Buying a BMW

Does anyone have any info on the negotiating range for a BMW? From what I can tell, they seem to seek $3,500 - $3,800 profit from cost to sticker so what I'm asking is if anyone knows how small of a profit they will actually sell a car for?

Any thoughts about the 328i or 3 series BMW's would also be welcome.

Just to make sure you know about it, but before buying a car you should always check out edmunds.com.  You can get pricing information, dealer information, and reviews on cars.  Also, ALWAYS find a polular forum for the car you are interested in.  I am sure there are several for the 3 series.  You can find out all the issues with the cars people are having and often find out what people are paying.

The only thing I know about the 3 series are constant problems with window regulators and they are not cheap to fix after warranty.  And general interior issues over time. 

 I own a 2001 330ci which I bought brand new. I still have it and at 70,000 miles, it's still running strong. Original clutch and brake shoes. I drive fairly easy on the car because I like to increase it's longevity and to conserve fuel. But when you put your foot in it, it's revs very nicely and handles!

The only problems have been small ones. And nothing to write home about. I had the water pump replaced at 60,000 miles. The dealer found it was leaking, or weeping during the 60K service. No window problems, but sometimes the power window will close, then open down a few inches after it reaches the closed position. I just have to hold the button to fully close it. I figure that could be a dirty sensor. I have not looked into it yet.

Here's a great site you should join: http://www.bimmerfest.com/

And this one too, though I don't go here much: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/index.php

In terms of dealing for a good price. When I bought my car, it was a total custom order. I didn't know any better really. I think some people managed to get a better deal then me. I just went to the dealer, and ordered the car. The color, leather, xenon lights (New at the time), Harmon Kardon sound system, moon roof, 17" M wheels, blah, blah, blah. I wished I ordered the navigation, but I thought I'd be prudent. Then I waited 3 months and it was shipped here.

It was my first BMW. So I went in and the car is priced based on what you want on the car. I suppose now in our current economic environment, you could try to deal with what they have sitting on the lot and get what you get.

One last thing, it was my first BMW. Before, I had a couple of new American cars. The experience of delivery probably varies from dealer to dealer, but the salesman spent about an hour going over the whole car and explaining all the features and how they work. That was nice. Though I paid for it of course!

Good luck!

Thanks guys! The problem I have with Edmunds in terms of getting pricing info is that their True Market Value information reflects more what other people paid, rather than what you can get the car for. My last purchase, a 2004 Toyota Solara SLE V6 for example had a TMV on Edmunds of $26,600 but I ended up paying $24,900 for the same car. Otherwise, Edmunds is a great site.

Definitely going to check out those links and post on the forums. I tried one forum and got one reply telling me I should buy an Audi A5 and then everybody proceeded to attack him.

Nelson, do you know if they typically take 3 months or is that an extreme because you had so much custom stuff in the order? I have to say I test drove the 328xi (or is it ix?) and it was easily the smoothest, best handling car I've ever driven....Of course, my Solara is pretty much like a boat in terms of handling.

Hi Carl-

To be honest, I don't know what it's like to order a BMW today, but I suspect it's the same. Back then, in all the web searches and discussion of the BMW forums, it was typical to wait 3 months. No matter how custom you ordered the car. It wasn't really custom, it was build to order. I thought at the time that is how you buy a BMW! Later on , I realized that some dealers have cars on the lot and you could go and buy those too.

I can say that a year later, my friend bought a Mini the same way. Went to the dealer, put some money down and she ordered it as she wanted, 3 months later, she got it. Made sense since BMW builds the Mini.

I just took a look at bmwusa.com. Their site still has a Build Your Own section where you can select colors and features, packages and it will update the price of the car. I did that back in 2001 to help me decide on features and pricing. But I went to the dealer to do the actual purchase.

I see they still have European delivery too. You could plan a vacation, pick up the car there at the factory, drive it around and then they ship it back to the US when you're done.

A BMW is a solid car! Some purists will say that the last generation of e90 and e92 3 series has veered away from the Driving Machine experience and moved too far to luxury. The car did get heavier and more laden with gadgets. But it's still an incredible machine. If I needed a new car, and I had some extra money, I'd be looking at the M3! But it's kind of over the top.

Nelson, thanks again for the info! Just to update...I got an internet quote on a 2010 328ix that was actually $400 below dealer cost per Consumer Reports car report and an identical pricing sheet from one of the forums you pointed me to. There must be some incentive for the dealer of course, but it seems like a good deal to me.

I'm going for a face to face visit at the dealer next weekend, If the financing is right, and they don't try to pull any stunts on me, I think I'm going to take the plunge.

Congratulations Carl and good luck with the purchase!

Are you going to order the car or get one off the lot? Either way, you'll be having a great time with a really great car!

The Edmunds TMV is just a loose guideline.  What's valuable there are the actual dealer pricing numbers including direct to dealer incentives.  Cars.com also has this kind of information.

Congratulations in advance, please post a picture of your new car when you get it.  I have some extended family that swears by the brand and have had very good ownership experiences.  My Audi ownership experience was such that I would hesitate to buy the brand again or recommended it.

 Hey Philip, I'm not ready to replace my BMW coupe, but I really like the new A5 coupe. If I need a car, I would consider that car as one option.

Carl, if you do get the 328, and you're a car nut, it's really hard to not do things like change wheels or some other thing! I replaced the original steering wheel with an M3 steering wheel, it's thicker and looked cooler! And at the time, the turn signal lights were amber. I replaced them with the clears, as they called them. I might do a body kit too now that my car is getting older.