did you get yours in herb chambers boston? or peabody?
i guess i'm hearing many +'s about peabody over boston's -'s
....im about to pick mine up from boston in a few days hopefully...
ive only had a so so experiencve with them, nothing to write home about. no deals, no floor mats, no nothing.

 

I got mine at Peabody. Had a much better reputation than HC. Still, at Peabody no discounts, no floor mats, and relatively tough sell on clearbra, and other protection packages, extended free service, etc...

Peabody is much more accessible to me for service, but they do not have loaners, which HC does... so that is a plus for you.

 

I'm paying MSRP for my MINI. All of the dealers in the NorCal area are adding dealer markups, but my MA waived it. I consider myself lucky. I know, a fool and his money are soon parted, but what can I say? I'm in love!

 

I posted a few weeks ago how I saw in the San Francisco Bay Area dealership in San Francisco, MINI of SF, handwritten labels with $1500 additional dealer markup [average.]

You guys reporting $1500 to $2000 off MSRP, are you serious? I don't believe that. You had to have been worked on other aspects of the deal [see below.]

The only way one could get those prices is if the dealer worked you on something else, so that on paper it looked like you were getting a deal. E.g., they play around on your trade-in, give you a lousy interest rate on financing, and/or sell you a bunch of after-market items [extended warranty, credit insurance, rust proofing, and other worthless over-priced services / add-ons.]

The car dealers know that many people focus on how much they can get "off sticker" or what they want their payments to be. The salesperson says "So if I can get the car down to this price or your payments to be this _____, will you buy the car?"

The other way to get worked is for the dealer to toss in a few "freebies" that cost the dealer nothing in terms of what you think you are getting. E.g., floor mats, that must cost the dealer about $20 to $30, if that.

When a car is in high demand and flying off the shelf, there's no reason whatsoever for a dealer / salesman to discount the sale. A hot "must have" product like the MINI rarely happens for a car dealer and the salesmen. When sales are hot, no way a salesman is going to pass up the opportunity to make as much money off the sale as he or she can.

IMHO, if you are driving off the car lot at MSRP, without having bought a bunch of worthless over-priced items / add-ons, and got a great deal on financing [e.g., had your own from a bank or credit union] then you got a great deal.

To get an accurate indicator of what someone actually paid for his or her MINI, in total, members should be disclosing full details of the transaction, not just what the dealer took off the sticker. Duly note that no one in a public forum should be posting that kind of information, nor would most people fess up as to what really happened [no one wants to admit they got taken or got a lousy to average deal.]

Bottom Line: A dealer can make $2000 to $4000 EXTRA on a deal by selling an extended warranty, high interest financing [10% to 14%] and other "trinkets." A discount off the MSRP does not mean squat, especially after a visit to the dealer's F & I person ["finance and insurance" salesperson, whose job it is to sell you stuff other than the car. These are commissioned sales people who annually make $100k to $200k depending on their skills.]

Just sayin, sorry to be so negative.

But I have represented or sued car industry types ["ramp / service" advisors, who are typically commissioned salespeople, general managers, car dealerships, and F & I people]. So I have some knowledge of how things generally work at car dealerships.

Don't get caught up on MSRP. You have to do your homework and be on your guard when buying something as expensive as a MINI.

 

If you can get that deal WITHOUT buying a lot of extra stuff [see my post] I would jump on it.

Be careful. Lots of times they will give you a quote, but when you go in to do the deal they will try to sell you financing, extended warranty, etc.

The best way to secure the deal is to get an agreement or "offer" in writing on what they will sell the car for, then simply fight off the F & I salesperson's attempt to sell you $3000 to $4000 in add-ons to the sales price.

Preferably, you will go into the dealer with your bank having pre-approved the financing so that all you have to work on is the sale's price of the MINI.

Bonus Tip: Often, if the salesman sees that you won't be buying the services and financing they offer, they won't do the deal at the price quoted on the phone or in an e-mail. So it's often best to get the deal in writing, then disclose you will do your own financing and don't want all the junk they try to sell.

 

Politically charged posts deleted and infractions/warnings issued.

NAM is not a place for political discussion. Take it somewhere else.

 

Well, i'd still buy before the next elections. You'll save money now

 

MichaelSF, thanks for your input. I appreciate your no-nonsense approach. I emailed my MA and simply said that I would purchase the car at MSRP if they would waive the ($1,500) dealer "market adjustment." He said c'mon down and let's get this thing ordered!

I checked on Edmunds.com and their True Market Value "TMV" said people in my region (and yours, I suppose) are paying MSRP, so I don't really feel like I'm being taken advantage of. Besides, it's a subjective thing; if I see the worth in it, I'll pay it. Simple as that! I just hope my deal goes through without any problems. I'm pre-approved by my credit union, but I may want to hear if they've got any financing specials available, especially when the time comes to take delivery. I have to put $1,000 down on the car to order it, which I imagine will be applied towards the overall price of the car. I'm also going to pay for the sales tax and registration fees, just to help keep my monthly payments low.

 

depends

 

go to mini of concord..no markups there. i went to east bay mini. they dont have markups either..but their customer service isnt as good as concord. concord is less busy than the east bay MINI in pleasonton. i went to all 4 dealerships and ended up buying from concord.

i didnt get anything off the MSRP but got my carmats thrown in for free.

talk to jason there, he's awesome

 

Sounds solid and binding if you put a down payment. I did say in another thread that the "additional dealer markup" is a sales tool and dealers typically take it off the price to make it look like people got a deal. But some people pay it.

Personally, if there is nowhere else to shop, I would tell the dealer I am not paying the ADM, but let's do the deal at sticker. If the dealer refuses, I am taking my business elsewhere. But what I am referring to here is the MINI, that is selling for sticker or close to. Obviously other cars, that are soft on sales, can be negotiated to way lower than MSRP. Heck on the gas guzzlers the dealers are taking up to $5K off the sticker just to get people to come in. No one wants a gas hog nowadays. The dealers can't give those SUVs and trucks away, so to speak.

Good you are putting a good down so your payments are lower. Nothing wrong with that.

 

That's right. In my experience, politics or religion in forums will usually cause flame wars, fist fights and all kinds of nastiness. Usually start as a snow ball rolling downhill to where the gloves come off.

Mods have to bring out the bug repellent early on.

When I was visiting relatives they all tried to talk politics and I left the room. No need for fights there, either.

 

That's weird. When I called them the other day, the MA said they were charging a $995 dealer markup on top of MSRP!

 

Take delivery of something in dealer stock on Dec 31st and I'm sure you could get a decent deal

 

I bought mine at MOP a year ago and really got lucky. I got a free hat!

 

I'm in Kansas City. No hidden mark ups beings I am writing a check for it, with no trade in. Total discount is 1295 but they are charging me 295 doc fee. It shipped on the 5th should be here next week. Total order to my dealer time less than 30 days. I was surprised it got done this quik. My friend got his last week. It seems that my JCW ground kit is going to take longer to get here than my car. I ordered it the same time as the car. Funny how things work.

 

$2150 off msrp

 

Wow, really? What model and trim? Thanks. Oh and where? What part of the country are you from?

 

International Autos in Milwaukee, WI offered a Clubman S(Dark Silver) for $1500 off MSRP(MSRP at $2699 or something to that effect). This was about a month ago though. The Clubman S is still in their lot so they might renegotiate more now.

I believe at the end of last year, they emailed me with offers around $1500 off MSRP as well.

 

cooper s hardtop--4 my wife--drk silver--blk top & mirror---blk leather--piano black--hi fi----++++ ca

 

Did you say California? If yes, may I ask what dealership, as we are looking for my wife also

 

pm me--i am in the bay area

 

my local dealer simply said,"no".

 

sometimes the approach is important if you want the deal--this works both ways--from a seller and a buyer

 

well, i should elaborate, no on any custom ordered MINI. maybe on that sidewalk that's been on the lot for a year.