Mini - is this a good deal?

flyingscotno1

jeannieblue wrote: »

Do you have to buy brand new? Or want to? They really won't budge alot, tight fisted so and so's!

Are you in the South? If so, try further up North - they seem to be alot more reasonable.

If you are buying second hand up North can be worse than down south due to larger volume and choice in Greater London area etc in my experience. It is make and model dependant- I certainly couldn't get a deal on my last car- so went to London and got a lower mileage one for £500 less- much better deal.

Not a huge fan of the Mini- I have to say- think it is a bit over styled interior wise and expensive for what it is, but lots of other folk love it!

emmell

Have you tried putting your requirements into autotrader used car search, some of the mini main agents advertise on there too, this is how I found mine but it was an independent dealer selling his daughters car (yes absolutely true, I did research it thoroughly). He gave me more in p/x as he could sell my car instead of getting it underwritten by the trade. My mini is a Nov '56 reg so is the upgraded model with all the extras I would have chosen myself (except the JCW bodykit, does look good though). Cost me £1700 plus my '07 Honda civic, mini dealer wanted £4000 plus my civic for a comparable used mini.
ML.

Charl__x

Thanks for all the replies.

Solihull Sytner have left a bad taste in my mouth, don't know why, but they just don't seem very customer focused. Still have not received a price from them (px, finance and corporate discount) and I went in Friday lunch time! My OH called them this morning whilst I was at work, and the salesman reckons their systems are still down, and he has a list of people he needs to phone back.

I'm feeling more and more inclined to deal with Birmingham, although it's further away, if I do go for a new one.

I'll have a look on that cherished site, thanks

I've looked on autotrader, but couldn't really see anything which took my eye - a lot of them seem to have high mileage, and if I were to buy used, I'd preferably want something no more than 3 years old, with decent mileage.

EDIT - Just had a browse on the cherished site after entering my requirements, and they seem somewhat overpriced. I realise some haggling could be done, but not much to make a big difference.

For e.g

http://www.minicherished.co.uk/miniuk/minicherished/cardetails/0,,___,00.html?ch=_V01XTUUzMjA2MFRNNTE3OTk=

08 plate with almost 45k on the clock! And they want almost £10k for it.

I'd much rather pay the extra £1700 for new.

I realise they're probably some good used deals to be had, but I'm yet to find one with the the requirements I want.

Doozergirl

Charl, go and deal with Faye at Sytner in Birmingham. If you want a new one then she's really lovely, will go through every option ad infinitum when you're trying to work out what a chrome line exterior is or how the packs differ from each other.

When they quote you the finance, you can drill them down on the rate but you really need to come up with quite low monthly payments as a target because that is what they use to sell you the car rather than the price of the car or the interest rate. Start with the price of the car, then work on the monthly payments on finance.

I don't know how far you are but for me it's not exactly local but it's well worth having the car looked after at Birmingham. I have been going there for years now, the service is impeccable; no quibbles, always friendly - Solihull seem to offer a cheap MINI version of servicing that is not as professional - it feels like a chore, not a pleasure (which I guess it is a chore but I actually look forward to my car going in!) I always feel valued at Birmingham.

Charl__x

Thanks for that Doozergirl, I think I'll definitely be making a trip to Sytner Birmingham.

It's not that far, about 8 miles. Solihull Sytner is about a mile and a half from here, but from what I've experienced with Solihull so far, I'd rather travel that little bit further.

It was Birmingham who phoned me and offered the 'deal' in my first post. They phoned back after just 10 minutes of speaking to the corporate department who passed the enquiry onto them - so they seem very on the ball!

Doozergirl

Which MINI are you trying to buy?

Exemplar

Hi. I was in the trade for many years (and still dabble!). In my opinion they are bang on the money for that car. If it were me I would sell it on Ebay and clearly state that it was repaired etc. Someone on there will most definitely pay top dollar for it.

Doozergirl

Charl__x wrote: »

EDIT - Just had a browse on the cherished site after entering my requirements, and they seem somewhat overpriced. I realise some haggling could be done, but not much to make a big difference.

For e.g

http://www.minicherished.co.uk/miniuk/minicherished/cardetails/0,,___,00.html?ch=_V01XTUUzMjA2MFRNNTE3OTk=

08 plate with almost 45k on the clock! And they want almost £10k for it.

I'd much rather pay the extra £1700 for new.

I realise they're probably some good used deals to be had, but I'm yet to find one with the the requirements I want.

With the PEPPER pack and the metallic paint, the list price on that car would have been about £13,750. The asking price isn't dreadful when you consider that. If you want a car without any bells and whistles then you may as well go for the 'First'. Not having a pack apparantly affects resale value.

bikebarbie

I dont think this are standard either
Chrome Line exterior
Heated Mirrors/Washer Jets

Doozergirl

bikebarbie wrote: »

I dont think this are standard either
Chrome Line exterior
Heated Mirrors/Washer Jets

Those are part of the Pepper pack, I think.