OK, so...I ordered a Cooper S on July 13 last year from Irvine MINI in Southern California. They are very friendly and were very accommodating towards my needs, however, I cancelled my order with them in December for two reasons. 1)I work for a major automotive manufacture (it doesn't matter which one ) and financially it would have been better for me to lease one of their cars at an employee discount, and 2) I was having a hard time accepting the fact I had to pay $1600+ in mandatory options. I cancelled my order without thinking it through. What threw me over the edge was the constant pushing my order each month to a later date, due to the reduction in Cooper S allotments. I had had it and acted too quickly.

I can't take it anymore. I should have NEVER cancelled my Cooper S order and I'm having serious regrets in doing so. My personalized license plate is already in (C ME MTR), but I can't pick it up because I have nothing to put it on and if I re-order a car here in California, I will have to wait FOREVER. My initial order was to be built in March of this year.

I'm willing to purchase out of state to get my Cooper S. I've never bought a car out of California, so I don't know what to expect as far as sales tax and licensing. Will I pay that to the dealer when I buy it from out of state or when I bring it to California and register it at the DMV?

This is where I need everyone's help. What MINI dealers in the Unites States should I call to order my car (again) and expect it in a reasonable time frame, such as 3-5 months at MSRP? I don't want to pay over MSRP. Are there any dealers online reading this that will place a cooper S order without the extended wait? I will either fly out to the dealer and drive it back or have the car shipped, but I think it would be much more fun to drive it back here! =-)

This is my original order and I would like to keep it just the same:

Cooper S
Dark Silver
Black Roof
Premium Pkg.
Panther Black Leather Interior
Anthracite Dash and Trim
Sport Pkg. (no stripes, with performance tires)
Cold Weather Pkg.
Rain Sensing Wipers with Auto-Dimming Mirror
Harman Kardon Premium Audio
Park Distance Control
Navigation System

Yes, all options. Man. I think I'm going to cry. I should have never ever cancelled. Can anyone help? My email is:

slodeanis@aol.com

THANK YOU!!

Dean

 

Dean--

Welcome to MCO!

I live in CT, and I think they're pretty booked here, but I work in Philly, and heard a rumor that a dealer just outside Philly has some on the lot (maybe something close to your specs?) and also no extended wait to put in an order. (Is Philly too far?) I didn't hear the name of the dealer, but a quick search here or on miniusa.com should get you a phone number or two to try.

If Philly's too far, you might try some of the more out-of-the way dealerships out your way. Some of those may have a smaller waitlist, or even cars on the lot.

Either way, good decision, and welcome again...

 

I'm in Seattle and I'm getting mine from MINI in Utah. They had the shortest wait on the west side of the country (called about 10 dealers to see how they work). They require a $2000 deposit so that's what keeps the list short.

For tax and license, they'll just not charge anything and you pay all that back when you register your vehicle.

Call them and see what you wait time will be. They seem very reasonable about the wait time and they charge only MSRP.

Good luck!

 

i don't know if the prices are correct but I saw some Cooper "S" on EBAY for next to nothing.

 

Did you try Long Beach MINI? I know that if you order from them, they will charge you MSRP, but I do not know what their current wait is for an S

 

When I was looking for an MCS the shortest wait I could find for a MINI I could order was with MINI of Murray in Salt Lake City. I also got a tip from a couple of MCO-ers that Roadshow MINI in Memphis had a lot of MINI's on the lot. Talk to Davbret and YuccaPatrol here on MCO to learn more about Roadshow MINI. I think both of them picked up a MINI from them.

Good luck!! Welcome to MCO!

 

I concur with JimmerO and picoman. Mini of Murray has been great to deal with. I also live in Seattle, but didn't want to wait 8+ months and pay the $395 tacked-on fee at the closest dealership to me, NW Mini. My salesperson explained to me that because they were one of the first dealerships, they are allotted more cars than others, incl NW Mini. I've been dealing with Karen Johnson, and she's been terrific.

 

It looks like you might have a few options worth looking into in the West, but if you're willing to consider something out East, I would say to call MINI of Pittsburgh. They have actually sold about 1/3 of their cars to people that do NOT live in the area! (Surprised me when I found out!) Anyhow, they have a number of cars in stock (not sure how many S's) and their wait time is very reasonable. Also, as you requested - MSRP with no forced extras.

If you want to call them for info, send me a PM and I'll give you some more details.

 

You can order one through Moritz in Dallas-Fort Worth at MSRP. I placed an order on November 22 and my MCS is now at the VPC in Charleston.

 

I don't believe there is any wait from Mini of the Hamptons in New York. They sell at MSRP, no forced options. Torr Marro has be fine to deal with. They will ship it out to you, I believe it costs a few hundred, but ask them, not me. :smile: And I ordered mine in late December for a January production number. They also had several on the lot if they happen to meet your needs.

Good luck,
Wactuary

 

If you are desperate and can't wait the best thing to do is spend some time on the phone calling all the dealers in which you feel like traveling too. Ask them each if they have one that fits your description. You will be hard pressed to find one with the HK this early in the production cycle. I think it is possible to get an 02 with the options you mentioned as the DS w/ Leather is a popular package. Dealers will usually by their own cars with a 3 packages and leather knowing they have the most margin in those cars. Even if one caome with the stripes they are easy to remove.

I bought my first MINI like this just calling 15 dealers all one day. I did this on a Wednesday and drove from Dallas to Mempis on Saturday to pick up my MCS. I wanted on that bad. The car was at MSRP with a few dealer ad-ons. I have since gone back to Roadshow and have a spec order 04 in production now. I put in my order the last week in December and I have a mid-March delivery date.

hope this helps

 

Hi Dean,

I concur with Okie about trying Moritz Mini in Arlington, Texas. They aren't quite open yet so nobody knows about them. I bet you could get a production date in 6 to 8 weeks from them. You can fly from John Wayne to DFW for couple hundred bucks and it's an easy two day drive back to LA. (my son does it 4 times a year in a Nissan).

By the way, why do you need a cold weather package and rain sensing wipers in Southern California? Just curious.

 

>>OK, so...I ordered a Cooper S on July 13 last year from Irvine MINI in Southern California. They are very friendly and were very accommodating towards my needs, however, I cancelled my order with them in December for two reasons.

Sounds more like you were on a "waiting list" than an actual order!!! Becuase when you order you get your production number and can track it via ASK MINI or via the Owner's Lounge on-line. It should NEVER take from July 13 to December timeframe for a MINI to be built!

I suggest looking around for other options (read: other MINI dealerships), than getting back onto their waiting list. You should be able to reduce your wait time significantly. Good luck!

 

Well, I did it! I ordered my MCS from Rex Varughese at Keeler MINI in Latham NY. He contacted me and was extremeley polite and helpful! I will have a production date of February and a delivery of mid March!

I want to thank everyone for all of their responses and help in this matter. I can hardly wait!

To answer some of all your questions, some have asked why would I need rain sensing wipers and heated seats in California? Well, I really like the feature of an auto-dimming mirror, and it is only available with the rains sensing wipers. As for the heated seats, I like keeping my money maker warm on my way to work .

The wait now begins...

 

I test drove the Mini with Rex at Keeler Mini in Latham, NY back in August. I liked him and the dealer a lot. I was all set to place an order with them until he told me that they wanted $795. above MSRP. I told him that was a deal breaker for me. I am now picking up my MIni this Friday from Westchester Mini. Keeler did have quicker delivery times. I will probably use Keeler Mini for service as they are my closest Mini dealer.

BTW, Southwest Airlines flies into Albany NY so that might be the way to go when you go to pick up your Mini. The Albany airport is about 3 miles from Keeler Mini.

 

I used Tom Bush in Jacksonville, Fl for my order. They did want to push $1,300 of extras on to my order, but I had rally lights and the Aero package on my original order. That more than covered the $1,300 they wanted in extras.

As for any markup - not one penny. They (at that time) stuck to the MSRP, saying customers are more important than an extra buck. Well I'm not going to swallow that line, but they did not mark anything up - just the extras they wanted to pump everyone for.


_________________

02 MCS ~ Sport, Aero, Rally Lights

 

Any dealer on Long Island, NY can get you your car @ MSRP.
Just do it

Peace,
D

 

Maybe some of the nice people at MINI USA who read these forums can be so kind to bump you up the list.