Not what i had expected

[alter ego]

Originally Posted by e34m5

Wow..you couldn't be more wrong. On the contrary. I know exactly what I want. I don't need a test drive, or a demo, or anything like that. I just want order the car that I want with no hassles. In fact when someone like me calls the dealer I should get all kinds of discounts. I could care less how much the sales person gets. The fact is that I am the easiest sale they make. This is the third BMW in a row I am buying site unseen. It's a BMW for crying out loud. How much risk am I taking....none. I pay cash. I just want ot know when my car will be delivered. Period.

To say that I am not an enthusiast because I want hassle free buying is ridiculous. If the sales people knew anything I would love to go in and talk. But when the guy doesn't even know the "E" designations then that is sad.

That works for you but most people still take in the experience and want to have an "insider" that knows a few things about what works well, what doesn't or how something looks compared to something you may have had in mind. Remember this whole car purchase thing is a pretty big investment. I own motorcycles too and I gather some info online but actually seeing them in person and talking to the guys at my dealer is how I determine what I actually buy. If you want a Camry, that is different.... do you want retirement beige or off into the sunset maroon? BMWs are very individual and ordered a-la-carte for the most part. Even the whole oil cooler issue from this thread could be avoided by knowing the right salesperson. You have to seek them out and then see if it makes more sense to have an experienced guide there to make your purchase more fun. People pay a lot to get these cars and I couldn't see trying to pick one online. It actually didn't work too well for Dell, which turned to retailers like Best Buy, etc to sell more product because people in general like a little guidance from a PERSON not a computer..... Autobytel.... yeah that worked well.... Don't you get aggravated when you call some 800 number and all you want to do is talk to an actual live human being? Lets take that to the $40000-$100000 realm. I thought so.

[MZWIE]

^^ Nope. Disagree. I can find out every thing a need without a sales person.

In over 30 years of buying cars I've yet to encounter the sales person that was more informed than me on the car purchase.

Seems that this whole concept is beyond you for some reason. The E46 I bought in 2001 was completely transacted over the phone. Never met the sales guy in person. The first time I saw the car is when the carrier pulled up to my house and dropped it off. Gave the guy a check, he gave me the keys and that's it. For the purchase of the 1 the only reason I had to go to the dealer was to pick up the temp tag to use when I take delivery at the Performance Center.

I do the vast majority of my purchasing that way. I spend a lot of time researching so I know exaclty what I want.

Fact is, most people would rather have a root canal than go car shopping. So why do that to yourself. I have actually helped many freinds do it the same way as I have.

Oh yeah. 5 PC's from Dell online. Order on Monday, deliver on Thursday...gotta love that.

[iamthewalrus]

Going direct to BMW should be an *option*! They can both coexist. People who need help making a decision or want immediate gratification can work with a dealer and pay more for it to cover additional costs like headcount, rent, inventory holding costs, etc. For those of us who simply want to configure/purchase online, let us do that. Again, it works for http://store.apple.com and www.dwr.com. But both modes can coexist. So many of the arguments on this thread assume that it's either or. You can have multiple solutions for multiple customer segments. Some people prefer Borders, some prefer Amazon.com. Some people shop at both depending on the circumstances.

[MVF4Rrider]

I'm not in the car business but I can see the pit falls involved in a direct buy. The car still has to be serviced initially, PDC'd, warranty started, taxes paid, registered, etc. the middle man does a lot and makes a very small profit and needs a facility to do these things. Again, no US customer has the right to complain. BMW is giving this car to you and you quibble over a tiny profit (if any). I think the direct buy crowd assumes a lot. Besides, if BMW did sell direct, they'd have to sell at MSRP. So what's to be gained? They can't undersell the dealer network, which does BMW a huge favor by existing without corporate investment.

[boostin]

Originally Posted by soolman32

that s an interesting viewpoint you have there i m curious, are you buying or leasing your car? are you doing it on your own or relying on mom and dad? and finally what kind of dowpayment are you or will you be making? of course you don't have to answer, but i would be interested to get an honest answer from you. This is pointless but I'll play along. I just build your car and even after tax and licensing, it still coming out cheaper and not as well equipped as mine.... my point being that that people purchase based on the looks and what they feel they'll get out of it. I'm glad you can afford the 1er but you ain't special in my book until you can "swing the $$" for an car such a rolls royce or Bentley or lamborghini.

i'm 23, i will be buying my 135i, paying for it myself, with a $9k down payment. i'll have about $12k from the resale of my S2000, put 9k down and use the remaining 3k for some wheels and lowering springs. :biggrin:

-Chris

[MZWIE]

Originally Posted by iamthewalrus

Going direct to BMW should be an *option*! They can both coexist. People who need help making a decision or want immediate gratification can work with a dealer and pay more for it to cover additional costs like headcount, rent, inventory holding costs, etc. For those of us who simply want to configure/purchase online, let us do that. Again, it works for http://store.apple.com and www.dwr.com. But both modes can coexist. So many of the arguments on this thread assume that it's either or. You can have multiple solutions for multiple customer segments. Some people prefer Borders, some prefer Amazon.com. Some people shop at both depending on the circumstances.

I never said the car would not be serviced by a dealer. The point I was making is that I just call the dealership and tell them what I want. I don't need them to explain the technicla details, or give me a test drive.

At one time Ford was trying this. You could go online and configure the car. You then selected the dealer you use for pick up. Ford payed the dealer the equivalent of the hold back to do this. Therefore the dealer still had a profit.

It's llike using the configurator on BMWUSA.com and then sending this directly to BMW. Fact is just about everyone here has ordered a 1 series sight unseen.

[alter ego]

Originally Posted by e34m5

I never said the car would not be serviced by a dealer. The point I was making is that I just call the dealership and tell them what I want. I don't need them to explain the technicla details, or give me a test drive.

At one time Ford was trying this. You could go online and configure the car. You then selected the dealer you use for pick up. Ford payed the dealer the equivalent of the hold back to do this. Therefore the dealer still had a profit.

It's llike using the configurator on BMWUSA.com and then sending this directly to BMW. Fact is just about everyone here has ordered a 1 series sight unseen.

That actually exists to some degree now. Its a courtesy delivery or you can take delivery at the Performance center. Only thing is you have to do all of the registration paperwork and $$ transactions before you go pick it up. In any case I think theres something to be said for working with good salespeople, they do have their place in the big picture. I'm sure we could probably have a good time building a car when I was still in sales. I helped a lot of people over the years and made some great friends in the process. I've been getting lots of visits in my finance office from my old clients now that the M and the 1 are lurking around. The 1 has been fun so far as a launch goes.... lots of opinions on this one. We got a Jet Black/Red 135 today. Steptronic though. I couldn't believe how small these cars are. The 135 is just aggressive looking, the 128 not as much but still looks good with sport. We already had a cancellation due to looks in our store. Going with a 3. Cost played a role too. Anyway, I think it looks better than in pics but everybody has their opinion.