It doesn't really bother me that they don't know the vehicles. I've kind of come to expect it over the years, and I generally know what I want before I even get to the dealership.t's just a matter of finding the best deal.It bothers me more when they give out wrong info.

The first MA I dealt with was too lazy to check the Mini inventory on Mini's links to see if there was a car that would suit our needs. He even went so far as to call back a day or two later and tell us no such car/configuration was available, anywhere. The second MA was just a jerk, and tried the high pressure buy it now tactic.
My wife checked Mini's available inventory on line. Crossed referenced it with Car Buyer nationwide,Craiglist and found the car she wanted sitting on the lot in Pittsburgh.
Long story short. She flew to Pittsburgh and bought the car for $5K less than the two dealerships we had been to had been quoting for a comparable equipped Mini.
The salesman in Pittsburgh admitted straight up that he wasn't as familiar with Mini's as BMW's but he would get back to me with anyquestions I had, and he did.

The era of being stuck with your local dealerships is over. You can order a car from anywhere in the US, finance it over the phone, and have it delivered to your driveway with a temp plate, or fly out and pick it up.

 

But then your friendly neighborhood MA won't meet up with you a few blocks from your house to buy you a bagel and coffee for breakfast.

Seriously you are right, in this day you should expect more from people with expanded competition. And you can easily buy from anywhere and do it quite easily.

 

Houston has three dealers now. The first opened when MINI first came out, the second followed in 2005, then the newest in July, 2010. Surprisingly, many of the same folks have been at them selling and servicing all along, so I would say in general we've got a pretty knowledgable MA and SA base here. That said, the newest dealer seems to be the most eager to please, maybe the others have become jaded from the day when MINI's sold themselves at MSRP without haggling. I am friends with the GM there, he's been in the car biz for years but was hired to do this job at the new MINI store from elsewhere. He talked to me before taking the job about the MINI culture since he knew I'd had three of them already. He's a car guy and says this job is fun again for him, he really does think it's different than selling more pedestrian cars.

 

Yeah, I did miss out on the bagel and a coffee. I just got the empty Mini coffee cup. My wife got breakfast/lunch in Pittsburgh though while waiting for the car to be prepped.
I have to admit that so far the after sale service I've recieved from the dealer here has been great.
I read about all of the negative experiences folks have had, and I haven't had them. I haven't had but one issue with the car though, knock on wood.

 

The only thing worse (at a MINI dealership) than a MA that isn't knowledgeable about their car is a SA that doesn't keep up... grrrrrrr

 

The Phoenix area now has a second dealership, I think it's in Tempe or Chandler. Salespeople turn over pretty fast, so they might not have studied up on the cars by the time you see them. BTW I think that the item that makes the JCW perform is the different turbocharger (with its chip). That's something that cannot be added aftermarket to an MCS. Of course the pistons/clutch/brakes are different too, but the turbo is what makes it hot.

 

It's kind of inexcusable to have less-than-expert Mini MAs and SAs. They only have 4 basic products to learn... Justa, S, JCW and Countryman. It's not like working at a Ford/GM dealership selling multiple variations of a dozen or more different models.

 

Well said . They also have the older models to sell as CPO or used cars too.

 

Metroplex MINI members then ? That's one awesome club.

 

This!

 

I've been wandering around the lots at the Chicago area dealerships. While the sales folks have been very knowledgeable thus far, it seems the buyers who order the cars are clueless. Seriously? Almost every single convertible they bought didn't have a cold-weather package. Without heated seats in Chicago, that is one miserable ride. What's more, I've seen no new cars (save for a few Countrymen) with nav. Sure nav was crappy up to 2010, but we're now in 2011 and the cars on the lot now have gone through at least two order cycles. I'm very disappointed with the lot choices. I can't afford to order and wait, so I keep scouring the neighboring states as well.

 

onefish2: I also bought from Mahwah, NJ. My wife and I have bought two cars from them. The first back in late '06 was a JCW "executive" car that only had a few hundred miles. The MA was very knowledgeable and gave us everything we could ask for. It had everything.

We decided to buy a Clubman in 2010, the Rally Edition. We had gone to Mini of Manhattan to get our '06 looked at and they ended up doing damage to our car during a routine detailing that soured all aspects of them for us. So we went back to Mahwah and literally just picked a random MA and gave him the sale. My wife and I both knew more about the Rally Edition than he did and more about what was exactly included with all the packages. It was actually kind of frustrating when you ask what is specifically included and the MA tells you that you know more about the car than he does. Whatever, didn't matter. We were returning to Mahwah because the SA had saved our business with Mini all together. We continue to have a good relationship with our dealer but I don't even remember the MA's name he was that memorable.

 

I remember you posting this when you bought your car. We traded some PMs last summer when you were going up to Shelton, CT to have Lyle black out your car.

I mentioned that you should keep the lime green mirror caps and asked if you parked on the street or in a garage in your building or near it. Too nice a car to park on the street in Manhattan.

You have a very sweet car. How is it holding up and how is Lyle's work 7 months later?

 

Ha, no way do I park it on the street in Manhattan. I value my car at least a little. We put the Lime green caps back on around Thanksgiving and they have remained on. They clash a little with the new yellow NY plates but what are you gonna do?

Lyle's work is holding up fantastically. The only tiny issue is the back side of the gas cap where you pull it open, it has seemingly peeled a tiny tiny amount. No big deal. I scanned through his new site and there's a shot of the green S on the back door int here somewhere. My car is not a daily driver but we tend to put at least a few hundred every time we take it out. I see you are trying to start up a Lyle visit of your own. I don't think I need any work done, but I will certainly swing by and hang out!

 

Sweet. I look forward to meeting you and checking out your car. I will keep you posted on the install dates as the time gets nearer.

 

yeap, this weekend is the local DIY day where you can use the lifts at the dealership.

I might pop by just to say hi.

 

My MA was a holdover from the Mazda dealer that MINI took over. He had no idea what the models and performance leves of MINI were. I told him what I wanted and he told me he would do a search. He called me at work and said he just got in exactly what I was looking for. I ran home, changed and fought a lot of traffic getting to the dealer. It wasn't a Cooper S but a Cooper, it had a glass roof when I didn't want one, it didn't have LSD which I demanded, and it was automatic. He had no clue those things really really mean something. He is learning but I don't think he will ever be at enthusiast level.

 

I was there at the dealer talking to another MA while waiting for service on the Clubman I had at that time and after describing what I wanted, told me that what I had described was sitting on their lot. I bought it that day from the original MA. I brought it up to him about not contacting me that one had arrived on the lot as I wanted and he just looked at me blankly. I should have had the other MA sell it to me but he thought it was wrong since I was already working with my original MA.

 

Yeah, but there are like 10,000,000 you-ification options/configurations according to MINI.