[hocndoc]

It looks like I will be driving my '86 Dodge truck a little longer.
Andres quoted me a price around $23,500 last week, including dealer "options. "According to the list of factory options he mentioned, this seemed to be almost $2000 of dealer "options," which I was willing to pay for in order to get my car quicker.
I've been trying to get a list of the factory options and an itemized list and prices for the dealer "options," since I sent him my deposit by phone last Sat., but he didn't seem to understand or wasn't willing.
This morning, he finally replied to my e-mail request (Greg said they didn't have a fax machine set up last week. I guess they still don't) of Wednesday for a total, with a list of options and costs. The "options" included a loaner for the life of the car, free car wash with each service visit, permaplate and warranty, 48,000 mile warranty for maintanence, tire and wheel warranty for 5 years, and $150 Mini floor mats. The total is now more than $4000 over the one he quoted last week. (Okay, $2000 was tax and title.)
When I called to ask for an explanation, Andres was busy, so Greg tried to add up the factory MSRP (more than last week, less than the e-mail total) and told me that they "had" to add the dealer "options." I explained that I had done some research and knew better. He turned me over to Andres on the phone.
Andres gave me yet a 3rd total price (split the difference between the e-mail and Greg's - no explanation of the difference), and started to work through the "options" with me, saying that even they don't have an invoice, yet.
I explained that I live 200 miles away, and the local perks aren't attractive to me. I would like the perma plate, but not the rest. He seemed to lose his patience over the tire warranty. That was when I repeated what I had told Greg: I might be willing to pay some premium for an earlier car, but not 4 to 5 thousand over MSRP.
Andres said that perhaps I should wait, then.
I agreed.
(And, to top it all off, after exchanging multiple e-mail with my title for a week, he still addresses me as Mrs. instead of Dr. and suggested that I needed to consult with my husband. Since this is the first major purchase I've ever been brave enough to insist that I make myself, that was the exact wrong thing. Some advice to all salespeople: don't hit sore spots. It will probably back fire.)

[olddad]

Spec the exact car you want on the MINIusa website and compare to your dealer's quote. Also check the warranties that come STANDARD and the real retail price of the floor mats. The wax job is a ripoff anyway.

The price you were quoted, less tax and license, is more than I paid for my MCS. With a base price for the Cooper = MSC - $3000, you need to check out the many dealers selling at MSRP with very short waits for the Cooper.

[hocndoc]

The first thing Greg said was that Andres must have accidently priced out the MCS instead of the MC.

I tried to price out the car the first day, old dad. That's one way I estimated the original markup and the final $4000 markup. And that's what I told Andres, yesterday. I also explained that I had my notes from our first conversation, which he obviously did not. 4 different quotes on the final cost leads me to believe that they have no records.

Here's the list of "options" I was sent:
""1)
They are the flor mats. 2) The tire and wheel warranty for 5 years. 3)The
loaner car program for the full ownership of the car.4)The perma plate
system with the anual full detail carwash (for life) and the warranty for
your paint, leather and carpet (also for life). 5) The free carwash on every
service visit. 6) The 48 month and 50,000 miles full maintenance program
covering your car of any maintenance item that you may face including the
brake pad, roters, and all of the wear and tear items.""

Andres is convinced I need the tire and wheel warranty in case of "blow out." Is that applicable for runflats? He got pretty upset when I said I thought the MINI warranty was fine for me.
If he had listened or read my e-mails, he'd know that I drive 5 miles aday, park the car in front of my office on a main street in town (advertising!) and *wanted the permaplate and probably an alarmsystem.

Instead, he told me that if I didn't get the official floor mats at purchase, I'd have a hard time getting them anywhere else, and probably have to wait months.

[stryder]

Quote:

Originally posted by hocndoc
The first thing Greg said was that Andres must have accidently priced out the MCS instead of the MC.

Here's the list of "options" I was sent:
""1)
They are the flor mats. 2) The tire and wheel warranty for 5 years. 3)The
loaner car program for the full ownership of the car.4)The perma plate
system with the anual full detail carwash (for life) and the warranty for
your paint, leather and carpet (also for life). 5) The free carwash on every
service visit. 6) The 48 month and 50,000 miles full maintenance program
covering your car of any maintenance item that you may face including the
brake pad, roters, and all of the wear and tear items.""

Andres is convinced I need the tire and wheel warranty in case of "blow out." Is that applicable for runflats? He got pretty upset when I said I thought the MINI warranty was fine for me.
If he had listened or read my e-mails, he'd know that I drive 5 miles aday, park the car in front of my office on a main street in town (advertising!) and *wanted the permaplate and probably an alarmsystem.

Instead, he told me that if I didn't get the official floor mats at purchase, I'd have a hard time getting them anywhere else, and probably have to wait months.

I think you've found a dealer who returned to the nasty profiteering tricks the early dealers tried and had bad luck with. Anyway, You really should consider buying the car someplace else, (even far away and shipping it), since this guy's full of it, and is obviously out to get profit.

It'd be really really hard to 'blow out' a runflat tire. They're quite indestructable, however to be honest, they can have issues with being repairable even for a small thing like a nail hole.

My dealer, (not the one I bought the car at) gives it a free wash everytime I go in for service. I expect it, if I'm going to pay $80 an hour labor. I guess the yearly detailing is vaguely useful, but that's like $150/year tops. The extra warranty on brakes and such is $350, available at any MINI dealer. Loaner cars are a sketchy item, some people get them, some don't. I don't think I get them at my current dealer because I didn't buy the car from them, that seems a bit standard. I expect (and MINIusa's emails to people) have said they expect a loaner program to start once the cars are in less demand so they can have some sitting around. Floor mats aren't even $150, I think they're $130, and every dealer has them. Some have even been nice enough to give them away for free in the US I think. (I paid for mine).

Andres is acting like a sleezy profeeting salesmen. I worked in commision sales for a summer and know how it works. Of course he'd be 'aghast' at you thinking the MINI warranty is good enough, its part of the plan, and if you don't get the extra stuff, he doesn't get money. In my view, he doesn't deserve to get even the fair value of his comission on you paying MSRP plus the options you want.

[hocndoc]

San Antonio MINI has promised what I want for MSRP. I think I'm number 11 on their list, but they don't open until March. I was in a hurry, but not in such a hurry that I can't tell when I'm being taken advantage of.

[NEMINI]

Good for you hocndoc for not falling victim to a slimy dealer. At this point your either better off buying at the San Antonio delaer when it opens or if your in a rush go out of state and drive it home ... even with a one way plane ticket added in you'd still save money over the crooks you started with.

[hocndoc]

24 hours later, no e-mail confirmation that the order is cancelled and my credit card refunded.

[AidenL]

A helluva rip-off, I think you were very right to take the course of action that you did..........

[hocndoc]

Andreas finally called this morning. He says my credit card was never charged.
He's still insisting that "everyone's doing it" and that he's only following orders.

He did come over to read the forum, at my recommendation, and knows that not "everyone" is "doing it."

Good job, guys.

[Wynn]

Wow, good work. Thanks for bringing to his attention the variations in dealer practices. Like I said, I was told by Momentum MINI that I wouldn't have to get ANY of that stuff, and that they'd simply sell me a car at MSRP; but then, they also said mine is the first deposit they've taken for an owner-spec car, rather than pre-spec... so, maybe they weren't sure yet of how/what to sell me, or maybe the add-ons are just something they'd planned for the first wave(s) of pre-spec cars now arriving, or maybe they just don't have their act together yet very well, in their second week of business.

The real point is that it's good that you've shown them that they cannot get away with selling us what we don't want. Now, it's up to the rest of us to do our part by buying only from dealerships who will make and keep that promise. I'm already concerned that they might try to back out of the agreement they made me, and I didn't get it in writing or anything... But, I know that you all know that I'll be the first one to walk away, if they won't keep their word.

Here's hoping that they do. I'll let you all know.

wynn

[Apex]

I thought all of the gouging dealers were in Florida and California but I guess Texas has them too! Maybe it's too much sunshine??

Carpeted floor mats at most dealers are $95.00

As previously advised, 90% of US dealers are selling at MSRP with no addons. Do what you want but I would take my order elsewhere. I have read in these forums that here are alot of Coopers sitting on dealer lots right now.

Good luck!

[hocndoc]

The Momentum guys never seemed to read my e-mails or hear me on the phone:I actually wanted to spend the money! I wanted to spend it on the junk I wanted to buy instead of the junk they wanted to sell. (I actually wanted the perma seal and the alarm, even though it's sort of like guilding the lily.)

Oh, well, I was meant to have a chili red instead of the indi blue. And, even in Texas, the heated seats will be great: my husband has them in his BMW, and I like them for my sciatica.( Imagine:a $40K heating pad and I'll get the same for less !)