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

blueguydotcom

I also drive a Mustang convertible strictly for it's good looks. That car is not as comfortable, and nowhere near the handling of my BMW -- but the image is pure icon -- as American as ice cold lemonade on the 4th of July. To say looks don't matter might sound nice when being set up on a blind date -- but I really don't think it holds true when buing a car

That's a gross generalization. To you looks matter. Why is it you guys all assign your notions to everybody else? I can't conceive of buying a car I found attractive but that didn't drive the way i wanted. The new mustang is sexy, brutish and with the right accessories looks like something out of The Road Warrior. but it's got a solid axle, an inefficient V8 and a Ford interior...not worth it in my opinion.

Writing this from LA wgere you are what you drive -- deal with it.

yeah, san diego is the same way. thus the reason we have so many bmws and so many bmw owners who can't tell a 325 from an M5.

jason_jm

2006 BMW 325i auto trans, nothing else

Price is $32000, looking for a 36 or 39 month lease, 10k or 12k miles per year

0 down, what should I expect to pay monthly (excluding tax) on a good deal?

kazoost

Question regarding the comment that x-drive allocates 100% to RWD on dry pavement.
Is this confirmed? Is this new compared to the current x-drives on the X-3 and X-5?

I ask because in the current X-3 and X-5, the x-drive allocates 62% to RWD and 38% to FWD. This is straight out of the technical brochures as well as the BMW website.

Regardless, I plan on getting a 330xi at the end of the year. I know many comment that one should simply get a RWD and plan on using snow tires, but I live in western Michigan, and we get enough snow during the winter to justify owning an AWD vehicle.

mer928

I am in South Florida (Miami) and am looking to LEASE either a BMW 325i or 525i. These are the advertised prices that were listed in the Saturday newspaper. Has anyone purchased these models and received a better Lease option? I really want to know how much haggling room do you have from a newspaper advertised price?

2006 3251
Maintenance included
24 months $2500 down plus tax, tag & first payment
$399 month lease

OR

2005 525i
Maintenance included
24 month lease $3999 down plus tax, tag & first payment
auto, CD player, power package
$489 month lease

blueguydotcom

Of course. and for the love of all that's good...don't put 4k down on a lease!!!

virtualbmw

X-drive allows power to be distributed variably according to driving situations and will allow the vehicle to operate at 100% RWD.

The previous system had a fixed distribution of power between the front and rear axle.

virtualbmw

It's easy to make some generalizations about whether a down payment on a lease is a good idea. But, I'm sitting here doing BMW leases everyday and some clients are just more comfortable with a certain monthly payment and don't mind putting down some money to get that payment.

kyfdx

That still doesn't make it a good idea...

Comfort has nothing to do with it... If I'm selling the car, and that is what the customer wants, I'll keep my mouth shut... If someone is asking for good advice, then I'll tell them...

This is the "good advice" forum.... not, the "I want to sell you a car" forum...

regards,
kyfdx

virtualbmw

So, let's say that a clent is leasing a 3 for a daughter that's fresh out of college. She can handle a payment of around $400 a month and with nothing down the payment comes to 650. Mom wants to put the cash down to make the payment affordable. What's wrong with that?

I know it's easy to make blanket judgements on what is a good idea and what isn't but everyone has there own circumstances. Comfort has everything to do with it.

lmnop93103

has anyone had a leasing experience yet with the 06' 330i (specially in So CAL)...im looking for numbers (specifics) to work with...
you guys are great.

kyfdx

I'd tell Mom to keep her money in the bank, and send her daughter a check for $250 every month... the same as if she were leasing it herself...

I wouldn't give Mom bad advice, just to make her more comfortable.. At least, not in this forum... Assuming she comes here for advice..

If I'm trying to sell her a car, and don't want to lose a deal... different story..

regards,
kyfdx

virtualbmw

Just one more counterpoint on this and then I'll go back to hustling mind-numb zombies. The current lease rate on a 3 translates to an interest rate of about 7%. So if a client puts down 4 grand to get their daughter the lease payment that she's comfortable with it also saves over the life of the lease about $800 in interest payments.

Perhaps, there shouldn't be such a quick assumption that all salespeople have no regard for their clients needs.

blueguydotcom

If mom drops 4k on a lease and then her daughter's car is ripped off next week from the mall parking lot, mom is out 4k + inception fees.

If mom had kept the money and just leased the car...she's be out her original lease inception fees.

amt7565

jason-
I get these numbers for a 2006 325i.
36 months/15k miles: residual= 61%. Money factor= 0.00250 (x2400=6%)

You need to first list the MSRP on this car. Only then can a lease calculation be made. Please post.

kasperghost

325i, metallic paint, xenon, winter, comfort access, and sport

MSRP: $35,370
$34,132+$189 doc fee
3.5% off MSRP ($1,238)

Experience in Denver, CO:

Ralph Schomp BMW: Guy said he would honor 3.5% from Winslow BMW then reneged the next day. :mad:

Murray BMW: Outstanding service, unable to match 3.5%

Winslow BMW: Went back to them after Schomp reneged. Straight forward- to haggle took about 5 minutes, faxed a PO over, 1K deposit for Sept. build. In about 15 minutes total, I was set up- nice. :shades:

I really thought this would be a low stress experience and for the most part it was- Schomp just ticked me off with the bait and switch after I called in the morning to confirm the deal was still good. Winslow is down in Colorado Springs about 40 miles away and Schomp is about 20 miles away. Schomp had no doc fee, and that brought the price difference to about $100 ( he offered $945 off), but the guy lied...

"All a man has is his reputation"
-Some famous guy that didn't lie said it

mlrtexas

That sounds like a great price. Houston area dealers are max of $1000 of an in-stock 3 series MSRP. What dealer is quoting you this price?

bigpapaluke

Does any have some insight as to what the residuals would be on a 3 year / 12K lease of a 2006 330i? Potentially exploring the possibility of leasing in lieu of buying and wanted to gauge from buyers what their experience has been thus far.

Thanks,
Luke

kyfdx

61%

bigpapaluke

Thanks! Is it safe to assume that there is a 2 - 3 % delta between 12K and 15K miles?

kyfdx

59% for 15K

stickguy

Blueguy, generally that is true, but I think it depends on what the car is worth vs. the payoff. That is, if there is "equity", you don't lose the whole down payment, just the difference between current value and pay off.

I guess an extreme example is an up front, 1-pay lease. If you gave them 10K for 2 years and totalled it on day 2, you wouldn't be out all that money.

potemkin

So, let's say that a client is leasing a 3 for a daughter that's fresh out of college. She can handle a payment of around $400 a month and with nothing down the payment comes to 650. Mom wants to put the cash down to make the payment affordable. What's wrong with that?

A lot is wrong with that. Mom should take her daughter to a Toyota dealer and put her in an affordable car, like a Corolla*. NO ONE should ever, EVER, negotiate for a low monthly payment. That's a fool's game.

* Insert whatever affordable make/model/manufacturer you prefer.

wco81

Why would anyone think a car salesman would be an impartial advice-giver on what's a good car transaction?

rudyg

How much is the standard document fee for ED if I am using my own financing? Is it negotiable? Is there a difference in the doc fee for ED vs a standard purchase?

ravipenn

I am first timer to-be-BMW owner.
I read recent posts about 3.5% off MSRP (that's lovely). All I plan to lease is a 2006 BMW 325i (with Automatic trans). I would be happy to get your experience / price info in Philadelphia, PA. Help please!!! Thanks ;-)

BMW - Mainline: $33,094
36months /10k (I need 12k miles!)
$434/month + (exact from the BMW website).

kyfdx

There is no "standard" document fee.. Any fee over and above the fees required by your local/state motor vehicle department should be considered part of the price of the car....

Some dealers have no document fees.. Some charge a nominal amount ($25-$50), and some charge $199-$500...

Basically, the $199-$500 dealers are just finding a way to get more money out of the deal, while making the price go down easier..

Negotiate your deal with all dealer fees included, or ask them to tell you upfront what will be added to your price, before you negotiate it..

regards,
kyfdx

virtualbmw

Very interesting and valid comments......

Salespeople are liars and can offer no useful insights......brilliant.

Just wanted to let you "shoppers" know that the rates and residuals are the same for July. Supplies here in Southern California are still low but those that can get over the idea that the dealers are making some profits on the cars and going ahead a buying one are very pleased with their purchases. I think the dealers will start blowing them out in about 4 years.

tootsie1

You know the more I have my car, the more I love it, and I am really thinking I want to keep this car -- I am not going to find anything I love more. Of course the 24 month lease is only 2 months old -- so which makes the most economic sense -- save my money and try to refi at lease end for 2 years, or switch it to a buy now for 48 months..any benefit to either scenario. I am pretty sure I get 4.5 from my credit union and know my money factor is about 6% apr.. I don't know if that is much of a savings.. so please advise. has anybody else here bought out their lease and happy they did so? Thanks for your help..

wco81

So salespeople don't make more commission the higher the purchase price?

You're on salary with no incentive bonuses whatsoever?

You don't care if the dealership makes $3000 or $3 on a car?

The buyer-salesperson relationship has inherently opposing interests. Buyers are trying to pay the least and salesmen are trying to extract as much as possible.

Prove that's not the case.

uno

I'm going to buy a 330i from a NJ dealer and told them that I would do
the registration work and plate myself since my driver's licence is from MD.
But they said that I couldn't and That must be handled by the dealer.
I also asked whether I was able to have a temporary plate.
Their answer was NO.

So, my question is whether my plan is possible or not and
how I should deal this with them.
Thank you guys.

-G.

kyfdx

Generally, if you are already in the lease, your best bet is to stay with it.. The finance savings gained by switching to a loan would be minimal, and the jump in payment would be huge..

Plus, you've got two years to try the car out... you might change your mind in that amount of time... And, if not, you can buy the car then.. In the meantime, there is no practical difference..

regards,
kyfdx

ravipenn

Hi Uno,

Congrats! If you can post the price (lease or buy?), that would be great. I am in Philadelphia & plan to lease 325i shortly. Thanks!

tootsie1

you're right again kydfx. thanks for helping me see it clearly.. of couse the worse case scenario would be doing a five year loan after the lease ends -- that is what I do not want to do -- so that is why I was think switch now -- so I am forced to make higher payments -- but doesn't make much sense -- i will just be patient and cross that bridge when I come to it, and save the $$ in my bank to have a good down and do a 24 month loan on it if I still love it in 2007. I think I will.

sharmabmw

Ravi,

Consider taking the train to Maryland and going with Passport BMW. Many, many people from NYC area do their European Delivery and Stateside purchasing from a particular dealer there (I'm not allowed to list his name, but you can find him very easily). Do the transaction over phone. Very pleasant process.

kyfdx

That is a good plan! Keep putting that money away..

ravipenn

Hi Sharma,

Thanks for the info. But if we buy it in Maryland, can I take it to Phila based BMW for services? Also, can you provide me an approx cost @ Passport BMW? This car is for my wife; suddenly, I am thinking of buying a BMW X3 (3.0L). Any suggestions.... thanks again!

davidd3

I am trying to get a feel from this forum for the going discount (or range of discount) these days on the 2006 BMW 325i. The car equipped as I'd want it would have an MSRP in the range of 36K to 37K. There would appear to be about a 3K spread between dealer invoice and MSRP. I live in the metro NY area.

I started to go back some pages reading previous posts, but that is a tedious way to find out what I want to know. I checked the Edmund's TMV and it is only about 800 below MSRP. But my sense from reading posts going back a few pages is that people are generally doing a whole lot better than that.

I am hoping that there is a knowledgeable person monitoring this Forum that might be able to provide quick feedback.

Thanks.

virtualbmw

That is just horribly unprofessional and inconsiderate.

A lot of the dealers tie bonuses to CSI and it is true that just one "4" on a survey makes it as if the client advisor failed the whole thing. It's really too bad that BMW makes it that way. Consequently, what you have is people that have been "coached" into answering the survey as the dealer would want to get their bonus money rather than getting honest responses that might help them to do a better job.

As far as this particular situation goes it is his own fault if he did not make it clear to you or did not earn what was a legitimate "5" in your mind. I'll bet that he didn't call you the day after the delivery to make sure that everything was OK and confirm the importance of the survey. I think that the guy brought the whole thing on himself and he's hurting himself, the dealership and BMW more by making such awful comments to you. I'd forward a copy of his comments to the owner of the dealership and BMWNA. That's inexcusable.

joek1

Considering purchase of an 06 e46 coupe. Some of you on this site said that $1000 to $1500 over invoice is a good deal (seems to me to be so). Someone where I work used Autobytel to get a small Honda SUV for $200 over invoice, which I thought was really good. Is $1000 over the best I should expect under any circumstances? Are internet purchasing outfits like autobytel worth the hassle? I am not trying to squeeze the last penny out of the dealer, but just want to get a good/fair deal.

joek1

Maybe you can change your responses if they did not accurately reflect how you felt about the transaction? Otherwise you could expain the misunderstanding.

virtualbmw

once it's done........it's done.

bigpapaluke

I'm looking at this in two ways:

1 - it was very unprofessional for the sales rep to contact you directly and vent his frustration about his less than perfect satisfactory survey. Bad form on his part.
2 - If you made a promise that you would put all 5s and changed your mind to put 4s, that's bad form on your part, but it sounds like that wasn't the case. However, if you were in a position to talk about his rating with him before you graded it, perhaps that should've been done.

Regardless, his reaction to the survey was out of line. Granted, his ability to put food on the table is contingent on positive feedback, but letting out his aggression on the customer was completely unnecessary and is a reflection on the dealership he works with. If salesmen / women expect 5s, then they shouldn't have to ask for it. They would have earned it through the total customer experience.

I would write a letter to BMWNA - this should not go unnoticed.

Luke

sharmabmw

Yes, you can use the svc center in Philly. Pricewise, I would go off the x3 prices, buying section on edmunds. We, also, are thinking about getting an x3. I bought an ED 5'er for my wife. But now that I'm shopping for a car for myself, she now wants an x3 for herself. The prices I'm seeing are in line with others 500-1500 over invoice.

ravipenn

Thanks Sharma. I will keep posted on the deal; if I have questions, I will surely check with you. Thanks again.

kyfdx

Wow... I'd forward that to BMW NA customer relations and copy the general manager of the dealership....

That is just unreal.. What does he hope to gain from an e-mail like that?.. Even if he feels exactly that way, and had a good reason, that is a quick way to lose your job..

I have to agree that the system is screwed up... If a "4" is failing, someone needs to go back to math class...

regards,
kyfdx

uno

Hi ravipenn,

I am going to buy it with cash and we haven't talked about the price yet.
That was after my first test drive on the 330i and i would like to test one of their
stick shift models later July.

Good luck to your purchase.

-UNO

kennynmd

just got an email from Passport BMW today in MD and the MSRP of the car I was looking at was $37,520. He gave me an internet price of $35,640. This is approx $1200 over invoice.

chatkat

I used Autobytel for my E46 in 2000 and I was satisfied. I asked for some price quotes this time from dealers both Autobytel and not. Not much difference. Two dealers failed to contact me about my purchase. I did get a very fair price in writing, but, decided to go local for a host of reasons. One being the local loan car program and the other being the relationship.

b16309

Chatkat....where do you live and which dealer do you use....sounds like a great experience for you.

Stephen

b16309

Does anyone have any buying experience in the Charleston SC market?

Thanks!