[Vizilo]

I decided to visit the Victoria BC, BMW dealer advertising in-stock minis at dealer invoice cost. Last night, however, I retrieved the Mini invoice prices from carcostcanada. Imagine my surprise when the dealer offered to sell me the car for the invoice price.

I originally wanted a "basic" S convertible with cruise control, chrono package and heated seats. What I ended up with was a DSM S converible with gray leather, chrono, sport package, chrome line, heated seats and HK stereo. But the +$3K in savings almost pays for those options.

The only thing I did not get was the cruise control. For some reason, the dealer rarely orders these for stock. Is there an after-market cruise control option in Canada??

I have wanted a convertible for 30 years but my size (6'5") and the costs involved made this dream impossible.

A year ago, I gave up my 14 year-old VW Passat for a new 9 3 Saab (6 speed turbo). The best car I have ever driven. Imagine my delight in getting a second toy 13 months later. How lucky can a middle-aged guy be?

BY THE WAY, I FIRST SAW THE COOPER CONVERTIBLE A WEEK AGO. BEING A "PROSUMER", I READ EVERYTHING I COULD FIND ON THE NET. THIS WEB SITE IS BY FAR THE MOST USEFUL. BY SPENDING A COUPLE OF NIGHTS READINGTHE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS FORUM, I COULD MAKE INTELLIGENT DECISIONS AND NOT SUFFER BUYERS' REMORSE.

THANKS TO ALL YOUR INTERNATIONAL CONTRIBUTORS

[MINNOW]

Congrats on the new car!
I'm sure you'll enjoy many miles of motoring in an S cabrio.
I'm a little over 6'3" and have plenty of headroom in my hardtop Cooper - how do you cope with the roof up?
Have only ever sat in the cabrio with the roof down in the showroom - when they finally open the local dealer this year I will have to check that out.
My car also has no cruise control, I enquired about aftermarket and the response was negative as the throttle is fly-by-wire and apparently the aftermarket units work with mechanical linkages.
Not to worry as somewhat surprisingly I do not miss having cruise, even on a few 5 hour drives across the flat boring prairie. The car's speed is easy to modulate and the digital speedo doesn't jump about wildly. Where you live I doubt the lack of cruise will trouble you.
Sounds like in addition to getting a great car you got a great deal also - perhaps the cabrios are indeed not selling as well as MINI expected.
You are right about this site, I find it to be a wealth of information about all things MINI.
Buying a MINI means never having to suffer the heartbreak of buyer's remorse!

[Valdiri]

Ah, Victoria. Where they can think about convertibles in January

By the way, for the rest of us, how much was the invoice cost anyway Vizilo??

[Vizilo]

Minnow, thank you for your kind comments. I had no problems with the top up. I did have problems seeing the overhead traffic lights with the top up or down when first in line at am intersection.. Luckily, in British Columbia as in most of the rest of Canada, there are traffic lights on posts as well as above at all intersections.

You mention, a digital speedometer. All I saw and used was the analog one on the steering wheel during my 20 minute test drive. Is it standard on all cars?

I agree that only on Vancouver Island can you test a car in January with the top down and the seat heater on.

Dealer invoice appears to be approx. 9% below MSRP on the basic car as well as options. But then I do not know the profit on the PDI and the $295 admin charge or whether there are manufacturer rebates to the dealer. I inquired from a couple of other BC dealers to determine whether they also had this January "sale". They did not. I suspect it was a case of a BMW dealer having too many convertibles in stock with the wrong options. And even in Victoria, with 8 inches of rain in the last couple of weeks, convertibles are a hard sell in January.

[MINNOW]

The digital speedo I believe to be standard in all cars. It's located in the tachometer where the outside temperature display resides. To switch between speed and temperature you push the small button atop the turn signal stalk. I wonder if yours may be different due to the chrono pack? Since your analog speedo is directly in the driver's line of sight maybe the digital speedo was deemed superfluous.
The 9% profit margin you mention is consistent with what MINI Crowfoot, the Calgary dealer where I bought my Cooper claimed. Cooper Classic models they said have only 6% margin.
I suspect they made more margin on freight, PDI, block heater, etc., which added a whopping $2115 to my car!

[Mr Grean]

We bought our MCS from Victoria MINI and are very happy with their service and support. Paid MSRP and got a set of carpet floor mats & 2 key rings thrown in for free..that was in Nov 2002 for our 2003 MCS. Just got the walnut wood dash installed and again very happy with service and price. They gave us a MX5 to drive for the day...not bad if you're into SUVs...which we're not. (We live up island from you...members of Victoria Minis club)

[Vizilo]

Mr Green,

How do you jpin Victoria Minis Club?