Finally - new car news!

for those of you who have been keeping track (and i know you are :) ) it's been 3 months since I put my deposit down for my new MINI.

I've been calling the dealership at the end of each month since - they find out at the end of each month how many cars they are allotted to order for the next build month. As I said before, I ordered my car though East Bay MINI, which is the only MINI dealership in Northern Cal that doesn't charge over MSRP. Because of this, they have quite a waiting list.... Each month, they are allotted a (seemingly random) number of cars they can order, which are taken off the top of their waiting list. Make sense?

I've been slowly crawling up the list each month... I knew that going into this month (for the January build) I was 13th on the list. They're average allotment is usually in the high teens, but for the last 2 months, they've only been allotted around 8. (is this more info than anyone reading this needs? probably...)

To add even more craziness, when I called last week (last week of November) they said that they were having computer problems, and couldn't access their allotment numbers. UGH!

Okay, trying to get to the point now....

My order has been placed! I'm very excited. This means that I'm in the January build, which would deliver my car sometime towards the end of February.

Now that I have my production number, I can go to the MINI website and track the production of my car.

Really.

And you thought I was obsessed before. It goes from On Order, to Scheduled for Production, Awaiting Transport, En Route, At Distribution Center, then finally to "At Your MINI Dealer". (!)

Crazy man.

Honestly though, I think the tough part is over - I'm really happy that I actually "know" when it'll be made and delivered.

So, what are the final specs? The only good news with having waited to place my order so long after placing my deposit was that I was able to change my specs constantly without any consequence.

here we go:
MINI Cooper
Chili Red w/white roof and mirrors
Chrome Bumper Inserts
Premium Package: Automatic AC, Dual-Pane Sunroof, On-Board Computer, S-Style Sport Multifunction wheel
CVT (automatic transmission)
15" 8-Spoke wheels
Auto wipers/dim mirror
Silver Wheels
Sports Seats
Cordoba Beige Leather
Anthracite Dash

In all fairness to my dealership (East Bay MINI in Pleasanton) they did give me an estimate of 4-5 months from the time of my deposit to when I might get my car. (1-2 months longer than the other dealerships around here that charge a $1000 mark-up fee)

Okay, that's it for now.

Rest assured, I will keep you posted ;)