Mini’s mighty forecourt performance continues unabated. Four years after BMW’s reincarnation went on sale, demand is still strong, making the hatchbacks as residually solid as ever, and an excellent choice for the second-hand buyer.But you won’t have a long wait if you buy a new Mini today. Autocar contacted three separate franchised dealers and found new stock available at all of them. Choose to specify your own Mini One and it should arrive within a month, or by April for the Cooper and Cooper S.
You’re unlikely to have any joy with discounts, however. According to one salesperson from Cooper Wimbledon, the hatches are still outselling the cabrios by three to one, and with demand showing no signs of flagging, savings are only likely on high-specification models.
The best-known internet sellers are similarly stingy. Neither carhound.com nor thecarpeople.co.uk are offering a saving. Drivethedeal.com is the only website that advertises money off, but only £230 from an entry-level Mini One and £336 off a Cooper S.
Most second-hand models are still worth close to £10,000, but the cheapest used buys can currently be found for under £8000. These tend to be high-mileage Mini Ones on Y- and 51-registrations (right) now out of warranty, however.Cooper models of a similar age cost around £9k, and 02-plate examples of the Mini Cooper S are available from £11,000.
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