MINI of Montgomery County

Buyer Beware A Virginia resident, I purchased a used 2004 Mazda after being reassured numerous times that the MD vehicle inspection process is way more stringent t A Virginia resident, I purchased a used 2004 Mazda after being reassured numerous times that the MD vehicle inspection process is way more stringent than VA. I bought the car in January 2014 in the rain. I took the car to to Virginia and had it inspected. It failed, one of the reasons being that a front headlight was installed improperly (and a brake light was out). Once it was in the service station's bay you could tell immediately that one light was exactly where it was supposed to be and the other one was pointed to the ground. The inspector told me to immediately have the tires replaced because they were cracked from being dry rotted. He had no reason to mislead me because selling me tires was not his intent; he told me to go elsewhere. When the tires were not wet from the rain, the cracks within the tread were obviously visible. I took the vehicle back to the dealership when I then met with a person I believe to be the Used Car Manager. He was extremely rude and indifferent; he kept repeating that I purchased the car As Is and "tough", there was nothing he could or was willing to do about it. One of the safety checks per MD law is the condition of the tire. Even though the car passed inspection at the Mini Cooper dealership, I would not think that a dry rotted tire could possibly meet the good condition requirement - especially the more stringent MD safety inspection that was a continued major selling point of the vehicle. He told me he was willing to pay for the misaligned light and brake light, but only if I had the work done there - which would have meant that I take the car back again to the vehicle inspection place to have it reinspected - a non-starter, even though it would have only cost the dealership $40. I bought the car for my 16 year old who was with me when we purchased the car. Even though I can't say with the utmost certainty that the salesman knew or should have known about the dry rotted tires, I can tell you on no uncertain terms that neither the manager nor the salesman would have allowed their children to drive the car in its purchased condition. So Buyer Beware - get the car inspected somewhere else prior to purchasing anything from this dealership (which I certainly don't recommend). In my humble opinion, I believe it to be a conflict of interest for the dealership to inspect the same vehicles it intends to sell. It was obvious from my experience that this car should have never passed the MD safety inspection. Once you walk out of the door there with a car you are obviously "dead to them" - which after seeing the condition of the tires, the improperly installed headlight and burned out brake light, was ever more likely to come to pass in a literal sense. More

A Great buying experience We were shopping for a used Lexus RX 350. Mini of Montgomery had one in stock that fit our needs. We had a great buying experience. Mike Disogra is We were shopping for a used Lexus RX 350. Mini of Montgomery had one in stock that fit our needs. We had a great buying experience. Mike Disogra is a wonderful salesperson. More

Easy to work with dealer Errol D'Souza was excellent to work with. He was very nice throughout the process, knowledgeable, and easy to get in touch with. The process went of Errol D'Souza was excellent to work with. He was very nice throughout the process, knowledgeable, and easy to get in touch with. The process went off without a hitch and I know he did his best to get me a good deal. The dealership was very neat and attractive and everybody there was very courteous. More

It was a great buying experience. My husband likes to negotiate and our salesman, Calvin was very polite and gave us the best deal possible. I traded a Mini in and wanted my wheels & tires transferred t negotiate and our salesman, Calvin was very polite and gave us the best deal possible. I traded a Mini in and wanted my wheels & tires transferred to the car I purchased. It was no problem and was done quickly and efficiently. We were only there several hours and traded a car in and drove away with a used Mini. More

I was feeling a vibration at high speeds after nailing a pot hole. I took my car in hoping that the rim would be repaired or replaced under the 3rd party tire & rim package I purchased. As expected, it was pot hole. I took my car in hoping that the rim would be repaired or replaced under the 3rd party tire & rim package I purchased. As expected, it was. What wasn't expected was that Mini gave me a free loaner for the 3 days it took to have the rim inspected, replacement authorized, part ordered, and then replaced. Everyday I got an email about the progress. When my car was ready to pick up I got a txt. Everyone was super nice and my filthy mini was returned squeaky clean to boot. Very good dealership! More

We had a GREAT experience in purchasing a used Mini Countryman S from Passport Mini this past month. Their website was great: it informed us of in-stock cars, and I searched a wide region comparing pri Countryman S from Passport Mini this past month. Their website was great: it informed us of in-stock cars, and I searched a wide region comparing prices. Their prices across the board were $5K lower than nearby competing dealerships, so that was a plus right away. I called the day before we were to come and conversed with salesman Calvin Young. He told me that the car was available, and also informed me on how to make a three-way car swap with our kids, so that we could use theirs as a trade-in and give them our older van. He made sure that we had what we needed to do that. When we arrived (from 3.5 hours away, a trek that we make weekly between home and Montgomery County) it was snowy and cold, but we saw the Mini that we had come to drive warming up in the dealership parking lot. The building was clean and attractive inside and out, and Calvin was there waiting for us. We went for a test drive and he pointed out features to this wonderful car (there were many of them--too many to take in in one job). The car was just as described on the Internet, only better. We then went to a nearby Toyota dealership in order to drive a competing car, but there was no contest. We returned to Passport Mini, did the complex car transaction in a couple of hours, and were handed the keys to a fabulous car. Not only this, but the car had some flaws that the dealership promised to fix the next week. We again made the trek to the dealer, and since paint was involved in the fixes, they needed our car for at least two days. We were given a free loaner car for an entire week. It was a brand new 2014 Countryman--but we liked our used Mini better! ;-) Our car was fixed beautifully, on time, and again Calvin was on hand to transition us back to our new car. We have been VERY blessed by our experience at Passport Mini and would highly recommend them. More

If you are reading this message I can say unequivocally, you have selected the right dealership and absolutely the right sales person. I am currently a Wounded Warrior being treated for injuries sustained you have selected the right dealership and absolutely the right sales person. I am currently a Wounded Warrior being treated for injuries sustained in Afghanistan. I wanted to do something special for my wife this Christmas and decided to purchase her, her dream car a Mini. I am stationed in Virginia and she’s in California. Take it from me, I was a sales person’s nightmare. I wanted the car with all her options, within the right price range and yes, delivered to Southern California before Christmas. And of course I had trade-in title issues to be sorted out, limited time out of the hospital and issues with seeing and filling out documents. With just two weeks to Christmas, Laurie Miller and team never doubted for once that the challenge could be met. And guess what guys they were right. Way to make an old solider smile. Hoorah Maj G More

I brought my 2008 cooper S in for some warranty work and was extremely pleased with my experience. My service advisor Jaime was great staying in contact with through the process. The car was ready the sam was extremely pleased with my experience. My service advisor Jaime was great staying in contact with through the process. The car was ready the same day an the work was done correctly the first time as promised. Great experience!! More

Worst Dealership! Had been in contact with a sales about a specific car and they even texted me two hours before I showed up telling me the car was still available. I showed up and the car was not drivable a specific car and they even texted me two hours before I showed up telling me the car was still available. I showed up and the car was not drivable and had to be sent to another dealership to get fixed. This was a 2012 vehicle and I am shocked this dealership is trying to sell broken cars! False advertising and they wasted my time in driving all the way there and leaving right away because the car was broken! More

My 2003 Mini Cooper S was overheating and I took it in for service and this is the service estimate I got from Mini of Montgomery County: Overheating issue: - Water pump is leaking $1080 - The core suppo for service and this is the service estimate I got from Mini of Montgomery County: Overheating issue: - Water pump is leaking $1080 - The core support is also cracked and radiator is damaged and leaking $1740 - The tech is recommending the thermostat be replaced due to the vehicle overheating $260 - Also would be a good idea to do the coolant flush $240 Total: $3,320. They also came up with additional list of "recommended" fixes for $8,550. They had me so intimidated I thought I was going to have to buy a new car. When asked what they would give us in a trade-in, they offered $300 (yes, hundred--not thousand) --despite the fact that the blue book value on a trade-in for my car in fair condition is $5,185 ($6,435 for excellent) to give a frame of reference. I had replaced the water pump about 2 years and 2 months ago at Mini of Sterling and they refused to stand behind their work, saying that they warranty it to 2 years, that's it. Customer loyalty, years of taking my car there, and thousands of dollars later meant nothing. They wouldn't stand behind it. Although, Mini of Sterling did say that they would do the work for less than $2,700--meaning that Mini Of Montgomery County was charging over $600 more for the same work. I decided to get an estimate over the phone from a local, respected, foreign car mechanic in the area and his estimate for the same work was $1,570. I (thankfully) decided to take my car there for service. Almost immediately he told me that the problem didn't appear to be the water pump, radiator, or the thermostat. The problem was a hole in one of the hoses. He replaced the broken hose, another hose, pressure tested the system and my bill was $280. I've been driving the car for weeks with no issues. Not only would Mini of Montgomery County have screwed me out of over $3,000, but also their estimate didn't include replacing the hoses. So, either they would have tacked more money onto the bill later or I would have had the work done and it still wouldn't have fixed the problem. Either Mini of Montgomery County have incompetent mechanics or they are dishonest or some combination of the two. I will never take my car there again for service and I would advise anyone to steer clear of these thieves. PS - Mini emailed a customer satisfaction survey in which I expressed my displeasure and I requested a follow-up call from both the dealership and corporate. Mini corporate called and listened to my complaints and made excuse after excuse for the dealership, even going so far as to say "well, we stand behind our dealerships." Translation: They made the phone call because they had to, but they weren't going to do anything for me and if they lose me as a customer so be it. The person I spoke to didn't seem to care at all. Despite requesting that they contact me, Mini of Montgomery County didn't bother to call. More