Thursday, October 25, 2007

A New Build

This week, Motoringfile announced the USA pricing for the 2008 MINIs. Fortunately, there was not an increase in the base cost of the Cooper or Cooper S coupes, but there were a few changes in the packages that have prompted me to adjust my build. The Premium Package changes in '08 to no longer include the Multi-Function steering wheel.

I had originally opted to get the Premium Package, because I definitely want the Panoramic Sunroof ($850) and the leather Multi-function steering wheel ($550) which totaled to $1400. The Premium package included both as well as the automatic AC, which was a $550 option as well. This was a deal worth taking.

The Premium Package no longer includes the Multi-Function steering starting with the 2008 model. It has been replaced with Premium Sound, which still makes for a good package, but no longer what I want. I'm now going a la carte with the sunroof and steering wheel which did drop $200 to $350, which is another bonus.

The other change that will affect my build is the cloth leather interior now includes both a choice of color line and premium dash. This is a $1000 option which previously included just the color line, which really made it too pricey to add. I had always wanted to get the Pacific Blue color line and Brushed Aluminum dash to have the interior match the exterior of the car. Now for essentially $500 more, I can get the Pacific Blue Cloth leather interior as well.

Overall, the price of my MINI will increase by $300 to a total of $25,700 before tax, tag, and title. I'm going to also make sure the dealer doesn't add the $1000 worth of junk all dealers try to add to the car. I know they are just trying to make a profit, but I'm trying to keep my monthly payment close to $400.