Are they really selling???

[JSierra]

I ordered mine over the phone, it would take at least 20 mins to get to the dealership and thats 20 mins more I would have had to wait ......

I do agree that some of these wait times are a little long. I put in my order Feb 28th and my car has been sitting at the dock waiting for a boat since the 20th. I wonder why they are taking so long? hmmm.....:iono:

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by TP 135i

NOT A HOT CAR.............
Come-on people. The fact is that people (other than us 1addicts) don't have a clue that this car exists or what it is.....and that's a fact !
My dealer is having their "The 1 Event...a first look at the all new 2008 BMW 1 series & M3" tonight !
This car is just being introduced to the public. And as stated on several posts above mine, the TV commercials just started a couple of days ago.
I still believe that the 1 series will be a big seller once people are aware of it.
I believe that there are many would-be 3 series buyers out there that could care less about the limited rear seat room and enjoy the smaller footprint of the 1. Singles, new graduates, young couples without children, etc. will jump at the chance to own/drive a BMW at a cost below the 3 series. To many, the $X thousand savings over the 3 will be just what they need to enter the BMW world.

I just don't see that this is the case. Every single automotive forum on the internet lights up every time a new review come out for this car, and nearly every thread is very active.

Reviews (very favorable reviews) have also been published in every single automotive publication in the country (probably on the planet) with millions of copies sold. Anyone who cares anything about cars at all knows about the 1.

I don't think it's going to be flying off the lots with dealer markups, but I think it will sell very well for at least the first 18 months.

[imported_Dodgy]

Originally Posted by spudwest

1er isn't like a Mini that people are going to flock to because it's really cute and different. I don't forsee product placements in Disney movies. This car will settle in, and the market will learn more gradually that this is a great car. But, I agree with asv, this won't be a volume car. Won't come close to the 3 Series in volume. First and foremost it is for enthusiats, which form a tiny fraction of the market. It also provides BMW with a platform to re-establish itself as the Ultimate Driving Machine. And a platform for small economical premium cars (120d, 123d) that will become more and more in demand with $100+ per barrel of oil...

Well said

[imported_Dodgy]

Originally Posted by dbtheo

1) the cars that are just "sitting" on the lots at your local dealers are "Launch Cars". In other words they are not initially for sale, they are kept in stock so that people can see, feel & drive before ordering. They will eventually be sold
2) Pre-orders for the car (for us) have been very strong
3) There are actually quite a bit of people aware of the car, but simply wanted to wait to see it in person. Litterally hundreds of thousands of people submitted requests online for infomation of the car- PRE-LAUNCH
4) As long as BMW keeps allocations down on the car (which they should) demand vs supply will favor the seller

...... and take it from someone who knows.

[Oregon]

Here in southern Oregon, the 1 is selling within days, if not hours, of hitting the lot.

[mateo]

My dealer says there are many inbound available. Many.

[dbtheo]

Originally Posted by mateo

My dealer says there are many inbound available. Many.

and that may very well be true, based on your area or for that matter, dealership.
- the only version for us that hasn't really caught on yet are the convertibles, but that will change come spring time

[mateo]

Here is what another dealer emailed me this morning...

"The 1 series is here, & we have alot available to sell also. When can you schedule a time to come by for a look and demo?"

[BimmerMeUp]

When I bought my 2003 MINI Cooper S, the local waiting time for an order allocation was 18 months. However, by calling to Milwaukee, I found an immediate slot (someone had cancelled an order). I think there's a lot of variation on demand for cars like these regionally.

[aus]

Long Beach doesn't have any allocations till the end of May. This from a sales guy there 2 days ago.

[aus]

Originally Posted by JSierra

I ordered mine over the phone, it would take at least 20 mins to get to the dealership and thats 20 mins more I would have had to wait ......

I do agree that some of these wait times are a little long. I put in my order Feb 28th and my car has been sitting at the dock waiting for a boat since the 20th. I wonder why they are taking so long? hmmm.....:iono:

Don't want to get you paranoid, but the same thing happened to a Mini S I ordered. It just sat at the dock for weeks. Then I get the call that the car was damage beyond repair on the ship. I figured it was a way of telling me to wait for this car.

[alter ego]

Originally Posted by Ansun

Anyone else think like this? I dont, just wondering who else does. I just wanted to bring my monthly payments down thats why I put a down payment. No matter what with a lease you are going to be paying the same amount regardless of if it is upfront or dragged out over the course of the lease. Now as far as the insurance and all that...i dont know someone elaborate.

Anybody with a finance background will tell you not to put money down on a lease particularly for the reason already pointed out. Big downpayments don't get equity in the car and only lower the payment. If the car is totaled or stolen the cash down is gone. The benefit of a lease is only paying for the percentage of the car you are using and not coming up with a lot of money upfront. The depreciation is not your problem either so you get the benefit of not having to sink lots of money in a liability. The reason the lease is so "cheap" on 24 months is because every thousand cap cost reduction is worth almost $50 in the monthly payment verses about $28 on a 36 month lease. Theres not enough margin in these cars to be $5000 off. The local dealer just wasn't thinking when they quoted numbers. Chambers is probably doing a VERY similar deal with a different term and it looks lots better to most people. Perception is reality....

[dbtheo]

Originally Posted by BimmerMeUp

I think there's a lot of variation on demand for cars like these regionally.

that there sums it up fairly nicely

[ScottyGams]

i agree that cheaper than 3 means nothing. For reasons I cannot understand, America loves sedans, and the fact that the 1 is a coupe/vert, means market niche.

Who cares? I don't want to see too many of my car anyway. Just enough that BMW decides to keep supporting it I say, haha.

[kurichan]

In San Diego (a region that buys TONS of BMWs), lots of commericials, they are already offering breaks on leases, and there are quite a few cars looking lonely on the dealer lots (far cry from "get in line if you want one in 2008" you nuts, and you know who you are!).

Flying off the lots... Ha!

I got a call - please come take a look...

As I expected, this car is going to be a business failure for BMW.

Ugly, overweight, overpriced, and it understeers.

Why bother?

[kurichan]

Originally Posted by Ansun

Anyone else think like this? I dont, just wondering who else does. I just wanted to bring my monthly payments down thats why I put a down payment. No matter what with a lease you are going to be paying the same amount regardless of if it is upfront or dragged out over the course of the lease. Now as far as the insurance and all that...i dont know someone elaborate.

I do.

Putting money down on a lease is an act of pure financial stupidity, but BMW absolutely LOVES the fact that you gave them FREE USE OF YOUR CASH for 36 months that they can use to do what they want with!

You don't "pay the same amount no matter what."

Who cares what your monthly payment is? That might feel nice EMOTIONALLY, but it doesn't add up financially.

Keep your downpayment and put it in the bank to earn interest or invest it.

Look up the term "opportunity cost" or "time value of money" then do the math.

[rks1222]

Originally Posted by ScottyGams

Just enough that BMW decides to keep supporting it I say, haha.

Well that's the trick, isn't it? I'm hoping that the 1 does well enough not only to only stay on sale here, but to encourage BMW to continue making premium small cars.

The 318 failed miserably, so BMW figured a cheap, entry level Bimmer just wasn't something America wanted. Now, they bring the 1, which is smaller but certainly not watered down in terms of quality and performance -- and now I see some reviews (notably the Car and Driver full review) saying that while the 1 is a fine car, it's too close in price to the 3. Which, I believe, misses the point.

But, I digress. Let's hope it sells! More awesome small cars!

[imported_Katera]

I think once enough 335i's get smoked by 135i's on the streets...impressions of it being some kind of entry BMW will change.

[DaveG]

My first visit to the dealer to test drive a 135 was a failure... there were no stick-shifts available, and all cars for the next few months were already sold. The salesman didn't even seem interested in working with me, I suspect because he had nothing to sell.

Seems to they are either selling very well, or there is simply very limited supply -- or some combination thereof.

[aus]

My local dealer won't have a stick for at least a month. Their allotment is also taken through May.

[soolman32]

Originally Posted by jgf330xi

I read that the 1'er is a HOT car.. but then I go by the local dealer and there sit 6 cars... 3 128i Cab's, a Sedona Red 128i Coupe. and 2 Black 135i... They do not seem to have sold any in the last week. I have canceled my order and will wait for a better buying environment.. when this is a less hot car... Looks "stone cold" to me at this time.

And it is not like this a high volume dealer.. How many dealers got more than 6 cars in the first week?

Also was at another dealer a few weeks ago and she had all her allocations available for 135i Cabs.

BTW: Loved the way the 135i drove, it SHOULD be a "HOT" car.

I went to my local dealer today and was shocked to find that they had 4 1er around. When I was still in the market for one, they told me they had 20 pre-ordered and weren't sure they could even get me in til late summer on my delivery. This is a high volume dealer so mayb the 1 isn't doing as well, but then again it's too early to tell.

[BMW Dreamer]

^^^To bad for them. Maybe people ordered them, and when it was time to really sign the lease papers, they said no to the high lease prices. I think this will happen. People get REALLY excited, order the car, then reality sinks in when it comes time to put down the INK. I hope they have a hard time selling them. At KNAUZ BMW in northern IL they have 5 on their on-line "new inventory". I stopped by again friday and the same ones where there from last week. ??? They even added a black 128i conv $46,500 MSRP in the showroom. I think they have sold only 1-128i conv since they started coming in. I stop by a couple times a week to SPY around.