Extended service plan for new mini vs non-dealer repair shop

[Superluminal]

Hi all,

 

First time Mini owner (F56) here and was wondering what the collective thoughts were on the 7 year service plan offered by Mini (first three years are covered, so it’s really a four year plan) vs using non-dealer shops.  I was quoted $3,300 by the NJ dealer where I found the car, but the MSRP on the Mini site says $2,900.

 

I won’t be putting a ton of miles on it though, I have a work vehicle, so the Mini is just for getting around town and the occasional trip.  I don’t have a commute as I live on a The Hill.

 

Cheers in advance for the advice!

 

 

 

 

[MarcDavidMiller]

Some people just have a automatic "don't buy such a plan, put the money in the bank and earn interest" reaction, while others want to understand the costs of ownership in advance.  

 

I would look to see what happens if you sell the car, or if it is totaled.  Obviously you don't want to pay maintenance for something you don't own.  If the plan is transferable to another owner (make sure it is not just a family member), I think it wont be valued at anything when you sell the car; also, some plans exclude transferability when you sell it to a dealer.

[TGGRRR (Ali)]

My F55 is 3 years old and had never had to go in for warranty work. I'm thinking I won't need an extended warranty because she's so reliable

[MarcDavidMiller]

22 minutes ago, TGGRRR (Ali) said:

My F55 is 3 years old and had never had to go in for warranty work. I'm thinking I won't need an extended warranty because she's so reliable

 

This refers to scheduled maintenance, not repairs.  It would cover items and related services for brake pads, rotors, windshield wipers, oil changes and spark plugs.  They do add up over the lifetime of a car!

[Superluminal]

This is to cover maintenance, you can see what covered on the pdf above.

 

I’m told the maintenance does convey with the vehicle when you sell it.   I never asked actually what would happen if the vehicles was totaled in an accident or if it was stolen.

[TGGRRR (Ali)]

I bought the service plan

[1975_mini]

You mentioned you do not plan on putting a lot of mileage on the MINI. So would you really get that much service. Like you said you are paying for the last 4 years. If you are doing 10k a year that’s 4 oil changes ($100 ea), likely one brake job ($600ish), a few air/cabin filters($200). So let’s call it a $1000 in service. 
 

if it’s a manual and you are hard on the clutch and it is absolutely worth it. One clutch job pays for it. 
 

otherwise you have to be putting miles on it to see the value. 
 

just my two cents