Please dont beat me up, can we talk Mini Countryman??

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dem maser

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I do like our old CRV, i got it cheap and 12 months on its still going

The Mrs has a new job in June and will be driving in, its about 20mile return trip and she made a good point to me on Mon.
The CRV is a drinker, 16mpg at best and with 100mile a week commute she will need £200 a month on fuel just for work, then comes the baby getting dropped off to nursery and shopping etc....

Then she says, she is now going to a prestige firm, they came in for her so she doesnt want a "banger" in the car park....bit of a snob my mrs even though we cant afford to be

I arranged a Qashqai for her to go test drive, brand new, 1.5 diesel and 70mpg
She liked it and wanted to do a deal

While im talking to the man on the phone she calls and tells me she popped into Mini on her way back and it has to be the Mini, 60mpg....more expensive

Late yesterday i negotiated a good deal on a cooper 1.6, they threw in chilli pack and rubbish like that....im happy with the payments every month and they have also given me top money for my CRV

Before i put down a deposit do any of you have any thoughts on this car?

It has got 350 litre boot and the economy is alright, its not massive but i sat in the back and it has more room than big 4x4s....

Any thoughts? Im about to call and put a dep down




Road tax is £280 and due
Servicing is £200
 
zagatoes30

zagatoes30

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I hate BMW Maxis, and all their stupid models for niche markets that don't exist - so I best not comment ;)
 
CliveP1

CliveP1

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remember when the 2010 one came out one of our district nurses was looking at one, she loved it. i said to her has it got the four seats with the rail, she hadn't noticed when she went back it did so no good for a family got a standard one. when it changed she went back a few years later and got one. she still loves it.
 
gingeh721

gingeh721

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Sorry but the countryman is goppin. Qashqai for looks, economy and likely aftercare prices.


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E

Elliott653

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The MINI seems to me to be a triumph of marketing over function. I bought one of the very first MINI Coopers back in the day. Wish I hadn't.
 
M

MAF260

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zagatoes30 said:
I hate BMW Maxis, and all their stupid models for niche markets that don't exist - so I best not comment ;)
Click to expand...
I'm with you on this, Andy. I keep seeing all of these pointless variations of the Mini and wonder who buys these sorry looking things. A mate's wife got a Countryman last year and she likes it. I think it's possibly the only one in the range that makes any sense. Road tax at £280 must mean very poor emissions - I pay that for the GS!
Let her make the choice, Dem - CRV or Qashqai
 
outrun

outrun

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Dem, we've just been through a very similar process at my house. Wife has a 20 mile commute, kids to child minder/nursery etc. We have a Volvo XC90 but it's now done 103,000 miles and is a petrol so around 20mpg combined. We like Volvos at Chateau Outrun so she was desperate for a Volvo XC60. Fantastic new D4 engine, amazing build quality, very very cool in built child booster seats (a top priority) and best of all they are really really cheap to lease right now.

I'd never leased before until I got my latest car through my work. Friends do it and change cars regularly but i'd always bought.

Imagine my surprise to find that I could lease a £37,000 XC60 for £313.00 a month (inc VAT) and 5 months deposit (£1.5K). It turns out that a combination of aggressive pricing from Volvo UK to the lease company added to high residual values make it around £200 a month cheaper than their best PCP deal. Plus it's new, includes the annual tax disc, warranty etc etc.

I took a quick look and the Mini Countryman is not at all expensive to lease. You mix between number of months upfront, term of the lease and models/spec. Essentially, it is a long term hire so at the end of the term you just give it back. End of. I'm now totally converted to this way of buying.

I don't know what Mini are quoting but a quick look says that you can get a Countryman Cooper D on a 3 year deal for around £225 a month which is not a lot.

You can get an XC60 for £270 a month too which is worth considering if only because it's a much more valuable car for dis-proportionally more cash.

http://www.contracthireandleasing.c...rleasespecialoffers/mini/countryman/28351191/

New Volvo arrives in July, does 50mpg, and will save around £200 a month in fuel and tax costs. Add in MOTs, repairs etc and it will cost around the same as the old XC90 for us to have a brand new machine. And that's not even man economics, the wife agrees!
 
Felonious Crud

Felonious Crud

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Outrun, agree. Not much wrong with Volvos. The Countryman, on the other hand, is a pig-ugly abomination. In fact, that's unfair to pigs. (in my humble opinion!)
 
D

dem maser

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34,255
Thanks for the feedback guys

Its not my cup of tea, i prefer the Qashqai but shes fallen in love
The only car i can ise to take her away from it is the XC60
She does like that but felt it was out of our budget
Thanks Outrun
 
Contigo

Contigo

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I've ordered the QQ Tekna and this is it.

1947813_10152876861985016_1067107055_n.jpg
 
outrun

outrun

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PCP is Personal Contract Purchase. Basically it means that you pay a deposit (typically around 10-15% of the value), pay a fixed amount for up to 48 months depending on your choice of term and are left with a balloon payment at the end. You can either 1) pay the balloon and own the car 2) trade the car in using the difference between the balloon and the trade in price as deposit on your next car 3) hand teh car back if the balloon is higher than the value or 4) See privately and pay the balloon before the term expires.

Essentially you are offsetting part of the value until later, hence reducing the monthly cost. You are still paying interest on the full amount. Think if it as a mix between an interest only and a capital and interest mortgage.

If you do fancy a Volvo, i'm happy to put you in touch with the dealership that has the best deals right now. They even deliver them to your door free of charge.
 
EnzoMC

EnzoMC

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Dem I am not a fan of BMW but the mini is the best car they do (IMO) but its not what we think its what you get out of it. if the misses likes the Mini over the others and you get a good deal - win-win... misses get a car she likes, its german engineered (which I think most on here like an Audi, BMW or Merc of some sort) and you get brownie points for getting the car she likes... they do a Cooper SD ???

good luck
 
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