# A potential new mini



## bounzing_soulz (Jun 30, 2007)

Ok i have a friend that is going to buy a mini.

its a 2005 mini cooper, auto (she cant drive a 5spd) base model.

here is the link. Its at a very reputable dealer in Winston Salem, NC.

http://www.flowmini.com/Preowned-Inventory.aspx?InventoryId=20512231

Is there anything in particular we should ask about when we get there?

Its kind of expensive i think, I did edmunds value and edmunds said 15,700 but kbb said 21,500. I think they are trying to take an average of the two.

but anyway, thanks for the help!


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## R56MellowYellow (Nov 25, 2006)

Here's my two cents worth.

My wife has a 2007 Cooper S - Mellow Yellow / White Roof - btw an excellent color combo.
Picked it up in April.

Options we have:
Nav
Sports Pkg.
LSD
Convienence Pkg.
Cold Weather Pkg.
Multi-function steering wheel
Prem Sound
Auto A/C

Things I would definitely order again (NAV is nice w/ Real Time Traffic)
Sports Pkg.
LSD (if you order the Sports pkg)
Stereos good for a factory radio - don't know how the std one sounds though but its not a quite car so not sure how much sound matters.
My wife loves the comfort access (guess it makes sense if you keep your keys in your purse) as a guy I prefer to use a key.

Bluetooth is great if you have a compatible phone.

Overall the car is a great car.

Like the previous poster, my daily drive is an 2004 330i ZHP (which I love). Both cars are fun to drive - just make sure you use the sport button b/c otherwise the torque steer is annoying.


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## bounzing_soulz (Jun 30, 2007)

ah, thank you for that little tid bit. 

is there anything we should be worried about mechanically? 

seeing as we are buying from a mini dealership there is a 2 year warranty on everything, and a 4 year or 100k mile powertrain warranty on it, i dont think this will be that much of an issue, but is there anything in particular I should ask for mechanically?


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## SARAFIL (Feb 19, 2003)

bounzing_soulz said:


> ah, thank you for that little tid bit.
> 
> is there anything we should be worried about mechanically?
> 
> seeing as we are buying from a mini dealership there is a 2 year warranty on everything, and a 4 year or 100k mile powertrain warranty on it, i dont think this will be that much of an issue, but is there anything in particular I should ask for mechanically?


You can get a new 2007 like that car for around $21500... base car with premium and automatic. If you don't need the stuff in the premium package and the auto is really the only hot button, you could potentially get down to $20k.

See if you can get them to give you some consideration on that car. If they stick to $19k, I'd say it is definitely worth $2500 to get a brand new car with full warranty and full maintenance.

The strong resale on MINIs is great when you own one and you are selling/trading it, but can sometimes make it difficult to *buy *a used one.


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## SARAFIL (Feb 19, 2003)

Just to clarify... sometimes buying used can make sense, especially if the car is certified with the 100k mile warranty or if it is a heavily-optioned car (since lots of the options do not hold their value as well as the basic car, so a very well loaded car is not worth significantly more than a basic one, and you can actually save lot vs. buying a new one with all the options). 

In other cases, like this one, the basic car holds its value very well compared to the original price and the price of a comparable 2007, so it might make more sense to go new, especially since it is not certified.


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## bounzing_soulz (Jun 30, 2007)

your right. I'll have to talk to her about it. If they stick to that high price, we might as well go for a new car. Lets just hope that that is not the dealer's thinking on this one. 

I think we will be able to talk them down some. I have a friend of a friend that works at the dealership. We are going to go in and ask for him. Normally if somone specifically asks for a certain salesmen they will try and help you out because you just helped them with a sale.


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