2007 Mini Cooper says goodbye :(

cfilkins · Member

2007 Mini Cooper says goodbye :(

TOWNEMINI · Towne MINI - Official

RE: 2007 Mini Cooper for sale :(

Pamlico · Motorer

I'd strongly recommend posting the car on craigslist.

We just sold our '05 MCS / JCW and that was the first and only place I posted it (on the Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse sites). We received a surprising amount of interest and within 2 weeks it was purchased sight unseen by someone in New Mexico. After the funds were wired to our bank (and verified) he arranged for transport and it's now on a truck heading to Los Alamos.

cfilkins · Member

Thanks for the suggestions. I put it on the Bflo craigslist, and I did get interest from someone from Toronto...but it looks like they've changed the import laws (thanks to lobbying from BMW) to make it cost prohibitive for Canadian residents to import a mini. There's about $1200 in paperwork alone, and the costs can skyrocket because a Canadian Mini dealer has to "approve" and certify that the car is safe for operation in CA...and I've heard of some of the dealerships requiring $2000-$3000 in modifications. So...I'll post it up there, and I'll take your suggestions to put in on Rochester and Syracuse as well.

Thanks for your input! :)

Pamlico · Motorer

Well that's interesting. I wondered why ever time we drove to Toronto I felt pending doom as soon as we crossed the border. I never thought of running to the first dealer we saw and having the car approved so we could drive safely.

I did have someone from Canada who wanted to buy our car for his wife. Problem was matching schedules as he was going on vacation and then had to get his wife down to look at it, but she was tied up in her work. When the offer from New Mexico arrived he graciously decided to withdraw. He had been investigating the import process and mentioned the costs involved, but hadn't totally worked out the import procedure. I'll email him with your info to let him know of the car.

-- Edited by Pamlico at 23:26, 2008-07-03

cfilkins · Member

Thanks Pam :) I know from what I've read about the import that the JCW edition Coopers are not allowed to be imported to Canada...so he would have had some issues. I guess the laws just changed last November.

I think on Saturday we're heading to look at some possibilities for Fletcher's replacements, and get an idea of what the dealerships will be offering for the trade. I'd still like to find a home for him myself, but if the trade in offer is decent, we may just go that route...

Chris

Pamlico · Motorer

cfilkins wrote:
... I think on Saturday we're heading to look at some possibilities for Fletcher's replacements....

Chris

Chrs - If you're still interested in staying with a smaller car with great performance you could do what we did and order one of these. If that's a little too over the top you can take a half step down and consider this.

If either of these are viable choices for you I think you'll find that Towne (at least in our case) was not especailly interested in negotiating. We purchased from a dealer here in Rochester where we worked out a great deal. Let me know if you're interested and I can give you more info.

Good luck.

- David

cfilkins · Member

Thanks for the info David...The 1 series look really nice, but I think they're a bit out of our budget right now. We're leaning strongly towards a 2008 Jetta Wolfsburg 2.0T...35mpg, 200HP, 4 doors, you can fit a 6 footer in the back seat, and a small army in the trunk.

I know that Towne isn't great about negotiating...I called our salesman on it, since other Mini dealers were more than willing to cut $500-$750 off the price and even arrange to pick us up at the airport (Cincinnati). When I asked about it, our salesman said that they'd do the same for someone from Albany, but weren't willing to negotiate with someone from within their own sales area. Doesn't make much sense to me.

cfilkins · Member

TowneMini...

What do you know about the import process? Is there anything that Towne can do to assist in expediting or assisting in the process, or would a Canadian buyer have to find a Canadian Mini dealer to help?

Chris

Peaces · Member

cfilkins, Great choice for a replacement. Since Towne doesn't sell VW you could try Volkswagen of Orchard Park. I bought an '08 Rabbit from them and the sales experience was pleasant. The only problem I had was waiting for my car since I didn't want to buy off the lot. Took about 2 weeks

cfilkins · Member

We've bought 2 Jetta's from Autohaus/VW of Orchard Park, and while the sales experience was relatively pleasant, I've been horrified by their service department. Nearly every time I go there, I have to go back to have them fix something they broke while fixing something else. Very irritating. I've been trying to gather quotes on the car we want, and Autohaus is the only one that has not provided a quote - I have emailed them 4 times already requesting information, and I have received nothing further than the automated response. So far I've heard from New Motors (Erie), Schmidtt's, Northtown, and Dorschel (Rochester). Dorschel is way out in the lead on the price right now.

We're going to test drive a couple of others just to make sure that we're not overlooking anything, but we are partial to the Jettas :)

Chris

PepperMINI · Motorer

I bought my rabbit from Dorschel, who also had the best price, but the service there was terrible. Also, when I purchased it, they tried to charge me $100 for washing it before I picked it up (a separate line on the sales contract in addition to the negotiated price, which I refused to pay). I switched to Vincent for service (in East Rochester), and their service department (so far) has been far superior. Did you get a quote from Vincent? If you tell them the price that Dorshel would sell it to you, they may try and match it, since it's direct competition.

cfilkins · Member

I spent this morning with Katie at Northtowns VW...they offered $18k even for Fletcher, so with the tax benefit, I'd have to sell him for at least $19,400. Add in the snow tires and wheels, and it looks like I'm asking for too little ;)

I did give them the quote from Dorschel, and they basically said that there's no way they can touch it...Dorschel's quote came in for about $500 below Northtown's "invoice." While the initial thought was that they'd hit me on the trade in, that quote came w/o trade discussion. I'd rather not have to drive to Rochester (I live in Dunkirk), but for $1,000 less than Northtown, it'd be worth the time and gas.

cfilkins · Member

If anyone has any interest in the snow tires, I'll probably be up for selling those separately, as the dealership won't show any love for them.

I paid $625 for them in November, and they're spotless...nice painted aluminum rims and the tires are in excellent shape. 195/55QR15 Blizzak Revos. I can provide pics on request.

Chris

tedscar · Motorer

Hi Chris,

I'm definately interested!

cfilkins · Member

RE: 2007 Mini Cooper says goodbye :(

PepperMINI · Motorer

Hopefully, Fletcher will find a new loving home, and will thrill and excite his next owner. With small cars being uber popular right now, he's sure to find a new home soon. Best wishes, and don't rule out a MINI in the future!

cfilkins · Member

The snow tires are spoken for...after those have found a happy new home, the only thing left will be our key...since the dealership wanted Fletcher on the spot, I only had my key with me...after the fact they asked for the second key, which I told them has been "misplaced." It'll be our little piece of him ;)

Chris

MJB MINI · Motorist

Chris,

I can't imagine giving up ZIGGY so I can just imagine what you are going through. It must have been a hard decision for you. I find it hard to let even Jamie drive the MINI he only drove it once to work because I had to take my golden retriever to the groomer, but as soon as he was done I was down at Dresser-Rand picking up ZIGGY. My son who is 12 thinks sometimes I am a little too much but after waiting almost a year for this MINI I can't seem to help it.

Jamie had to set up at the airport yesterday for the rally and he told me all the guys loved my MINI.