[pbui2]

Here's my story:

After a couple of weeks and no hope of ordering a Mini anytime soon from Long Beach Mini I was pretty depressed. The Long Beach sales guys are laidback and cool but I honestly believe they don't give a damn about helping you get your Mini any sooner because they have so many people lined up on their waitlist.

I was left with purchasing from other California dealers who either want to tack a $1500-$2000 markup on the price or were willing to put me on their waitlist like Long Beach.

A couple days ago I was pretty much ready to buy a marked-up Mini (that came close to my specs) or buy one from Long Beach that didn't come close to my specs. I decided to make one last check of this forum for advice and consolation before deciding on the two choices I had.

While perusing thru the SoCal Mini Group sub-forum I hit on a thread about several users that had gone out of state for their Mini. Yesterday, on a lark, I decided to call one of the dealerships (Classic Mini of Ohio) they mentioned and spoke with Julie. Let me tell you something, I was blown away by the respect and courtesy she showed me. She is by FAR the best Motoring Advisor that I have spoken with. Within 30 minutes I had committed to the Pure Silver Mini that I wanted. She answered all of my questions about the issues regarding out-of-state purchases and the specifications I wanted. Julie said that she was pretty sure I could order the exact Mini I wanted on their upcoming allocation and to send her my specs. That night, I had dinner with a friend and mapped out a 2 week roadtrip from Ohio back to Cali. I was so STOKED that I swilled more alcohol than I had in a couple of months.

This morning I woke up with a bad headache and a nervous worry. I had sent the email to Julie with my specs but I began to wonder if I had gotten ahead of myself and set myself up for a big letdown....WRONG!!!...Julie called me this morning and I have my allocation number as well as a finance number locked down. Plus, I get a motoring discount, 20% discount on the accessories, and free rubber floor mats (although I heard some people say this should come free with the car).

You know, it never ceases to amaze me about how the Internet can enhance your life. I thought I'd share this story with other "potential" Cooper buyers who might be facing the same problems I had. Specials thanks to the guys in SoCal Regional Forum, Julie & Classic Mini of Ohio, and the MINI2 Forum.

I'll try to keep people apprised of the developments as they come up. Anticipated delivery date of "Rob" (my Mini ) is April 15 or earlier.

THIS FORUM ROCKS!!!!!

[Tabor Nansk]

Hi pbui1,
First I have to ask, did you tell LB Mini so they can take you off their list? Please do. This is a little selfish because I'm ON the list! Second, have you priced out the trip to Ohio? Anywhere near the $1K markup from a local dealer? I'm coming down to LB from No. Calif to beat the markup. For me, this is a 7 hour drive in a $60 one way rental (and a fun drive home up the Coast Highway). Pretty good deal to save $1K. The wait IS a , though. I've been on the list for 6 wks now, hoping only a couple more will put me into the next allocation group. It'd be ironic if your spot turned into my spot! Good luck with whatever you decide.
Tabor

[pbui2]

Hi Tabor,

No need to worry, I asked for immediate removal of my name from Long Beach Mini's waitlist right after the confirmation of my production number As for the reason for choosing Classic Mini of Ohio I did it for the following reasons...(1) Julie (motoring advisor) made the buying experience fantastic...she knew I really wanted the car but she still took the time to "sell" the car to me...(2) I've always wanted to take a roadtrip anyways (and now I have free use of a car I love - I could have had the car delivered to California for about $1200)..(3) I can get rid of a majority of the "break-in" miles I need to travel before letting loose on the engine...(4) I'll be getting a $500 motoring discount off msrp as well as 20% of accessories that I won't get at Long Beach Mini...(5) Interest rates may go up and since I already locked down a low 3.69% apr I won't have to worry about that...(6) My current car is breaking down and I'd rather not put more money in fixing it...(7) I'm willing to pay a little more to know I'll be getting my Cooper soon rather than praying for a spot to open up on the waiting list or for a big allocation that will accommodate my order.

For your situation though, you seem like you can wait to save the money so that's probably your best course of action. Hope my removal from the list speeds up your Mini order

Good luck!

[Tabor Nansk]

Hi Pbui2,
Thanks for the reply. I saw on another post that you got to place your order. Awesome. Did that post say you got it from LB or Ohio? If you got it from LB, when did you get on their list (I'm trying to figure out where on the list the allocations are going; ie: December waiters, January waiters, etc.) I just emailed my motoring advisor to ask her the same thing, so I hope I can reply to you soon that mine's on order too!
Tabor

[BoxsterCharlie]

Great tip. I bought my Boxster in the final months of the economic boom--when Boxsters were like MINI's in terms of scarcity. Almost immediately after getting my car I started a club and met a guy who had flown to, of all places, Ohio, and picked up his Boxster S for a discount which made me sick to my stomach. For about 2K I could have had an "S."

Well, I learned my lesson. I'm doomed to always want the "hot" car on the market (enjoying both the car and the high resale value), but next time I will go to the Midwest or Texas where the allocations are good and the sales people are nice!

[Tabor Nansk]

The only downside to traveling out of area is the cost. Once your expenses come up around $1K - the dealer markup - unless your just dying to travel, you could just order locally. Dealers charging markups don't have waiting lists.
Tabor

[ding1]

Midwesterm MINI in Dublin, OH (a surburb of Columbus, OH) has quite a few brand new MINI's on their lot. The salesperson I met (Donna) is also very helpful. The drive from Ohio to the west coast may take well over a week if you want to visit some tourist attractions, but this is what I'm going to do when I move to Oregon this June:-) It is strange there is a surplus of MINI's in the midwest while the shortage is so severe in the west coast, but you guys may find your desired car sitting on the lot somewhere here ready to be picked up. Good luck!

[wrenny]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tabor Nansk

The only downside to traveling out of area is the cost. Once your expenses come up around $1K - the dealer markup - unless your just dying to travel, you could just order locally. Dealers charging markups don't have waiting lists.
Tabor

I know over here we don't have quite the sames issues etc, and in fairness I have already had my cooper for coming up 2 years....Hmmmnnnnn......lots of fun, chrome polishing exhaust adding and air filter fitting

Back to thread though... I admire anyone that avoids lining a greedy/ lazy dealer's pocket. The person that bought out of state will in my opinion have a great MINI adventure, what a way to get to know you new car and get nearer to the end of the run in period, all that speed variation ..... bliss

You on the other hand will always know that you were shafted. Damn

No offence.

adios

[Tabor Nansk]

Back to thread though... I admire anyone that avoids lining a greedy/ lazy dealer's pocket. The person that bought out of state will in my opinion have a great MINI adventure, what a way to get to know you new car and get nearer to the end of the run in period, all that speed variation ..... bliss

You on the other hand will always know that you were shafted. Damn

No offence.

adios[/quote]

Hey wrenny!
No offense at all. Apparently you didn't read high enough up on previous posts. Both pbui and I are travelling to avoid markups. I from N. Calif. to S. Calif; he's going to Ohio. My point was that unless you're out for a road trip adventure, and have the time to do it, spending up to $1k in travel costs just to avoid $1k in dealer markup doesn't make a lot of financial sense.
That said, I'm 100% behind the pbui's opinion (and yours) that we buyers need to flex some financial muscle on rip-off dealers. It's a market economy, supply and demand. If markup dealers find their demand going to non-markup dealers in great enough numbers, they'll change. Yes, it's sometimes a hassle to travel, but like you said, I won't line a dealer's pocket.
Tabor

[pbui2]

Hi Wrenny,
Thanks for the thumbs up I've got a general plan for the road trip lined out with a buddy of mine and I'm pretty sure we're going to have a blast motoring through the States in my Mini.

Hi Tabor,
Actually, it's still better if you go out of state in my opinion unless you can find the "exact" spec Mini you want locally. Like Ding1 says, they usually have a wider selection of Minis to choose from so you're more likely to find the "exact" Mini you want. So doing the math here is how it works out for a out-of-state Mini delivered to you:

Out-of-state (for Classic Mini of Ohio):
Mini price= MSRP + $1295 (can be lower if more people involved - someone from Berkeley was doing this but I didn't want to get in on it because I wanted to take the roadtrip)
Motoring discount= $500
Accessories= 20% off MSRP

Thus, even if you don't get any accessories you would have a price of MSRP + $795 for the Mini delivered to you. Also, if you get a lot of options that 20% off might come into play. The only downside is waiting for delivery and making sure you get a reputable deliverer who won't scratch your Mini. Other California dealers I spoke with will tack the $1000 (or more) charge on the price for Minis they have in stock (plus, most of them are unhelpful punks!). Long Beach will give you a Mini on their lot at MSRP but they are rare and probably won't have all the options you want. Ideally, I wanted to buy from Long Beach and wait but they have no idea when a spot will open up to order at this time. And to be honest with you, I don't really want to give them or any other California dealer my business - they all have full waiting lists and they could really care less if you order from them or not…and that's their right but in my view I am giving them money without any hassles (no negotiation)…..is it too much to ask for a little enthusiasm and service. Even at Long Beach, their attitude was like "check back with us regularly and maybe we'll bestow upon you the privilege of ordering a Mini from us." Scr*w you punks!!

Sorry if I offended anyone…had to rant a little.

[USACOOPER-S]

Boy I understand this thread, I am from California and I got my wife's Mini at Mini of Murrey in Utah. We ordered right away and came in when they indicated.

I have my Mini MCS on order from them as well, it has been a great experience with them. Also I only paid MSRP. We had a great time driving it back to Northern Cal, we went south on I15 and drove through Zion National Park and then to the Grand Canyon, then to Las Vegas and on into San Luis Obispo until we got home to the bay area.

We broken in the engine and saw some beautiful country.

[buz]

There are many wonderful MINI dealers and they are all outside CA. I tried to work with Mini of Irvine but the wait was long and the markup exorbitant. I flashed cash in front of them but they just laughed it off and then I laughed at them and left. All the other dealers were the same except Long Beach and their wait time was eternal. Did my homework, made lots of calls and was most pleased with Mini of the Hamptons. That was January 7, and today my S is being fitted with a JCW kit.
Yes, Southampton, NY is far away but my S is so much closer to my driveway than any SoCal dealer could ever do in 5 weeks. I'll save big $ by going out of state, even with transporation costs, enough to make the JCW kit and a few other goodies affordable .
It feels great not to do business with gougers and the brain dead.

[Johnny225]

Glad you found a good deal! But most of us are just too lazy to go out of state!
I appen to fall into the category of those who paid the extra premium.

[dav]

I agree. I did the same. Paid MSRP for my custom ordered 2004 MCS from out of state. The local CA "MA"s all had over MSRP mark-up's that I refuse to pay on ANY automobile. My signature includes a few return trip photos from FL to CA.

[moola]

Absolutely go out of state if you can't get a good deal or good treatment at your local dealer. I ditched the one dealer in Michigan because he was a butthead and tried to gouge me on big-time fees ($150 for documents, my Aunt Fanny!) and went to Patrick MINI in Chicago instead. Joe, my MA, was the greatest and helped out the whole way. They even paid to fix a dent that I drove away with but didn't notice until we got home 4 hours later! Now THAT'S service!

[Tabor Nansk]

Hey pbui2,
Have you looked into what it takes (paperwork, cost) to get your mini smog certified and registered once you get back to Calif? I'm running out of patience with LB mini and checking out other options. Thanks for the help.
Tabor

[SteveS]

I''m in SoCal. I was on the LB wait list for several months. Everytime I called there were more people in front of me than the last time I called. I made some calls and placed an order with Mini of Pittsburgh and was glad I did. List price, no mandatory add-ons, immediate order number and placement, and very helpful, friendly staff. With most dealeres you can check their inventory on line. It does make sense to buy out of state. Mini of Hamptons has shipping for $500 for MCS in stock?!

[pbui2]

Hi Tabor,

Ahhh yes...I forgot to mention the smog check. In California, this can cost you between $40-$150 depending on who you go to. Just look around for the cheapest & trustworthy place when you get back (AAA members get discounts I think). Then you need to set an appt at the DMV to finish the paperwork for registration in California. No other cost (except CA sales tax you'll have to pay) that I know of from reading threads of people who have done it already. Do a search for "California smog check" and you'll see the thread about it. Depending on the out-of-state dealership you go with you may have to pay that state's sale tax and have a credit transferred to your CA sales tax payment. For my purchase, my motoring advisor told me that I wouldn't have to do that.

SteveS,

I know the feeling all too well. Each time I contacted Long Beach Mini the wait time increased! I wonder if they upgrade people who are ordering more accessories to make money off the installations.

[lespurgeon]

USACOOPER-S
I'm going your route. Starting order process with SLC for summer delivery - I'm on wait list for NW Mini here in WA, but no delivery before end of year. The 850 mile drive looks OK to me. How was your experience with MoM (Mini of Murray)? Any advice?

Sounded like the Hamptons could ship me a car even sooner, but picking it up in the summer sounds like more fun.

[buz]

Figure $60 for smog cert. and 20 minutes, with an appointment, at a remote DMV site that is 20 minutes away. There is definitely a return by investing a bit of time with an out of state dealer. My Mini priced out in SoCal at almost $8k higher than MSRP with a minimum wait time of 12 to 14 months!!!!! Yes, Long Beach does MSRP but the wait is unreal.
Do your homework, go out of state, get what you want in eight weeks delivered to your driveway. Take 2 hours to do the DMV thing, then drive your Mini to a SoCal dealer, park where everybody can admire your Mini, pick up a set of valve stem caps and let everybody know you saved big $, got it your way, give 'em a big grin and wave as you leave. It will feel so good.