I went down to the local BMW/Mini dealership yesterday and took my first test drive of a MCS. All I can say is SOLD!!! It drove much better than I imagined. To show you what I am cross-shopping, I drove a 135i, the MCS, VW GTI (with paddles, very cool), Mazdaspeed3, and the 09 WRX. The Mazda felt like a very fast motor stuffed into a cheap car. The WRX was great, but felt very slow below 3k. The 135i was great, but too pricey (38k for such a small car? Come on.) The VW was actually a close second to the Mini, but it didnt have the same character and uniqueness that I felt the Mini brought to the table. Also, I like the feel of control over the gearbox, regardless of how fast it can shift (and yes, the VW DSG shifts very quickly when driven hard).

So the boss, who at first thought the Mini was a "girl car" actually really liked it, so I think I might head in this direction. I've got a build in mind, and its within my budget. Well, a little outside, but thats ok. Its not as outside as the 135i would be.

Onto the question in the topic: How/when should I buy? I know it will be in March or April 2009 at the earliest. I have a large bonus coming in then, plus tax return, and also my union is negotiating, so I want to make sure I have a job when I buy a new car! I read a post that its very difficult to get a Mini in CA for under MSRP. When I was talking pricing with the salesman he didnt mention ANY markup on ordering one, and I led him to be under the impression that I was buying it that day. Would it be beneficial for me to buy then or wait until the fall when the 2010 models are coming out?

Does Mini deal at all with the Costco auto purchasing program? I didnt see them mentioned on Costco.com when I looked.

What do they do with people who are cross-shopping with a car that they can get a big discount on, and price is only the real difference? Example: I like the GTI and the MCS, but I can get the GTI for $500 under invoice. Would Mini deal with me? Or would they tell me to go kick rocks and buy the GTI?

Would it be beneficial for me to buy Spring 09 or wait until the fall when the 2010 models are coming out? Oh, and are there any planned changes in the 2010 models?

 

you got it... they dont care what else you are looking at, they know you will buy the MINI if you really want it, and if you are only after the "deal" they're not going to discount the MINI to get you to buy it

 

Wait it out. I would order an 2010 model instead of getting 09's UNLESS they are willing to deal. And contrary to popular belief, you can find a Mini dealer that's willing to negotiate- just depends on where you are and the economic climate in which you're purchasing.

 

First, great choice on wanting the MCS.

Regarding pricing, it all comes down to supply and demand. The greater the imbalance, the greater the premium or discount.

Mini sales have held up fairly well due to it being: a great product, relatively limited in production, fuel efficient, etc. Thus limited discounts and even mark-ups.

With the current economy, it will be interesting to see how Mini sales continue to hold up. Other manufacturers (including BMW) are offering a lot of incentives to move product.

When you are ready to purchase, you will need to look at the then current market and see what other people are paying. The market is constantly changing.

Regarding '09 or '10, you are usually better off going with the newer model unless you are getting a decent discount or for other reasons can't wait.

Good luck with your purchase, you'll love the Mini!

 

Don't believe everything you read. I bought my new Mini about a month ago and got $400 off MSRP. Its not alot but I didnt even try to press them. Things are hard for dealers now due to the economy and national credit problems. I think most dealers will cut some pretty good deals for buyers.

 

In NW it is still 3 months wait, I think.

 

The thing is, Minis are still selling. Dealers will make a deal for any car, just dont expect Mini dealerships to cut a huge deal... I got 100 bucks off mine, but I purchased before the economy turned. Oh, I also got some free floor mats (had to REALLY push, since I wanted JCW ones)!

 

Thanks for all the replies guys. Basically, what I'm hearing from you is that while they might throw a couple of goodies my way, and maybe knock a couple hundred $$ off, I shouldn't really expect more than that. Ok, I can live with that, and if I need a better price I can always option down. Now I just need to decide on timing, and take about 6 more test drives to see if this is truly the right car for me.

 

the GTI comes with a 6spd manual also, i have been thinking mini BUT, my 01turbo jetta has 174,000 miles on it, with the quaife lsd and other upgrades 285 tq and 275 hp and 32 mpg something drastic will have to happen, car was $19000 and $4000 in aftermarket upgrades i cant justify a new car,not to mention my Ross-Tech VAG, for it, prolly the biggie is nearest mini dealer is 2hrs away, maybe when i retire in 19 months

 

reason why that GTI is $500 below invoice is because there's a boatload of them on the market and demand is tepid--completely totally unlike the MINI. Also, there's really not a lot of room between invoice and msrp for the MINI, so if y're expecting a huge discount y'll be disappointed. however, deals on year-end stock can be had, as well as demos, so that's a possibility.

I got $250 off msrp on my new one because Im a repeat customer.

msrp and no more is the general rule. Die-hard hagglers would cringe at the thought of paying msrp, but for a car with a wild supply/demand curve as whacked as the MINI, plus the fact it retains the best resale value of any car sold in America, makes the anti-msrp argument moot; IOW, when you drive yr new MINI off the lot you will NOT hear the dull and sinking *thud* of instant 30% depreciation like you would on 95% of the cars sold in America.
As far as Costco, there's only 3 MINI dealers that do this program, and one of them is Rasmussen in Portland. But dont expect discounts there either. Just seems like another third party hassle to deal with, and I hate the big box mentality. Costco maybe good for Chevys, but for MINIs the jury is still out.

 

When I was shopping for my Mini, Costco told me they did not have a program with Mini on SoCal. Too specific of a market, or some-such excuse. I was a little disappointed with that, after buying our Toyota Matrix through Costco, but Brecht Mini made us a good deal.

 

i bought an unsold '07 S on january 31st of '08 and got a thousand off and no floor mats.

 

I used the Costco program to get the boss' 08 Subaru Tribeca, and it ended up being $100 over invoice or something like that. We love that car and the costco program made it very easy to get that price. My parents got their MDX for $1000 UNDER invoice with the program too. So Costco has been good for us. No worries if Mini won't deal though, I'm not that concerned, it was more of a question to see how much I may be able to haggle with them.

The GTI was very nice, but VW does have a reputation for cars that aren't the most reliable. Mini also has a reputation along the same lines, but to a much lesser extent (from reading reliability reports, driver reports, etc. No flaming on this notion please!). The DSG was the only reason I was considering the GTI, and it still is in the running. I may be able to get an even bigger discount with the 2010 remodel. But at what cost... I loved driving the Mini!

 

From everything I've heard:

Costco advertises the price they think you should be able to get a Mini for, makes the sale, searches around, discovers the dealers won't give them the price they think they should get, then cancel your order.

In SoCal...

Brecht know they're the only game in town in San Diego. The guys on the floor try hard for you, the guys in the back just weren't interested in trying - even fulfilling the price the guy on the floor agreed to with me.

A quick drive up the road: The salesguy at Irvine was a moron (Clubman launch day, wouldn't take my cash, just gave me his email address). Went to Longbeach, told them I had $500 under MSRP on offer from Brecht and would buy from them if they could match it (not entirely true - it's what the MA offered, what the backroom refused). Junior instantly agreed. We were done in fifteen minutes.

My strong recommendation is to hold out for the $500 under MSRP on a custom build. Six months ago it was certainly all I could hope for but still totally doable if I was willing to hold out and bluff a little. A 200 mile round trip was more than worth it for $500 off.

Plus that 100 mile drive back is 100 miles off the first 1,200 stuck under 4,500rpm.

 

The MINI dealer wholesale price on the car and all options is 10% below MSRP so that works out to about $2100 on a base MCS. The MSRP wouldn't be going up next year if they weren't selling. So, to get the best deal I suggest you learn how to open your mouth without showing your teeth.

 

Brecht was completely different for me. I researched what I wanted pretty carefully, then found a car in the Brecht on-line inventory that matched what we were looking for. My only complaint was the on-line inventory's options list was a bit too generic (like most Mini dealer sites) and I had to judge what was installed based as much on the price and photos, as the options list. Anyway, everyone treated us well, we paid MSRP, and the deal was done as quickly as the paperwork could be completed.

One thing I learned from a car salesperson friend: in CA the customer has the right to see the dealer invoice. This was confirmed at Brecht when we asked to see it and the surprised SA showed it to us; he admitted later to not knowing that fact. Turns out we were his first sale at Brecht; he's nice guy, name is Jason Payton.

 

It's all a matter of when you bought. I ordered in June and Brecht insisted MSRP + 10% + required LoJack + required paint protection.

I had written email from another dealer for MSRP - $500. I asked them to give me a reason not to buy elsewhere (i.e. match or at least be MSRP). They said "no, why should I sell you the slot when someone else will pay the asking price?". I ordered elsewhere. I will never buy any car from Brecht. I will begrudgingly use them for service.

Brecht Mini has recently started radio advertising -- never heard an ad before. I would not be surprised if demand has softened and they may no longer insist on the extra markup, but I have no way of knowing if this is the case.

 

Hmm, which stations runs those commercials? I haven't heard them yet.

I bought mine in April of this year, and I didn't pay any attention to what demand was like. It was just before the speculator's oil price boom happened, so it was probably soft.

If you don't work for the dealer there isn't any knowing what their market is. However, it's a pretty obvious guess to me that it's a buyer's market right now, particularly for 08's now that the 09's are ready to start shipping and credit is tight.

Buy at the right time and you can make out good; buy at the wrong time and you'll pay more. Fair or not, that's what the free market economy has always been.

 

ive got my mini for sale at a good price. pm me or hit my email up. vwrabbitlover16@hotmail.com its a 2007 cooper S 6 speed. cld weather sport suspension limited slip bluetooth etc... if interested let me know

 

KOGO, 600 AM on the dial. Commercials have been every morning in the 5:30 AM to 9:00 AM period for the last couple of weeks. Just a short 15 to 30 second spot touting the Mini gas mileage and fun.

 

Thanks, I'll have to turn on the radio and listen for them.

 

I believe MSRP pricing (or even below MSRP) will be the norm for the rest of 2008 (given the whammies of bad economy and tough consumer credit). I've been shopping recently and I've been able to get most of the Bay Area dealers to quote me MSRP (given a little more time, I am sure all would have gone to MSRP). FYI, they ALL started with a markup.

Also, production slots seem to be open within 3-6 weeks of purchase, so that means they're essentially out of backlog orders. So definitely push back on the markup, at the very least.

The economy will be bad for a while, gas prices are below $3 (but should go back up in the future sometime) but the credit market will return to normal in a month or two. I think this is a pretty good time to buy.

 

Sound reasoning, Pigcity.