[abbydog3]

I am new to the Mini scene and am in the market for a new car. Been lurking here for a few weeks, reading other posts and tyring to figure out which Mini I should buy.

Using the Mini web site, I found two Mini dealers in my areas, lucky for me. Mini of Dallas and Moritz Mini in Arlington

The reason for this post, if to provide feedback on what a horrible experience I had at Mini of Dallas. I have been twice, difference days/weeks. I ended up walking around the outside and inside for 25 minutes and was not greeted or acknowledged. It was sorta okay, since the cars are beautiful. The first trip, when I tried to ask someone for help, they acted aloof and said they were busy with other customers. The customers must have been on the phone, Internet or hidden in a back room, since I didn't see anyone else around. The 2nd trip, I spent far less time trying to get help. My goal was to see in person what I had been looking at on the web site, just so my eyes would be happy the pictures were real.

The result of these two trips was a visit to Mortiz Mini of North Arlington. What a great experience! I was greeted in less than a minute of walking around and not in a "cheesy salesman" way. (sorry for the generalization, not trying to offend salesmen). Martijn Janssen was the gentlemen name and he was very courteous and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend Moritz of North Arlington, even if they didn't want a Mini.

Bottom line, bad experiences, like the ones I had at Mini of Dallas sour me from the entire Mini product line. I wouldn't go back there, even if they offered 1/2 off sticker.

Instead I will return to Mortiz and become a happy Mini owner and feel good about the way I was treated, both by the people working for Mini and their product.

Thanks for your time.

[sbontrager]

My first trip to MoD was somewhat like yours, but, it was not that bad.

I used the internet form to schedule a test drive. The MA called and asked for 3:00 and I said that 2:30 would be better for me (we had another appointment later in the day). We showed up at 2:30 and he was still busy with his previous customer. We did get asked if we needed help by one other person, but not very seriously. Our MA got to us as soon as he finished with his customer (at about 3:00). The rest of the expierence was quite good.

On the second trip, going in to order, we had to wait a few minutes. But, we got there right at opening and they didn't seem to have any salespeople around, and our MA was running late.

My wife was far more bothered by it than I was. But, I'm a patient person. I'm also never one to mistake the failures of a salesmen for the failure of the car company.

Everything else about MoD has been great. My MA has been helpful and friendly, if a bit harried.

I pick Kiki up in a few days. I'll let y'all know if I have to wait then too.

[MINIofMansfield]

I'd have to say that my experience with MoD (MINI of Dallas) thus far has been pretty enjoyable.

My visit started off very similar to sbontrager's visit, in that I wandered around the the outside of the showroom for about 5-10 minutes without anyone coming out to great me. When I went inside, I found out why -- the place was packed, and even with 5 MAs, people were still waiting for their turn. Fortunately, within about 10 minutes of walking into the showroom, I was approached by two MAs -- at the same time -- who were ready to help me out. The MA we ended up getting has been very helpful and available for whatever questions I've had in the pre-ordering and ordering stages, and took my wife and I on great test drives in both the Cooper and Cooper S. Even when I stopped by one afternoon when my MA wasn't there, another MA was perfectly willing to answer my questions and let me demo my CDs in the HK and non-HK stereos.

Are things I haven't liked thus far? Sure. My MA, while a perfectly nice guy, lacks a little exuberence in his personality, which kind of makes for boring visits to the dealership at times. And there are other little things, but overall, it's been pretty smooth sailing -- and hopefully it will be through taking delivery in July and beyond that.

BTW -- The only reason I didn't choose Moritz (it is closer by about 20 miles after all) is because I couldn't find a MCSa to test drive on the Moritz lot at the time.

[RobbyD]

Just be careful. The same sales guy got my order wrong. The fax confirmation I recieved showed the red dash I asked for. Two weeks ago, when I flew into town from the SF bay area to pick the car up, I saw that the dash was the the fake brushed aluminum.

The dude didn't really even say he was sorry. He suggested that I take the car, drive it home, sell it, and order another one from him. When I told him I didn't think that my going into the used car business and him getting two commisions due wasn't really my idea of helping.

He offered me free floormats. Big woop. I took the car but I'm waiting for a manager to get back from vacation to see if I can have the interior bits changed to the ones I ordered.

[jggonzalez]

I went to Mini Center in San Antonio. Its the closest dealership to Leander (near Austin). My MA was Susie Clarke and she was terrific. She was very helpful, cheery, and extremely patient. I changed my order three times before I left and she didn't even frown. I wound up paying MSRP plus a slight installation fee for my security system. No dealer markup. I haven't taken delivery of my MINI yet, but so far the experience has been great!

Cheers,

Joe Gonzalez
2005 MCS HB/W

[candygrrl]

I'm so glad to hear about your experience in San Antonio. I live in Austin too and really don't want to go even further than there (Houston or Dallas) to order mine!

Have you had any regrets about the inconvenience of going out of town for service?