Ok, I want to get a MCS with all the toys (nav, all 3 packages, etc.) but I'm morally opposed to the dealer mark-ups that most of the dealers charge in CA. I agree that of course they have the right to charge it, just as I have the right not to pay it.

I know that the East Bay, the LA, and Salt Lake don't charge it, but I'd need to wait 7 to 10 months... I'd prefer not to wait that long.

I've looked at a bunch of used Mini's that fit the bill, but to pay close to MSRP for a car that's 2 years old and has miles on it isn't so appealing either.

What other suggestions might you Mini guru's offer? Should I give up and start looking for a different car? ;) Nah!

How did you solve this riddle?

Thanks in advance!

- Jon

I would look to buying from an out of state dealer. I have purchased two MCS's from Westchester MINI in NY. and was pleased both times I was able to get right into the very next production run and just really ended up waiting for the car to be built and shipped to the Country. MINI of the Hamptons also does a lot of out of state purchases. Both dealers sell at MSRP and shipping on my last MINI was about $800, which to me was better than mark-up because I wasn't forced to pay it, it was my choice. Best of luck in your search for a MCS, you'll love it once you get it, and they are definately worth waiting for.

MINI of the Hamptons also does a lot of out of state purchases. Both dealers sell at MSRP and shipping on my last MINI was about $800, which to me was better than mark-up because I wasn't forced to pay it, it was my choice.

How did you get such a low price on shipping? I tried 3 or 4 shipping companies - DAS (Dependable Auto Shippers) was 1300 or so and the others were similarly priced...

- Jon

Forget about the shipping. If you buy out of state fly out, pick it up and drive it home. Folks have posted some great road trips on here that way.

Forget about the shipping. If you buy out of state fly out, pick it up and drive it home. Folks have posted some great road trips on here that way.

Agree!! I got both of my MINI in LA and drove it up, I know it's not that far, but it's really fun plus I can brake in the car. :D:D:D

Hm. Ok, yeah, I agree - the road trip would be fun, but I really don't want to wait 7 to 12 months to get the car!!! Anyone know of a western-ish dealer with no mark-up that doesn't have such a long wait???

- Jon

Jbauer,

Well, as Confucious once said "patience is a virtue" or as Americans say "no pain, no gain" right... :D


Bry

Westchester gave me a website that you submit your car/shipping information and it comes back with quotes from a whole bunch of transport companies. I was able to get a few quotes below $1000, and just went with the shipper that looked the reputable.

I agree with Sejanus, but my car shipped in the middle of the winter and I had no intentions of driving an S with 17's (read: no chains) over the rockies, sierras, and the mid-west. Definately a good option though would make for an awesome road trip.

If you call over to Westchester the guy you want to talk to his name is Bill, only talk to him until he assigns a sales person, he is awesome to work with really makes the deal go smooth. Not to over plug them, but there have been very few car dealers that I would want to continue going back to, and this one is definately at the top of the list.

Man it is hard waiting for that car. But if you must go to a West coast dealer, read other treads where we have debated the best dealers. East Bay Mini is by far was the dealer we seemed to choose.
If you cannot wait, talk to them, they may still try and help you. ;)

Once you have the car and a few months from now it is important to deal with a dealer than will continue the great experieince of a Mini. East bay seems to be able to do that.

Yesterday I bought for the wife an X3 BMW, again from East Bay and we are happy. I am on the waiting list for the MINI convertible. Other people are up to 4/5 cars from this dealer.

Sooooooooo...........
If you must wait give it a go and months from now you still will love this Mini experieince, we all do!!! :D :D
Good luck
Regards
Keith

If you live in California and want to buy a new car out-of-state, you had BETTER read the California DMV and the restrictions of buying such a car.

I originally was planning on doing this, as my BF has a house up in Portland. BUT, there are so many restrictions on buying a car out of state because of the emissions controls that I decided it wasn't worth the effort.

Are you sure that East Bay doesn't charge a markup? I was originally told that by another MINI owner, but when I called to talk to them, they told me that they charged 1600 markup on the MSRP, which was more than Mt. View MINI by far. Yeesh.

I bought mine from Mt. View MINI, and couldn't have been happier with their service.

Hm. I've been told that the Mini is the same in CA as it is in every other state. I just spoke with Portland Mini, actually, and they say that they sell a buncha cars to CA residence and he's never heard of any problems registering or smogging or otherwise.

Pleasanton Mini told me no mark up, but 10 month wait. Ugh.

I guess if I didn't mind the dealer markup, I'd just buy the car at the one with the quickest delivery, but this NON-VALUE-ADDED mark up is just crap, IMHO.

- Jon

East Bay does not charge markup and at least 10 months wait, that's for sure. Mt.View charges $2500 for MCS and $1500 for MC (not sure on the MC). Many people has ordered them out-of-state already and registered them here without problem since MC and MCS are both '50 states' emission vechicles. You can find them here ... http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32561

To add to that, I guess if you are looking for MC, it may be better off go the local to pay the markup, instead of order from out-state, since the markup vs the shipping fee to CA is not much different. For the MCS, order out-state can save you at least $1K without 10 mo. wait.

Yeah, I'm finding that also. To be honest, I'd rather end up paying more in the end to buy it from someone that doesn't want to screw their customers with the mark up! I have a problem with that non-customer service oriented strategy in general...

- Jon

The MINI is 50 state legal, but you still have to ge it smogged when you go to register it with DMV. So bringing it to the state isn't a big deal with smog restrictions. Just make sure that you don't wait very long to register it. I think mine was in the state almost 30 days before I registered it and I had no problems.

Again I've done this process twice so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Most dealers that don't charge mark up on ordered cars do charge mark up on cars that they just sell on their lot. That's not just MINIs either, most car makes are that way.

The only problem I see with getting it out of state is if something goes wrong, or if the car has problems. Then dealing with a dealer that's at the other end of the counrty becomes a huge problem. Also, the local dealers might not take too nicely to catering to your problems, as you didn't buy from them. But, if you really have no other choice(excpet pay the premium or wait) then go for MINI of the Hamptons, they seem to be really good from what I've heard.

The MINI is 50 state legal, but you still have to ge it smogged when you go to register it with DMV. So bringing it to the state isn't a big deal with smog restrictions. Just make sure that you don't wait very long to register it. I think mine was in the state almost 30 days before I registered it and I had no problems.

Again I've done this process twice so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Most dealers that don't charge mark up on ordered cars do charge mark up on cars that they just sell on their lot. That's not just MINIs either, most car makes are that way.


Just FYI ... the new out-state vechicle needs to be registered with 20days, but I am not sure if that means from the time the vechicle enters the border of CA or the time of delivery from the dealer, or the time I receive the vehicle from the shipping co.

The only problem I see with getting it out of state is if something goes wrong, or if the car has problems. Then dealing with a dealer that's at the other end of the counrty becomes a huge problem. Also, the local dealers might not take too nicely to catering to your problems, as you didn't buy from them.

I doubt that would be much of a problem as long as it wasn't a problem related specifically to the out-of-state dealer. After all it's all warranty work for whatever dealer you go to. Their service department gets paid for it all by MINI/BMW. In a sense you are "extra" business for them. I bought my MINI from a dealer down in the Bay Area, but the local dealer's service department where I live has never given me any problem or flack for it not being one of their cars.

I doubt that would be much of a problem as long as it wasn't a problem related specifically to the out-of-state dealer. After all it's all warranty work for whatever dealer you go to. Their service department gets paid for it all by MINI/BMW. In a sense you are "extra" business for them. I bought my MINI from a dealer down in the Bay Area, but the local dealer's service department where I live has never given me any problem or flack for it not being one of their cars.


I agree. Unless the dealer that you bought from out of state caused the issue, it shouldn't be a big deal. If there is something wrong with the car when you get it taken care of right away, even if it is a small deal.

Well, like I said, best to read up on the DMV website to see what you need to do then in regards to buying it out-of-state.

Note: MINI of Mt. View charged me $1k markup for my MC, not 1500. When I called to talk to the East Bay dealer, they told me $1500 markup for the MC over the phone.
And Mt. View customer service was excellent. The SA, Dean, called me every step of the way, when they discovered they were getting 2005's after they placed their orders, Dean called me and went over everything that had changed with the 2005s so I could modify my order if I wanted; telling me exactly where the car was ordered, when it in production, when they got it in, called to ask me if I had worked out my financing (and even recommended a place or two). He also called to and apologized when they got backlogged when detailing the car before I picked it up. I couldn't have been happier with their service.

Oh, and I got the my MINI in 2.5 months. Ahead of the 3 month wait I was told to expect. And when I got my MINI, Dean had installed a few things I had not asked for and gave me a few freebies from their shop! :D So, like I said, my experience with them was absolutely great.

I had talked to Portland MINI via email when I was contemplating ordering, and they said they were currently restricting their customers to those who lived within their service area because they were so backlogged on orders. Since, my BF owns a house in Portland, I could have easily claimed to be in their service area, but didn't want to wait the long time for it. Now, I'm not sure if that's changed or not. *shrug*

Again, it depends on what you want to pay for. I didn't mind paying the extra money for the shorter time frame and excellent service.

When I called to talk to the East Bay dealer, they told me $1500 markup for the MC over the phone.

East Bay MINI DOES NOT markup their MINIshttp://www.mini2.com/forum/images/icons/icon4.gif

East Bay MINI DOES NOT markup their MINIshttp://www.mini2.com/forum/images/icons/icon4.gif

That's fine. I *was* originally going to buy from East Bay, because another friend who also got their MINI from East Bay the year before told me the same thing. I wanted to double check.

AND I'm just repeating what THEY (East Bay) told me on the phone, since I didn't want to drive up there from the Peninsula on a wasted trip.

I called Mt. View MINI, I asked them what THEIR markup was. They said $1k.

I called East Bay MINI, and asked them what THEIR markup was. The woman from their sales dept. told me $1.5k.

I went for the Mt. View MINI because of the lower markup. IF they had told me there was NO additional markup, I would have gone to East Bay.

NOW, if someone over at East Bay MINI f*'d up and told me the wrong thing, then it's THEIR fault and THEY lost a sale because someone gave me misinformation.

I am JUST repeating what THEY told me.

If you (generic) want to check for who has the extra markups, it would behoove you to just call around and see who has the best prices.

JBauer,

Call Julie Saxa at Classic Mini in Cleveland, Ohio. Her number is 440.266.6700. She is incredibly helpful and they do not charge a premium. When I initially ordered, my wait was going to be 2.5 months. In the meantime I have decided to wait for a January '05 production so I can have the limited slip differential. Shipping from Cleveland to Ojai, CA is $1200. I probably will opt to fly there for $225 from Santa Barbara and drive back.

Again, Julie is incredibly helpful. Skatemom who posts at this site alerted me about her as they purchase two Minis from Classic with Julie (and they drove one back to Southern CA). Skatemom said that Julie picked them up from the airport and took them to the dealership and made sure everything was in order for them. I am very happy with my experience thus far. Oh, the deposit is $500.

Lastly about service and conformity to CA emissions; I hear just about all the service departments in my area closer to LA are terrible, thus I just have to live through that. On emissions, my research has yielded that all Minis are 50 state certified and have the sticker in the engine compartment that they are California Emissions Certified also.

Good luck and tell us if you venture to Cleveland!

I feel your pain!
Done quite a bit of research regarding the purchase of a S out-of-state.

I narrowed it down to Salt Lake City & Charleston S.C.
Both dealers know the Calif. DMV routine. Both have sold a lot of cars to Calif. buyers.

I'm sure there are other dealers back east that are good. Just seems like some
are more experceinced with out of state buyers.

I agree with Sejanus. Drive the car back if possible. Heard to mant "war stories" about cars damaged in transit.

Good Luck,
David

One more note re Classic Mini....the shipper they use also ships Lambos and such...no problems as far as damage in route....I believe they are closed containers.

I still think the drive would be much more fun! Also, you can check-out the car before giving them all the money...never know if you find something out of sorts that would lead you to say...hmmm...not this one...I'll wait for another.

I like MINI of Mt. View, MINI of SF and East Bay MINI, I didn't get the car from them, but I have do business with all of them.

I always bring my car to MINI of Mt. View for service. (Close to my work)
The first time, it's not a happy experience with Mt. View. I bought my car in LA, and installed the body kit. Few weeks after I got the car, the head light washer stop working, and I brought it to Mt. View, but they said when the dealer install the body kit, they might disconnected the cable, so no water is going to the jet. Since they didn't install the kit, they have to charge me to take off the kit and check the problem.

I was mad and talked to the GM, after all the phone call, Mt view agree to check and fix my car for no charge as a good will service. And after that, all my experience are great. Never have an other complain. :D:D

I always get parts from East Bay MINI too, their sales, parts department are friendly and VERY Nice, they really know how to treat a customer. But Brian in service department is.......... All I can say is, I probably will not go to East Bay for service again.

My girl friend is going to bring her MINI to SF for the first service, so I will update their service in 2 weeks, but as far as attend to their event. I had so much fun at their run.

Don't only think about the mark up, also consider the after sale.

MINI of Mt. View have their own run every quarter, and has hosted 3 Track day at the Thunder hill in the past 18 months.
MINI of SF has hosted 2 Run in the past 14 months.
MINI of East Bay has hosted a driving school at the Alameda County Sheriff's Training Facility

But no matter where you get your car, you can always join the NorCal MINIs (http://www.norcalminis.com) for some great run and event :D:D:D:D

Try eBay !!!

I got mine from eBay. Yeah, I looked for a while. Does that count as "waiting"? It was only a month or so & I could have speeded it up if I wasn't specific about color. Found EXACTLY what I wanted at a non-mimi dealer selling on eBay. Under 500 miles - I'd call that NEW (I finally got my tags - issued as NEW.)

As to the wait??? I decided to take a look at it at 4;30 PM, drove to the dealer, bought it & drove it home before dark !! The "wait" was only while the dealer had his service guys detail it. No dealer mark-up, either: It's eBay, you agree to the price / or not: that's all! (Down payment with credit card - drove up next day with a check.)

At the same time, there was another with, like, 130miles on it, in Las Vegas - someone won it at a casino & didn't want it, so dealer put it on eBay. I chose local, but it's a fun drive from LV.

Both these were EXACTLY what I wanted: plain MC (I can get all the tickets I want without getting an 'S') & same color as my original "Classic" Mini I had in the early '60's.

I do have to say it doesn't handle like a "classic" - NOTHING handles like a "classic" !!!
(The laws of physics ARE suspended for a classic Mini Cooper.) Good Luck - OLY :D

Well, like I said, best to read up on the DMV website to see what you need to do then in regards to buying it out-of-state.I did read the DMV stuff to confirm that there was no problem buying my MCS out of state -- and it was a good thing I did, because I had to explain to the DMV clerk how the registration process worked!!! I would not hesitate to buy out of state again, and then drive my car home. I had my car within 6 weeks after placing my order.

When I called to talk to the East Bay dealer, they told me $1500 markup for the MC over the phone. Are you sure that you spoke to somebody at East Bay MINI in Pleasanton, and not MINI of Concord -- which is also in the East Bay? East Bay MINI is quite well known for selling their cars at MSRP.

I ordered from Classic Mini, so far no problem, except for today ... the problem is not coming from Classic, but the trucking co. they use to ship the Mini to us. Supposed to load mine on the truck today and start the journey to CA, however, their truck is stuck in Florida due to bad weather. So, so far cannot confirm the date to be shipped yet :( MA told should delay only a day or so ... hope so.

That's fine. I *was* originally going to buy from East Bay, because another friend who also got their MINI from East Bay the year before told me the same thing. I wanted to double check.

AND I'm just repeating what THEY (East Bay) told me on the phone, since I didn't want to drive up there from the Peninsula on a wasted trip.

I called Mt. View MINI, I asked them what THEIR markup was. They said $1k.

I called East Bay MINI, and asked them what THEIR markup was. The woman from their sales dept. told me $1.5k.

I went for the Mt. View MINI because of the lower markup. IF they had told me there was NO additional markup, I would have gone to East Bay.

NOW, if someone over at East Bay MINI f*'d up and told me the wrong thing, then it's THEIR fault and THEY lost a sale because someone gave me misinformation.

I am JUST repeating what THEY told me.

If you (generic) want to check for who has the extra markups, it would behoove you to just call around and see who has the best prices.

I never saw a woman working there as a MA at EB Mini. What was her name?