[bengascoyne]

Hey folks, right as the stealers seems like a difficult way for me to go as they are not offering me enough in part ex, not even close.... I'm begining to wonder is it really worth getting a cherished mini or not??

I've seen some really nice examples, with a great spec in a normal independant dealers garage, and with a chance of getting better part ex value, is it really worth the cherished status or should I just look into buying elsewhere

ben

[Restyle]

I take it from your sig, that you`re trying to trade in a Golf for a Cooper S?
Dealers arn`t exactly renowned for giving a good PX on a MINI, let alone a VW.
I think you`d be far better off selling & buying privately. You dont mention what model year of MCS you`re looking at, but you`ll generally pay a much lower price in say the M2 Classifieds, many of which will still have loads of warranty.

[humph]

Don't forget that if you're buying a MINI that's less than 3 yrs old it will have a warranty no matter where you buy it. If you're going for one that's older than 3 yrs you can still get yourself an aftermarket warranty quite cheap, so again can buy it from anywhere. Just watch the screen price at independant dealers as many have no idea how to price a MINI with extras, you could end up paying too much. Again many will tell you alsorts about the packages/extras for MINI's so make sure you know you're stuff and check out what they tell you.

[neilobe]

hi,, I sold my own car privately ,, the mini stealers, just dont offer you any were near its true worth, and i would then buy your mini privatley there are really good deals now the new model is out and far more choice, and youll save alot by buying privately, if car your looking at is under 3 years old your still be covered by the orginal warranty anyway.
I just brought my next S.. last week only 3k year old,, for £14.5...privately and cost over £20k new..

[fatsax]

recently bought a cherished mcs and since buying it have had a few small problems but he result was the car has been in BMW for a total of 5 days with some pretty expensive parts fitted now if a bought this private there is no chance i could have afforded to get it fixed so the answer in my opinion is YES it was worth it.

[Restyle]

If it was still within its warranty period whether it was bought private or from a dealer then the dealer {any MINI dealer} has an obligation to fix it.

[bengascoyne]

Hi, unfortunately, the main reason I'm selling the R32 is to cut costs etc, so it'll be a slightly older model that we'll be looking at, so unlikely to still be under original 3 year warranty, so hence why looking at cherished.

[Restyle]

With Cherished Dealers cars being at least £2000 more than the same spec Privately sold car, would it still not make economic sense to keep aside money saved buying this way, in an emergency fund. ?
After all, even if the engine blew, it would still cost less than 2k to have a sourced replacement fitted.

[Ant FR]

When i bought mine a month ago, i lookd at the cherished ones, but they seem to be very very other priced. I could'nt jusify spending £2k extra for a car with less spec and more miles, so i got mine from an independent, there is no way a car with the same spec as mine would be £10k on a cherished forecourt, yes i have lost the warranty, but hey as said already even if the engine blows completely then at least the savings could be used, and yeah what can be more than £2k to fix,

Its a tough call, and remember warranties are only as good as the garage you take em to, My passed 3 cars hav all been brand new and warranty work was always like getting blood from a stone, dealers are not as helpful anymore.

Have a look around, but personally, sell the R32 privately as the market is still good for them, very desirable still, and then go cash in hand and source a good private MCS, i have seen some lovely examples on autotrader with top specs coming in at around £9k for an 02 plate. remember there are as many people desperate to get rid of their MCS as people looking to buy, so go choose. But DO NOT part ex a Golf R32, you will seriously lose out on it, sell privately. Also may be best to wait till after christmas now as the market goes very very slow

[ALD0]

The only good thing about cherished MINI is I think you will get 12 months warranty if out the original manufacturers warranty.
They are pretty reliable cars anyway, I think as said previously, pick up a bargain off here or on Ebay and sell the R32 privately, maybe register on a few VW forums and advertise the car there?

[bengascoyne]

hey folks,

right update..... I've found the one I'm getting, put a deposit down today. A local VW specialist are taking my car off me, less (only slightly) than I wanted but I've managed to negotiate a little bit with the dealer to get a decent deal, or i think it is.....

Its a 02 reg MCS (registered in May 2002)
34'000 miles
Dark Silver with Black roof n mirrors
Full leather linterior (black/blue)
Heated Seats
Digital Climate Control
Panoramic Sunroof (something I wanted as I loved it on my cooper)
Heated washers + mirrors
Xenons
MFSW
Single CD with changer prep
Radio Boost

can't remember if there's anything else......

seemed a good spec to me and got them down to 10k.... not too sure if thats good but I'm happy

ben.

[Ant FR]

Thats the same spec as mine i bought last month for 10k, execpt yours is slightly older......Ha ha , ( by 2 months) oh and i have'nt got the pano roof, but i have got DSC.

So yeah it is a good deal, or if it is'nt I've been mugged too.

[ALD0]

Quote: Originally Posted by bengascoyne (original)

hey folks,

right update..... I've found the one I'm getting, put a deposit down today. A local VW specialist are taking my car off me, less (only slightly) than I wanted but I've managed to negotiate a little bit with the dealer to get a decent deal, or i think it is.....

Its a 02 reg MCS (registered in May 2002)
34'000 miles
Dark Silver with Black roof n mirrors
Full leather linterior (black/blue)
Heated Seats
Digital Climate Control
Panoramic Sunroof (something I wanted as I loved it on my cooper)
Heated washers + mirrors
Xenons
MFSW
Single CD with changer prep
Radio Boost

can't remember if there's anything else......

seemed a good spec to me and got them down to 10k.... not too sure if thats good but I'm happy

ben.

Nice Spec, is that a MINI dealer?

[bengascoyne]

Quote: Originally Posted by Interceptor (original)

Nice Spec, is that a MINI dealer?

aye is indeed, so got the car i wanted, at a price am happy with, with a spec I like, so overall a fair few smiles now

[Matt FT]

I vote for worth it too. I got a 52 MCS and it's had three warrantee replacements so far, one due to a coolant leak. Would have cost a fortune otherwise. Definitely worth the £500ish premium I paid rather than buying private...

[Restyle]

Quote: Originally Posted by Matt FT (original)

Definitely worth the £500ish premium I paid rather than buying private...

If your dealer only adds an extra an extra £500- onto the screen then the Cherished status would naturally be worth it.
After having just been rechecking the MINI Cherished site though, it would still seem that the majority still have a screen price of around £2000 over privately sourced ones.

Real Time Examples

From MINI2 Classifieds
2003 MCS with Chili Pk, 5,000miles ....£11,495
From MINI CHERISHED
2003 MCS with Chili Pk, 27,000miles ....£13,495

From MINI2 Classifieds
2004 Cooper with Chili, 22,000miles ....£9,950
From MINI CHERISHED
2004 Cooper with Chili Pk, 24,00miles ....£12,450

[Matt FT]

Well, the sticker price was definitely more than a £500 mark up, but after (lots of) haggling on the trade in price on my Fiat Punto and price of my MCS it ended up as about £500 more. I even got a full tank

[Matt FT]

Just to add, now is the time to do it. I bought my MCS on 29th December last year and the salesman was desperate for a sale - figure his bonus target was within reach and the end of the year was approaching...

[russyellocoops]

I found that i couldn't find a good mini outside of MIni cherished as i didn't want to go private finances etc!

The majority that were on other forecourts where ones that had been farmed out by Mini dealers cos they were ******** / high mileage etc!

And it wasn't making savings to take any of them cars also no warranty etc!

At the end of the day very much a believer in you get what you pay for!

[ALD0]

I had to laugh, our local dealer was flooded with ex Foxtons MINI's all from London, they were knocking them out about 8k or so, but they had had a hard life, must of been making at least £1500 on each unit though!