US sales are up 2.1% for April in the US (yes, it's only 2.1%, but up is up)... and worldwide sales are up 19.2% from the 1st quarter of last year.

So I would guess that with such a late launch in the US (February vs. November throughout pretty much the rest of the world) these numbers are an indication of building momentuum surrounding a brand new model vs. an overall lack of interest and plummeting market.

 

When I have to wait 3 months for my order and I only got $350 off MSRP(i paid 250 above invoice for my 2006 BMW 330i)...the r56 mcs are selling otherwise, better deals will be out there!

 

That's only true if that's what you believe when you order it!

 

I'm waiting for a R56 discount thread???? Anyone getting one???

 

I think the threads are free. No reason to discount them.

 

Hmmm... I was at the Milwaukee dealer Monday, and I seriously doubt they had 67 immediately available--I had my '06 in for an oil change, and spent some quality time in an R56 (I still prefer the R53, but that's just me--mines had almost everything JCW possible done to it though--I wrote a more detailed comparison on Edmund's). I saw maybe 10 on the lot, three in the showroom; I drove back to their overflow lot (It's north on the street international auto is on a couple of miles, behind the AMF bowling alley), and their were perhaps 10 more (I wanted to get a look at a sparkling silver in the sunlight; they didn't have one on the lot). Interesting enough they had a M Z4 back there too.

I got a look at oxygen blue on the the cooper--have to admit, although its not for me, I like the look of it with a white roof. Very retro, very cool.

As an added bonus I finally saw a GP that was in their for its first service in the flesh--very nice looking in person; pictures don't do it justice (talked to the owner--very nice guy, and not surprisingly he loves the car). Especially the rims--I really wasn't sure of them in pictures, but they're just perfect for the GP in real life. Only thing I don't like is the black partial wheel arch, but the GP is something you have to keep stock--I wouldn't mess with it; its going to be such a classic down the road.

 

When I was at the dealer yesterday, seemed like their lot was full of new MINIs. They told me they were almost all sold.

 

MINI Center in San Antonio said this week they have 150 available...

 

Dealers have little to no incentive to discount a custom ordered MINI, just because they car doesn't exist (yet). However, certain colors and specs could prove to be duds in the showroom/dealer lot and depending on the situation a dealer may be willing to deal on a car in stock.

 

Another top of the line deal is MSRP with a $400 credit toward accessories.

 

The incentive is to gain a sale instead of losing a customer.

Especially when they would otherwise have to fill their allocation slots with cars which would just sit on the lot and cost them money day after day.

Everything is negotiable in normal market conditions which is where Mini finds itself these days. The party is over!

 

You fail to point to those market conditions and make a hasty generalization that "the party is over." You don't have even one shred of evidence that customers are getting discounts on R56's. There are lots of posts saying people are getting floormats or caps, but those are not discounts on the car.Buy one and tell us.

 

I think its a bit premature to say the party's over--many of these deals--mats, stripes, floormats, etc. could be had when MINI's were impossible to get. Now $400 in accessories is definitely an improvement, but IMHO the bottom of the barrel hasn't dropped out yet. I have a hard time believing the MINI has hit its saturation point just yet. Maybe in a couple of years, with new MINI dealerships opening, and with increasing availability of the car, we'll see significant price cuts. Right now, the new MINI still seems to be selling at MSRP. I will admit however there seems to be less reports of dealers gouging--ie selling over MSRP.

I really believe the new gen MINI is going to be a big seller, maintain its resale, and we'll see very little in price breaks. I was a bit skeptical of the R56, and although I overall still prefer the R53, having had some time with the R56 under my belt, and having seen the improvement in the production R56 over the R56's in the pre-release car shows, there is no doubt in my mind this car is going to be a hit, and be in high demand for quite some time.

 

It seems that MINI of Mountian View has dropped their dealer markup. Although I was told +$1,500 when I ordered, I ended up paying MSRP.

 

Here's another factor to be considered--at no other time have two entirely different MINI models been available--'06 and before, and the '07. Only when the new '06s are sold, and the majority of low mileage used R53s are gone, will we be able to fully measure the impact of the R56. That should be about a year or two from now...

 

I was just expressing my opinion. I'm not planning to buy one anytime soon so I can't personally prove my contention.

But there are plenty of shreds of evidence in this forum of real discounts being enjoyed. You just have to find them (the shreds and the discounts).

btw, a dealer in my area which somehow managed to charge hefty premiums throughout the R53 era (well, except on convertibles) has generously decided to waive the "Dealer Markup" on every R56. They must be taking a break from the party!

 

I've read them all. Some are getting discounts on 06's. No one is getting a discount from MSRP that I can find on R56's. If sales go soft in the coming months then you might see them. I hate dealers that inflate prices with second stickers or high profit add ons like Teflon coating. So I applaud any dealer who banishes these sales ploys.

 

If someone can't get a discount on an 06 today, his negotiating skills are truly hopeless!

 

Agreed. Some buyers never negoiate. You might even try on 07 Cooper Convertibles. They seem pretty plentiful.

 

Link to some posts where someone has gotton more than some floormats, a few other MINI bobbles and maybe a couple hundred bucks off a demo model R56. We'd all be interested to see where the deals are to be had.

Unfortunately, dealers going away from the "Dealer Markup" is no evidence, since MINI corporate frowns of this practice and had taken steps in the past year to crack down on dealers charging outragous markups.

 

When we bought our MC a couple weeks ago the Cincinnati dealer had a yellow MCS with no options except the sports package and LSD. No sunroof, no cruise, nothing. They were willing to discount it by $600 because it lacked those options. I was told that the dealer never orders cars like this but MINIUSA sent this one as sort of a first 6 speed attention- getter. As much as I like performance, I couldn't see having a car without cruise (too many long trips on my itinerary) so passed and paid close to MSRP for something else. Darn it was tempting, though.

 

The R56 as a brand to mark up or even sell at MSRP is over IMO... look to the latest R&T where the R56 finished second from last... only besting the Nissan Sentra . The impact of articles like those found in R&T will have hit on the bottom line...

 

What were the criteria? Are they subjective--ie the editors "put it all together" and ordered the cars by their votes, or was it strictly on performance numbers? I haven't seen the article; I'm curious though...

The MINI is a difficult car to judge, always has, and always will be--especially subjectively. One group may love it, make it a top ten car (Top Gear comes to mind), whereas another car mag may slag it.

Most people who buy the MINI are looking for something unique, quirky, a car with a personality and fun to drive--and now, with the added fuel economy, I think the MINI will appeal to more people, regadless of what R&T writes. I seriously doubt the R&T article will have any impact at all on the average MINI driver; just the fact that a Sentra was one of the competitors goes a long way toward that--who cross shops a MINI and a Sentra????

Incidentally, I agree with what everyone is saying above on the discounts--they appear to coming on the 2006's, as they should, but few and far between on the 2007's.

 

Our friend slag911 is a doomsayer who has not purchased a 2007. He's a R56 basher.

 

ROFLMBO!!! That is some funny stuff right there.