Minnesota MINI Car Dealers

Re: Buying out of State - Please Help [minispeedracer] by krume on Wed Jun 07 05:55:07 PDT 2006

HI E - I JUST PICKED UP MY MINI S FROM THE NIELLO DEALSHIP IN SACRAMENTO. They were great and we paid $995 over list. We only had a 2 month wait from the day we ordered and the sales people treated us respectfully and did not push - they are not commissioned. All other dealers in the Bay area seemed less than friendly and want $2500 over MSRP. We contacted several out of state dealers - one in OR sells at list but has a 9 month waiting list. One in MN would sell at list with a 2 month wait but after weighing the hassles of driving or shipping, etc., the Sacramento dealer made sense. We really love the MINI and the whole buying experience was a pleasure.

Re: The thing is... [gopguyca] by akitadog on Wed Apr 13 19:52:55 PDT 2005

Gopguy, All your posts make it sound like you're conflicted, which is even more of an indicator that you shouldn't make any quick decisions. Here on the east coast, the wait is 2 months. Is the whole west coast subject to the 6 to 9-month wait? If not, try Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, etc. Besides, when it comes time to pick it up, Greyhound bus really isn't that expensive ;) . Also, if you buy out-of-state, and are worried about not having a free loaner car from the local dealer, think about the following... The average loaner car is about $25 per day from your average rental agency. Let's say your MCS is at the local dealer three times a year for whatever reason (let's hope not, considering the oil change is every 10K miles), and you have the loaner car overnight until you get your MCS back the next day. It's cheaper for you to pay $150 a year in loaner car fees than it would be to pay an extra $1500 markup to get the car now. It would take ten years of three overnight visits per year to equal the CA dealer markup. Also, chances are better a loaner would be available from a third party, considering the small number of MINI dealers and, consequently, the high number of vehicles being serviced per dealer. Is this making fiscal sense to you? Another, more patience-testing option is to order within California, save yourself the mark-up, wait 6-7 months, and in that time, have accumulated enough savings for a 8 or 9K down payment. That'll get you closer to your $300/month target. Honestly, if you can afford a 6K down payment right now (most people can't), AND you recognize the fact that all that money is considered gone if you lease, then I can't see how you would justify leasing. Just BUY the d@mn car. Well, I can't think of much more to say that would convince you to buy up-front. It sounds like you want your Cooper S NOW, and you're willing to go the exorbitantly more expensive "lease-to-buy" route. I'm rooting for you whichever path you take (because it's a MINI), but if a line is drawn in the sand, I step over to the BUY side. Good luck.