Hey guys,

Just a quick question for the forum members. I am in the market for a minicooper S and was wondering if any of you got any great deals? I have never gone into a car dealership and have not been able to negotiate at all. I walked into 2 dealerships and was not able to make them budge on anything. Let me know if I am stuck paying what ever sticker is...

THanks

Christian

 

Basically $500-600 under sticker as about as good as anyone has reported getting...besides things like free mats, mud flaps, etc. Most people are stuck paying sticker price. I paid sticker. Got the mats and mud flaps free.

 

I got $300 off my ordered MCS, plus the standard freebies (mats and gift certificate to the MINI boutique). On my second MCS, which I purchased off the lot, I was able to get $750 off plus bonnet stripes w/installation ($100 value) and the previously mentioned freebies.

Buying off the lot, especially at the end of a model year, you have a much better chance of snagging a great deal. It's also very area dependent as in SoCal for example, it seems to be impossible to get anything off MSRP. Many owners actually pay over MSRP.

It's also very dealer dependent. I contacted four dealers while shopping for my MINI and only one was willing to sell for under MSRP. I can't imagine you having too much of a problem getting freebies though.

It definitely takes some getting used to. Pretty much cutting negotiations out of the picture when you choose MINI. But it's a simple matter of supply and demand. Not to mention it makes for a much more relaxed car buying experience.

 

Sorry, no.
I was lucky I didn't have to pay $1,500 over MSRP. MINI of Mountain View was charging that when I ordered, but by the time my MCS arrived, they had dropped the dealer fee.

 

My local dealer wouldn't budge off of MSRP either. If you are in Florida, call Brad Crandall at South Motors MINI in Miami. I got a VERY good deal on my '08 MCS. I won't reveal my actual discount off MSRP, but it was enough to upset my local dealer when I presented them the quote to see if they could beat it. Just placed my order last night!

The secret to getting a good deal is to get a quote from one dealer and then ask the next dealer you speak with to beat their quote. Just keep doing this until you run out of dealers or you are satisfied with the offer.

 

Hi there,
These posts were really helpful. I am wondering if you know a good source for checking the right rate for an 06 or 07?

 

I just ordered a build-to-order 08 MCS, and got WAAAAY below MSRP. You have to >not< be hungry, and shop around. I emailed 5 dealers before finding one willing to discount. No dealer fees either. Look for a place that has seasonal business- i.e. near a summer or winter resort- they will deal in the off season to fill up their slots.

 

What counts as waaaay below Rubbus?

 

I consider $1200 or more to be "waaaay"...

 

Luke, what were Bush's and South's dealer fee's?? if any...

 

If you dont mind telling me where your area is I could possible get the same deal.... If you dont feel comfortable telling the board, please send me a PM...

THanks

CHristian

 

Could you PM me what you got off of MSRP. It might be worth me purchasing it there.

THanks

CHristian

 

South Motors' fee was $599. Tom Bush's was $389.50. Just so you know, the way I calculated my savings was to take the price of the MINI, minus the discount, plus the dealer fee. All of the dealerships have different fees, so this is really the only way to compare.

 

Sorry, but I don't want to reveal my discount because I feel that these things should be kept between the buyer and seller. There are a number of factors that play into how much a dealer is willing to discount a vechicle and I don't want to put undue pressure on Brad to offer you the same price. I will tell you that it is worth your time to speak with him. I'm very happy with the price I received.

 

The market is allowing them to charge MSRP. I didn't walk out when they said MSRP is the price. I guess we are all to blame!!

Rubbus, what did you buy exactly? Was the MSRP really high to begin with, like over 30K. If so, the margin is higher to begin with. Was the discount on dealer installed options, etc, or dealer fees removed. Was there a trade-in involved?

EDIT: It is perfectly fine if you do not want to explain the deal on the board, but discounts (if at all) are very uncommon and makes us all very curious.

 

And I've kind of been waiting for a post like this.

I don't think it's simply a matter of getting a discount on the MSRP (though that's a nice start). You also have to consider every single fee along the way, and consider how you come out in the total package. That is, you might get a discount off MSRP, but consider:

1.) Whether it's less expensive to get add-ons from the dealer, or elsewhere. If you're interested in a dealer-added service, know (beforehand) what others are charging for the same service. Having written quotes in-hand from competitors gives you the confidence to ask if they can at least meet the competing price (particularly if you want to finance it). Also, it's cheaper to have some things (like the round lights over the grill) added at the port of entry instead of later at the the dealer (ask).

2.) Whether to take the first price they offer...on anything. They quote you prices confidently and without hesitating, and they can be...expensive. However, it seems like everything (except, usually, MSRP) is negotiable...particularly the extended warranties and service. Overpaying on big-ticket items will overwhelmingly eat up any other discounts you receive.

3.) Where you're getting your financing (at what rate)...offer them a chance to beat it. Capital One (who, oddly, doesn't appear to show up on any of the summary lists of rates on the web finance sites comparing the current rates from several providers) used to counteroffer your dealer's rate if it was less, but they stopped doing that a year or so ago (bummer).

4.) What freebies (if any) you receive. Make sure they're things you want. I thought I wanted free mats until I saw "cocomats.com". So I felt better about asking for a discount elsewhere (instead of a freebie).

5.) Discuss with your MA before you order whether there are extra fees for dealer services, window etching (you don't have to enable that if you don't want to), documentation fees, etc. Some of those fees are unavoidable, and some are (IMHO) just extra profit for the dealer. If you manage to get your MA to drop something, make sure it doesn't pop back up again at delivery time.

6.) Don't let them try to tell you that you have to buy your extended service locally. If a dealer far away offers a better price, you just have to Fedex your key for them to verify the mileage. The FA gets credit for selling you stuff, even if the profit is low.

7.) Although it's not much, put as much as you can on a credit card (for reward points):

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=122961

(I told you I was cheap.)

Having recently been through this, it seems like the MA is your contact for concrete things (like trying to angle for free floor mats), and the FA is your contact for abstract things (like extended services and financing). Once I got to the FA, it seemed like my ability to ask for discounts on mud flaps etc. was gone ("that's sales").

Think of the fees as multiple wheels on a slot machine...you're shooting for the lowest price on the combination of all the dials. Don't just optimize one and ignore the rest. I still don't know how much profit they made on me (I'm sure it was considerable, despite all my efforts), but I feel comfortable with everything.

Lastly, treat everyone with respect and have a good time with it. You're gonna be back for service, and you want to be able to face them without wincing. They're just doing their job after all. It's like the guy selling T-shirts on the beach (not everyone pays the same price).

Good luck!

...and does anyone disagree with what I've said?

 

Good points. The dealer fees are something you should definitely watch out for. Some have unwittingly paid upwards of 1K for a "dealer prep fee" and others of the like, only to be quite upset in the end. The document fee is another one dealers tend to grossly inflate.

I paid 55 bucks for the docs and no other dealer fee. Plus the $1000 off (once you include freebies). That was at Otto's MINI in Westchester, PA by the way.

 

+1

 

I am also reluctant to discuss the specific prices of my deal (for the same reason), but you can also do thread title searches on NAM for the words "extended", "service" and "warranty"...several people have been forthcoming with what they paid for those components (and some of them are significantly below what you're likely to be offered first off). When you're reading through them, make notes of the coverage, the deductible, and any terms or exclusions.

I'm not sure if each FA has several policies they sell, with varying levels of coverage and deductible. So although you may feel like you're whittling them down on the price, they may just be (without malice) downshifting their offer to balance what you're willing to pay.

In retrospect, I wish I had let the FA tell me the prices on everything they offer (service, warranty, and windshield insurance) before offering to buy anything in particular, rather than deciding one by one as we went along. You may have more leverage if you negotiate several items as a package.

I was kind of amused that the FA implied that each offering was a no-brainer for me (based on worst-case scenarios), though they've clearly spent more time researching the odds (of the cost of my claims exceeding their coverage) than I could possibly do.

Sorry to blather...I said in my previous post that I had given it a LOT of thought, and I keep remembering things.

And I'm avoiding work...this is much more fun.

 

If you buy one off the lot, and the dealer has several similar MCS's, you are more likely to get a discount...When I got mine, the dealer had one BRG MCS, and already had several people interested, so the only discount I got was free floor mats, but I just had to have BRG. If I would have gone for a silver MCS, I probably would have been able to get a discount since they had 3 or 4 of them.

 

I see you're in Manheim, did you order from Otto's??? I ask because I purchased my MINI from them off the lot. It was the only PW in stock at the time, I really dragged my feet during the entire process and (my MA claimed) there were various other people interested in it. Still got $750 + the freebies.

It seems to be very dealer and even MA dependent. In my experience some just have that really cocky attitude where they know they're selling a product with plenty of demand and act as if they're doing you a favor by overcharging for it. Granted, they may have the right to do so, but I really value the few MA's who don't exercise that right.

I guarantee you Otto's could have sold my MINI for MSRP. I even made the mistake of telling them I was pretty desperate to get into another MCS (first was totaled) for pretty much any price.

 

MCS, Premium, Cold, LSD, MFSW, Yellow colorline. MSRP about $25k. I found the dealer invoice on cars.com and offered somewhere in-between the two, and we came to an agreement pretty quickly. No trade-in or financing. Only fee was a $10 tire disposal fee (from the state) and a small fee for the temp plates.

Again, don't be hungry, and email a bunch of dealers to see who is willing to deal. The only reason MINI dealers think they can charge MSRP is because people are willing to >pay< MSRP. I wasn't. Actually- I would have just waited until one of them broke because I have another car that I'm keeping and was not in a hurry.

 

Yup, got it from Otto's....the only other BRG they had was an MCa. I went in looking for an MC (because of the fuel mileage), but after I drove the MCS, the choice was made. Spent about an hour trying to get more freebies, but they didn't want to budge on the price. I did get them to give me a lower interest rate than the bank though, so I don't regret it.

 

Sticker + $165.

 

But you're willing to rat him out to another dealer to try to get a lower price?