New Mini Clubman

[vagt6]

You may find that MINI dealers are not willing to negotiate on the pricing, Nial. Demand is great and production is somewhat limited. My dealer, MINI of Richmond, practically chuckled when I tried to negotiate! Nothin' doin'. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cryin.gif

And, there's a paucity of MINI dealers. One key reason for this is in order to purchase a MINI franchise you have to own, or be part owner of a BMW franchise. This narrows the playing field significantly for prospective MINI dealers.

My dealer is in Richmond, 62 miles away. There are no dealers in VA west of Richmond (and there's a LOT of VA west of Richmond!). But, it's no problemo: this is a very well-engineered car and the bugs have been worked out of it. Mine has 24,000 and nary a problem of any kind, not a squeak or rattle, period. Scheduled maintenances are relatively few and far between, so trips to the dealer are not frequent.

Lots of MINI owners face this dealer location dilemma due to the paucity of dealerships. I wouldn't let that fact deter me. Trust me, this is a <u>terrificly</u> fun car to drive and own and it is reliable. There's no other car quite like it in it's class.

Let us know, and good luck, Nial!

 

[aerog]

Well first off this is Scott, not Nial /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Second... the price I came up with is the list price from Mini-USA. That almost $26k wasn't loaded, but it wasn't stripped either. The prices I've seen on the 'net from the two closest dealers here haven't really been out of line (on the regular cars). But you're right, if going by the cars.com page is any indication, they're not willing to budge on the prices.

Just for kicks I priced out a Clubman S with a ton of options. Pretty much everything except the cold weather package. The list price came to $37500. That may be what you were looking at... but you can build one for far less, depending on the options you want.

Except for some of the reservations I've mentioned before, I really like the clubman. I just can't quite see it when other nice, smaller, wagon-like cars like a Mazda-3 are around... I haven't stopped looking though!

 

[vagt6]

Sorry, Scott!

 

[LarryK]

I priced the new S over the MINI website and tried to give it all the options that came with my 03 S and that was $36,000, because now you have to buy all the options. I tried the Clubman and came out at the $39K also. Pitty that if you want a convertible and navigation and some mods the person will have to pay near $45K. Too many good classics out there for that price. Sure airbags and safety, but for that price I could drive around them.

 

[pbraun]

Let me first say that I work at a MINI dealer. I do that because I love MINI, the brand, having owned 18 classic Minis, and now 2 of the newer MINIs.
Some misunderstandings I am reading here:

1) the US MINI Clubman, and others, will not have the "stop the motor when at rest" function as the european cars will.

2) You can order any option a la carte, and do not have to get an entire package. Use the configurator on MINI USA - look carefully. Base price of an S Clubman is $24,100, including shipping and handling. You'd have to add a ton of options to get even an S convertible up to $45K.

3) They are a blast to drive - I drove them in Germany with Rauno Aaltonen, and it was a serious hoot.

4) I am 6', 250 lbs and fit fine in the rear. The Clubman has 3.5" extra space in the rear.

5) Try one, you'll lilke it.

 

[vagt6]

Thanks, Peter. It's always great to get info from the source!

 

[aerog]

Same here - thanks Peter! The websites and articles all seem to push that semi-hybrid "feature" that shuts the engine off. Now the car has become a lot more appealing to me /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

[Wray_G]

My wife and I drove the new MINI Clubman S the next day after they arrived at MINI of Nashville. I love the car, the easier access to the back seat, the rear doors, and the extra room in the back seat. We had a 2003 MINI Cooper S and loved that one.
I kept it almost 3 years and sold it to my son. He really enjoys it for his daily commute in Alexandria, VA.
The car has always been very reliable and we traveled in it to Chicago and Dallas.
We live in north Alabama and the BMW dealer doesn't carry the new MINI, but it is an easy drive to MINI of Nashville.
They have never gouged on the pricing of the MINI and have alway been absolutely fantastic to deal with. Sales, Service, Business Office, and Parts are top notch.
When I bought a 40th Anniversary Classic Mini and started driving it to work each day my wife started driving the 2003 MINI S. She has wanted to get another one ever since I sold the MINI S. She says it is the only car we have ever owned that can put a smile on your face no matter how bad you feel.
I like the new Clubman more than the sedan, but she still feels the New MINI sedan looks the best.
We both like the new turbocharged model better than our earlier supercharged car.
From the front drivers seat the Clubman is just as much fun as the sedan. In the back seat the Clubman is much more comfortable/practical.
My wife is now planning to sell her 2003 M-B SLK320 in order to buy a new MINI.
I sold my 1999 Classic Mini MPI car last year and have Mini Tec building a 1965 Traveler with a K-Series i-VTEC that I plan to use as a daily driver.
They are all a lot of fun to drive.
If it isn't fun to drive it doesn't need to live at our house.
Cheers,

 

[roofman]

I like it, but not the silver painted details on the back. Should be body color.

 

[Silverghost]

Thank you Roofman!! Glad to see somebody else feels the way I do!!

 

[Silverghost]

And NO white roof is avaible either!! What's the deal with THAT???! <looks around for Jerry Seinfeld....>

 

[vagt6]

Wray, welcome to the Forum. Great to have another MINI driver in the fray!

You're right about the "fun" factor of the MINI. I drove many cars before I decided to purchase my '05 MINI S. Even the new turbo Miata; V/6 Passat; Z3 BMW (too $$$$!), and a bunch of American cars. Nothing was remotely similar. Also, my bias toward LBCs was a factor.

It's all about the fun factor with this car. It's not entirely practical, but who cares??? BMW got it perfectly correct with this car, IMHO. Exactly as advertised, tons O' fun!