[50centHAT]

Hello Everyone. My wife desperately wants a Mini or Mini S.

We live in L.A. area and are willing to drive to get one.
She does not want to wait too long to get one.

Can you help us with these questions?
1. How much markup is reasonable?
2. How many packages should we have to take to get the car we want?
3. Is the S worth the difference in price? Or should we pay roughly the same for a fully loaded Mini to get the Red or Yellow NOW!

4. Any great dealers in the area?

5. How long to order the exact car I want?
Thanks.

All she really wanted was black top and sunroof on Red or Yellow.

[MINIAC]

Welcome to MINI2

Long Beach MINI is the only MSRP dealer in SoCal.

The 'S' comes standard with 16" wheels ($500 extra on Cooper), sports suspension plus ($500 extra on Cooper) and sports seats ($270 extra on Cooper), plus it has over 40% more horsepower and torque and a 6-speed transmission. Getting one at MSRP from a dealer near the West Coast will require a long wait unless you happen to call a dealer who's had a cancellation.

Check out the following threads for MSRP farther afield:

http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...threadid=28316

http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...threadid=27060

[dco43054]

If you don't mind driving, cross country, you can get one today at MINI of the Hamptons, www.miniofthehamptons.com . They have their inventory online, sell at MSRP, and can ship one to you if you'd like. Typical shipping costs have been about $8000 to $1,000. My MCS has package 1, 2, 3 no leather, no Nav. Didn't think either of them was worth the extra $$. Love it a lot.

Dave

[50centHAT]

What about CA emissions package? Is that an issue does it exist?
What about airbags and saftey of Toddlers in the rear seats?

[Spy Car]

Quote:

Originally posted by 50centHAT
What about CA emissions package? Is that an issue does it exist?
What about airbags and saftey of Toddlers in the rear seats?

The MINI is a 50 state car so no worries about buying one out of state, lot's of people have done it.

The MINI has 6 front passenger airbags: head, side and front. It has also fared very well in test crashes and has also fared very well in real world accidents.

Well actually, I should say the passengers have fared well in serious accidents but in bad accidents many MINIs has given their lifes by dispersing the impact by crumpling and absorbing the shock. Very well engineered.

I've seen a couple pictures of really bad accidents (including Marcus-SanDiego) where the MINI has been flipped on the freeway at high speed and the roof has remained rigid and perfectly intact. And, best of all, the passengers have been unharmed. I feel it's a very safe car.

Obviously you wouldn't want to get hit by a Hummer, but at least in the MINI you have a chance to get out of the way. The MINI will laugh at doing evasive manuvers that would flip an SUV. So there are saftey tradeoffs.

As to good dealers, the only really good one is Long Beach MINI. And I have heard some good things about Irvine as well. The bad news the wait for an S at Long Beach has been as long as a year.

If you really want one you should be able to find one somewhere at MSRP.

As to the Cooper vs MCS, a reasonable test drive of each should give you a good idea of the difference. For me, this was an opportunity to own the "sports car of my dreams" and the cost of the extra performance was an absolute bargain. But I like Coopers too, it depends on your wants, needs and desires.

What does your wife want out of the car?

You should not be forced to get anything on the car you don't want. Beware of Universal MINI.

Good Luck!

[50centHAT]

Mini of The Hamptons is a Winner!

Went on their website 2wks ago. Found some interesting cars.
Convinced my wife to try them, and she found a car she liked. They shipped it in one week.

We got an MCS chilli red for the price of a
Cooper with dealer packages in LA. Took delivery on Sat.

Thanks to all for your help.

[Spy Car]

Glad to hear it worked out

[dco43054]

Cool - I think Torr owed me a dinner for all the people I've recommended to them! Enjoy.

Dave

[rameeti]

Quote: Originally Posted by MINIAC

Long Beach MINI is the only MSRP dealer in SoCal.

Is this still the reality in February 2006?

[jimskater]

Pretty much, but the "mark-up" is becoming negotiable at some dealers--at least for vehicles on the lot. I know of one dealer that has had a few temporary removals of all mark-ups. Check close to the end of each month, as the dealers need to move product in order to maintain their allotment of cars.