MINI2

Paul · Oct 3rd, 2007, 02:58 PM

MINI Canada reports best ever September, sales up 10%.

September was an excellent month of sales for MINI with the strongest ever sales. A total of 320 new vehicles were delivered to customers, an ...Read full report

beken · Oct 3rd, 2007, 05:13 PM

I can see that. The lower price of the Cooper with Classic Package car probably attracted a lot of the Mazda3GT, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic/Fit crowd away from the Japanese competition.

Lots of MINIs in the Vancouver area now. Not very many wave at other MINI drivers.
320 MINIs sold does not look like a lot of cars but Canada is 1/10th the population of the US so that is a significant number.

Ferroequine · Oct 3rd, 2007, 05:54 PM

Excellent!

Now if they could just build some more servicing facilities to go with them, we'll all be happy campers.

Impulsive · Oct 7th, 2007, 02:53 AM

Now if only potential buyers go south into the U.S. and buy their MINI there, MINI Canada might lower their prices to be in line with the U.S.

I spec'ed out an S and it was $5k cheaper down south. Guess where I'm getting mine.

heli_guy · Oct 7th, 2007, 03:23 PM

Hi,

If it was only 5K cheaper, you may find with the fees involved in getting it across the border (such as duty and other fees), you will end up being even.

You need about 8 to 10 k to make it worth while it seems. But I do agree, the US mini's are looking really nice with the canadian dollar being so strong.

BTW, to figure it out, you need to add 6% duty to the car, and about 1K in fees, plus a bunch of time an effort to get the paperwork filled out. So you can make the choice yourself.

Trevor.

Impulsive · Oct 7th, 2007, 09:37 PM

I priced out non-base MINIs on the Canadian and U.S. sites months ago when the exchange was 1 U.S. = 1.06 Cdn.

Total = approx. $27 000 U.S. on MINI.com and $36 000 Cdn. on MINI.ca for identical cars before exchange or any extra charges.

If we use today's exchange of 1 U.S. = .98 Cdn ......

Canadian car costs $36 000 X 1.14 (taxes) = $41 000 Cdn final total.

U.S. car costs $26 500 Cdn (after .98 exchange rate) X 1.06 (duty fee) = $28 100 X 1.14 (taxes) = $32 000 + $200 RIV fee (importation registration) = $32 200 Cdn final total.

Well ... if you were too stupid not to buy in the U.S. six months ago, you should be institutionalized for not going south to buy today. Granted, I haven't included any costs of the trip down and back but let's go overboard and throw in an extra $1000 to cover any and all expenses incurred to complete the deal and the total in Canadian dollars is $33 200 ... NEARLY $8 000 LESS EXPENSIVE FOR THE SAME VEHICLE !!!!!!!

The only significant cost in importing is the duty fee of 6.1%. The $200 importation fee for registration is a few gas tanks worth of gas, no big deal. Taxes are the same ... GST and PST regardless of where you buy. And if we realize MINI doesn't cover the free service but DOES cover the warranty, you only still lose, at most, less than $1 000 in free service.

As for whether it's worth it ... if you've got even $2k to throw away buying in Canada, make a kind donation to my gas fund and pay for one year's worth of my driving ... I will send a thank you card in the mail.

*** There is NO REASON anyone should be overpaying for this vehicle whatsoever ... buy your Canadian MINI in the U.S. and save HUGE ***

British SD · Oct 9th, 2007, 12:45 PM

The story of US verses CDN car prices has been all over the cdn news for the last month and will be interesting to see what unfolds. From what little I know, your missing quite a few details like which USA MINI dealer actually will agree to sell you a car, brokerage fees, actual bank exchange rates, temp plates, no cdn eco rebate, heated mirrors, daytime running lights, cash purchase etc.

check out website, driving.ca >> click on driving TV tab and watch the video's buying cars from the U.S. #1,2,3. bear in mind, the shows were produced a year ago when the cdn$ was 90 cents.

Impulsive · Oct 9th, 2007, 07:46 PM

Sorry, sir, but my post wasn't the be all, end all resource for this topic ... only helping to enlighten those who had/have no clue.

But to add ... research to find a dealer that will sell, no brokerage fees if you're doing it yourself (still well worth it if you're paying someone to do it), bank exchange rates don't make a dent in the savings, temp plates cost is included in my $1000 overage (do your homework on process), eco rebate only applies to Cooper (not 'S') (do your homework on applicability), DRLs not an issue, car can be ordered as you wish, and finally, yes, you cannot lease or finance the car in the US (must be paid in full) (do your homework to get the full amount up front and if financing is required, arrange it when you've returned registered in Canada through your bank).

beken · Oct 9th, 2007, 09:35 PM

When I bought my car almost three years ago, it was the other way around. The dealer made me sign a paper that said I would not be flipping my car to the US for at least a year.

I wonder if the dealers in the border states are doing the same thing to their customers.

Ferroequine · Oct 9th, 2007, 10:57 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by beken (original)

I wonder if the dealers in the border states are doing the same thing to their customers.

I know that Ford and GM dealers in Montana are refusing sales to non-residents (ie Albertans). That word came down from Ford / GM HQ, presumably to protect their western Canadian markets.

British SD · Oct 10th, 2007, 01:58 AM