Ordering a new car - Nothing below MSRP?

[xjet04]

Hey all,

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm looking to get rid of my current 135 and buy a new 1er. To get the options I want, I'm going to have to order my new car as there is nothing on the ground here in the U.S. that fits what I want.

My dealer is telling me that he can't go below sticker price on anything I special order. He only has a little wiggle room on cars that are already here in the States.

There are no recent threads about this issue, but I have a very hard time believing this guy is being straight with me. I'm about ready to tell this guy he is full of crap and go visit another dealer.

Does anybody have any recent experience in this matter or have any advice that might be helpful?

[HeyMoe53]

Back in 2009, I special-ordered my 128. The dealer understood what a "Priority One" order was (Terracotta leather), and they also offered $1,000 off the sticker.

I'm sure that many others have done way better. I was happy with what I was offered. I was--and am, treated very nicely by this dealer. I'll take that over a couple hundred extra bucks on the deal.

I'm sure that others will chime in louder than I. So, that tells me that you can do better. No doubt in my mind.

[HeyMoe53]

Oh, BTW--there also was nothing else on the ground in the USA at the time that fit what I wanted, either. Still, that's no reason for the dealer not to make some sort of "offer" to you.

[BucksCty135i]

Complete BS - I just ordered last month, and was well below MSRP. Besides, the final say on pricing IS THE DEALER.

[MPowerF1]

Nope. Special ordered a few months ago. About 900 over invoice. It can be done no question.

[xjet04]

Thanks for the replies guys. Nice to know I'm not losing my mind. Maybe this is their "special" way of opening negotiations or something? Guy was basically acting as if I wanted to order a car for under sticker price I may as well just walk out the door.

[bdoooh]

TrueCar.com I used it and got even more off.. $400 above invoice.

[ejm3]

On Friday I walked into a dealership I had never visited and told the guy I wanted a 135 convertible. Without any negotiation he took $2200 off MSRP. And I didn't bite because I want somewhere around $500 over invoice. And this was a special order because of course they didn't actuall have any,

[xjet04]

Originally Posted by bdoooh

TrueCar.com I used it and got even more off.. $400 above invoice.

Not familiar with that site. Will have to check it out.

Originally Posted by ejm3

On Friday I walked into a dealership I had never visited and told the guy I wanted a 135 convertible. Without any negotiation he took $2200 off MSRP. And I didn't bite because I want somewhere around $500 over invoice. And this was a special order because of course they didn't actuall have any,

Now that's what I'm talking about! Either my guy is full of shit or I need to talk directly to his manager and/or find a new dealership. January is not typically known for booming sales figures. I'd think they would want to give at least a slight appearance of wanting to attract my business.

[ejm3]

The dealer near my house when I test drove it said something about 6% being his profit margin and implied that I could probably get 6% off MSRP.

Thats still a bit more than the $500 over invoice I'm looking for. But then when I went back to this dealer to talk price he wouldn't give me one. He wanted me to make an offer.

I hate buying cars!

[DriveHard]

that dealer is full of doo-doo... hes doing his job.. no law or rule that says he has to sell under msrp....the only thing he looses is a customer..

shop around, try another dealer and get a quote and go back to him and show him what you were offered...i bet you he will come pretty close to make the sale..

[KingOfJericho]

I got the first 2010 delivered in the US and I paid $700 over invoice. Go on edmunds and build the car with options to find out the actual invoice price. With that in hand, you can now do a heads-up negotiation. The bottom line is that he's full of shit and thinks you're uninformed. Arm yourself properly and then negotiate.

[ejm3]

My intent is to go in and offer $500 over invoice at the end of Jan.
We'll see how that goes.

[xjet04]

Yeah, I went to bmwconfig.com and found out exactly what my invoice price for what I want is and I told him that I know he is looking for thousands more than what I consider realistic. He stood firm, so I'm waiting to hear back from his manager to find out if there is anything on the ground here in the States that fits my needs. I highly doubt that will pan out considering a manual transmission is at the top of my list.

I very much appreciate the replies and encouragement from everybody. Please keep it coming and I will keep you posted on my progress. I'm about to fire off an email their way as soon as I post this.

[Section147]

Originally Posted by DriveHard

shop around, try another dealer and get a quote and go back to him and show him what you were offered...
i bet you he will come pretty close to make the sale.

Exactly right. $400-$500 over invoice or move on. Either to another dealer or another CA if that's not convenient.

[Jdawg3576]

Originally Posted by xjet04

Yeah, I went to bmwconfig.com and found out exactly what my invoice price for what I want is and I told him that I know he is looking for thousands more than what I consider realistic. He stood firm, so I'm waiting to hear back from his manager to find out if there is anything on the ground here in the States that fits my needs. I highly doubt that will pan out considering a manual transmission is at the top of my list.

I very much appreciate the replies and encouragement from everybody. Please keep it coming and I will keep you posted on my progress. I'm about to fire off an email their way as soon as I post this.

I just ordered my car for a little over $900 over invoice. I probably could have negotiated for more but this will be the 3rd car I have bought from them and they have always offered excellent customer service. The first time you have to bring the car back for service or a problem, you will find out there is more to buying a car than just price and despite what most people think, they do remember the ones who grind them into the ground.

I personally am willing to pay a bit more for excellent customer service. My advice is to find someone who you like working with, build a relationship, and make a fair offer. It has worked well for me in the past.

[Section147]

Originally Posted by Jdawg3576

The first time you have to bring the car back for service or a problem, you will find out there is more to
buying a car than just price...My advice is to find someone who you like working with, build a relationship,
and make a fair offer.

Excellent points! But there's something missing from your equation. I've found that when you make multiple
purchases from the same dealer, you've built a relationship with everyone there...and they should be fair
enough to return the favor. You shouldn't feel as though you have to "pay a bit more" for excellent customer
service. You're a third-time buyer! At this point they owe you the respect to give you the absolute best deal
possible...without you having to jump through any hoops.

[MPowerF1]

Originally Posted by Jdawg3576

I just ordered my car for a little over $900 over invoice. I probably could have negotiated for more but this will be the 3rd car I have bought from them and they have always offered excellent customer service. The first time you have to bring the car back for service or a problem, you will find out there is more to buying a car than just price and despite what most people think, they do remember the ones who grind them into the ground.

I personally am willing to pay a bit more for excellent customer service. My advice is to find someone who you like working with, build a relationship, and make a fair offer. It has worked well for me in the past.

Agreed on all fronts. Plus, having that relationship means negotiating the next time takes a hell of a lot less time.

[Jdawg3576]

Originally Posted by Section147

Excellent points! But there's something missing from your equation. I've found that when you make multiple
purchases from the same dealer, you've built a relationship with everyone there...and they should be fair
enough to return the favor. You shouldn't feel as though you have to "pay a bit more" for excellent customer
service. You're a third-time buyer! At this point they owe you the respect to give you the absolute best deal
possible...without you having to jump through any hoops.

I guess you are right to a degree. I consider my SA a personal friend at this point (he is a golfing buddy) and we have had many candid conversations regarding how automotive sales people actually make their money. Commissioned sales is a tough way to make money, especially in this economy, and if you let them make a little at the time of sale, I have found that the level of customer service is repaid tenfold when the time comes.
I have built a relationship with the "boss" as well and my negotiating time is almost non-existent. I tell them what I want, they give me my best deal up front and I have found them to be extremely fair in their offer.

[mdputnam]

CostCo has a car buying service. When I ordered in December the pre-negotiated price was 3% over dealer invoice, plus you got $500 back from CostCo. BMWCCA also has a rebate program, ($500 on a 1Series) fill out the form send in copies of your documents and you get a check, but you have to be a member for at least a year.

So, that's 3% over invoice with $1,000 cash back to special order a car, not too bad for a total of 15 minutes invested at one dealer.

[Sinister Crayon]

Dealer's full of crap. Even if you're not willing or able to do a European Delivery it might even behoove you to talk to a non-local dealer and do a Performance Center Delivery. Believe me, it's an experience you'll never forget... and your location isn't that much of a drive. I know... I did it to St. Louis in a day.

$500 to $1000 over invoice is the normal markup for enthusiasts. Anything more is just the dealer trying to pad their pockets.

May I suggest talking to Adrian Avila or Irv Robinson (the latter is who I ended up going through). Both of them are out of state for you, but if you're doing a PCD then you'll do all the paperwork by Fedex and never actually have to meet the CA. It was by far the best buying experience I have ever had. Although I did ED+PCD I don't see why these guys wouldn't happily do a PCD only deal for you at over-invoice.

[xjet04]

Thanks for keeping the suggestions coming. This will be my third new car from this dealership, but my first with my new CA. Doing an out of state deal would be pretty inconvenient as I'll be trading in my current 1er. Im going to start off by talking to my other local dealerships if this guy doesn't come around the next time I talk to him.