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Hi Guys:
NJ/NY area I saw some 1500 over invoice type
ED prices. DOes anyone have experience
with similar prices in San Jopse/San Francisco Bay area in Northern California?
Would you be kind to share your experience in that respect?
Thanks!!
Here is my take.
First things first. I really wanted a 5 or 6 speed manual. I have driven many auto's and they are nice but I like to have more control(fun) with my car, eventhough I am sometimes stuck in Southern California Traffic. Call me crazy. The 3 series car are really nice but they are too small for my needs. I have two children in car seats and I needed the little extra room in the back seat. Also, the 5 series just seemed a little bit more solid and luxurious than the 3 series. So my search was narrowed to the 5 series. Now, which one, 525, 528, 530, or 540? Drove all varieties; manual, auto, and step. Didn't like the auto at all in any of them. Even in the 540, just didn't seem like it had the 282 hp rating. It was powerful, but to me just didn't seem as powerful as a car with a manual transmission. So the consideration was narrowed to manual and may be Steptronic. Drove the step in 528 and 530. I wasn't impressed and, when in Step/sport mode, it seemed that there was a 2-3 second lag from the instant you shift 'till it actually engaged the next gear. The Step would be much nicer in traffic be it didn't give me the control/feel that I was looking for. Call me old fashioned (I am only 35). So my decision was narrowed again. Manual. Drove at least 5 528 5 sp, 3 525 5 sp, 3 530 5 sp, and 2 540 6sp.
The 540 6 speed is a really sweet car. If money was no object then it would be my first choice. The other thing with the 540 is that it would get me in too much trouble with our local police dept. and CHP and I really didn't want to get to know them that well. Also the additional cost of maintenance of the 540 was a drawback.
I have a really good friend that works for BMW and he told me that the BMW inline 6 is much more durable and reliable than the V8. So based on all those factors the 540 was sadly eliminated from my list
Now as for the 530 5 speed, It is probably the perfect car with appropraite power, handling, and cost. I drove, I think 3 of them, and was very impressed.
Then I drove 525 and 530 both 5 speeds back to back on a couple of separate accassions and the 530 definetly seemed a little bit faster, but not substantially. Then I was confused. Do I go for the 530 for the extra ~30 HP and ~40 Ft.Lb of torque for an extra $4,000 or is the 525 plenty enough for me. Mulled it over for a couple of months went back again then I drove the another 525 and another 530 and the difference wasnot as noticeable between the two. To me, the 530 has a bit more pull in 2nd gear compared to the 525 but
it wasn't that much of a difference. My mind was made a 525 5 speed with a sport package, xenons, DSP, leather, moonroof, and a beatiful sand interior is finally mine. I am loving life.
Sorry to ramble on,
Sometimes companies will quietly "eat" the currency fluctuation, if they view it as short term. But if viewed as long term, they'll have to adjust. Shareholders won't accept declining profits and the market will lower share prices as it adjusts for declining profits.
Often very hard to build market share if currency is working against you.
Declining dollar could mean higher car prices, reduced features or more features (at much higher prices), higher part prices, etc.
Regardless, BMW AG always seriously studies currency trends.
If dollar falls significantly during a short period and the fall is expected to last, BMW can and will raise prices quickly to attempt to offset. Same happens during inflationary periods. Prices have to be raised just to maintain their former relative value.
Tks
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Will be interesting to see where the dollar ends up averaging versus the euro over the rest of CY 2002 and CY 2003. Seem like most analysts are predicting euro rise against dollar, one that should last. But who knows, USA's economy reportedly grew 6.1 percent so far in 2002. Now we just need corporate profits to rise. Fed holding constant on interest rates.
Since driving my 530 in Europe, I've experienced how BIG this model is for the average street and parking lot. This is why many Europeans are not so keen on the 500 and 700 series cars--along with the astronomical price ($4.25 per gallon in Germany) of benzine. This keeps demand for these cars less in Europe which probably means BMW will continue to sell um to us for more reasonable prices despite the US dollars delcline.
Okay, I just took a file to the sharp edges on the turn signal stalk's button that accesses the computer.;o)
Riez: To your comment about BMW auto's and their durability - I have located a CPO '99 528i 5spd w/SP & PP, for $31,500. It has about 41.5k on the odo. I haven't driven the car yet, but this seems to me like to best deal I have found out there within the CPO program. I'm wondering if the manual is the way to go for durability's sake.
I have also seen a few auto's with mid 40k mileage for about $32,500. Could anyone advise if these seem like pretty good deals? Also, any recommendations on going manual or auto?
And lastly, is the CPO program worth it? The more I look at the plan, what is covered and what isn't, and how this particular dealer handles inspection, parts replacement, and warranty issues, I am left a little skeptical. I have found some other deals out there from private owners that could save me $2-3,000 dollars.
Any insight or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Historically, BMW's (really Getrag and others) manual transmissions are pretty much bullet-proof, assuming you don't abuse and service as required.
CPO is worth it. Great piece of mind. Limits your possible out-of-pocket expenses during the life of the contract. A couple repairs and you'll have eaten up any "savings" on a private party sale.
Also, are you buying or financing? BMW FS often has great buying financing and leasing financing deals on CPO cars. I got 3.9 percent for 48 months. Think that is still on. (Though I also got first month's payment made by BMW FS. Think that ended 12/1/01.)
Check out BMW NA's great CPO locator. I drove 590 miles to get the exact 540i6 I wanted. A '98 with 53,000 miles. Web site easy to navigate; easy to check huge areas of USA for CPO inventories.
528i 5-speed manual with Sport Pkg the way to go. Great car! You'd love it!!! Try to negotiate hard on price. Everything is negotiable within limits.
As for the priority of kits, probably the most important (and easiest to install) is the headlight/foglight kit, since I hear about those cracking all the time. Then again, you get this kit for free if you order all the others. After the headlights, I'd probably say the hood (I can't remember if that includes the fender pieces or if they're separate), since it's the most visible.
I understand your concern about price, but I figure it's an investment in the car's appearance. Repairing paint chips (let alone smashed headlight assemblies) will, in time, easily pay for the kits. And the lack of any paint chips (or at least a minimal number of them) will probably help resale value as well.
I am nearing delivery of my 530i (will get it in couple of weeks). Wanted to know about the extended warranty and extended maintenance programmes. Should I go for these? And typically how much do they cost? Will appreciate your thoughts.
thanks in advance.
FYI, perhaps it's because in the Vancouver, B.C. region, there are 4 independent BMW dealers but the 4 MB dealerships are all owned by Mercedes Canada. The Lexus dealers certainly put both BMW/Mercedes on notice for service during the past decade.
Just rambling...
Well, it was interesting. While it tried it's best to behave like a manual, there are limitations, most notably a not-so-subtle delay between the pull of the knob and the response. I understand Step has a feature whereby it 'learns' the drivers tendencies. Perhaps if I could have put on more miles, it would have adjusted to me a bit, but I suspect the delay is inherent in the design.
And I couldn't help but notice that mileage was poor, although being in an unfamiliar car, there may have been factors other than the Step affecting that. But I put ~50 miles on the car and used up about a quarter tank. Yikes! I checked the OBC and it showed the average MPG at 18. Perhaps that's mostly due to a succession of part-time drivers stomping on the accelerator in a borrowed car, but it's fully six MPG less than my typical average in a manual 323i.
While I recognize that Step may be a great compromise for people that must have an auto trans for whatever reason, it's certainly no substitute for the 'directly connected' feeling one gets from a clutch.
DL
Would appreciate some advice on these topics.
So even though I owned the car for just two years, the ext warranty paid for itself and then some.
I, too, will be picking up a 530i in a week or so, and I plan on including the extended warranty when the deal is closed (you can do it post-sale, but I don't want to take the chance of missing the deadline).
Interestingly, what I thought was an $800 cost was actually $399, now that I've pulled the paperwork and checked. I don't recall if I negotiated the price down from something higher to $399, but the fact that the cost was $399 versus an even number like 400 suggests it was the going rate at the time. Or perhaps it was one of those "special deals" that the sales guy could offer only to a "really special customer" like me! ;-)
So, now that my memory's refreshed regarding the fact that my car, like all new BMWs, has standard Full Maintenance coverage for 36/36, it appears that the brake work I had done yesterday with an odometer reading of 27K miles should have been covered without the extended MP. I think I'll call the service guy that was so effusive about my extended coverage and point out that ALL new cars that are sub-36/36 should be covered for that work, and see what he says.
Too bad BMW's program isn't nearly as good as GM's current, Ford's former, or even Ford's successor (Citibank Driver's Edge).