and on the fence is a big banner that says "Coming Soon - Mini of Austin" or something like that. I screwed up the cell camera and didn't get it on the way by. A coworker was driving, so I didn't get to double back. But I will drop by again and get a pic when I get the chance!

My Mini is currently on a boat one day out to sea, so it's not like I'll need it for a while (hopefully!), since they won't be open when I need to take delivery...

OH MERCY ME!!! I just got a mini cooper too... oh glory!! Im gonna apply for a sales job :)

Here ya go:
http://i32.tinypic.com/34rj15j.jpg

They have steel beams up for the building, and concrete posts poured near the street, presumably for the sign?

For those not familiar with the area:
http://i30.tinypic.com/2a971ci.jpg

'A' Marks the dealership on the map. Then, as you go towards Research Blvd. on that side of McNeil is the Used Car lot (you can see the signs in the Used Car lot in the pic above), then the Mini dealership coming in.

"Opening Soon" is relative, as all they have is the main steel girder frame. I'll see if one of my other pics shows it, but with the cell phone cam, I'm not that hopeful!

Soon? Hope so.

Will BMW next door do normal services on the Minis? Or do I need to haul it down to San Antonio?

Well this is good news as I am in a loaner from S.A. as I type and must trudge back down there next week...

Counting the days till Austin opens its service doors...:nod:

Answering my own question here.

The BMW dealership does not do warranty work, nor maintenance work on the Mini's under warranty. They will do an oil change for $70-$85.

If I had to do it again, I should have paid BMW (to keep it in their books) and held out for Mini of Austin to do the rest of the warranty work.

The girder frame seemed to get larger from the previous times I've seen it. My hope is that a dealership is essentially a giant box (say vs a house or office with lots of plumbing/wiring) so that its a quick build. Really, I could care less as long as they build out the service dock.

im applying for a position today! :)

looks like its slipped to winter 2010 boo.

Hey everyone! I'm also looking forward to the new dealership as I can't friggin' wait to get one. I have a 2005 Nissan right now and the inside is falling apart.
Question... JD Power rates the Mini Coopers pretty low in terms of powertrain quality. Are they really that bad? Anyone have any regrets on getting their Mini? Needed to get theirs fixed 10 times? JD Power full of crap? OH and does driving a standard suck in Austin traffic, or is it not really that bad? I'm thinking the only way to go with a Mini is a standard! Thanks for any input!

Here's my 2 cents worth - I've had my 2009 MCS since last December and I've not had one bit of trouble with it. I've had many new cars and this is the only one in which I didn't have to take back to the dealership for some adjustment or another.

I don't know about JD Power. I just don't put my trust into a commercial rating service - my go-to rating service is Consumer Reports. The frequency of repair record of major systems of the 2008 and MC and MCS (the latest models they've received feedback on) are almost all "much better than average".

Although I don't have a commute, I've had to contend with Austin traffic and driving my stick has actually made me enjoy the overall driving experience more. I think it makes you more "connected" as a driver. And afterall, I'm sure one of the major attractions about the MINI for you is its fun-to-drive factor.

One feature that does relieve a lot of irritation in driving a stick is the hill-holder. I've driven in the hills of San Francisco without such a feature and applying and releasing the hand brake can be a pain in the rear!

Here's a progress pic done via driveby (Prepped iphone at prior red light). Sorry about the quality but I wanted to live.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...minidealer.jpg