Tired of waiting, going for a MINI Cooper

[jjr_vw]

I reserved in early July, rez # 1282, and by my own guesstimates (solidly based on others' confabulations : -) I won't be getting my smart til the last quarter of 2008, so I will just have to go with the second choice on my short list. The cancellation over the phone was very quick.

I visited the smart dealer in San Francisco a few weeks ago, and while the smart rep said that their delivery numbers would be ramping up, he said that they had a very long list of deliveries to go thru. He said something to the fact that they were one of the dealerships in the nation with the largest number of reservation holders.

So the wife and I headed over to the BMW dealer down the street and checked out the Mini Cooper. She was just as delighted with the styling of the Coop as with the smart, but the definite deal breaker for her was the back seat on the Mini. It allows to safely carry our baby there and the occasional passenger(s) without needing to go back home and exchange cars.

For me, the deal zinchers were the MPG and the performace. The real life MPG numbers are not that far off between the Mini and the smart. And for about the same gas economy, I could enjoy a more spirited ride on the smart.

Sure, some of the super tight parking spots I was hoping to scoop up downtown are now out of the question but the Mini can still fit in some spots passed over by other cars.

I think that in a few years from now, when maybe a smart diesel is on the market, I will be looking at the smart again.

[SmartAzz]

Originally Posted by jjr_vw

Sure, some of the super tight parking spots I was hoping to scoop up downtown are now out of the question but the Mini can still fit in some spots passed over by other cars.

True, but have you seen how many Minis there are in this town ;)

We've had a couple of Minis and I can say they are fun cars and hope you enjoy yours. That said, do yourself a favor and shop around, SF Mini is not the place to go for a deal (East Bay is good for MSRP as are a couple of places in SoCal, and I think you can even save more if your try).

Good luck with the car.

[SmartAzz]

(Sidenote, maybe, akin to a delivery thread or forum, the admins create a 'cancelled my order' thread so all these are in one place...)

[jjr_vw]

Originally Posted by SmartAzz

True, but have you seen how many Minis there are in this town ;)

We've had a couple of Minis and I can say they are fun cars and hope you enjoy yours. That said, do yourself a favor and shop around, SF Mini is not the place to go for a deal (East Bay is good for MSRP as are a couple of places in SoCal, and I think you can even save more if your try).

Good luck with the car.

Thanks for the tips. Yes, after seeing the 1500 markup @ SF Mini I was like "What, is it 2002 still?" So I did a little investigation a few days ago and found that happy customers can be found at East Bay Mini. I set up an appt with a very helpful salesperson there this Saturday.

BTW, where did you take your Minis for service? Is SF Mini friendly to Minis bought elsewhere, for schedule maintenance?

[SmartAzz]

Originally Posted by jjr_vw

Thanks for the tips. Yes, after seeing the 1500 markup @ SF Mini I was like "What, is it 2002 still?" So I did a little investigation a few days ago and found that happy customers can be found at East Bay Mini. I set up an appt with a very helpful salesperson there this Saturday.

BTW, where did you take your Minis for service? Is SF Mini friendly to Minis bought elsewhere, for schedule maintenance?

Yes we've used SF service for cars not purchased there, they are fine with it. East Bay has excellent service though, fyi... (Just to be clear, the SAs are very nice in SF, I am more focussed on the techs/mechanics however.)

Since you have been investigating I'm sure you know where things are with regards to Minis, it's good for you that they are now far from rare and deals can be had

[SmartCard]

the MINI is a good second choice, presumably you're interested in the naturally aspirated Cooper (and not the S) to make that mention that the mpg is not that far off?

Originally Posted by SmartAzz

(Sidenote, maybe, akin to a delivery thread or forum, the admins create a 'cancelled my order' thread so all these are in one place...)

why dwell on the negative! ;)

[jjr_vw]

Originally Posted by SmartCard

presumably you're interested in the naturally aspirated Cooper (and not the S) to make that mention that the mpg is not that far off?

Yes, interested in the standard Mini... I liked the performance in my test drive and didn't want to test drive the Turbo one so I wouldn't even be tempted

[MrVvrroomm]

Atta boy! My wife loves her MINI. She's got a new '07 S and she drives the wheels off it. Economy car is NOT the first thing that comes to mind when railing hers through the twisties.

Enjoy the MINI, you're gonna love it.

[bobnyuma]

I am supposed to get my Smart next month, we'll see. Looking seriously at the Yaris. Mpg close or better, a bit more room if needed. Might be a better choice for me. Still have not touched or driven the Smart yet.

[Badabing]

Check out the Volvo C30. We ordered a Version 2.0 6-speed a few months ago and it arived one week before we took delivery of our Smart (go figure), so now we have both. I love it.