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

mikeike12000

That's the thing the invoice that we in are being offered is 24900 on a BMW 325i which is about 2000 lower than the states. There has to be some catch though, we all know dealers and there not going to walk away without the chance to really help a soldier out! Knowing that soldiers are the quickest and easiests targets too get the good bonus on a car sale.

livinbmw

If you're going to bring that car back to the states, what about emission standards and the warranty? I believe if your car is from outside the US that the warranty is void.

macroorchids

Does Livinbmw or anyone else know if the 1.9% apr is just for the 330? Does it also work on the 325?

cota99

Hi,

I am looking to get a 325i in late December or early January. Do you guys think it would be possible to get a 2004 at or very close to invoice if I wait until then? I want the premium package + steptronic + leather + xenon headlights. I'm in Los Angeles, so we have quite a few dealers here. Thanks...

macroorchids

I am in southern california. Will that make a difference?

footloose

Is this a fair deal?

325xi 2003, 500 miles
4 year/60,000 mile warranty
topaz blue metallic
black leather
cold weather pkg
sport pkg
glass moonroof
on bd computer
harmon kardon sound

invoice: 33,450
Dealer First Offer: 32,950

According to the dealer, the car was in a satellite parking lot and they forgot about it until they recently came across it. The title has never been transferred.

Thanks for any feedback here.

footloose

Does anyone know what dealer incentive is? I heard 1200 dollars until the end of the month. ...

jimmymack1

I'm looking at a 325i. the dealer told me he would honor edmunds tmv price minus the $1200 incentive. the 1.9% financing was all he needed to close the deal. had looked hard at the acura tl ,it offered a lot but bmw's reputation made me stick with them(of course the incentive swayed me.
the 330 model offers a 2400 +%1.9 incentive. it's good till 8/31

madrax

Are there any incentives being offered on 330CIC's?

livinbmw

no..........that's probably an MSRP car.

blueguydotcom

No car right now is msrp - save for the prius.

for a cic you might want to consider euro delivery for maximum savings.

1234567890

Performance Pkg
Automatic
Xenon
Heated Seats

$49, 138

Good deal or not

bimmer12

Has anyone taken advantage of the july lease incentives for a 325xi or 330xi? Just curious what to expect for monthly payments. Thanks in advance

kyfdx

1) No dealer "forgets" about a car for 8 months.

2) On December 1, all '03 325s still in inventory were reported sold by the dealers and they collected an incentive ($2K on 325i, not sure what 325xi was, but I think it was $1500).

3) When they reported the car sold, the warranty and free maintenance clock started ticking. That means the car has a 4yr/50K warranty starting from that time, not when you take delivery.

4) Regardless of dealer cost (which should be about $32K), the car is now an entire model year old. I don't think I would even consider it for any more than $30K.

5) Ask the salesman to have the service department pull the vehicle history report and show it to you. If I am correct about all of the above, there will be an expiration date for the warranty and the free maintenance. Subtract four years and that is when the car was put in service or reported sold. If the warranty is for 55K miles, the it was put in the service loaner/demo program.

regards,
kyfdx

rroyce10

.... ** No dealer "forgets" about a car for 8 months - Ask the salesman to have the service department pull the vehicle history report and show it to you **

                Great points .. this "might" have been a dealer trade, maybe the financing fell through, who knows .. but no dealer pays the floorplan for 8+ months and "forgets" about it .. now, I've seen it happen in a 450 unit a month Ford store on an "ultra super rare" occasion, but it's kinda hard to miss it in a 60/70 unit Bimmer store .l.o.l..

                            Terry.

djsway

Hi, I know, another request for help post, but please do! I don't want to get ripped off!
Anyways, this is what I'm looking for in southern Cali.
2004 325ci
white, sport package, leatherette, moonroof, automatic, and maybe Harmon/Kardon package.
Edmund.com reports $30 to $31k invoice. Now here's my questions:
1. What price should I negotiate for? Under invoice?

2. BMW offers 4 years/50k bumpber to bumper warranty, is there anything that I should be aware about this warranty?

3. I have a car loan with my credit union, what if the deal offer a lower insterest loan, should I take it? Any hidden fees on their loans?

4. How should I negotiate? First by phone and calling different dealers then go to the one with best price? What should I base my negotiation on? That I can buy another car for the same price or that another dealer has a better price?

5. Any tips for first time BMW buyers? How do I find out about incentives?

Thank you!

kyfdx

2) no problems with the warranty.. also includes maintenance for the same term.

3) If the dealer can beat the rate, take it... Only thing to look out for are extra fees related to the loan and pre-payment penalty (though thats not likely).

4) Before I started negotiating, I'd do some window shopping and find out how hard it will be to find the car you want. With all the options, the 3-series can be had in about 1 million configurations. Look around to see what is out there.. You can almost always make a better deal for a car that is on the lot, than an order or a dealer trade.

jazevedo

I've never bought new before...anyone know what BMW recommends for the engine break in? I've heard that you shouldn't keep the car at the same RPM for a long time? Is that right? Or do you only need to keep the rpm's under a certain number like 4K? I was considering buying from a dealer in socal, but I live in bay area...but if I had to vary the rpm's the long drive back would be annoying.

Also, I'm looking at a 330 w/ performance package - without ordering the car from the factory, I guess there is no way to demand a car that was never test driven - I hate to think of people red-lining the car during a test drive to test the power, especially since that is during the break-in period! Is this something I should be worried about? When I test drove the dealer didn't come with me and he didn't even tell me to keep the revs down - it had 150 miles on it.

Thanks.

vangooch

I'm looking to lease a 2004 325i with an MSRP of $30,300 (invoice of $28,000 incl. destination). Is the $1,200 manufacturer-to-dealer cash incentive (thru Aug. 31st) a *lease* incentive or a *buy-only* incentive, or both ?

Also, given that it's late in the model year, what amount should I set for dealer profit in calculating my offer ($28,000 less $1,200 dealer incentive plus dealer profit addback ranging from from $ ___ (initial offer) to $ ___ (final, take-it-or-leave it offer) ?).

Any dealers in the Southern California area that come highly recommended ?

Thanks,

van

kyfdx

The incentive is valid for lease or buy deals. Most good deals would be for $500-$1500 over invoice minus incentive.

I'd look around first, though.. stripper models are hard to find.

regards,
kyfdx

blueguydotcom

If you're willing to go to San Diego, Cunningham does $400 over invoice - incentive on 3 series cars with a Costco card.

Jaz,

anyone know what BMW recommends for the engine break in? I've heard that you shouldn't keep the car at the same RPM for a long time? Is that right? Or do you only need to keep the rpm's under a certain number like 4K? I was considering buying from a dealer in socal, but I live in bay area...but if I had to vary the rpm's the long drive back would be annoying.

The manual suggests not breaking 4k, which is easy with a 6 speed and to very it some. That means don't do 75 on the button for 1 hour. Go to 80, then 75, then 77, 85, etc.

Also, I'm looking at a 330 w/ performance package - without ordering the car from the factory, I guess there is no way to demand a car that was never test driven - I hate to think of people red-lining the car during a test drive to test the power, especially since that is during the break-in period! Is this something I should be worried about? When I test drove the dealer didn't come with me and he didn't even tell me to keep the revs down - it had 150 miles on it.

150 miles on a new car :O Seems really high. Some are cool with that. Every new car I've purchased had fewer than 6 miles on it. to each his own.

kyfdx

When the car comes off the assembly line, as soon as the last piece of trim is snapped in place, they drive it right onto a dyno machine and test it.. Right up to 140KM/HR. No, they don't redline it, but the car comes right out of the box ready to go.. I would rather have a car that only has six miles on it, but I don't think I would be overly worried about 150 miles.

But, there should be plenty of new cars on the lot that haven't been driven.. They usually put the cars in a demo program for that purpose.

regards,
kyfdx

jazevedo

Thanks, yeah they were offering a better deal on the one with 150 miles on it..they probably had it for awhile. I wasn't planning on buying from them anyway, but I started thinking about it...and since I've never bought a new car before I wasn't sure what the norm was in terms of acceptable miles. Thanks for the responses.

alibajalajaula

Jaz- I also got a ZHP, mine had 4 miles. What I suggest instead of ordering from factory is checking with a friendly dealer to see if he's willing to make a swap with another dealer,or re-route your favorite combination directly from the boat (i.e. east coast) to them. The car will arrive in a closed carrier, with very low miles. As far as break in I followed the owner's manual, which I believe is not to exceed 4500 rpm in any gear for the first 1200 miles. Like Blue said, with this 6 gear you handle most posted speeds without red-lining it.

jazevedo

Cool, thanks. A dealer in socal is searching for me now so I'll be sure to ask about mileage when I hear back.

Any regrets on the color you chose? I saw you got imola....it's what I like the best, but I'm wondering if I'd get tired of it over time...

alibajalajaula

Imola it is: I like it, plus its a non-metallic color, so its about $495 (I guess)less than a metallic finish. Colors are a very subjective topic. You either love'em or hate'em, just like italian opera. I had never own a red sporty car like this one so that also influenced my decision. Imola is a tiny city in San Marino, Italy where the Italian Grand Prix F1 is raced every year. So in a way you can say the color has heritage.
Also, at the time you choose a color, IMHO the selection depends on your mood, or better said, state of mind. I mean psychologically speaking. I had an alpine white 325i, which at the time I bought it (2001) I was pretty much into a winter mood, I liked the black/white stark contrast combination and it looked neato. I loved that 5 speed manual, but then when I saw the 6-ZHP I wanted something fiery, ferocious, and well you now know the rest of the story.. no regrets...
BTW, if you have already owned red car, get whatever makes you happy above all..

confused2

I've been looking for immediate delivery of Silver/Grey 330 convertible w/ZHP and Xenons. Finally found one locally, but only potential problem is that it has Alcantara interior, which salesperson described as a suede-like fabric. My first reactionwas that it would stay cooler than leather, but am now wondering whether it looks cheap on 50K+ car. Any one out there like it and why (Car has not been delivered so I have not seen.) Also wondering whether convertible ZHP comes with the M-type lip/rear deck spoiler - dealer is supposed to check but hasn't gotten back to me.

jazevedo

I sat in a zhp with alcantara seats, just to test it out. I actually liked it since I think it would be cooler and it felt comfortable. I'm not sure about comfort over the long term versus leather but it seemed nice. However, I did feel that it was a cheap look for this type of car. For this amount of money, I definitely want to spring for the leather. But that's just my opinion...I'd try it out just to be sure...they didn't have any others with alcantara to sit in? Any other dealers close by you could go to, just to test it?

vangooch

blueguydotcom,

Thanks for the tip. Do you know the expiration date on the Cunningham offer ? Sounds like I need to plan a road trip down to San Diego . . .

van

vee

Hi, I'm considering buying a European Delivery 325i wagon. It is still at the dealer and has 15000 miles on it. It appears to be in good condition other than kind of dirty. I don't know why the buyer decided to back out of the deal once it made it to the States. The MSRP for this vehicle new is $36,620 including destination charge. Should I be charged a destination charge and what would be a fair price on a "used" vehicle?
Thanks, V

vee

Hi,

I'm sorry I entered the wrong mileage. The wagon only has 1,500 miles on it, NOT 15,000!
Sorry, V

307web

I doubt they could back out of the deal at that late date. It must have been traded back in or reposessed.

blueguydotcom

Cunningham always does $400 over for costco members. Until the e90 shows up.

Confused, I considered the Alcantara but I prefer the longer lasting leather. I also find leather cooler (but I have the gray leather) than black cloth.

m4d_cow

can anyone tell me how much i have to pay for M3? i spotted an imola red M3 coupe this morning and im wondering how much its gonna cost.
most poeple i know had to pay sticker price, which is over the MSRP, is it possible to get it below MSRP?

allaboutme1

I have been vaselating between a 3 series and an Acura TSX. At the end of the day the 3 is what jazzes me, but boy are they pricey.

what do you think a fair price for a 2004 325xi 5 spd executive demo with 12K on it? it has premium and cold, xenon and harmon. it is non metallic. Dealer say he bought at auction for a net (after dealer incentive) of 29.5. Invoice on new is 34.5. dealer says vehicle qualifies for 1200 incentive and 1.9% financing.

I could buy a new stripped car for 30K. with all the options on the above do you think it is worth about the same or more??

kyfdx

I doubt they backed out.. Euro delivery cars have to be paid for a month before they are picked up in Germany. I think its more likely that the car was damaged in shipping, and BMW bought it back from the owner. This is all just a guess... It "may" be possible that the buyer bought the car, but after driving it 1500 miles in Europe, decided he needed a 330i or something else and traded it.

If it was truly an ED car, then it is now used. Forget what the MSRP is, except as info for what options are on the car. Dealer cost on the car brand new would be about $32K. With 1500 miles, and otherwise perfect, I'd want the car for $31K or less.... But, have it checked out for body and paint repair.. I think that is most likely.

regards,
kyfdx

vee

Thanks kyfdx,

After talking more with the bmw sales person here she is telling me the car was bought for one of their premier customers to drive around Europe while on a trip there. The dealership did that figuring they would turn it into a loaner car here. However, she doesn't think it has been established as a loaner car yet.

If they do offer to sell it to me for $31K and I decide to buy it would it be kind of outrageous to ask for something in writing as far as the history on the car?

When should I expect the warranty to start from?

Thanks for your help.

Aloha, V

kyfdx

Ask the dealer to pull a BMW vehicle history report.. This will give the in-service date, options, any service history and the expiration of the warranty and free maintenance. If the warranty is good for 3 months extra and a total of 55K miles, that will tell you it has been put in the service loaner/demo program.

The history report will not tell you if there has been any body work or paint work.. Even if BMW does this and notes it, it doesn't show up on the history report for six months. I found that out the hard way.

regards,
kyfdx

vee

Hi kyfdx,

Now the sales person is telling me the car is not really "used" because it hasn't been registered. It has the European plates on it and of course the mileage. They want $35,700 for it! I told her about our emails and she looked up Kelly Blue Book 2004 and came back with $34,815.

The odd thing is yesterday I ran the VIN check and it came up with one bit of info on it (I didn't purchase the detailed info on it). Now, today I ran the check again and it comes up but with zero info on it. I know I entered the same VIN number because the vehicle description was there.

On the tag that was in the window of the vehicle, with all the price info, etc., it says it was "sold to: Schneider.

The plot thickens!

V

307web

It's sleazy. Think about moving on to a different vehicle if the price isn't that great.

kyfdx

Yeah.. well, dealer demos, service loaners, executive cars.. whatever you want to call them.. are rarely worth what they want for them. The discount just never works out to be enough to make up for the mileage. Here, we have a car with an ED invoice price of about $31K, and they want to pull out Kelley Blue Book?

You would be better off buying a new one at that price.

I'm still not buying the premier customer thing.. I guess anything is possible.. And any car that has been delivered will have a BMW vehicle history report.. this one included. I would want to see it.

regards,
kyfdx

sapphire1

Hi,

Can anyone tell me what the 325 incentives for August '04 are?? I've heard on forums that its $1200 cash and 1.9% APR. Is that true for a buy too?

Thanks

topdownrookie

As someone who is looking to purchase his first convertible (a 325Cic), I have a rookie question that needs answering...

Does the color of the interior (which will be leather) really impact how hot it feels when the sun is beating down on you in 80-90% temps? Am I wrong to assume that black leather would feel hotter than a lighter color?

Also, how does a lighter color hold up over time when exposed to the elements and dirt/dust?

m4d_cow

saphire: yes its all true, theres a $1200 incentive from manufacturer to dealer up till august 31st, so its a good time to make bargains

topdown: i say it doesnt matter that much, but yeah imo black feels hotter under the sunlight, thats why i always prefer grey

m4d_cow

i need to find out the price you usually pay for a M3,is it possible to get one for a price below MSRP?

it comes w/ smg, heatedseats, xenon and PP, imola red on black.
i called the dealer and they insisted on the sticker price, claiming that they have over 5 people who want the car and they have onl 3 units. i find it hard to believe though
help, anyone?

kyfdx

Leather exposed to the sun is going to be very hot on bare skin (i.e.: shorts wearers) no matter what the color. I doubt the black will be noticeably hotter than gray or sand (2nd degree vs. 3rd degree burns?). IMHO, black will wear better than sand or grey. Of course, it will show dust more, but hide shoe scuffs, etc. better.

regards,
kyfdx

rroyce10

........ It depends, and I ain't talkin' about the ones you wear, it will all depend on where you live ... north of the Mason/Dixon line you might get away with it .. come a little farther south and "feel" the pain , theres a Huge difference in the temperature and the resale value, same thing with exterior colors .. a black A6 will sell like popcorn in Boston, but a black A6 in Tampa is like the kiss of death, so it depends on where you live .....................

                             Terry.

xroadz5

Anyone know if the MY 2005 330i pricing is out yet?
Thanks in advance.

kyfdx

I stopped in to the local dealer yesterday, to scope out MSRPs on new Bimmers. I was curious on lease prices, so I did a little research here on Edmunds and KBB for residuals, MFs, and incentives and came up with some sample leases. All prices are for 3yr/45K leases with cap cost of approx $1K over invoice minus incentives and with the acquisition fee rolled in to the cap cost. Assumptions include 6% tax, and only first payment, security deposit and registration fees up front.

1) Well equipped 330i with MSRP $43,345
   $554/mo.

2) Loaded 325i with MSRP $38,370
   $525/mo.

3) Stripper 325i (sport, moonroof, htd sts, xenons) MSRP $32,920
   $452/mo.

4) Loaded X3 2.5 with MSRP $40,045
   $502/mo.

Hope this is useful

regards,
kyfdx

cassie_b

I purchased a new 2004 330i w/premium pkg, auto trans, and xenon. Bottom line => $1700 BELOW invoice with 1.9% financing.

The dealers have a $2400 marketing incentive; use it to your advantage. Do your homework and you'll save a bundle of cash!