So, my MINI saga:

I was originally supposed to take delivery of my Lightning Blue Justa on Monday, and went in to my dealer with a few quotes from competing dealers (advantages of being in SoCal where there's a MINI dealer every 15-20 miles in any direction), expecting a spirited but sporting negotiating session.

Instead he refused to budge, choosing to talk down to me as if I were a 16-year old girl who didn't know the real world -- he literally said that I would eventually "learn reality" if I chose to go elsewhere. Pfft. I happily took my checkbook elsewhere.

Within an hour of contacting an internet/fleet manager at another dealer, she found me a Justa with the same specs, arriving in port today. She opened with a much lower price AND scored me the 0.9% financing.

I am one happy camper.

But it means I haven't quite graduated yet. Kinda like being told you're one credit shy, and have to return for summer school. Someone pass the popcorn.

 

Love it! She looks fabulous

 

That's fantastic! Now you need to paint your chrome grill surround red

 

Lol!

 

Wow! Well good for you. What kind of deal are you getting? fantastic that you found your car already on the boat! Bet that salesman will regret his actions.

I considered backing out as well, but mostly because I wanted to change my order specs. After I ordered, my car went into production 2 days later and when I tried to make changes I was told it was too late. i started regretting choosing black and also wished that I had gotten the exterior chrome. I decided to just go with my order and I don't regret it now. Still wish i had the chrome, but I am really liking the black more than i expected. it is understated, but its reflective qualities are really pretty. Remains to be seen if I will be up to maintaining that shine. Other than that, I am loving the car so far.

Good luck to you and your future MINI.

 

I picked up Bridget today! I've included a picture of the interior which is the new satellite gray color.

 

Very nice!

 

Thanks! I'm getting minimal specs -- Lightning Blue Justa with white/white/white (roof/stripes/turn signals). So it's probably easier for the dealers to find what I'm looking for in production. I think black looks super sleek, btw

I got 1500 under MSRP (half of that is the Not Normal rebate), 0.9 financing, and some good quotes for the XL warranty, which I'm mulling over. There were actually slightly better quotes at other dealers, but they got me exactly what I wanted and faster, so they win. Overall a little over 1000 less than I was "so unrealistically" expecting from the first dealer.

Mostly I'm just pleased that my first experience was a fluke. I have never met a dealer who acted like he wasn't interested in selling cars, until that guy. So. Strange.

Oh wells. His loss. I just have to re-join this lovely support group until the weekend!

 

I LOVE that interior! Your car looks great!

If I wasn't using this car as a daily driver in winter, I'd have gotten the Satellite gray seats. I thought a lot about it. I opted for the Recaros with Satellite White leather dash.

 

I put down the deposit on my JCW Convertible order confirmation! Unfortunately the dealer doesn't have an allocation but he says it shouldn't be a problem as he can trade another dealer for one. Just waiting on that to happen so I can get a production number! Can't wait to get things moving!

 

LOL you've got some time to wait Jake. I got my production number last Tuesday and I'm still waiting for a production date! The expected delivery should be around December 12th for me. I know the anticipation!!!

 

The waiting will be tough but worth the wait to get just the car I want configured exactly to my preference! But seriously I'd rather have it NOW! LOL

My guess is it will probably be 2013 before I get it! Happy New Year!

 

I actually had to order it blind because no dealers near me had one or updated swatches. I'm so glad I chose it though because it is striking.

 

Damn! That interior is gorgeous. Great choice! Congrats and enjoy motoring. I'll honk and wave if I see you in the City!

 

That's one of my favorite interior combinations, using the configurator. Nice to verify how awesome it looks with a real photo

 

Looks like my ship (the Aniara) is sailing into a Nor'easter today. Hopefully they will steer clear of the worst of it. Safety first.

 

Topeka Crew

avenger


tpthrshr

CA_cath (missing pic)


klsmith5


instamini


sorry... just got back to a computer to update

 

Topeka is currently in the panama canal

 

Weird. Marine traffic says Topeka is in the Canal, but Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics says it went through the canal yesterday. I'm hoping WW is the right one

 

OK, I think I got Sir Basil's photo in here finally!

 

Nice looking car. I'm finally picking mine up in about four hours!

I went with the Green Park color for my Clubman S, and plain black leatherette inside. I did opt for the Hot Chocolate steering wheel, shift and break boots, and am considering swapping out the Carbon Black colour line dash and door parts for Hot Chocolate equivalents if I can find them all. I think that would go nicely with the Hot Chocolate pin stripes flanking the BRG stripes on the outside.

Cheers,
Colin

 

It goes off radar again for a little while after leaving the canal. The Figaro showed up again as it approached Ensenada.

 

@ Kimberlyfour: about maintaining that finish on a black car...I've owned several black cars before and my MINI will also be a black car. We came across this stuff called "Nu Finish", which does a really nice job with black cars. It'll take an entire weekend morning of applying it...but you only have to do this once a year. It is NOT a car wax; more like a protective finish product. Also, you might want to consider a clear bra to prevent chips. Finally, karma dictates your MINI is automatically a guano-magnet, so watch out where you park and for low-flying "aircraft" (remember the Nissan Top Gun commercial during one of the Super Bowl's?)

 

Sweet! And Topeka just departed from Panama Canal a little before 12:00 PM (Pacific time). I got an email update from Marine Traffic. We all gonna go a little more nuts on 11/15, you think?

 

Thanks for the update!

I'm *hoping* it'll still be the 15th. It went through Panama Canal a day later than scheduled, according to the WW site's original info. Maybe they pad those dates to be safe.

Man, this waiting is making me bonkers!

How'd you sign up for Marine Traffic update emails?