MINI2

Paul · Jan 9th, 2003, 08:50 AM

Just wondering what influenced your choice of dealer.

AprilWhine · Jan 9th, 2003, 09:09 AM

Unless the dealer is horrible, sick, and evil, I buy cars where I have to take them for service.

cheekygrin · Jan 9th, 2003, 09:49 AM

I chose "they were recommended to me" but what i really meant was "they are a long established local company that is widely known to have a good reputation"

FONTAL · Jan 9th, 2003, 10:06 AM

I ordered my car before they were launched and MINI information told me that Inverness was going to be my closest dealer, true as the crow flys but changed it to Aberdeen as that is were the boat docks.

Hat · Jan 9th, 2003, 10:45 AM

i had a choice of 2 dealers near home & 1 near work. i chose the closest to visit first, had not problems with them & placed my order without visiting the others. There's very little scope for haggling with the car anyway so why tramp from dealer to dealer for the sake of £100 or a set of mats?

XSmall · Jan 9th, 2003, 04:28 PM

Cinci and Nashville (or was it Knoxville, don't remember)were equal distance, but we used to live in Cinci, and have friends to visit, and know where to go shop when we have to go up there for service. I never even actually called the dealer in TN to see what their wait was. Looking back now, I wonder why I didn't even check.

cooper4us · Jan 9th, 2003, 06:15 PM

We bought our car from Lauderdale MINI in Ft Lauderdale, FL (Best MINI dealer in S.Fla, strict MSRP and no markups) but I get it serviced at South Motors in Miami for it is closer to home and have a better service dept than Lauderdale MINI does, which is a good 30 miles away.

Paul · Jan 12th, 2003, 04:16 PM

Interesting split so far.

I chose mine because they had the best and most positive sales staff at the time.

smiffy · Jan 12th, 2003, 04:45 PM

Local dealer

BruceK · Jan 12th, 2003, 05:19 PM

When the MINI was launched in the US last Spring, finding a dealer that could get me a car without playing pricing games (there were precious few of them back then) and could provide a car quickly meant I selected a dealer 2,200 miles away. (Obviously, it's a dealer I'll never visit for service

)

A lot of other early MINI owners decided to do the same thing. Now that things have settled down somewhat, I'm sure people currently shopping for a MINI in the US can afford to worry about the lesser things such as location, service, sales staff etc.

Pebbles · Jan 19th, 2003, 12:11 AM

The closest dealer is 100 miles away so I'm going there when I'm ready to get on the list! My next closest is 3.5 hours away!

AidenL · Jan 19th, 2003, 11:56 AM

I knew my dealer, had bought BMWs from them before, they gave me the best price, and got the car quickest !!

sdmidget · Jan 19th, 2003, 01:43 PM

Not the closest dealer (60+ vs. 45 miles away) - but the closest dealer in my home State (no tax issues) and offering MSRP at the time.

Martin L · Jan 19th, 2003, 03:24 PM

I chose my dealer as it's close to my home and the fact that it's had a sucession of good looking saleswomen

I'm a sucker for a pretty face

miniyoda · Jan 24th, 2003, 07:18 PM

Cincy dealer was the closest, and by luck turned out to be among the best in the US.

lotatoys · Feb 16th, 2003, 04:36 PM

I chose my dealer after getting recommendations from MINI2 forums. My local dealer (Niello MINI,which won the "Bad Dealer" award here on MINI2) was so far out of touch with the consumer (price gouging, no customer specced cars, etc...) that I had to search for a good deal out of state. It was well worth the flight from Sacramento to Salt Lake City to get a fair deal and be treated wonderfully. Of course the long drive home was a great way to get acquainted with my new baby!

edlfrey · Feb 16th, 2003, 09:03 PM

I also bought my Cooper from MINI of Murray (Salt Lake)for the reasons listed by lotatoys above.
In addition,I was taking delivery in January! It is usually possible to get to and from Salt Lake from Reno during winter storms, sometimes it is not possible to get to Northern California without chains.

Sejanus · Feb 17th, 2003, 12:20 AM

Speaking as another "Niello refugee" I chose my dealer (East Bay MINI) based on three reasons. They had a good reputation, they were selling at MSRP and perhaps ultimately the biggest reason for me (but not a poll possibility) was that they would let me custom order a MINI to my exact specs, instead of making me scramble on a first come first served basis for whatever car came into the dealership that had some of the features I wanted.

niall · Feb 20th, 2003, 12:58 PM

Travelled over 100 miles to get my car, because of reputation and they could get me a car 2 months quicker than my local dealer and I was going to be without a car.

Have no complaints about either dealer now though as have used both for warranty work.

Mike Clarke · Feb 21st, 2003, 12:56 PM

An easy choice as there is only one dealer in Western Australia - only 5km from home - the next closest is in Adelaide almost 3,000 kilometres away.

View Poll Results: For what reasons did you chose your dealer?
They offered the best price.	91	20.40%
They were the nearest dealer.	225	50.45%
They had the best sales staff.	93	20.85%
They were recomended to me or have a good reputation.	74	16.59%
They could get the car quickest.	74	16.59%
No particular reason.	10	2.24%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 446. You may not vote on this poll

Jan 9th, 2003, 08:50 AM	#1
Paul Trained Monkey My Classifieds Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Bedfordshire Local Time: 11:33 PM Posts: 40,555 Offline	For what reasons did you chose your dealer? Just wondering what influenced your choice of dealer.

Jan 9th, 2003, 09:09 AM	#2 (permalink)
AprilWhine Loves the Fuzzy One Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Black Hills S Dakota Local Time: 04:33 PM Posts: 16,791 Offline	Unless the dealer is horrible, sick, and evil, I buy cars where I have to take them for service. Global Moderator

Jan 9th, 2003, 10:06 AM	#4 (permalink)
FONTAL MINI2 Senior Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Shetland Local Time: 11:33 PM Posts: 496 Offline	I ordered my car before they were launched and MINI information told me that Inverness was going to be my closest dealer, true as the crow flys but changed it to Aberdeen as that is were the boat docks. SOLD

Jan 9th, 2003, 04:28 PM	#6 (permalink)
XSmall MINI2 Regular Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Kentucky Local Time: 06:33 PM Posts: 323 Offline	Cinci and Nashville (or was it Knoxville, don't remember)were equal distance, but we used to live in Cinci, and have friends to visit, and know where to go shop when we have to go up there for service. I never even actually called the dealer in TN to see what their wait was. Looking back now, I wonder why I didn't even check. My MINI II, Tank Jr... 04 BRG/W http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/XSmall/24453.jpg

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Jan 9th, 2003, 09:49 AM	#3 (permalink)
cheekygrin MINI2 LPB and Moderator Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Manchester Local Time: 10:33 PM Posts: 409 Offline	I chose "they were recommended to me" but what i really meant was "they are a long established local company that is widely known to have a good reputation"

Jan 9th, 2003, 10:45 AM	#5 (permalink)
Hat cook pass babtridge My Classifieds Join Date: Oct 2002 Local Time: 11:33 PM Posts: 15,800 Offline	i had a choice of 2 dealers near home & 1 near work. i chose the closest to visit first, had not problems with them & placed my order without visiting the others. There's very little scope for haggling with the car anyway so why tramp from dealer to dealer for the sake of £100 or a set of mats?

Jan 9th, 2003, 06:15 PM	#7 (permalink)
cooper4us MINI2 Master Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Florida Local Time: 05:33 PM Posts: 1,423 Offline	We bought our car from Lauderdale MINI in Ft Lauderdale, FL (Best MINI dealer in S.Fla, strict MSRP and no markups) but I get it serviced at South Motors in Miami for it is closer to home and have a better service dept than Lauderdale MINI does, which is a good 30 miles away. '02 MINI Cooper CVT On Order: 2004 MCS (Est production date: 9/5/03)

Jan 12th, 2003, 04:16 PM	#8 (permalink)
Paul Trained Monkey My Classifieds Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Bedfordshire Local Time: 11:33 PM Posts: 40,555 Offline	Interesting split so far. I chose mine because they had the best and most positive sales staff at the time.

Jan 12th, 2003, 04:45 PM	#9 (permalink)
smiffy MINI2 Master Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Here Local Time: 10:33 PM Posts: 5,778 Offline	Local dealer S for Smiffy "Kids in the front seat cause accidents, accidents in the backseat cause kids!"

Jan 12th, 2003, 05:19 PM	#10 (permalink)
BruceK Moderator & Sponsor Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: San Antonio, Texas Local Time: 04:33 PM Posts: 3,759 Offline	When the MINI was launched in the US last Spring, finding a dealer that could get me a car without playing pricing games (there were precious few of them back then) and could provide a car quickly meant I selected a dealer 2,200 miles away. (Obviously, it's a dealer I'll never visit for service ) A lot of other early MINI owners decided to do the same thing. Now that things have settled down somewhat, I'm sure people currently shopping for a MINI in the US can afford to worry about the lesser things such as location, service, sales staff etc. + 2002 MINI Cooper S - Dark Silver / White roof, Sport, Premium, Lapis blue leather + 1965 Mini Traveller - Tartan Red / White roof, 1275, Cooper S discs, fully restored/renewed

Jan 19th, 2003, 12:11 AM	#11 (permalink)
Pebbles MINI2 Oldie Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Austin, Texas Local Time: 05:33 PM Posts: 292 Offline	The closest dealer is 100 miles away so I'm going there when I'm ready to get on the list! My next closest is 3.5 hours away!

Jan 19th, 2003, 11:56 AM	#12 (permalink)
AidenL Nice TTs......... Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: On The Coast........ Local Time: 11:33 PM Posts: 42,147 Offline	I knew my dealer, had bought BMWs from them before, they gave me the best price, and got the car quickest !! *Global Moderator*

Jan 19th, 2003, 01:43 PM	#13 (permalink)
sdmidget MINI2 Master Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Lancaster, PA (USA) Local Time: 05:33 PM Posts: 931 Offline	Not the closest dealer (60+ vs. 45 miles away) - but the closest dealer in my home State (no tax issues) and offering MSRP at the time. 2002 BRG/W [BRidGet] traded in on 2005 Jet Black/White/White Cooper [?name?] 2005 #1 wrecked by SUV on 6/03/05 2005 Jet Black/White/White Cooper (2005 #2) [?name?] picked up on 6/24/05

Jan 19th, 2003, 03:24 PM	#14 (permalink)
Martin L MINI defector Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Harefield Local Time: 11:33 PM Posts: 13,597 Offline	I chose my dealer as it's close to my home and the fact that it's had a sucession of good looking saleswomen I'm a sucker for a pretty face MINI, RX8 and MX5 - Done those............. It's now TTime Unofficial MINI2.com bean counter

Jan 24th, 2003, 07:18 PM	#15 (permalink)
miniyoda Jedi Master Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: South of Cincinnati Local Time: 05:33 PM Posts: 263 Offline	Cincy dealer was the closest, and by luck turned out to be among the best in the US. IB/IB Cooper, Black Leather, every option except CVT, (plus bonnet stripes, rally lights, aero rear spoiler and floor mats).

Feb 16th, 2003, 04:36 PM	#16 (permalink)
lotatoys MINI2 Regular Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Northern California Local Time: 03:33 PM Posts: 204 Offline	I chose my dealer after getting recommendations from MINI2 forums. My local dealer (Niello MINI,which won the "Bad Dealer" award here on MINI2) was so far out of touch with the consumer (price gouging, no customer specced cars, etc...) that I had to search for a good deal out of state. It was well worth the flight from Sacramento to Salt Lake City to get a fair deal and be treated wonderfully. Of course the long drive home was a great way to get acquainted with my new baby! '03 "S" DS/DS. NAV, Sport, Cold & Premium packages. Love it!

Feb 16th, 2003, 09:03 PM	#17 (permalink)
edlfrey MINI2 Regular Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Reno, NV Local Time: 03:33 PM Posts: 146 Offline	I also bought my Cooper from MINI of Murray (Salt Lake)for the reasons listed by lotatoys above. In addition,I was taking delivery in January! It is usually possible to get to and from Salt Lake from Reno during winter storms, sometimes it is not possible to get to Northern California without chains. 2003 Cooper: VR/W, Black Cloth & Interior, Cold Pak, MFSW, DSC & OBC Mod: Clear Lens 3rd Brake, Stubby Antenna, Cocomats, Clean Visors, Minilite Wheels, CNC Pedals, Custom LED Tail Lights, DaLan Hitch w/Whalen Engraved Hitch Cover

Feb 17th, 2003, 12:20 AM	#18 (permalink)
Sejanus Moderator Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: West Sacramento Local Time: 03:33 PM Posts: 4,222 Offline	Speaking as another "Niello refugee" I chose my dealer (East Bay MINI) based on three reasons. They had a good reputation, they were selling at MSRP and perhaps ultimately the biggest reason for me (but not a poll possibility) was that they would let me custom order a MINI to my exact specs, instead of making me scramble on a first come first served basis for whatever car came into the dealership that had some of the features I wanted.

Feb 20th, 2003, 12:58 PM	#19 (permalink)
niall MINI2 Regular Join Date: May 2002 Location: Aberdeen Local Time: 11:33 PM Posts: 115 Offline	Travelled over 100 miles to get my car, because of reputation and they could get me a car 2 months quicker than my local dealer and I was going to be without a car. Have no complaints about either dealer now though as have used both for warranty work. BRG Cooper, Chili, CD multi, ASC+T, Stripes

Feb 21st, 2003, 12:56 PM	#20 (permalink)
Mike Clarke You are number 6 Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Perth WA Local Time: 06:33 AM Posts: 5,194 Offline	An easy choice as there is only one dealer in Western Australia - only 5km from home - the next closest is in Adelaide almost 3,000 kilometres away.

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