2013 and earlier BMW 3-Series Prices Paid and Buying Experience

sender1 · July 2005

I'm in NY also and was wondering if you would post the dealership you ordered your car from. It sounds like a good deal to me too.

sender1 · July 2005

Sorry, I didn't scroll far enough to get info. (Greenwich BMW). Thanks, hope I can get as good a deal.

davidd3 · July 2005

I don't see why not. Good luck. Hope you can get it done before the price increase. You'll probably have to confront them with competitive offers to get them as low as they'll go.

hollya · July 2005

I am ready to buy a 325xi BMW 04 or 05. I have always wanted one. But I want to make sure I do this right. Please help me. You actually need to tell me what to say. I am in real estate sales and buy and sell property but don't know how to do this. Please help fme from the beginning. HollyA

michaeln1 · July 2005

yo guys, im about to finish up ordering my bimmer heres what im getting-

- 2006 330i
-sapphire black metallic paint
-black leather
-alumminum trim
-premium package
-cold weather package
-park distace control
-automatic transmission
-navigation with iDrive

negotiated price was $42,395. my dealership is throwing in mats too, those were like $125 or something.

poldim · July 2005

Kenney,
I thought I already made my email public, but I guess not. I just fixed that. I sent an email to Tischer yesterday, havent checked email for a reply yet, thats my next step. Im going through getting all the Balto/DC dealers to give me a quote and go from there. I want to see what the variance is and who really wants to sell me the car.

When I needed parts for my Integra, Tischer had amazing service and pricing. They were able to get me a body kit, that was no longer in production, for more than half off MSRP.

What did you end up getting? Or are you still on the search?

I got word that Comfort Access is a $455 option.

rhmass · July 2005

I ordered almost the identical car you are considering with the exception of the navigation this Sunday. The salesman called me today to finalize the numbers and told me orders taken after today will be raised by 1.2%. So I suggest you finish the deal today, if not already, as the rumored increase is real.

kmg68 · July 2005

How much is that over invoice??

eds1300 · July 2005

I am interested in leasing a 2006 325i with automatic transmission, premium package, and xenon lights. MSRP ranging from 34,500-to-37,500.

What kind of rates should I look for? And, from what dealer?

Thank you.

michaeln1 · July 2005

according to edmunds invoice for this would be $40,600. MSRP is $44,295. i got it to $42,395. i guess that makes it $1,795 over invoice and $1,900 under MSRP

eds1300 · July 2005

Here's the first bid that I got from a Bay area dealer:

2006 325i for 36/12,000
Total MSRP $36,520
Selling Price $34,810.00
Net Cap $35,635.00 << Bank Fee $825.00 (is this acq. fee?)
Cap Reduction $0.00
Tax(8.5%) $3.83
Drive Off $1,510.67 License & Registration $296.75
Doc Fee $45.00
1st Payment $565.09
Security Deposit $600.00 (higer than Audi's $350?)
Cash Required $1,510.67
Payment $520.82 Monthly Rent $170.06
Monthly Depreciation $350.76
Payment with Tax $565.09 Ta(8.5%) $44.27
Residual Factor 63.0%
Money Factor 2.9000

Advice on things that I need to negotiate downward and the bank fee?

I appreciate any feedbacks.

mayberryguy · July 2005

Mark, Try Bill DeFouw in Lafayette, IN. I didn't have very good luck on pricing with D&R in Indy when I bought my 05 325xi back in March. Bill DeFouw in Lafayette beat D&R's price by almost $1,500 and they went to the north side of Chicago for the dealer trade(D&R had the car I wanted on the lot but wouldn't deal with me or dealer trade DeFouw). I was so shocked by the initial offer by DeFouw that I didn't think twice about haggling further on the price.

This was the easiest car buying experience I have ever had with absolutely no pressure. Good luck.

kyfdx · July 2005

1) Bank fee is the acquisition fee.. base fee is $625. Marked up $200

2) $700 off MSRP? Not great... but, I have no judgements on that..

3) Money factor.. .0029.. base rate is .0025... marked up the maximum .0004

4) Security deposit is based on the monthly payment.. smaller payment, smaller security deposit..

At only $700 off MSRP, you should at least be getting the base rates... The bump in acquisition fee and money factor is raising the payment by $30/mo..

regards,
kyfdx

eds1300 · July 2005

Kyfdx,

I appreciate your feedback. I'm deciding on either the Audi A4 2.0T lease of $339/24-month, with $1999.00 down, $350 deposit and acq. fee of $575.00 or the 06 325i.

I'm willing to pay little more for the 325i, but not way more....

I wanted to only add premium package, automatic transmission and xenon headlights, but in order to get those packages and have the car delivered immediately you had to have the sirius satellite radio, which bumped up the MSRP to $36,520, with selling price of $34,810.

Will I be able to negotiate on these factors with any success:

1. Marked up amount on acquisition fee?
2. Go down on the money factor to .0027 or even .0026?
3. If I bump down the yearly miles to 12,000 or even 10,000 will they lower the payment?

I am planning on shopping around 3-or-4 dealers around the Bay area.

Thank you,

kyfdx · July 2005

Well... The A4 is a really nice car.. If I could get it substantially cheaper than a 3-series, I'd have a hard time passing it up (Quattro).

As stated before... at that selling price, they should drop to the base acq.fee and money factor... Or, alternatively, take another $1000 off the selling price..

If you drop the mileage to 12K, the residual goes up 2%, at 10K, it goes up 3%.. That will lower the payment by $20 or $30/mo. respectively.. and approximately..

regards,
kyfdx

kdawg425 · July 2005

2002 325i Certified through BMW dealer with 30,000 miles. Options include premium package, sports package, xenon headlights, sunroof, leather, folding seats. Asking $25,500. Thanks for your feedback.

poldim · July 2005

Does anyone know if the price increase that is supposed to go in effect today will affect ED cars?

I've talked to 4 dealerships. I've been told that it goes into affect on July 20, today, and some say that if its in Septembers production. The percentage which it will raise has also varied form 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, and 1.8.

poldim · July 2005

This is one dealers reply

"The main difference between the current order bank and the post September 1st order bank is going to be the price. The current production run ends on July 20th. Any car ordered after the close of business will be subject to the September 1st 1.5% across the board price increase. Well know more on Monday as to whether or not well be able to order September cars with the current pricing."

davidd3 · July 2005

Actually, I found out about the price increase by monitoring this forum. I ordered my car on July 13 and gave a $1,000 deposit. Mine is for domestic delivery, not ED. I got my order in before the price increase in any event. But I now find it odd that the salesperson did not mention the price increase to me as a way to get me to hurry up and place an order. Apparently I only beat the price increase by only one week.

So I can't answer your questions with any certainty. In this forum, I recall seeing July 20 and 1.4%.

bigpapi · July 2005

Does anyone have any experience with Boston dealerships?

I went on a short test drive with a salesguy at Peabody in an 06 325i and he was about as talkative as a doormat. He also kept insisting that there was no need for an xi, even though we had about 6 consecutive weekends of snow last winter.

I get my VW serviced in Norwood, so I was thinking about visiting the BMW dealdership there as well.

poldim · July 2005

The guy's manager who sent me the email just called me back.

He said its from August 1st. and its 1.5%

Go figure....

rhmass · July 2005

We just ordered the 06 330i from a local dealer in the metro Boston area and paid $750 over invoice. I don't know if the deal is for everybody or for those long time customers as we received an invitation letter and we also had bought 4 BMWs from the same dealer over the years.
If you are interested, I can check with this salesman. Just give me your e-mail address.
Both 06 325i and 330i are tremendous cars. Once I tested drove it, I knew it was the car to own.
I don't know if you need AWD around here. We have the sport wagon with AWD and also the 3 series sedan which we had winter tires put on. I actually felt more secure in the car with winter tires in snow. We have all season tires on the AWD.

kennynmd · July 2005

Where did you buy from? Did you get my email?

eds1300 · July 2005

What areas of leasing are you able to write-off as self-employed?

Such as monthly rent, monthly depreciation, taxes, insurance, gas, maintenance, license/registration, acquisition fee, doc fee and so on?

Thank you.

poldim · July 2005

Through an aquantance at the dealership (Russel BMW in Ellicott City, MD), I was able to get a price of $2,700 below MSRP (a profit of $1,125 over Invoice).

The problem was that they werent able to give me a price on the car with Comfort Acces. Their explanation was that because of the price spike that was to go into effect on 7/20, they dont know the price for Comfort Access and their system would not allow them to order it.

I took their quote and said I'd think about it.

I then drove to the dealership I went to on my very first visit to see the 3 series. I was hesistant to go there because the manager said he was going to call me back previous with an answer to one of my questions and never did. I spoke to a sales rep who offered me 500 below MSRP, I said thank you and started walking out. On my way out, he was following me and introduced me to his manager again. The sales rep was not aware of my previous visit. The gen manager remembered me and then I pulled out the paper from Russel with their offer. He said he could match it but not go below it. I then asked about Comfort Access and he said thats not a problem and he'd throw it in for the Invoice price of $455. As it stands now, I have given them a $500 deposit for the car.

My current concern is that if the price on the car does go up, they will force it on me at the last minute. So I dont know if I should stay with this guy, or find another dealer that sounds more solid and trust worthy than this dealership (Northwest).

adp3 · July 2005

BigPapi: I have bene told it's all about the tires. I have a Volvo XC90 that is terrific in the snow, but I put Nokian WRs (I think) on it - the only 4-season tire that also has the snowflake on it. I was told that the 90 is awful in the snow with the 4-season Michelins on it, and I didn't want to chance it, so I bought the Nokians, which I keep on for 6 months of the year (when I am likely to go to Tahoe for the weekend). I'd do the same in Boston. 3-season performance tires (on your beemer) from May 1- October 30, and then the snowies from Nov. 1-April 30. You'll be golden. (and your performance tires will last twice as long, by they way - all you need is a place to store the unused tires)

wco81 · July 2005

If you negotiate better deals on either car, share the details including dealership name please.

stein1 · July 2005

Thanks to all of you on this board who alerted the rest of us to the price increase. I spoke to 3 dealersin the past few days and when I brought up the price increase they all had no idea. They had to check with their managers and sure enough a memo was sent but many weren't even aware of it until after I brought it up. I ordered yesterday 7/20, so hopefully I will avoid the increase. I've been following these forums for a while now and always gain valuable information so thanks again!

michaeln1 · July 2005

i did finish the order that day. thanks for the input though. i found out on the 15th that there was going to be an increase, thanks to a buddy that worked there.

devildogg79 · July 2005

Could you work these numbers out with a trade in of $3000????

devildogg79 · July 2005

$43,545 MSRP
$41,500 Selling price
$42,125 Cap cost (selling price + acq.fee)
3yr/45K lease
Residual 59%
MF .0025
Payment $626/mo.+ tax.. $676/mo. with 8% tax included..

Sorry...these numbers with a $3000 trade in???

bigpapaluke · July 2005

With a $3000 trade in, I'm getting $578 / month with tax.

3 Year (15K)
MSRP $43,545.00
Selling $41,500.00
Net Cap Cost $39,125.00
Residual 59.00%
Term: 36
Miles: 15000
Amount used $13,433.45
Depr pmt $373.15
Money Factor .0025
Interest $162.04
Lease pmt b4 tax $535.19
Sales Tax $42.82
Total Pmt $578.01

$2000 off MSRP looks really good. What options are you getting on your vehicle?

Luke

chatkat · July 2005

Yes, you can write off the a percentage of car expenses subject to keeping a mileage log and if you use the car 80% for business than you can deduct 80% of costs subject to the lease inclusion factor.

eds1300 · July 2005

Seems dealers around California are not moving their money factor from .00295. I can get the acq. fee down to 625, but they want to bump up the selling price by 200.

I will send an another email requesting the fator of .0025, if not it's Audi, C-class, or TL time.

eds1300 · July 2005

I got the sale price to $33,995.00 with metallic paint, premium, automatic and xenon lights.

The dealer wants $3,453 cash down, with $2,660 in cap reduction, which I am not going to do. I asked for 65% residual based on 12,000/36-month, but he can only come up with 64% on 10,000. He stated that BMW does not offer 65% residual and that they are firm with money factor of .0029(a 7.3% apr). With $4,500 drive off puts the monthly payment at $423.00, which includes taxes.

The selling price is good, but the fees and financing does not sound good at all right now. I will send more emails to other Bay area dealers.

kyfdx · July 2005

One point... quit negotiating residual.. It is set by BMWFS, and is not negotiable..

Base money factor is .0025.. that is as low as they can go..

You never have to make a cap cost reduction... They are only showing that to make the payment look lower... Of course, without the cap cost reduction, the payment will be higher..

eds1300 · July 2005

>>One point... quit negotiating residual.. It is set by BMWFS, and is not negotiable..

Base money factor is .0025.. that is as low as they can go.<<

True, but I had one dealer giving me a residual of 63% on 15,000/36-month, while another giving me 64% on 10,000/36-month. You would think 15,000 miles less in a vehicle would warrant higher than 1% residual. Post 4229 got their money factor down to .00199, but i'm guessing they put some money down to lower their rates. I will trying again to lower the money factor to .0025, but it seems the dealers are very reluctant.

Thanks for your help K.

kyfdx · July 2005

The 36mo./15K residual is 61%
36mo./12K is 63%
36mo./10K is 64%

Money down shouldn't affect the money factor.. Dealers can mark it up, but can't go below the base rate.. I'll look back at that post...

regards,
kyfdx

kyfdx · July 2005

That appears to be a third-party bank lease...

goldensky · July 2005

Why does it seem everyone here leases vs. purchase? Are there incentives that make it preferable?

kenshiro · July 2005

Hi All,
I have requested a quote from several local dealers and the lowest quote I received was $1300 over invoice price. The car I wanted includes Premium Package and Steptronic.
Does invoice price = the invoice price for the car and the invoice price of all the options as well or just the car? So the final price should be around the same as the total with options invoice price I receive from Edmunds ($37550+$1300)?
Are there any other charges that dealer may put on it other than tax/fee?

Thanks for the responses

davidd3 · July 2005

The main reason most people lease rather than buy is because monthly payments are considerably lower (and therefore more affordable) on a lease. This is because you are only financing the depreciation portion. BMWFS sets the residuals pretty high, which makes the depreciation portion less.

goldensky · July 2005

Thanks for replying, I've been reading and considering for a few days and wondered if there was something I was missing. Do people typically convert the lease to a purchase at the end of the term or just keep leasing the latest model?

rhmass · July 2005

Invoice price should include all the options as well. Other fees dealers may tag on include "advertising" which you should insist on not paying and "documentation" which is negotiable. You can also ask the dealer to throw in floor mats, and touch-up paint (you'll need it in time) as no cost items.

newowner · July 2005

I really want the '06 325ix and want to pay invoice or a few hundred over. A salesman from Mercedes told me he would sell any C class for invoice, so I am wondering if BMW would too?

I have a few requests in and wanted some expert advice. I live in WA and did not have a good experience at the Tacoma dealership in '97.

kasperghost · July 2005

When considering price on the 325ix, consider the 2 companies, BMW is gaining market share and MB is losing it. The 3 is selling very well and you are looking at a model not even released yet. (Maybe somebody here can post sales #'s for June...?). They also have above average reliability and MB is suffering QC problems. BMW is also increasing prices; this is a small sign that they think their product is doing well. If you are close to a decision- you may want to pre-order. I don't know if you'll escape the price increase though.

When looking on these boards, the readers are spread all over the country and a single smokin' deal does not a trend make. Some of the trends I have noticed for purchases- not leases: East coast: best deals, middle of the country, OK deals, west coast- Meaning CA- very little haggling.

Where do you live in Washington- I grew up in the tri-cities. Are you close to the border? AWD seems pretty stout for Washington.

Hope this helps-

kyfdx · July 2005

Mercedes may have some incentives that allow the dealer to sell at invoice and still make money.. The new 3-series has no such incentives... It looks like $1000-$1500 over invoice is about the best you can hope for on a new 3.

I would focus more on the actual selling prices of the two cars.. and decide which is the better deal for you, on a value basis..

Whether it is at invoice, or $2000 over invoice is sort of irrelevant... Once you have decided on a car, then getting that car as cheaply as possible then becomes very relevant..

regards,
kyfdx

spoondog · July 2005

has anyone bought a 2006 330i in the bayarea. i'm curious as what most of the people are paying. here's what im what i'm looking for
arctic blue/ blk leather int. sport and premium pkg, active steering, power sunshade, satellite radio and auto tranny. i'm planning to buy one this coming weekend. also, can anyone recommend a dealership. i've been to bmwsf and didnt had a good impression.

saigonboi21 · July 2005

hello, i have some questions about the ED program. I looked it up and it says that ED price for an 06 325i is $28,180. Then the packages i want adds another $5,600. So the total is $33,780. So that's the rpice i pay plus taxes??? or is that the MSRP which means u can take more off? and also- i have to pay dealers $1000-1500 profit, so is that added onto the $33,780?? cus if that's the case, then it's pretty much the same thing as just buying it here. And if u add the cost of the trip to Europe, it will cost even more than what it will cost here. Please let me know bcus im buying a car this week. Thanks

jrct9454 · July 2005

Dealer costs for EU delivery are lower than for the US. Invoice [old pricing - there is a new price coming that will increase it by about $600] for the EU delivered 325 is $25,645. Add all your options, including the $695 destination charge, and you should save somewhere between $2000 and $2500 on the EU delivery. Yes, you can get some dealers to do better. You need the complete invoice list for both EU and US delivery to accurately calculate dealer cost in both cases. I'm not allowed to post the link here, but you can google on the topic of BMW invoice cost, and I'm sure you'll get what you want.

Assuming you are going overseas anyway, EU delivery is always a better deal - but you have to figure an extra 60-90 days of interest because you won't have a car to use here until you've dropped it off in Europe and had it shipped back to the local dealer, which can take another 6-8 weeks.

Generally, you can figure on saving about 7% over what you would pay for the same car in the US, all other things being equal....which they rarely are.

2013 and earlier BMW 3-Series Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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