Hello,

On July 21, 2005 I placed an order for a new 2006 330i with Crevier BMW in Santa Ana with the following options:

Jet Black
Grey Leather
STEPTRONIC Automatic Trans
Premium Package
Sport Package
Heated Front Seats
Active Steering
On-Board Navigation w/iDrive
Active Cruise Control
Park Distance Control - Rear
Satellite Radio

Prior to my placing this order I had asked a friend of mine who has owned several BMWs what kind of deal I could get on a new 3 Series and his suggestion was to go through Costco. He had purchased his 2005 5 Series that way and according to him he saved substantially. I had imagined that they don't deal much on a premium car like this, but I really didn't know. I had no experience.

Anyway, I did what he suggested and Crevier BMW in Santa Ana, CA ended up quoting me a Costco Discount price of $1,580 off MSRP or $47,385 plus fees. I argued at the time that a paltry $1,580 off the factory sticker price did not seem equitable, fair or reasonable. They, however, insisted this was indeed the Costco Discount price and explained there is very little “wiggle room” with BMWs.

Anyway the order was placed at that price, and I did sign a Special Order form which indicated an “Agreed Purchase Price” but no binding sales contract has been signed. But since my delivery date of September 20th is approaching, I thought I'd investigate further. I know this should have been done before hand. Doh!

What I discovered is, according to Consumer Reports Car Price Service, the Dealer Invoice for this vehicle is $42,020 including all the options I selected.

My experience with purchasing automobiles, (but never a BMW, this is my first), is to work up from dealer invoice. Never down from the sticker price. And I’ve always done very well using this method, armed with the Consumer Reports Pricing info.

Does this make sense? What is a reasonable price I should expect to pay for this machine? Am I legally bound by the price on the “Special Order” sheet I signed? If I've made a mistake can I recover?

I’m perfectly fine with Crevier making a fair profit on the sale of this automobile, but I’m not willing to lay down and let them charge me what appears to be 11% over their cost. I want to refuse to pay more than $1,500 over invoice, and hold my ground, insisting that's more than a fair profit for them. Do you think this could work? Thanks for your advice.

Hello,

On July 21, 2005 I placed an order for a new 2006 330i with Crevier BMW in Santa Ana with the following options:

Jet Black
Grey Leather
STEPTRONIC Automatic Trans
Premium Package
Sport Package
Heated Front Seats
Active Steering
On-Board Navigation w/iDrive
Active Cruise Control
Park Distance Control - Rear
Satellite Radio

Prior to my placing this order I had asked a friend of mine who has owned several BMWs what kind of deal I could get on a new 3 Series and his suggestion was to go through Costco. He had purchased his 2005 5 Series that way and according to him he saved substantially. I had imagined that they don't deal much on a premium car like this, but I really didn't know. I had no experience.

Anyway, I did what he suggested and Crevier BMW in Santa Ana, CA ended up quoting me a Costco Discount price of $1,580 off MSRP or $47,385 plus fees. I argued at the time that a paltry $1,580 off the factory sticker price did not seem equitable, fair or reasonable. They, however, insisted this was indeed the Costco Discount price and explained there is very little “wiggle room” with BMWs.

Anyway the order was placed at that price, and I did sign a Special Order form which indicated an “Agreed Purchase Price” but no binding sales contract has been signed. But since my delivery date of September 20th is approaching, I thought I'd investigate further. I know this should have been done before hand. Doh!

What I discovered is, according to Consumer Reports Car Price Service, the Dealer Invoice for this vehicle is $42,020 including all the options I selected.

My experience with purchasing automobiles, (but never a BMW, this is my first), is to work up from dealer invoice. Never down from the sticker price. And I’ve always done very well using this method, armed with the Consumer Reports Pricing info.

Does this make sense? What is a reasonable price I should expect to pay for this machine? Am I legally bound by the price on the “Special Order” sheet I signed? If I've made a mistake can I recover?

I’m perfectly fine with Crevier making a fair profit on the sale of this automobile, but I’m not willing to lay down and let them charge me what appears to be 11% over their cost. I want to refuse to pay more than $1,500 over invoice, and hold my ground, insisting that's more than a fair profit for them. Do you think this could work? Thanks for your advice.

I would seriously wait and buy a used one with 5k on it and save about 10k

you could alos check out what another bmw dealer will charge you for the same options alos.

I don't know if you can always trust Consumers Guides first of all.

Second of all you have to be aware that the models are still in pretty high demand, therefore a dealer doesn't have to "wiggle" if he doesn't want to. Knocking nearly $1600 off of MSRP isn't that unreasonable actually. On a new car you have to bargain for what you WANT to spend. If you are not comfortable with the deal, take your purchase agreement to another dealer and askt them to beat it. Simple as that. Unless you put money down on the car I don't think you are legally bound to it but I would consult your attorney before pulling out officially.

All of that being said, I bought a 325i last week. Black Sapphire, TERRA, Steptronic, Satellite, and Sport package. Dealer took a little over $2000 off the MSRP.

Good luck.

:)

Dealers will also move a bit more on cars they already have on location verses ones that are special order.

I don't know if you can always trust Consumers Guides first of all. :)

Thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it. I have found over the years that Consumer Reports New Car Pricing Service:

http://www.consumerreports.org/main/detailv2.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=16319&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=16271&bmUID=1123525801160

has been spot-on with their pricing.

I believe that the form you signed was to make you feel obligated, just some of the bs a dealer will pull. If you didnt sign a contract, I dont believe that can have any retaliation against you. Speaking of the deal, as others have said, this car is in very high demand. I did not get much of sticker at all and it wasnt even worth it in my opinion b/c it was a huge headache and didnt even knock much off my payments.
At the same time i thought about purchasing a new older model 330 with every possible option and I was able to get it down to 33K (after their special rebate and my haggling). So that shows that this dealer would go down on certain cars, but not the new ones.

Indeed, I agree with you. The factor that gives me relief from my vehicle price angst was the confirmation that this Costco price WILL BE $2,200 OVER Dealer Invoice--Nothing more, nothing less.

Thanks!

You are lucky to get anything off MSRP for an ordered 330i. E90 are very hot right now. They would easily sell it for MSRP if you back out. Good Luck.

You are lucky to get anything off MSRP for an ordered 330i. E90 are very hot right now. They would easily sell it for MSRP if you back out. Good Luck.

Yep he is right, e90s are selling like hot cakes, if you dont buy one, then the person right behind you will buy it for near MSRP.

You are lucky to get anything off MSRP for an ordered 330i. E90 are very hot right now. They would easily sell it for MSRP if you back out. Good Luck.

FWIW, just ordered a 330i for ED @ $1000 over invoice.

Nice deal, the OC is a little different market. Bottom line - start low and bargain for the best deal.

Thanks to you all for your feedback. I do feel good about the deal :alright I've cut for an special order E90 here in O.C.

I also look forward to being a Bimmer owner and making new friends here on the "boards." :)

Cheers!

Dave

anyone curious to hear my E90 buying experience from H-E-L-L?
i may be tempeted to name names...
:mad
-e-

anyone curious to hear my E90 buying experience from H-E-L-L?
i may be tempeted to name names...
:mad
-e-

I would. :D

first of all, as i'm new here and need all the support i can get, please post a note with your impressions/feedback/suggestions/criticisms/et al. deal?

second of all, i'll bottom-line it for those of you who don't want the hear the whole story: 42K for an auto/metallic 330i w/ premium, sport, and cold weather packages (as well as the ubiquitous satellite radio prep). naturally leather and xenons fall under those packages. i simply can't see going large in the line and sitting on leatherette. in fact, i can't see going large in the line and doing much less than loaded (less the nav, which seems quite weak).

what it took to get to that (in my estimation) mediocre price, was nightmarish.

forgive the length...

in seattle, the e90 is in achingly short supply, as i imagine it is nationally. it's simply one of those bad supply chain/consumer demand timings that seem to occur once every few christmas times when a new and inane toy is released and becomes the must-have trinket of the year (think furbie, tickle-me-elmo, cabbage patch). only the e90 is no trinket. this time, i feel BMW engineering team has delivered big time.

i began my pseudo-quest innocently enough a month ago, following a friend of mine who had just one month before purchased an '05 e46 to one of the three dealerships here in the puget sound to meet the "nice" and "low pressure" rep that she dealt with. upon meeting the lady, she explained that she'd been with the dealership for almost 60 days and that her only other experience was military fleet sales in germany (i.e. an order taker). i asked about the pre-owned inventory and we looked through about a half-dozen models that i found either one thing or another that wasn't to my satisfaction (not the right wheels, wrong trim package, too many small body flaws). on the way back into the showroom i casually asked about the e90. we looked, i expressed mild interest, and the next thing you know we're driving. i fell instantly and immediately (and above all, silently) in love. the rep was embarassingly devoid of most of the basics on the car (how to check the oil, activating cruise control, how to program the universal receiver, on and on). back at the lot she said that stock was basically at 1 (the arctic that we'd driven) and about 6 were expected in 2 weeks. i'll call you as soon as they arrive, she promised. 2 weeks came and went and i heard not a peep. several days past the 2 week mark, i called her. "oh, all those cars were sold when they came in" she said. i asked how many she sold. "1 or 2", she replied. i thought to myself that if she had an ounce of ambition she could have added another to that tally. not to worry, there's another shipment coming in about 10 days.

i dropped by the lot the following weekend, this time with my girlfriend, to show her the model and let her drive a bit. after this drive, we got down to some specifics as to which packages and colors i might be interested in. the rep sent us with a spec sheet that simply had the list prices and details on the forthcoming stock. titanium or graphite are in my top 10 list, i explained. she scanned and found 2 graphites that a northern california dealer had that perhaps a dealer trade could be arranged for. "i'll talk to the inventory manager at the dealership and call you first thing monday", she promised.

wednesday afternoon as i sat enjoying coffee with a buddy, she called with the news that said graphite could be obtained and "would you like to provide me with a credit card number for a deposit"? "i'll need to think about this" was the best i could do in the middle of a busy starbucks and told her i'd call her back (hoping she might find some irony in that as she'd not followed though in a timely manner on anything thus far). 30-45 ,inutes later i answered the phone at my desk to the sound of "just wanted to see what you decided...". i made it clear that to place a deposit before agreing upon a price was tantamount to lunacy and asked for her best price paying in cash (as in greenback duckets) and via a finance route. "oh, due to high demand for this model, they're not being discounted" she replied, adding that she may be able to "get a couple hundred knocked off for paying cash". am i the only sane one here or did she not just say that on a $44,000.00 car i was obliged to pay full sticker? i told her that i'd researced "invoice" (a huge misnomer if ever there was one), it's a shade over 39K, and i'd be willing to split the difference with her @ 41.8K. she said there'd be no sense in presenting it to her manager. i thanked her for her time and said that i was in loose negotiations with one of the other three dealers. she asked that i send her any deal and that her manager would generally agree to meet it as their primary competetion across town was "not supposed to be, but they're undercutting us". a few days later i forwarded her an e-mail from dealership B with a negotiated price of 41.8k. she called thanking me for the note and that she'd talk to the sales manager, but they'd meet the 41.8K price. i agreed that we had a deal. i mentioned to dealership B that i'd be in touch as their offering would take 6 weeks to arrive. no sooner had i returned to my desk when i found a voicemail from dealership A rep saying that they would not honor the 41.8K as the unit dealership B was quoting me on was not automatic. out of frustration and principle i called her back and asked how customers usually take the news that an agreed-upon price was no longer valid. she began to stammer and i made it clear i was buying from dealership B. meanwhile, dealership B sends me an e-mail that their unit was no longer available (and it was auto, BTW).

at this point, i threw up my proverbial hands and realized that it simply wasn't my time.

the following day, my boss said she heard i was buying a new car and asked how it was going. talk about a sore nerve... oddly enough, she and her husband had purchased 3 cars from a rep they spoke highly of @ dealership B (very close to the office, concidentally) and as she produced his card on cue, suggested i talk to him. 3 days passed and i relented enough to call who i just knew was going to be a typical cliched slime-weasel. he was *anything* but that, generously picking up the pieces of the charred wreckage that was my process @ dealership A and found either a titanium (on its way from california) or graphite (on its way from munchen). 42.2K was his price based on the referral from my boss, who he has a good relationship with. i begged for the .2 off waiving "costco pricing" flag, to which he agreed.

whew.

now, if you've read this far, comes the kicker. titanium is available here/now pre-price-increase. graphite may be subject to the 9/1/05 price increase and therefore unavailable at 42K. is the increase effective on production beginning on september 1 or on delivery to customer beginning that date?

bless you all for your patience...
:embarrasm ,
-e-
ps: this narrative has been edited for television.

is the increase effective on production beginning on september 1 or on delivery to customer beginning that date?


What a nightmare :eyecrazy

Going off what my dealer told me I think price increase is based on production date. At least, they told me if I placed an order for the car by July 20th, I would get the old pricing. But it sounded like it was based on a production date before Sept 1st.

What a nightmare :eyecrazy

Going off what my dealer told me I think price increase is based on production date. At least, they told me if I placed an order for the car by July 20th, I would get the old pricing. But it sounded like it was based on a production date before Sept 1st.

I went to three dealers before getting my price. At dealer #1, they were working off pre-9/1 pricing. At dealer #2 they said it was post-9/1 pricing since I was taking ED and the car would be delivered long after 9/1. At dealer #3, the one at which I made my deal, they gave me pre-9/1 pricing...

So fwiw, I'm getting a post 9/1 car ordered pre-9/1 at pre-9/1 pricing.

i've come to understand that the price increase is effective for any cars dealers are billed for from september 1...
additionally, i had to settle for titaniun over graphite, which is chafing me a bit. i'm almost considering a renegotiation.
thoughts?
:confused ,
-e-

What a nightmare :eyecrazy

Going off what my dealer told me I think price increase is based on production date. At least, they told me if I placed an order for the car by July 20th, I would get the old pricing. But it sounded like it was based on a production date before Sept 1st.


You're right, July 20th was the last day we could secure an order car with the old pricing. However, none of the option prices changed, just the base price. 325's went up $600, and 330's went up $300.

Yep he is right, e90s are selling like hot cakes, if you dont buy one, then the person right behind you will buy it for near MSRP.


Buying a car for MSRP is crazy. If you paid MSRP, you're crazy. If a dealer asked you to pay MSRP, their crazy.

I went to three dealers before getting my price. At dealer #1, they were working off pre-9/1 pricing. At dealer #2 they said it was post-9/1 pricing since I was taking ED and the car would be delivered long after 9/1. At dealer #3, the one at which I made my deal, they gave me pre-9/1 pricing...

So fwiw, I'm getting a post 9/1 car ordered pre-9/1 at pre-9/1 pricing.


They probably just factored in the price change into your discount. If the car is Semtember or later production, the sticker will reflect the new pricing. I will say though that I put in an order for a 530xi to be produced in the 1st week of sept. and in the computer, the window sticker was still showing old pricing. I'm confident this will change though.

Hello,

On July 21, 2005 I placed an order for a new 2006 330i with Crevier BMW in Santa Ana with the following options:

Jet Black
Grey Leather
STEPTRONIC Automatic Trans
Premium Package
Sport Package
Heated Front Seats
Active Steering
On-Board Navigation w/iDrive
Active Cruise Control
Park Distance Control - Rear
Satellite Radio

Prior to my placing this order I had asked a friend of mine who has owned several BMWs what kind of deal I could get on a new 3 Series and his suggestion was to go through Costco. He had purchased his 2005 5 Series that way and according to him he saved substantially. I had imagined that they don't deal much on a premium car like this, but I really didn't know. I had no experience.

Anyway, I did what he suggested and Crevier BMW in Santa Ana, CA ended up quoting me a Costco Discount price of $1,580 off MSRP or $47,385 plus fees. I argued at the time that a paltry $1,580 off the factory sticker price did not seem equitable, fair or reasonable. They, however, insisted this was indeed the Costco Discount price and explained there is very little “wiggle room” with BMWs.

Anyway the order was placed at that price, and I did sign a Special Order form which indicated an “Agreed Purchase Price” but no binding sales contract has been signed. But since my delivery date of September 20th is approaching, I thought I'd investigate further. I know this should have been done before hand. Doh!

What I discovered is, according to Consumer Reports Car Price Service, the Dealer Invoice for this vehicle is $42,020 including all the options I selected.

My experience with purchasing automobiles, (but never a BMW, this is my first), is to work up from dealer invoice. Never down from the sticker price. And I’ve always done very well using this method, armed with the Consumer Reports Pricing info.

Does this make sense? What is a reasonable price I should expect to pay for this machine? Am I legally bound by the price on the “Special Order” sheet I signed? If I've made a mistake can I recover?

I’m perfectly fine with Crevier making a fair profit on the sale of this automobile, but I’m not willing to lay down and let them charge me what appears to be 11% over their cost. I want to refuse to pay more than $1,500 over invoice, and hold my ground, insisting that's more than a fair profit for them. Do you think this could work? Thanks for your advice.



You're way off on the invoice price. Your car has a wholesale price of just under 44k. Add PDI cost, regional ad fee, and training fee that all dealers have to pay, and you add about $800 to the dealers cost. That being said, a fully loaded 330i with sticker close to 48-50k leaves about $2500 for the dealer to deal with. If that number drops below around 40-42k, there's only about 2k to play with. Those numbers are even less on 325i's. Dealers in my region are holding an avg. of $1300 on 330's. You have to remember that dealer invoice and actual dealer cost are two different things.

Hello,

On July 21, 2005 I placed an order for a new 2006 330i with Crevier BMW in Santa Ana with the following options:

Jet Black
Grey Leather
STEPTRONIC Automatic Trans
Premium Package
Sport Package
Heated Front Seats
Active Steering
On-Board Navigation w/iDrive
Active Cruise Control
Park Distance Control - Rear
Satellite Radio

Prior to my placing this order I had asked a friend of mine who has owned several BMWs what kind of deal I could get on a new 3 Series and his suggestion was to go through Costco. He had purchased his 2005 5 Series that way and according to him he saved substantially. I had imagined that they don't deal much on a premium car like this, but I really didn't know. I had no experience.

Anyway, I did what he suggested and Crevier BMW in Santa Ana, CA ended up quoting me a Costco Discount price of $1,580 off MSRP or $47,385 plus fees. I argued at the time that a paltry $1,580 off the factory sticker price did not seem equitable, fair or reasonable. They, however, insisted this was indeed the Costco Discount price and explained there is very little “wiggle room” with BMWs.

Anyway the order was placed at that price, and I did sign a Special Order form which indicated an “Agreed Purchase Price” but no binding sales contract has been signed. But since my delivery date of September 20th is approaching, I thought I'd investigate further. I know this should have been done before hand. Doh!

What I discovered is, according to Consumer Reports Car Price Service, the Dealer Invoice for this vehicle is $42,020 including all the options I selected.

My experience with purchasing automobiles, (but never a BMW, this is my first), is to work up from dealer invoice. Never down from the sticker price. And I’ve always done very well using this method, armed with the Consumer Reports Pricing info.

Does this make sense? What is a reasonable price I should expect to pay for this machine? Am I legally bound by the price on the “Special Order” sheet I signed? If I've made a mistake can I recover?

I’m perfectly fine with Crevier making a fair profit on the sale of this automobile, but I’m not willing to lay down and let them charge me what appears to be 11% over their cost. I want to refuse to pay more than $1,500 over invoice, and hold my ground, insisting that's more than a fair profit for them. Do you think this could work? Thanks for your advice.


You're way off on the invoice price. Your car has a wholesale price of just under 44k. Add PDI cost, regional ad fee, and training fee that all dealers have to pay, and you add about $800 to the dealers cost. That being said, a fully loaded 330i with sticker close to 48-50k leaves about $2500 for the dealer to deal with. If that number drops below around 40-42k, there's only about 2k to play with. Those numbers are even less on 325i's. Dealers in my region are holding an avg. of $1300 on 330's. You have to remember that dealer invoice and actual dealer cost are two different things.