I have had my name down at a dealer since around August. They have not been taking deposits but have been telling me where I am on the list and assuring me they will sell at MSRP. I put in a call every 6-8 weeks to make sure I don't get forgotten and he sounds reasonable when I talk to him. Having never dealt with the dealer before I don't know what to expect.
There do seem to be enough dealers who are selling at MSRP to reduce the chance that some will be tempted for extra dollars. However, the test will be when a buyer comes in to one of these and offers $5,000 over MSPR for the next car to arrive. Will the dealers who said they were at MSRP and are selling in the order of the list really say no to this person? Would someone at #50 on the list ever know that their car came in two months later than expected because of some side deals that jumped ahead of him? Would having a $1,000 deposit with the dealer really protect you more than with just being a name on a list?
This forum should be used to make public both the dealers who screw people and those who can be trusted. I am sure most dealers are visiting this site and I keep mentioning the info I get from here to mine so he knows I am here too. A new MINI dealer can not afford to be seen as untrustworthy by the enthusiasts so keep the posts coming when we have real life stories from US dealers.
Keith |