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MINI Cooper Prices Paid

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Comments

  • nickr1nickr1 Member Posts: 51
    Hi. I'm thinking of leasing a Clubman but am concerned about NY dealer markups and cost of "extras". I like the idea of a $19,000 car, and I like the Clubman style and performance but it seems to be a stripped down version of every other car that pretends to be "economical" but when you add in some desired extras it jumps to over $30,000. Now it may be that you can't get a car these days with auto, nav, and heated seats and run flat tires for under $30,000 but I guess I thought perhaps the Clubman might be the first. But plugging in numbers on the Mini site it pretty much looks like this:

    Clubman (not S) with auto, nav, cold weather: $32,000 ($20,000 base)
    Lease: 36 months 2,750 due at signing (which is about 10 months of payments in advance) then around $300 a month (the site says $274 but that's stripped down).
    Milage: 10,000/year. So in effect that's $13,550 to drive the car for 3 years and then you return it. I don't know, to me, in this economy, that seems exorbitant.

    So, here is my question: Doesn't that make the Mini Clubman just as expensive as any so called "economy" small suv or small crossover?

    I guess I thought the Mini was an ultra cheap car, but it's really not, is it?

    Thanks for the replies.
  • pilotman5pilotman5 Member Posts: 27
    Nickr1,

    How are you coming up with $32,000 selling price?

    a 2009 Clubman (non-S) with automatic transmission ($1,200), cold weather package ($500) and navigation ($2,000) is about $25,350.

    You are about $7,000 too high. Also, save yourself $1,700, get a Garmin and you can lease this car for $300 a month without a huge cap cost reduction.

    Am I missing something here?
  • rik4rik4 Member Posts: 90
    you are lookiing at this all wrong. order a jcw clubman loaded for maybe 40K. then ask the government for a bailout. problem solved.
  • kragerkrager Member Posts: 8
    Can I buy a house, too? : )
  • nickr1nickr1 Member Posts: 51
    Yeah, my mistake on the price, but not the lease. I was quoted 25,350 like you said but the lease is 331 a month for 10,000 miles and 2,500 down. To me, that's a terrible lease deal for an economy car.
  • johnxyzjohnxyz Member Posts: 94
    rik4 & krager - Funny stuff - I'm still grinning - Made my (daylight savings) Monday a.m.!
  • ltqltq Member Posts: 28
    Hi Don_C, I bought a Clubman S from Cincinnati Mini and live in Louisville. See some of my other posts. A few things:
    a) For me, Cincinnati Mini is 88mi away.
    b) Careful driving gets me about 33 mpg on both computer & tallied by actual fills.
    c) Ambient temp makes a big difference on mpg.
    d) Car is happy on 89 gas, but use 91 in the summer, for sure! It's never happy with 87 gas (note that I have the turbo).
    e) Car purrs best on Shell Super. I also found that Costco Premium gas is also a good match for the car. It does NOT like Speedway or Kroeger's gas, and Thornton is OK.
    f) I have no problems with the car so far, except for a bit of rear weatherstripping coming loose.
  • mathew1mathew1 Member Posts: 42
    Hello everyone,

    Thanks for the information and that helped me negotiate a good price. We recently purchased a Mini Club with Prem+cold+auto for $1500 off MSRP. I hope this helps others to purchase their Mini Coopers at a competitive price.

    BTW after we bought it noticed the forums with horror stories on transmissions. I am hoping this was for the early models with CVT and not for the new models. Anyone can confirm.

    Thanks.
  • rockymtnhirockymtnhi Member Posts: 19
    What if you put in 1/2 93 octane and the other 1/2 with 89 that's what I do because Mobile does'nt have 91 octane. The car seems to run as if on 91.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,188
    91 is recommended, so that works... Sort of a pain, though...

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  • joem5joem5 Member Posts: 201
    I think they have it fixed.You got a good deal also.
  • rockymtnhirockymtnhi Member Posts: 19
    First of all I'd get a coldweather pkg and all seasons tires. How ever what about sunroof not being insulated? :confuse:
  • tezzztezzz Member Posts: 15
    MSRP $25,600
    Red, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, PREMIUM PKG, COLD WEATHER PKG
    Discount $500

    $25100+I pod interface and floor mat

    Good Deal?
  • yanksfan1yanksfan1 Member Posts: 7
    Mathew.....what was the dealer than gave you $1500 off? Where?

    Thanks!
  • queenmaqueenma Member Posts: 1
    Just bought a new Oxygen Blue Cooper. It has manual transmission, premium package, bluetooth/Ipod package and its MSRP is $21,200. Dealer discounted $600 and threw in floor mats.
  • osu18osu18 Member Posts: 18
    I'm interested in any feedback on recent deals on the 2009 MC Base with auto. Seems from what I read here that max discount is around $500 to $600 with sales still declining for Mini and BMW I want to double check on this as there are not many posting on the subject. I'm in the South East Market (Charlotte), I have only one dealer nearby Hendrick's which I really hate because of their sales tactics, I'm willing to travel to another dealers but wanted to be sure first what I'm up against in pricing first...thanks to all/any with information...
  • luckyme1luckyme1 Member Posts: 29
    I was looking to buy a Clubman S, but have not found just want I want. The Cincinnati dealer had almost 60 new units in stock, but won't budge on MSRP. Too bad, because there are a couple that would work for me. I won't go back there. Very arrogant attitude in my opinion. And I'm a cash buyer, w/ no trade. Unbelievable.
    I have seen some dealers willing to go $1500 off MSRP on stock units, even noting that on their web sites. I would drive a few hours for that.
  • joe0302joe0302 Member Posts: 16
    So I don't have a Shell station or a Costco. Whats wrong with Mobile 93 octane. I fly my Cessna on Sunoco260.
    If I were you I'd worry about how much Eyth :shades: nol is in the gas you purchase.
  • sugarbellysugarbelly Member Posts: 29
    luckyme1:

    Dealers should be negotiating these days, surely. Try another approach, since they see your hand & guess you're loaded with dough. When you find a MINI you want-- email 'em asking for best price on the car. But, - tell 'em you're looking to lease. ;) This widens their eyes, since they make more money off leases. Once you've locked-in a price, go in & tell 'em you've changed your mind & wish to pay in full. They very rarely balk; you get the upper hand; your price target & a grin to motor away with in your fab new MINI.

    ps. in a few months MINIs will (very likely) receive their mid-cycle "refresh" as 2010 models. Slight interior & exterior changes, etc. Yet another reason you're in the negotiating driver's seat. :shades:
  • Don_CDon_C Member Posts: 8
    OSU18,
    You might check the Indy dealer. I bought my 2009 Clubman there in January. Cannot say what kind of a deal you'd get today, but the salesman was very patient, letting take three different cars for test drives.

    He was pretty good at listening to us and was certainly not pushing us as some sales people do. Urging? Maybe but no hard sell.

    My only complaint is the time it took from when we decided on a car on the lot and when we drove it away. Certainly two, maybe three hours for a cash deal. I find that unacceptable. That time does include pulling it off the lot for final cleanup and filling the gas tank, but I still think that the deal should happen much faster than that. It was light when we said "That one" and it was well past dark when we left the lot. (This issue is true with every dealer I dealt with regardless of brand.) :shades:
  • osu18osu18 Member Posts: 18
    Thanks Luckyme and Don C for your advice, I did not know about the potential refresh for 2010 coming soon I have to research a bit more and maybe wait a bit....I will also see what type of deal I can negotiate with the dealer here, Indy is a long drive for me since I'm in Charlotte...I appreciatte you all taking the time to respond! :)
  • kragerkrager Member Posts: 8
    The black trim around the top of my new(less than 2 months) Cooper is lightening up in spots. There is probably a 6 inch strip on one side and almost that much on the other. Any suggestions as to how to treat this trim. I am really disgusted that this is already happening. My 2002 Honda's trim looks better than my 2009 Mini Cooper.
    I'm not sure the Mini Cooper is all it's cracked up to be.
  • kragerkrager Member Posts: 8
    I leased a Mini Cooper for three years at $343 month for 20,000 miles a year. I thought that was a pretty good lease.

    Mini----ultra cheap, Don't think so.
  • jmohsinjmohsin Member Posts: 4
    Hello,

    I am set to buy a Mini Cooper S Convertible. I am planning on getting the convenience package as well as navigation. I am in contact with the dealership in Sterling, Virginia. I was told by the dealership that they don't have any convertibles on the lot and they must be ordered. I'm cool with that since it can be built exactly to my spec and estimated delivery is 8 weeks.

    2 questions:

    1) The fact that he said they would have to order it makes me wonder if they'll budge on price. Given the current climate I would hope they would be willing to negotiate.

    2) From peoples experience does it normally take the full 8 weeks for delivery?

    Thanks in advance!
  • jmohsinjmohsin Member Posts: 4
    P.s. I would more than likely finance and would put atleast 10% down.
  • wantminiwantmini Member Posts: 1
    Hi guys,
    If you say 1000 off msrp or so, do you mean your out the door price is 1000off msrp?

    I got an offer for mini cooper for msrp 20450 at 1200 off msrp, which gives me the total $21200. Is this a good deal?

    Thank you very much for your comment!!!!
  • phageousphageous Member Posts: 3
    Just placed an buying order to get my Mini built. It's a base Mini, hardtop, Sport package, multi-function steering, automatic, iPod adapter, chrome gas filler cap and checkered flag mirror caps.

    The MSRP is 22832. The dealer made it out-of-door price. From my calculation, I ended up getting more than 1500 off MSRP.

    The dealership is Braman Mini in West Palm Beach.
  • tezzztezzz Member Posts: 15
    Just did it today..
    My 2009 MINI Cooper S
    Base MSRP* $21,950
    Destination & Handling $650

    Laser Blue Body Color $500

    Premium Package $1,250
    Automatic AC
    Dual Pane Panoramic Sunroof
    Leather Sport Wheel w/Multifunction
    Cold Weather Package $500
    Heated Powerfold Mirrors & Washer Jets
    Heated Front Seats

    PERFORMANCE
    6-Speed Auto w/Agitronic Mode $1,250

    COCKPIT
    Interior Surface Piano Black $250
    Bluetooth and USB/iPod Adapter $500


    TOTAL MSRP AS CONFIGURED* $26,850

    $25,850+TTL 3.9% APR

    I could pay less if I took Base cooper. They only had few Cooper S w/ Auto
    I think it is ok deal
  • miniac81miniac81 Member Posts: 1
    I am ready to order a Mini Cooper S and have received varying "out the door" prices for my configured model at MSRP $24,600. The lowest offer received is $26,094.

    How much was your deposit to order? Is this negotiable and added towards the out the door price when following through with the purchase?

    How much does Mini financing charge for GAP insurance?

    Is this offer good for southern California or should I keep pushing for lower?

    Thank you in advance for your posts.
  • ncminincmini Member Posts: 4
    Dear MINIs,

    I am planning to buy a MINI in NC over this weekend.

    I have done some research on MINI. It looks like it is very hard to negotiate with the dealors, at least in NC. Up to now, I only got $500 off MSRP. I was also told to pay $400 dealer administrative fee. :confuse: The market varies acroos areas? My friend said, I should act like a bully :mad: to talk with the dealer:)

    Also I was wondering about the difference between a MINI Cooper Base and a Cooper S. Do I really need the S? As a girl, I am not a fan of car racing:) :surprise: I would love to hear your suggestion.

    I am still a little hesitant. This will be my first new car. So it is a big decision to me, definitely.

    Hope everyone enjoys the Mini trip!
  • mathew1mathew1 Member Posts: 42
    My opinion and experience is you always get best deals when you are respectful of the dealer and not act like a bully. So best way to get the deal you want is to do your homework. Get TMV from Edmunds and these forums give you a good idea. In this economy no car how ever hot is in a seller position. So I would start at least $1000 off MSRP. If you don't need a car right away then that would be great. You can go to your favorite dealer and give them what you are willing to pay to buy the car that day and have them call you if they can match your price if they are not interested that day. Also look at alternate cars such as Scion, Soul etc if you are not 100% locked down as intrinsically that gives you a leverage. Good luck. If you don't need power I would skip S.
  • osu18osu18 Member Posts: 18
    You are dealing probably with Hendricks which is to day the least, one of the worst experiences you can have :mad: . In any case, even if you are dealing with others like Flow, etc they will tell you that there is no negotiation. Don't torture yourself they can either take your offer or you can buy other great cars that are out there. Go to truecar.com and build the car with the specs you are looking for. It will show you based on actual sales that you should be getting at least $1,200 off MSRP. The $400 administrative fee or prep fee is outrageous and around the area most dealers charge $199 to $299. Bank Fees and Tag and Title fees would be extra but also compare to other dealers. Also, probably don't need the S, a Base Mini would be fine since you are not looking at racing around! Good Luck, keep us posted!
  • luckyme1luckyme1 Member Posts: 29
    Krager,
    Sounds like could be wax residual? There is quite a bit of plastic & rubber on the exterior, and any wax will lioghten them up after a bit of time. There are several products available at most retailers (auto parts stores, Wal Mart, etc.) that work great at returning trim to black. One I have used is called Back to Black, and works well.
  • luckyme1luckyme1 Member Posts: 29
    Hi Sugarbelly,
    I ended up finding a sweet 2008 Clubman S with just 6500 miles on it. Loaded with leather, Navigation, premium, Convenience, Cold weather and a few other goodies too. It was perfect, so I purchased it. $24K.
    I'm quite pleased with the car, and the price was good as well.

    Thanks for the input.
  • kragerkrager Member Posts: 8
    Thanks for the suggestion. That's more than I've gotten from the dealer. I'll try the Black to Black. Couldn't hurt.
  • myminimymini Member Posts: 2
    Love the MINI - but agonizing over which to buy:
    2007 mini cooper s convertible with auto, heated seats, CHILI RED, but cloth seats with just 3k miles (checked carfax no problems) for $24.9 OR

    2009 mini cooper s convertible with auto, heated seats, PEPPER WHITE which looks a little blah, though adding stripes... and a few other options I don't really want, leatherette for $30k
    I've always been lectured about BUYING (which I"m doing) a New car due to depreciation once you drive it off the lot, but the used minis I've looked at -with high resale value - are pretty expensive too...opinions?
  • kragerkrager Member Posts: 8
    Buy the red one. Who wants a pepper white MINI. You'll hate it. And $6,000 more. No way. And resale on the red might be better than blah white. My leatherette seats are already hot and I feel damp when I get off them. I wish I had cloth. Let us know what you do. I vote RED convertible. Cool!!!!
  • myminimymini Member Posts: 2
    Hey Krager.
    Went back to dealer with husband and saw pepper white with stripes...liked it much better...hubby doesn't like red...so pepper white and new it is. Thanks for your advice though - picking it up in the AM and am I ever excited.
  • m050120m050120 Member Posts: 1
    I am thinking of getting a Clubman some time in the next few weeks. There are 3 dealers in the Chicago area and I was wondering if anyone has had any good or bad experiences they would like to share about any of them. I think I'm going to the one out in Schaumburg tonight to take a test drive. I have no time restraints on when I need a new car, it's really more of a quarter-life-crisis. As far as pricing goes, what are people giving in this market for a new Clubman? I refuse to pay MSRP.
  • tezzztezzz Member Posts: 15
    I bought a 09 Cooper S W/auto, weather, and premium from Schaumburg min (Patrick). As I posted, I got a $1000 discount if you can’t get better deal let me know.
  • howyjrenldhowyjrenld Member Posts: 4
    Why are you being so cheap? Just pay MSRP.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,188
    The whole point of the Prices Paid forums is to get information.. so, the consumer can negotiate a better deal..

    Cheap is what we are all about....

    MSRP? Why?

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  • 2xsubaru2xsubaru Member Posts: 6
    Have been silently following this forum for sometime while mulling a purchase of a Mini Cooper S Convertible and wanted to share some of the experience.

    The dealer did not have any configured as I exactly wanted (did not expect them to), but there was one that came close. Unfortunately they sold it just half an hour before I walked in to confirm a purchase! :(

    They have been able to locate one that is close enough - it is on a boat coming into port in two weeks time and they are currently trying confirm that it comes to their dealership when it gets off the boat.

    Price has been agreed at $1000 of MSRP plus floor-mats thrown in. They slashed $500 off right away (without even asking). I e-mailed them a day later asking for another $500 off and they agreed. Quite the hassle-free negotiation. And this wasn't even for a car on the lot. So I suppose there are deals to be had out there for MINIs.

    Will update with the full configurations once I get confirmation that they were able to reserve it for me.

    Cheers
  • atrajanatrajan Member Posts: 27
    Dear car_man & kyfdx:

    Is this a good deal

    Copper HT :
    MSRP : $20,300
    Negotiated price : $19550
    Residual: 71%
    MF : .00230

    3 year/30,000 Miles

    $958 initial (Deposit + first month + DMV)
    and $261/Month
  • plektoplekto Member Posts: 3,738
    This has been covered many times before, so here goes again...

    The Mini is one of a few vehicles that doesn't suffer from the same routinized and accountant-friendly depreciation formulas as the rest of the industry uses. In plain English, it suffers almost no depreciation on the vehicle itself(* see below) in the first few years.

    Now, I put an asterisk there. This is the base model of the car/trim line - accessories or other options of course do depreciate and rather quickly. So a $20K Mini with 5K in add-ons is going to be worth about $19-20K a year later. So will a $20K mini with $500 in options. So the rule here is to get the one or two you absolutely need and reject the eye candy and frills.(plus it's good practice as you don't give the manufacturer loads of easy profit on mostly plastic bits and paint)

    This of course gets back to the original problem, which is you have a vehicle that because of its desirability and low production numbers essentially isn't depreciating hardly at all if you've already done your homework and kept it as lean as possible to start. Leasing doesn't make any sense at all in such a scenario.

    Consider that your initial down payment to start the lease is about the first year's entire depreciation. In 36 months, you'll have spent $10354 on the vehicle. That's half of its entire value. Try to find a used 3 year old Mini for even $15K. Good luck with that... heh. Note that that's half the depreciation of your lease payments and it's still unrealistically high. It's impossible in a Mini to get upside-down on your payments. This is more of a "free money" type thing when this happens.(which IIRC, only 2-3 cars currently are like this and this desirable, so basically it never does happen)

    Therefore the "smart money" is to just buy it outright and haggle $500-$1000 under retail price if you can(first year's depreciation covered!) like a lot of people here seem to be able to do right now. Make the payments, drive it for 5 years, and sell it for 75% of what you paid for it.

    $10,354/36=287.61 a month actual cost to lease.
    $19,000(haggle)-$14,000(sell used)=$5000 in depreciation. = $138.89 a month actual cost to buy.(actually the normal $2-4K or so down payment in most cases would cover almost all of this)
  • amiieamiie Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    Thanks for posting your purchasing deal. Which dealer and sales person did you work with? I'm looking to buy pretty soon... either in SF or Socal area, and would love to get $1000 my deal as well.

    Thanks!
  • tno80303tno80303 Member Posts: 3
    Hi,

    I'm thinking about buying a MINI HT from Ralph Schomp in Littleton, CO. Would like to get other's feedback on their experience at this dealership. Any luck in getting them to come down from the MSRP? Here is the offer they gave me on this model.

    MINI HT 6SPD Manual - 18,550 (MSRP - no mark down)
    Cold Weather Pkg - 500
    Premium Pkg - 1,250
    Sport Pkg - 1,500
    White Turn Signals - 100
    Net Totals - 21,900
    Destination Chg - 650
    Total Price - 22,550

    Their lease offer is below:

    MSRP : 22,550
    Residual: 64% (14,368 - balloon payment at end of lease)
    MF : .00230

    3 year/36,000 Miles

    $0 down for $297/Month

    Thanks!
  • 2xsubaru2xsubaru Member Posts: 6
    I am purchasing from Brecht Mini in Escondido near San Diego. I saw on their website recently that they have slashed prices $500 of quite a few Minis already.

    With low sales last month for the Mini and the 2010 models coming out soon, I am sure there are deals to be had out there.

    As per Edmunds, I cannot post name of the salesperson.Not sure if there some way to PMs on this forum.
  • atrajanatrajan Member Posts: 27
    i was able to get $1200 below MSRP and it was bare bone except for Cold Pkg and IPod/BlueTooth ... i think you should not pay MSRP in this market.

    P.S: I got the color i want ...chilli Red
  • tno80303tno80303 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for replying. Will see if they are fair and give me a good price...they have almost 90 MINI HTs on the lot as of Monday...so I hope to be in 1 by this weekend.

    Thanks again!
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