Well today me and my dad went out to East Bay Mini and test drove a MCS convertible. I have read a lot of stuff about the mini on this forum and on motoringfile but nothing can explain what it feels like to drive a mini. I can tell you that it had a lot of OOMPH!! for a small car. Unlike most people i thought that the ride was not harsh at all and i have driven cars like s500's and 745's and lx470s. man it was hard to drive slow in this thing. i really liked this car so we put a deposit on one but the bad thing is that we will have to wait 8-11 months to get one. i first didnt realize how long the wait was when i was in the showroom cuz i was so excited but on the ride home it hit me, it could take up to a year before i will get my mcs. i think we are going to hit up neillo mini in sacramento on saturday and probably transfer deposits because i think i rather pay 2500 extra and wait only 3-4 months.

 

oh and by the way i loved the shifter on it, not too short not to long.

 

Please don't pay extra or go to Niello (they really do stink). Consider ordering with South Bay Mini in Torrance (SoCal) or even seeing what they have available already on the lot. Its a nice afternoon drive back to the SF Bay area and its straight MSRP with no hassle all the way. It worked out great for us - got cheapo airline tix and they picked us up at the airport, and keeping it in Cali let us inspect before taking delivery or signing any papers before seeing it in person.

Anayway, best of luck - there was a lot of inventory of 'verts sent to dealers so you just might be able to find one on a lot configured as you want and even get some off MSRP.

See you 'round

 

I ordered my S from towne in new york june 12th-it arrived (in new york) by july 15th. flew there, drove it here is the thumbnail sketch-cost less to drive it than shipping it. call classic in cleveland or mini of pittsburgh or some dealers in texas are easier as well-dont give the thieveing dealers in california the satisfaction of gouging you just because they can and you accept it.

 

You might as well consider getting your MINI from out of state (or even Southern Cal, as posted). Delivery from say, Classic in Cleveland, Ohio, is about $1200 which is much less than the $2500 mark-up. They also have a more reasonable wait time - about 6-8 weeks including the shipping time. The $2500 mark-up also increases your sales tax and license fees since it is added to the purchase price of the car which is not the case for shipping fees. I also noticed that the dealer from Indianapolis (forgot the name: "something & something" is all I remember) is offering free shipping. I have heard good things about Classic but nothing good or bad about the Indianapolis dealer. Check around NAM. There are quite a few threads about dealing with out-of-state dealers.

 

our ma Dan Berkheiser, one of the nicest salespersons i have ever met, even suggested goin to socal because we were kinda sketchy about waiting so long, but my dad who is the final decision maker wanted to stick with the bay. i might try to convince him in the upcoming days. but man that mini's engine was smooth for such a small 4 cylinder.

 

Hi,

We end up ordered my MCSA from an out of state dealer, Mini of Murray in Salt Lake City. The order was in on 7/25, rec'd production # right away, it is now sitting at the port of exit in Southhampton. The expected delivery date is late September. It is straightly MSRP only. We retracked the order from East Bay Mini, 11 months waiting is just toooo long....

Good luck.