I've been reading over the last few weeks about people ordering the S at different dealerships around the UK. From the way it is written I can see that some have ordered the pre-spec and others are putting in their own spec for a later delivery. Some have said that they have done the ordering from the computers in the dealerships and others have filled in spec sheets.
I went into Chandlers in Brighton and they said that I couldn't order a custom spec car until July! I went into Vines in Crawley and they said I couldn't order a custom spec car until May! I've been on the list at Brighton since October last year after putting my deposit down and allegedly I'm 5th on the list. What gives? Should I have received a call by now? Should I contact them again and say to them that there are other people around the country who have ordered their cars already? Am I being snubbed for some reason? Is there ANY consistency with ordering in the UK yet?
This all comes down to MINI PR again, what the heck is going on?!
I put a deposit down for my S in febuary and was told that I would receive a call to spec my car sometime in March. I didn't hear anything so I called the back end of last week. I was told that they had a 99% go-ahead from BMW to start taking customer specs down but it hadn't been finalized yet but they would be in touch very soon. I thought fair enough but this was after people on this site said they had already specced theirs!?!?!?!
DS/Black Cooper S, Chilli pack, Full leather, Climate DSC, Clear lights and 212 ponies Hartge kit.
Is there actually a mini dealer out there that really knows what's going on? I doubt it from everything i've read here.
I put my deposit down in January, and was originally told I was 6th on their list, and then later told I was 2nd or 3rd when I went in to "spec" it up on the 7th April. I wasn't actually called to go in, I was just passing by, and thought i'd say hello, but the dealer asked if I wanted to spec it up.
However, i don't feel like it was a proper "spec" as nothing has been confirmed in writing, and I wasn't given a copy of the "spec" sheet (blank A4 sheet with what I wanted wrote on it). I did get a call back a few days later though, saying that they wouldn't actually be going through with the ordering until May, and I probably wouldn't expect the car till the end of June, or the end of July.
Since then I haven't heard a thing, although i did enquire whether I would be offered one of their four pre-specced cars, but they never got back to me.
It does all seem a bit strange to me. I was around no 14 on the list for an S and was not expecting a car until the autumn. I got a call from my dealer asking if I would like one of their 3 customer pre-spec cars. As one was virtually what I wanted anyway I took one and could possibly get it for launch day on the 8th June!
I can only assume no one above me wanted the pre-specced cars!?!
I too am having this trouble - I am 3rd on list and havn't heard a squeek - would it be possible to get an official PR line from Mini UK Paul - as I am getting worried as If I get to mid July and the car is no where near I will have to cancel my order as my current car goes back to its owner then. There surely should be more organisation than this - it doesn't fill me full of confidence to hand over my 16,000 +
I am a bit confused by the whole process myself. Yes I have specced my car, but as I mentioned earlier rather than keying my details into a computer she just filled in an order form.
I have no order no., nor an expected delivery date
Not only don't I have a clue when I will get my car, I am not even convinced it is on order. I am in a similar position to you in that I am 3rd on the list but I can't help having this distinct feeling that it counts for nothing. At the end of the day, we only have their word for it.
I went in to the dealer on Sat, after several previous visits, to confirm my spec.
Not only did I get an official order invoice from the dealers we were also able to go into the IVS (the actual Factory spec'ing system in Oxford), Spec it up, get a build number and get an instant responce on the build week (33) and estimate delivery date to dealer (Late Aug.)
This could all come forward as more people spec up thier cars and or wait for the darker colours.
I would have to ask what your dealers are playing at, to actual see your car and spec appear in text on the screen is like seeing a scan of your new baby 2 months before it is born.
Ordered Sept 2001,
Sorry, Cancelled my order with 30 days to go. After multiple test drives and hammerings it is not the car I had hoped it would be or what I am looking for.
Probably a good idea.
I've had parts on order since January for a fault that was diagnosed when I purchased in September - The dealer deleted all record my car and me...
Apparently, according to the receptionist, it was because I didn't telephone enough to remind them!
At least they're attempting to get it fixed now.... 11 telephone calls and 3 weeks later.
I went into my dealers today to look at the colour swatches for both the car colour and the cloth/leather.
My dealer had put my rough order into the system last week and given me the delivery date of the 17th July 2002.
I went in today and confirmed my order and changed it a bit, the system let him order 1/2 leather all black trim, the system also confirmed the expected delivery date as 17/07/2002, as he told me last week.
He also told me that delivery dates are likely to come forwards as BMW will want people to be driving their new cars ASAP.
P.S. I looked at the Space Cloth, it's actually not bad at all, quite dark and nice in fact.
Andy
DS Cooper S w/white bits, DSC, 1/2 Leather all black trim, CHILI Pack, TLC - ARRIVED 01/07/02
Sold 29th May 2004 to make way for house
There seem to be 2 computer systems at the dealers:
(1) the one IVS Supercooper refers to as the actual Factory spec'ing system in Oxford), and
(2) another computer systems that holds data locally at the dealers and gives you a print out with the final price.
I spec'd my S the other day and got the print out with final price, but no build date. The dealer told me that the "girl in the office" would enter my spec in the BMW computer system this week, but were not forthcoming about when I'd know the build date.
They reckoned on just 1 week from build to delivery, and kind of implied I'd not hear from them again much before then - "then" being around August / September. Progress, I suppose, but a tad envious of Supercooper having a build date.
DMS is BMW's Dealer Management System, which seems to be a little slow in updating with new options etc. From what I have seen IVS is the defacto system from which the factory reacts and it gets the options updates instantly.
I may have a build date, but I still will not see it until late Aug. I can't see anything special in my spec's and they are all available today, but apparently it is due to the combinations I want.
In which case I'll collect on the Sept 1st, Just for resale value with a '52' plate. Although my new private plate will actually go on (0002 CMW)
Ordered Sept 2001,
Sorry, Cancelled my order with 30 days to go. After multiple test drives and hammerings it is not the car I had hoped it would be or what I am looking for.
go my deliver date of 02/07/2002 or earlier of a week 33 bulid. had a lot of probs with my dealer in bham who will reamin nameless his first offer was end of july,which i was not overly impressed with i put deposit down in march 2001,a few irate phone calls to sales directors etc and got it for delivery above
spec is eb/white roof/chilli/black leather/mfsw/dsc/heated seats/radio upgrade/roll on july 2nd and where didi i put john cooper garage phone no for the works kit !!!!!
Jut did the order yesterday after contacting the dealer. He said "Oh you must be psychic, I was just about to phone you!"
Anyway specced it up and then he gave me a build date of Mid August (week 33)!! Delivery 1st September. I wasn't too impressed but he insisted that it was next to impossible to get it earlier. He also said that I was going to be the third to get one. Hmmm! So that would make it completely different from what everyone else is saying here with the whole 5 cars a month thing!
The other thing is the price (without extras of course!) it seems to be £14640!! Is this right? The car itself works out at £14065 and the others as follows:
First registration fee.....£25
Petrol.....................£40
Service pack..............£100
Delivery/Plates...........£255
RFL.......................£155
Is this normal? Or is there something added here that shouldn't be? I didn't notice until I got home ...idiot! Oh and that petrol tank better be full when I pick the car up.
Hmmm .... from what I have been reading in these posts, it seems that the dealers in the UK either don't have their act together or that perhaps BMW is playing some sort of little game with them. I say that because I ordered by my pre-spec S here in California on March 26, 2002. (I have been on "the list" since last July). My dealer accepted my $1,000.00 refundable deposit and printed out a BMW Group "Vehicle Inquiry - Retail" sheet listing the model, my name, the colour combination, all the various options, the prices of all the options, the total price, (including freight/delivery), the Production Number and finally the VIN Number. My dealer told me orally that the car was scheduled to be built on May 3rd. Using the Production Number, I went to the "owner's lounge" and confirmed the May 3rd. build date. Essentially, my dealer tried to match my "ideal car" with his first shipment of S's and, except for the colour, (which was my second choice anyhow), I basically got what I wanted.
This is just speculation, but the problems with the dealers could be a classic "supply & demand problem" or perhaps an internal decision by BMW to allocate a larger share of the early production cars to the US market, thereby reducing the inital allocation to the UK market while the factory ramps up? Also, it may depend on just who your dealer is. I have a strong suspicion that all Mini dealers are not created equal. It may have something to do with the dealer's prior performance in selling BMW's?
However, for what it is worth, during our several trips to our dealer in connection with the purchase of our CVT Cooper, I have heard the salesmen say to callers and to potential buyers (who aren't on "the list") that the wait for a Cooper S could be as long as 1 year.
Liquid Yellow Cooper CVT -w- white roof & mirrors and sport package, leatherette and 16" 5-Star alloys (in our hot little hands); and,
Dark Silver Cooper S -w- white roof & mirrors, premium & sport packages and lapis blue/leather due in mid June.
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Specs and Ordering 
Build Dates 
