[Chad Ferguson]

I'm looking at buying a Mini Cooper so I went online and did the car builder. I was just curious if/how much dealers bend on the pricing of these cars? What have your experiences been with dealers?
Thanks

[NEMINI]

first off we have to know what country you are in.

Assuming the US, expect to pay MSRP, they sell too well to discount.

[Chad Ferguson]

Quote: Originally Posted by GMINI03

first off we have to know what country you are in.

Assuming the US, expect to pay MSRP, they sell too well to discount.

I live in Canada.

[milliethemini]

Chad,

You should post your query in the Canada community forum with regards to your question. By the way, welcome to MINI2!!

Where in Canada do you live? You will find that in city centers with multiple MINI dealerships (ie. Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, GTA) you will have a better chance of getting a discount on the MSRP of your MINI. Unlike the USA, you should not expect to pay above MSRP, or even at MSRP, except for the upcoming MINI Cabrio. The 2002 MINI owners paid MSRP, but since then you should be able to pay a few hundred dollars less.

Having said that, don't expect to get anywhere near the discounts you would get buying some other car. The low volume sales and exclusivity of the MINI has something to do with that. And here's the mindblower: you actually pay MSRP, but when everything is tallied up, you don't!!!

Here's how it's done. The usual practice that I have noticed at MINI dealerships of getting a 'discount' is that while you would have to pay MSRP for the base model, the options that you add on are discounted.

For example, if you bought a MCS for CDN$30k, and add on CDN$4k of options, you may get a discount of CDN$1000 on your options. So in effect you have paid CDN$1000 less for the total cost of your MCS!!

You may get a few hundred dollars off the MSRP too, but that's the discretion of the dealership. Several other factors come into play here. If you take a MINI off the lot as opposed to ordering one, you should be able to get a discount. Ditto for year-end clearances; In October 2003 BMW Canada allowed an additional CDN$2000 rebate on 2003 MINIs still in the lots of dealerships. That lasted only for that month, and only what was left in the lots, and not applicable to custom orders.

I highly recommend that you visit the MINI dealership(s) closest to you, and get to know the sales staff. I have found them to be a much friendlier and less mercenary bunch of folks than the sales staff at other brands of cars. In my case it helped that the MINI dealership I bought my MCS from consisted of salaried staff, not those on commissions like the typical car dealership.

[NEMINI]

Following Millie's suggestion, I moved this to the canadian forum

[Chad Ferguson]

Well ,I live in Regina, Saskatchewan. From what I've been told I should avoid the Regina dealer though go to the Saskatoon dealer. I guess the BMW store here took someones car in for repair and had sold it. Anyways, anyone care to share their experiences about these dealers?
Thank you

[ChilliSteve]

I live in Winnipeg, and I've talked to MINI Regina before. they are amazing. I am thinking of ordering my car from there, as they are willing to give pretty good discounts on their cars (even custom orders)

[PaulC]

Quote: Originally Posted by ChilliSteve

I live in Winnipeg, and I've talked to MINI Regina before. they are amazing. I am thinking of ordering my car from there, as they are willing to give pretty good discounts on their cars (even custom orders)

What sort of discounts are you talking about?

[LiddleD]

hey Chad Ferguson, first of all, welcome!

Even tho I dont live in Regina (I live in Port Coquitlam, close to Vancouver, BC) I can tell you my experience with the dealerships around here. At first I shopped around the Mini dealerships around here, Richmond and Yaletown, but not Victoria. The one thing I noticed immediately to be the defining point between the two, were corporate vs. franchise. While Richmond was a franchised store, in my opinion, they were a little more agressive with sales. Yaletown on the other hand was a corporate store and therefore reflected a much more professional attitude towards their sales (IMO)

Yaletown is eventually where I bought my Mini. I received it last October, and it's a 2004 IB/IB MCS. SWEET car. Anyway, I think I made off with one of the better deals when compared to some other Mini owners. Originally I was quoted around $39k to $41k...after everything tho, (at least 5 months of waiting and incessant emailing back and forth to my dealer) I finally was offered an official final price of just over $37k! (that was after taxes and everything!) I also got the HK system thrown in "for free" as a discounted option like millie mentioned. Here's the breakdown of my car;

2004 IB/IB MCS
Sport Package and 17" wheels and foglights
Panoramic Sunroof
HK System

I guess that's about all, but for the price I got it for, it was amazing! Mind you, there are a lot of factors that play into getting a good deal. My parents are asian...enough said.
Nah...try and build a good relationship with your dealer, I went out for coffee a couple times with my salesperson, his name is Nick from Yaletown, and I'd recommend him anyday. Just get to know your salespeople coz you never know what kinda strings they can pull in the end. One piece of advice tho, and this just reiterates what millie said, dont expect the same discounts you would get at other car dealerships. I'm sure you've heard of all the different discounts that Chrysler, or GM, or the like, are offering. You have to remember, you're buying a car that is so unique and stylish, and is made by BMW!!! It's not in the same class as "all those other car dealers". You're just not buying a car, you're buying a lifestyle. Do I sound brainwashed or what? jk....

hope that helps! and good luck car shopping!

~ Darren

[YQTYYZ]

How do I tell if a dealer is a Corporate vs. Franchised dealer? I took a drive this Sunday morning to my closest dealer (Mini Downtown in Toronto), and it appeared to be nothing more than a store front. I didn't venture out to the back, but I could see any service bays or anything.

I've heard good things about Mini Woodbridge as well as Oakville Mini, so I'm just hoping that the whole buying experience is good.

[LiddleD]

I think the easiest way is just to simply ask. I was told by my salesman at Mini Yaletown. What I did in the end was basically get as good a quote from Richmond Mini(the franchise store) as best I could...and bring it to Mini Yaletown because corporate is mandated to beat franchise prices...(according to my salesperson). hope that helps.