Any thoughts?

Go to a different dealer - one that lets you see the car first and talks money later.

Walk away. Salesmen so keen to sign you up to finance will be on a fat bonus for doing so. Probably know sod all about cars and couldn't care less if you buy one unsuitable for your needs.

Yes, the finance can be as profitable as the margin on the car. If they aren't even willing to haggle on a used one, they clearly aren't interested in a quick sale. Snag is, it seems that Minis hold their value perhaps better than their reputation for reliability might suggest, so they may have a point. Try somewhere else. If you have a car to part-ex, try to sell it yourself. My daughter recently bought a used Mini and saved over a grand by doing that.

That salesman won't last long - he won't sell any cars. He was probably one of those who think people who just want to have a look and ask questions are time-wasters.

They're not of course: they may come back to buyin a few weeks or months if their initial experience was a good one.

Edited by Avant on 06/12/2013 at 23:02