I'm ordering my first Mini on Tuesday -- a Cooper S. Very excited. Anything I should know before I head into the dealer?

I've been talking to the salesmen for several weeks, and he seems up front. We tried to find an existing new Mini with exactly what I wanted, but he couldn't, so we decided to build. One thing I'm a tad worried about is whether they'll be offer the corporate specials (i.e. free option upgrade, financing special rates) during the month my car is delivered. The specials are great right now for what I want, but who knows what they'll be when mine is ready in two months or however long it will take.

Would appreciate anyone's thoughts, input, experiences, etc.

Rob

 

Me only regret ain't orderin' mine wit' th' anthracite headliner. I didn' see it online 'n me MA didn' mention or suggest it as some 'ave. Be prepared fer an agonizin' wait... fer yer ship t' come in!!!

 

Agreed, it is a pain to wait, but in the end, it is all worth it. I mean, it will be what YOU want, and no one will have test driven it, etc. Also, yes get the anthracite headliner. Also, not sure what sort of transmission you were thinking of, but the steptronic automatic is a blast! And in my opinion, I think the sunroof isn't necessary. I have heard a lot of problems with it, plus it doesn't look as sporty. But, to each their own! Just make sure you look at different pictures and videos of MINI's so you know what you want and what you don't want or need rather. The price of MINI's can go up fast! Plus you can always add other stuff on later like accessories so that it doesn't end up on the final price tag. Plus, it won't sit at the VDC for as long that way . Good luck to you!

 

Congrats and be sure and get the xenons. First car I've ever owned with them and I'll never own a car again without them

 

Congrats and enjoy the torture.
I just ordered my second about a week ago, so you're not far behind me.
Depending on the interior you choose, the anthracite headliner needs to be considered as previously mentioned. Also, the white turn signals are not expensive but make a difference.
Your cost will be dependent on what incentives are in effect when your MINI is delivered. I'm curious as to what mine will be as well.
Annette

 

Conrats! Yea, waiting is the hardest part. Get what options you need and then figure out what you want. Xenons are recommended. I drove the steptronic and found it to be fine. It's a good compromise if your better half does not drive a manual.

Mine is currently waiting to be put on a ship. I got: Cooper S, Chili Red all over, Red Leather/Carbon Black cloth seats, Rooster Red colorline interior, black headlight housings, Xenon's, 16" Black alloys, Premium pkg, Dynamic Traction Control, Anthracite Headliner, Blue and USB iPod adapter.

I was able to get $1,878 off of MSRP and am happy with what I am paying. The buying experience was great (Pensacola Mini).

Like I said waiting is the hardest part.

Good luck and
Mike

 

Going in, here's what I'm 99 percent sure I'm getting:

Mini Cooper S
Red with white roof, white stripes.
Sunroof.
Automatic trans (my wife doesn's drive a stick).
17-inch wheels.

Those are my must haves.

I still have to decide on interior and the other smaller details. I'm actually more partial to cloth than leather, but we'll see.

I'm buying from Mini of Fox Valley. It's a new dealership new Green Bay, where I live.

 

You will be glad you got the sunroof- makes a big difference in how the mini feels inside, especially if you live in a cloudy climate like I do. I would skip the anthracite (ie black) headliner unless you really like a lot of black in your car. The rear fog lights were a must have for me mainly because I didnt want a nice row of toggle switches with one missing- plus they help when visibility is bad at night. I feel the xenons are a must have too.

 

Xenons and the Harmon kardon stereo are my must-haves.

I may not be the best person to weigh in though; I feel like so many little things are must-haves since I got a 2010 at the end of their production run and went trigger happy with the options. I ordered mine just before they started with the 2011's so I took advantage of the fixed finance rate and free option package. Ultimately I ended up with the Sport, Prem, Cold Weather and Conv packages plus the rear fogs and punch carbon leather. I think the convenience package could've been skipped.

 

You can expect MINI USA to give incentives for months to come. I have been following the incentives for a while now. They were offering a free package for most of last year, and they started offering a free package again starting in January of this year. Good luck on your order.

 

 

I'm surprised that no one else has asked you about this statement - how did you manage that? That's a nice chunk of change! Most posters appear to be saying that they're paying MSRP.

Curious...

 

A person recently got an ordered Cooper S at invoice price $2,900 off MSRP

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...2-post932.html

Good for them.

 

Ordered today!
Mini Cooper S, Red with white roof, white stripes, sunroof, auto trans. Can't wait.

 

I'm pretty sure that once a down payment is made on the car it means a contract has taken place and and those specials should be listed in the contract and honored no matter when the vehicle is delivered.

Just another note: No matter what size wheels, the outer diameter of the wheel plus tire is the same for all (there's only so much wheel well area). In other words, the larger the wheel the smaller the side wall of the tire. This makes it much more difficult to obtain "regular" tires on the vehicle if one doesn't like the runflats. You might reconsider those 17" inch wheels and try 15".

.

 

Actually, it says pretty clearly that the specials are available only if delivery is taken by the end of that month, so I don't think there's any way around it. ... and I ended up going with the 16" wheels.

Thanks for everyone's advice.

 

Congrats on joining the family... Hope to see you at the dealership soon.. As I will most likely be your MINIs technician...

 

Looking forward to it!

 

Got my production number yesterday and then called the ASK MINI line today and they gave me an estimated completion date of March 8. With shipping time and everything, I wonder if I can have it by the end of March?

 

Who sent you a ptoduction #?? Your MA?

 

Yes, my MA emailed it to me yesterday and then within the hour I got an email from MINI telling me to register in the owner's lounge. You haven't gotten yours yet?

Check your spam mail just in case. My email from MINI went there for some reason.

 

No nothing yet I've been emailing back and forth wit my MA so it deff wouldn't spam but I guess I'll see on monday.. Fml

 

Yessssssss!!! My MA just got back to me and told me I was hus first order. So he didn't know that he was supposed to give me the production #.. so I got it yay!!

 

So did you call the ASK MINI number and get an estimated completion date?

 

Not yet I'll do that tomorrow. Does it also tell you the estimate online?