Here is your only chance to buy a brand new 2006 GP. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2006-mini-gp-5/
unless he got a heck of a deal from the dealer, I'm guessing he is going to lose money on the deal..Granted it's got 5-6 days left on auction... At current price it's a good deal. Change fluids and go play!!!
Wow that is all the money in the world for that. I'd rather spend 30K on that rather than a new MINI. I hope the new owner uses it. It's a shame to lock up a car like that & treat it as a shrine.
Buying a car with that few miles comes with it's own set of problems. The first thing is new tires. The second is how it was stored. If in a hot climate,the plastic and rubber parts may be deteriorated. Was the car started and warmed up properly? If the car is driven, the value will drop...just like buying a new car. Unfortunately, MINIs are not really collector cars. But, if I had the extra money..I'd buy it.
Well preserved. I personally understand “why” but that is why I cannot buy.. I drive them or modify them. That said, I love seeing these. Looks like well preserved (granted would want to check hoses, tires etc.. like others said).. but either way the miles are the miles. Pretty sure I will end up putting more miles on the GP2 this year than the last 4 years. Good find..
Running the numbers... $31K MSRP + sales tax, and he likely paid a dealer markup (common during the 1st gen era). Conservatively, out the door price was around $34K. Adjusted for inflation with Consumer Price Index makes it the equivalent of around $41K in today's dollars. I wonder what was his original intention in purchasing and preserving this GP. Perhaps as a spare in case something happened to his other GP? If he thought he could make money off of it as a collectible some day, that's a foolhardy thing to do with any new car.
and it normally takes more then 12 years to gain value unless it was an ultra car to start with of some sort.. P1, Ford GT, etc... You could buy a '65 Mustang for $700 in the '70's now its upper teens or into the 20's for even a non special car...
Its up to $30k, $1500 to go and he will brake even. I would assume this is what he was trying to accomplish. I read about another guy that had bought three of them and did the same, only difference was he didn't drive any of them, what a waste. I love these cars but I don't see it bringing in the money the kind of money a backyard find 1970 Plymouth Superbird goes for, even at MINI's 50th anniversary, probably not even it's 75th. You can say one thing for the guy, he is giving someone the opportunity to own and drive a fun brand new 12 year Gen1 GP!
My I hope is, whoever the guy is who gets this gem that he uses it. That car was meant to run not stay locked up like a prisoner.
I would keep it just the way it is and add some miles to it from time to time. After all my car has more HP, faster and would run rings around a original GP and have several times.
Seller comment from the auction: "I originally thought I would awaken Sleeping Beauty after 10 years and start driving her when I had found new homes for my other GPs but I just can’t bring myself to ruining perfection plus it is my last step in my OCD recovery and my last of my collector cars." He also said preservation of one of the 2,000 was the reason for storing the car, not ROI.
Although it has been a few years since I read about this, and you know memory is the first thing to go with age but man I really whiffed on this one. The guy selling this GP on BAT is the same one I read about on Ian Cullen site. I don't know where I cam up with three hanger queens https://gpmini.wordpress.com/category/all-entries/#jp-carousel-5255
and I thought I had a problem in my garage How can you explain that cocoon thing to your neighbors without having them commit you to a facility in order to protect the children in the area from whatever the guy has going on I don't like the GP color, so I won't be bidding . Love my sunroof, automatic climate control, and HID headlights, too.
but you only need half the garage space for the Mini. I think the desirable Gen 1 Minis will appreciate in value real soon. We may actually already be at a point where low mile R53 in good spec are going up in price as they are getting rare. I am always scanning what's out there and have to say that a nice JCW 05/06 is super hard to find by now, and even plan R53 cars that haven't been beat up or Alta-modded to scrap value below 75k miles are harder to find at the prices I paid just 2 years ago. There are always exceptions, especially if you search local Craigslist listings nationwide, but on the big selling sites, the nice cars are demanding higher prices now. Every time I see a nice one, I realize that I got great deals on all of mine. Maybe a few more will come along, but sadly, I am at a point of having to spend money to add storage space for my cars before I can even remotely consider buying another one