BMW/MINI's Order Program - Better Ideas
 

Before I flipped to the Z, I had a Mini Cooper S on order. (I know they are wildly different cars, but they both represent leading edge design)

I have been fortunate enough to pick up a Z from a pre-order drop-out. Supposedly I'm in the last 1/3 of 15 pre-order cars from this South florida dealer. Mid October verbal comittment is all I have. Contrast this with the MINI program:

BMW/Mini gives you an order number as soon as the order is put in their system. The sales person gives the number to you immediately because it allows logging into the "Owner's Lounge" area of the Mini USA website. (Actually, the salesperson does it so you don't call him/her.)

Once in the owners lounge the status of the car is graphically tracked. On Order with estimated production date, scheduled for
Production, Awaiting shipment, On ship, In USA, In Dealer prep, Ready for pickup.

Being as crazy as most of you are, I went up on the site a couple times a day at first, then a copuple times a week. Imagine how nice it would be if Nissan "Got It".

IF YOU ARE LISTENING NISSAN HERE IS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF CONSULTING ADVICE:

"The fact is that the information that the plant needs to plan, that the dealer needs to tell customers, that the customer is interested in knowing is all the SAME info. Put it on a website and let them (all of them) look at it WITHOUT manual, labor intervention. (Trash the paper reports.) Faster, cheaper, better. Can't beat that".

Imagine an American telling a Japanese automaker how to do it better!!

Well maybe by the time of the next Z.

My rant is over.

No I don't want a MINI. Incidentally they slipped my build date four times. Somethings don't change.

There was just a major recall on the Mini.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, the cars been out for what, barely a month? is the mini built in south carolina by any chance?

Minis are built in Britain.

SWEET Z3 reference.

BTW the mini web site kills the Future Z in every way possible.



:icon04:

The major recall you are talking about is a gear-shifter plastic piece for the gear shifter. Rare problem, but possible.

Matt,

Don't jinx us! Our Z's are not here yet. We know not of what is yet to come! Aaauugghh! :)

I met a nissan rep last week. He said they are shooting for something like that the next time they have a pre-order type opportunity. Remember, Mini is part of BMW, and they have been doing it like that for years. BMW is a luxury car company, Nissan isn't. This was a new concept for Nissan. Lets just be thankful they had it and strongly encouraged the dealers to stick to msrp.

X Porsche Guy,

I think you and others are missing a subtle difference. The BMW/Mini program is NOT a preorder program, it is a regular order to purchase a vehicle that is already in production.

thanks for the info. But the same concept could be used in a pre-order program.