My wife is planning to consider tentatively looking for a possible...you get the idea. And she mentioned that she has always like MINI's (the new version, not the old English deathtrap).
Whilst perusing AutoTrader and Cars-dot-com, I noticed an interesting phenomenon. Very very few late-model used Mini's are being advertised by Mini dealers. Looking for a "Countryman S" with a stick shift, I found about 20 for sale across the country and NONE of them was being sold by a Mini dealer. They are almost all being sold by (a) other manufacturers' dealers, or (b) generic used car dealers, or (c) or private parties.
My first reaction to this is to suspect that it is NOT a good sign. If I were looking for a late-model used car I would be comforted by the knowledge that the particular car I'm looking at was traded in by someone who was happy with the car and wanted another one. Conversely, I would not want to buy a used Mini from, say, a Fiat dealer. The person who owned that Mini was not happy with it. Obviously.
Of course, this is not a "rule," only a general thought. Dealers get their used cars from a variety of sources and it often happens that dealers, including Mini dealers, would buy used Mini's at the Auction, in which case my "thought" would have no validity with respect to that particular car. But still...buying from a Mini dealer would at least give one HOPE that it has been checked out by a mechanic who knows the cars and will look at proven trouble spots before putting the car on the lot for re-sale.
Possible innocuous reasons why Mini dealers would not be advertising used Mini's:
(1) They sell so quickly that the dealers don't have to advertise them.
(2) A Mini is a "one-time" car for most buyers. They get one, satisfy their itch to have one, then want to move on to something else. It's no poor reflection on the car, but it is purchased on a whim.
I guess it's just a matter of Owner Loyalty. The paradigm of Owner Loyalty is probably Subaru or Toyota. You cruise their used car lots and they have lots of Subies and Toyoti, because people buy them, like them, and want another one when it's time to replace them. Definitely a good sign.
Mini's have more than their share of horror stories when you check out Edmunds' "Consumer Comments" area, but there are just as many owners who are thrilled with them.
So whaddya think? Is the lack of Mini's in Mini Dealers' lots a Very Bad Indication about Mini's in general?
Whilst perusing AutoTrader and Cars-dot-com, I noticed an interesting phenomenon. Very very few late-model used Mini's are being advertised by Mini dealers. Looking for a "Countryman S" with a stick shift, I found about 20 for sale across the country and NONE of them was being sold by a Mini dealer. They are almost all being sold by (a) other manufacturers' dealers, or (b) generic used car dealers, or (c) or private parties.
My first reaction to this is to suspect that it is NOT a good sign. If I were looking for a late-model used car I would be comforted by the knowledge that the particular car I'm looking at was traded in by someone who was happy with the car and wanted another one. Conversely, I would not want to buy a used Mini from, say, a Fiat dealer. The person who owned that Mini was not happy with it. Obviously.
Of course, this is not a "rule," only a general thought. Dealers get their used cars from a variety of sources and it often happens that dealers, including Mini dealers, would buy used Mini's at the Auction, in which case my "thought" would have no validity with respect to that particular car. But still...buying from a Mini dealer would at least give one HOPE that it has been checked out by a mechanic who knows the cars and will look at proven trouble spots before putting the car on the lot for re-sale.
Possible innocuous reasons why Mini dealers would not be advertising used Mini's:
(1) They sell so quickly that the dealers don't have to advertise them.
(2) A Mini is a "one-time" car for most buyers. They get one, satisfy their itch to have one, then want to move on to something else. It's no poor reflection on the car, but it is purchased on a whim.
I guess it's just a matter of Owner Loyalty. The paradigm of Owner Loyalty is probably Subaru or Toyota. You cruise their used car lots and they have lots of Subies and Toyoti, because people buy them, like them, and want another one when it's time to replace them. Definitely a good sign.
Mini's have more than their share of horror stories when you check out Edmunds' "Consumer Comments" area, but there are just as many owners who are thrilled with them.
So whaddya think? Is the lack of Mini's in Mini Dealers' lots a Very Bad Indication about Mini's in general?
