US Gets First Deliveries of the 2005 MINI

Sections: Uncategorized Jul 29th, 2004 28 Comments

The day is upon us. The first 2005 MINI hardtops delivered to customers on the East Coast should happen sometime today or tomorrow. Congrats to all those whose cars about to be delivered. MotoringFile would love to hear any first impressions of the '05 changes so feel free to send them in via the contact link above.

You can check out an extensive gallery of the US spec 2005 MINIs that were just delivered to MINI of Peabody over at Ian Culls MINI weblog (also where the picture above came from): [LINK]

Update: Pre-spec Convertible demos will be here around the end of August. Each dealer should get four demos. The first batch of customer order convertibles is just about to start production, so we should see those in early September.

Written By: MF Staff

Kevin

Yay! Only a couple months before I get mine!

Cool picture too…

Kevin
Chris

Me too! My Cooper S Convertible should be in by early Sept.
Mark

MINI has delayed the delivery of Convertibles until 9/1/04. We'll see!
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

Note: Sorry about the false alarm on the convertibles – sometimes people “in the know” aren't totally in the know :)
clipping path

as a guy who's about to go in and place an order for an '05, i'd love to hear what advice people have for getting the best price. anyone want to share their lease deals? their financing deals? any tips would be cool.

enjoy your cars!
Dave& Stacy

We managed 3.9% financing for 60 months…but not through Mini. It was through a credit union.
ChrisLW

I got 3.5% for 48 mos thru my credit union a few mos. ago. AAA was advertising 2.8% at that time, too. I would definately look at credit unions first.

Do you have any wholesale clubs by you? sometimes they offer deals too, like Costco or BJ's.
GSKChicago

In general, I would recommend going to bankrate.com and checking out their financing calculator's so you can do your own math. In Chicago, there is a stupid 6% surcharge on leasing, so leasing is not a sensible option. That leaves purchase via finance or the Owner's Choice which carries similar components to a lease, but is technically a balloon. We decided to purchase via finance after looking at the numbers. Look at amortization schedules and see how much you would owe on a loan after 3 years versus what is owed at the end of the 3 year balloon period. By far, you have more equity after 3 years on a finance then with the owner's choice. Now, if you truly plan to give the car back after the 3 or 4 year period, then the owner's choice is likely best as your payment is lower (as long as you will stay under the mileage allowance). Also, the owner's choice does NOT include gap coverage (the difference between what is owed and what the car is worth). So in the event of a serious crash or theft, you are on the hook for the difference. The dealership was offering $400 I think for their Gap coverage. My insurance agent was offering $60/year. You do the math. I think I'm babbling, but I did a lot of due diligence on the numbers (I'm a banker, what can I say). Hope this makes sense. As far as price… I didn't bother negotiating. It was a customer order, as a lot of MINI's are and I know there is little or no room to negotiate when it is not coming off dealer inventory. Why would they lower the price on a custom order if they don't have to? Maybe I'm naive, but I didn't bother. Good luck to all. :o)
MINIVT

MINI Financial quoted me 4.4% two days ago… but I can't lock in on anything until the car is produced next week.
GSKChicago

MINIVT… I was able to lock regardless of the car being produced. Double check with them. I suppose each dealership has their own guidelines, but locking in a rate should not be tied to the production of the car. It should only matter that you complete the financing application and sign it. That's how it worked with me.
Chris

I didn't bother negotiating price either. Only part I am negotiating is the dealer add ons like the driving lamps and low Jack and 6 cd changer which I am asking for at wholesale because I am a second time MINI buyer. We shall see if they actually do it. Also, if you aren't on the list already, chances are of you getting a new 05' are slim on the convertible, especially the S.
http://www.gbmini.net Ian Cull

'05 MINIs are in at MINI Peabody. Lots of pics on my weblog: http://www.gbmini.net/mtblog/archive/000429.shtml
joseph mosso

well i went to my dealer to say hello and they showed me the 05 mini s in hyper blue.It really looks great.I sat in one with the anthracite head liner and it does not work for me. Much too dark.Good idea; but doesn't work.The clock should of stayed where it was; and the 3 spoke wheel is not happening for me.It;s just not the right fit for this classic car.Too toy store looking.All said and done it;s still one beautiful car.
Mike

Awesome pics Ian, thanks! I left some comments in that post.
Rick

My 05' MCS should be here in 2-3 weeks. It's on the boat! I'll post frequently about how awesome it is.
http://www.descrit.com josh g

Any other dealerships get their new 05's yet?
MinnieDriver

Thanks Ian!

Nice to finally see decent pics of Purple Haze. PH looks fine indeed; my fear was it would look dramatically purple in sunlight. Does the purple show up much?
GSKChicago

Awesome pics Ian. Thanks!

Do you or does anyone else have pics of the new black leather with red cloth inserts interior? I ordered it site unseen on my '05 MCS which is either at the port now or being loaded onto the ship as we speak, so I'm two to three weeks away from seeing it live. Would LOVE to see a pic or twelve of what my interior is going to look like. :o)

I've seen the sample .jpg I think here on Motoringfile, but would love a more vivid view of the full seat, etc.

Sorry if I'm being annoying. Extremely excited to take delivery of my new MINI. She was built on July 23rd. She's 6 days old and lonely, missing me and bored out of her mind not being driven!
Craig

I'm in Toronto and should be taking delivery of my Hyperblue/Black (w/ext. chrome) in a couple of weeks. The more I hear about the improvements for 2005 (esp. the mp3 support) the more excited i'm getting!
Mike

GSKChicago,

How long do you expect it to take your car to get from the port in NY to Chicago? I ordered my 05 through Classic MINI, and it's going to probably be arriving in NY on the 15th. How long do you think it will take before it is at the dealer in OH?
GSKChicago

Mike-

I was told it is 13 days on the boat and then 3 to 5 days from NJ to the Chicago area. So at this point, I am looking at maybe the week of August 16th for arrival here or perhaps the following week if there is some odd hold-up.

Once at the dealer, another day or two for prep and for them to add the options I bought that are dealer added (driving lamps and alarm system). Since you are in Ohio, I would expect a day earlier arrival than with me. MINI USA said to call my MA for more info, but I've bugged him so much already I feel bad calling again. :o)
Kurt Collins

Note that the '05's in this picture are sporting the existing '04 cup holders. Interesting. Any grab handles evident?
Mike

Hehe, thanks for the info GSKChicago. I am actually in CA, so I still have to wait after that for it to get shipped from OH to CA! But at least I'm able to start putting together a schedule. :) Thanks!
Kurt Collins

I happened to pop into my dealer tonight – my car has arrived – I'm picking it up tomorrow – old style cup holders, anthracite headliner and grab handles! :-)
pepper d

my 05 MCS has arrived and is en route to the VDC now. should only be another week or two.

like GSK i locked in my rate with MINI financing prior to production, but i will also check the online lenders and credit unions.

can't wait for the call to pick it up in CHI, but dissapointed to have the old cupholders. seems they should get all the options straight before releasing the new model year.
http://www.motoringfile.com/ Gabe

FYI – The new cupholder is still being ramped up in terms of production. You can read more here: the 2005 MINI Cupholder.
Pete

I see that they are moving the 2005 MINIs out of the VPC in NJ, any information about the VPC in Charleston S.C.. My Mini S came in a week ago and haven't been able to get any information about its status. Thanks.
Robert

A few questions to those who have received their new 05 Mini. Are the taillights LED's? Are there LED's in the door handle? And..I'm jealous you all have yours already..lol

← 2005 MINI US Spec Stereo Head-Unit 2005 Hits and Misses →

Sort by MINI model

Recent BimmerFile Stories

MINI Model Cheat Sheet

1st Gen MINI
R50: One & MC Hatch
R52: All 1st Gen MINI Convt.
R53: MCS Hatch
2nd Gen MINI
R55: Clubman
R56: Hatch
R57: Convertible
R58: Coupe
R59: Roadster
R60: MINI Crossover
R61: MINI Crossover Coupe
3rd Gen MINI
F55: Clubman
F56: Hatch
F57: Convertible
F60: MINI Crossover
F62: Traveller

Advertise with MotoringFile

If you or your company are interested in advertising on the most influential MINI website in the world, please visit our Advertising section. If you have further questions about becoming a sponsor or would like to see our rate sheet please feel free to contact us directly.