Swapping wheels with the dealer 17" to 16"

[alivenkickn]

I'm writing from Northern California. I ordered a MINI Cooper S from East Bay MINI in Pleasanton in August and now I must wait approximately a year for my MINI. With being new to MINI2 I started doing research on this site in regards to wheels - 16" vs 17". From the kind of driving I do and considering approximately1/4 the price for a regular tire (with a kit) rather than run-flat 17's - that seems to be the way to go for me.

Has anyone experienced a wheel swap through the dealer and then onto the factory? I'm presently looking at going with the Sports Package that comes standard with the 17" S-Lite design spokes and am interested in a swap for the R90 16" wheels instead... Anyone had any direct experience with that, from a friend, someone you know?

Any word will be helpful - thanks!

[NearlyNN]

I sold my 17" S-Lites and the run flats back to the dealer and got a 16" wheel/tire set from AK Tires. Had the set shipped to the dealer to have installed for my new car delivery.

Price worked out really well. Especially since the wheel/tire sell back reduced the invoice price of my car, therefore allowing me to not have to pay about 12% sales/excise tax on that portion. No tax on the internet wheel/tires. Price was dead even with new tires. Would have been much lower if I had taken the used tire package.

[alivenkickn]

Thanks for the reply - look forward to others, too.

[stryder]

I'm all for waiting, but you do realize you could get a car way quicker then a year for the hassle of ordering it out of state and shipping or driving it back to CA, (and still pay MSRP) right?

Anyway, to answer your question, it seems very common if you're getting dealer installed wheels to sell the factory wheels back to the dealer, though what price you might expect can vary greatly, depending on your dealer and the market for your particular wheels. I know many dealers offer the sets of wheels for competative prices to ebay or the for sale forum here, so they can't be giving great discounts to the person who sold them originally.

I wouldn't worry about doing it, though once you get closer to delivery and your salesman will actually talk to you, you can ask and see what's in your best interest. (selling the wheels yourself, or selling them to the dealer) Especially if you're looking a year in advance, the market for used wheels may have changed a bit, probably they'll be worth less since more will be on the market, but that's just speculation. They're not selling for near what they'd cost from the parts dept now in any styles or sizes.