Anyone else been stuck in Quality Check for a week or more?

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I'll still buy mine and take my chances with the paperwork I was sent 2 days before the bill was changed along with all the other stuff.

For me:

Pros
My 2015 Leaf currently has real world range ~65-70 miles at this point, the Mini is closer to double that.
My Leaf is worth around $12,000 here, so that makes the SE a $21,000 or so upgrade without the tax credit, and $14,000 with it.
The Mini will be a ton of fun to drive.
Mini is CCS, Leaf is CHAdeMO which is going away
Proven BMW driveline from the i3

Cons
Not highway trip capable around here due to the scarcity of fast chargers - we take my wife's 2022 Tuscon hybrid (excellent vehicle btw, got it for MSRP -$500 in March)
Louisville's Mini dealer closed a year or 2 ago, so Cincinnati's is 2 hours away.

I thought I wanted a Ford Mach-E until I saw Sandy Munro's teardown of it and the mess of a cooling system. I know firsthand what Ford's engineering can be like since we assemble parts for 2 of their plants, and seeing that mess didn't really surprise me and turned me off from the model. VW's ID.4 is boring looking and I'm sure boring to drive. Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 are impossible to get hold of here but I did like them. Teslas do nothing for me even with a Supercharger station 1 mile from my house. I have a Leaf already, the newer versions are boring looking and no active battery cooling plus Chademo makes them harder to do highway trips in than other vehicles.
 
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wally3 said:
Still undecided - definitely not making a decision until i have to - hoping we get updated guidance on the tax credit that is in our favor. Must confess between this and QC debacle, my enthusiasm is waning.
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Of course, everyone's financial situation and value assessment is different, but I'm surprised there are SE owners who say they absolutely wouldn't have paid $7,500 more despite the extraordinarily enjoyable experience of driving this unique car every day. It's too bad the unfortunate tax-credit left-behinds who are still waiting for their SEs can't take a weekly spin in an SE to reinforce their original intentions. My opinion is, of course, not indisputable, but I believe there is no small, sporty EV alternative at any price to a MINI Cooper SE.
 
insightman said:
Of course, everyone's financial situation and value assessment is different, but I'm surprised there are SE owners who say they absolutely wouldn't have paid $7,500 more despite the extraordinarily enjoyable experience of driving this unique car every day. It's too bad the unfortunate tax-credit left-behinds who are still waiting for their SEs can't take a weekly spin in an SE to reinforce their original intentions. My opinion is, of course, not indisputable, but I believe there is no small, sporty EV alternative at any price to a MINI Cooper SE.
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Agreed.

The quality hold on our vehicles in this thread just exacerbates the problem because we would have had our cars in June/July and this would be a non-issue. Circumstances can change in the 6 months since we ordered also.
 
insightman said:
Of course, everyone's financial situation and value assessment is different, but I'm surprised there are SE owners who say they absolutely wouldn't have paid $7,500 more despite the extraordinarily enjoyable experience of driving this unique car every day. It's too bad the unfortunate tax-credit left-behinds who are still waiting for their SEs can't take a weekly spin in an SE to reinforce their original intentions. My opinion is, of course, not indisputable, but I believe there is no small, sporty EV alternative at any price to a MINI Cooper SE.
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I did exactly that last Friday - went to the dealer and took an SE out for another test drive. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the car but at a cost that is something like 22% higher? That’s a tough pill to swallow and one we all need to individually decide if we can afford.

Easy to say it is worth it when you got the tax credit that we all thought we would be getting….Sorry if I come of sounding bitter, it’s because I am.
 
I blame myself for not taking initiative. Now I don't have paperwork before 8/16. If they refund my $250 with no fuss, I'll just pass and possibly regret later... If they don't refund me, then I guess I'll have my binding contract?
 
wally3 said:
I did exactly that last Friday - went to the dealer and took an SE out for another test drive. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the car but at a cost that is something like 22% higher? That’s a tough pill to swallow and one we all need to individually decide if we can afford.

Easy to say it is worth it when you got the tax credit that we all thought we would be getting….Sorry if I come of sounding bitter, it’s because I am.
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When I decided to buy an SE, I prayed it would cost less than $47,500 before taking the EV tax credit. I'd been waiting impatiently for the MINI-E's successor, which was delayed so long while BMW was designing and building the i3. When the SE was finally announced, the price was astonishing, and very welcome.

I always wonder if MINI makes even a penny of profit selling the SE. The Drive reported that Fiat lost $20K on every 500e they sold, while GM was losing $9K on every Bolt back then. I'm sure the massive battery recall on Bolts that happened after this report made things much worse. And now GM has dropped the bottom out of the Bolt's price in the US. I'd call it a fire sale, but that would be cruel.
 
insightman said:
When I decided to buy an SE, I prayed it would cost less than $47,500 before taking the EV tax credit. I'd been waiting impatiently for the MINI-E's successor, which was delayed so long while BMW was designing and building the i3. When the SE was finally announced, the price was astonishing, and very welcome.

I always wonder if MINI makes even a penny of profit selling the SE. The Drive reported that Fiat lost $20K on every 500e they sold, while GM was losing $9K on every Bolt back then. I'm sure the massive battery recall on Bolts that happened after this report made things much worse. And now GM has dropped the bottom out of the Bolt's price in the US. I'd call it a fire sale, but that would be cruel.
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Im sure bmw does make money. The drivetrain was already around and there isn’t that much engineering fitting it in the car. The rest is the car is 90% the exact same
 
Puppethead said:
Compared to other EVs? I'm doubtful you'll find any other EV with the same quality and value for your money.
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I am not comparing the 22% increase to the cost of other EVs - I am specifically stating that I am determining if spending 22% more on a car than I had planned is something I want to or can afford to do right now.

Feels like I keep having the same argument over and over. I agree the SE is a great value and still like the car.
 
wally3 said:
I am not comparing the 22% increase to the cost of other EVs - I am specifically stating that I am determining if spending 22% more on a car than I had planned is something I want to or can afford to do right now.

Feels like I keep having the same argument over and over. I agree the SE is a great value and still like the car.
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I agree. I think we should get this thread back to anticipation of getting these cars we’ve waited so long for, despite the fact that MINI’s lack of transparency with the QC debacle and lack of foresight with the IRA has clearly left a bad taste in all our mouths (and the prospect of a sizable hole in many of our pockets).


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
I have decided to buy my SE and am optimistic. I have seen 2 recent articles that state we may be in good shape with the orders we have already placed. One is: https://www.thedrive.com/guides-and-gear/electric-vehicles-new-tax-credit-rules. I reached out to the author of the article who stated: "Mini: The Mini Cooper SE no longer qualifies for the tax credit, but the Mini representative did explain that customers who made purchase agreements on or before August 16th would be grandfathered into the old scheme. : The Editor responded back to me and will put me in touch with that MINI rep. More to come...
Also, my MINI arrives at my port on the west coast on Sept 4!
 
Aquavir said:
I agree. I think we should get this thread back to anticipation of getting these cars we’ve waited so long for, despite the fact that MINI’s lack of transparency with the QC debacle and lack of foresight with the IRA has clearly left a bad taste in all our mouths (and the prospect of a sizable hole in many of our pockets).


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
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For those who despair, back in the happier days when your enthusiasm was out the door, we talked about this gen becoming collectors' items. Now it looks like Mini is finally going to act to protect the deposit holders. I cannot believe the administration would do this to the same people they are trying to convert to electric. These reasons may be worth taking the chance and accept your Minis, hoping some of these considerations come through.

My dealer required a $2250 deposit when I order it, nonrefundable, and now I am glad. My mini ordered May 28 is in the paint booth. Oregon has a $2500 rebate and now I find my city has a $1500 rebate. I would fight IRS to the mat to not lose this deal or any deal like you find yourselves in. Keep the faith! (and maybe make a profit if it all falls through.
 
Not only that, but trade agreements may prove to be enforceable, or the hundreds of lawyers for the manufacturers may line up to fight this in court if IRS doesn't act in our favor, and which would certainly impact the plans for the new rules.
 
Orion Highway just got pulled away from the dock.

And the destination is updated to Baltimore already.

Finally.

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My MA ignored my concern and email about the new law. He basically told me not to listen to what people say on some kind of online forum; he called and emailed me yesterday saying my car will arrive in a few days and I should send my check to ...
 
Xin Dai said:
My MA ignored my concern and email about the new law. He basically told me not to listen to what people say on some kind of online forum; he called and emailed me yesterday saying my car will arrive in a few days and I should send my check to ...
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Yeah they don't like online forums. Gives us more knowledge than them, aside from insider information that is only gained by working for MINI. I've never seen anyone that works for any company, happy about a customer knowing more than them. People that work for car dealers are a prime example. Sales and service.

I'm not saying we're smarter. Our edge is having more real world information from the experience of others. It's absolutely maddening when you offer information you know is correct, and get dismissed out of hand because you're not the professional. It's rare to find someone at a dealer that will listen to you as if you could possibly know anything at all.
 
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