Uncategorized
This report comes courtesy of BB Mykal and an unamed Chicago radio station:
The radio spot announced that the MINI was “Retro Modern” (if that's possible).
“The car that is turning heads” A special deal of $199/mo Lease, and $16,075 for the Cooper. I guess they may have a number of Coopers in stock.
Wow – this is an interesting turn of events. I had talked with another Chicago dealer that told me things were a little slower during the colder months but that was to be expected. He assumed things would pick up once the warmer weather hit. Judging by the couple times I've been by the dealer since I would have to conclude he was correct. But this new radio ad would seem to indicate that not all dealers are seeing the same sales.
<p>I heard the ad this morning as well on my (short) commute to work..didn't like it</p>
<p>Which dealer is it?</p>
<p>Patrick.</p>
<p>According to a post on MCO MINI of the Hamtpons has 10 MCS and 16 Coopers in stock as of the 17th and being sold at MSRP. That's an amazing amount of MCSs. You can visit their site at: <a href="http://www.miniofthehamptons.com">miniofthehamptons.com</a>.</p>
<p>Did everyone see the new MCO logo designed by none other than Gabe Bridger? Very nice, Gabe!</p>
<p>Thanks Drew! There's a <a href="http://www.minicooperonline.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=phpBB_14&file=index&action=viewtopic&mode=viewtopic&topic=8755&start=0">great thread</a> on it at MCO right now. I love hearing feedback on this stuff so it's really fun for me to read this thread. There were reasons for the change of logo that invalidate many people's argument towards the old one – with that in mind I seems successful so far. Generally when you get around 50% approval for something like a logo you're not doing bad. And to finally put to rest the questions – it's a Mini Cooper knob – not an MCS. Believe me I'm the last person who would short change the Cooper 🙂 And in regards to leaving CVT owners out I stand by what Randy at BMC said, “As to the CVT owners, think of it as more of the spirit of driving, not a literal translation. It represents the fun we have in our beloved cars.”</p>
<p>I am amazed that people are so polarized on the issue. Either they are reading way more into it than I am, or I am not reading enough. I do like it though..</p>
<p>I agree with Steve. You'd think the change in logo was an important issue in the lives of some of the people commenting there. The first time I saw the new logo, I had to stare at it for a couple of seconds to figure out what the “HH” was. (excuse: I own a CVT so I had never seen that pattern before). I like things that are only subtly obvious.</p>
<p>There seems to be a misunderstanding about these claimed “markdowns' going on with the MINI. These cars have the highest resale values in the industry (Read the N.A.D.A. article released last week and posted right here in Gabe's website) and therefore they are the perfect candidate for “Dirt cheap” lease rates. Remember that in leasing you are basically paying for the monthly depreciation of a given car. Since the MINI only depreciates on an average of 9% per year (Right up there with Mercedes, Porsche, BMW and Acura), BMW financial services can afford to offer extremely low monthly subsidized lease payments on the MINI. You can expect to get back 60% off original sticker price when selling your car after 4 years of use. That is simply amazing.</p>
<p>If you don't believe me, ask any used car dealer that goes regulary to used car auctions and ask him or her how much $$$ used Coopers and Cooper 'S' models are fetching at these auctions.</p>
<p>I doubt very much that the residual values of the MINI will be greatly affected in the near future. BMW will keep production and sales numbers low for the United States (only 20K to 25K cars imported on a yearly basis) ensuring greater exclusivity and steady resale values.</p>
<p>BMW has certainly learned from the lessons received by VW with its new Beetle and DCX-Chrysler with the PT Cruiser. Once these manufacturers decided to jack up production numbers, they flooded the market killing the exclusivity and resalve value of these cars almost overnight. BMW/MINI has made it clear that they will not follow on those same footsteps.</p>