Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
One comeback from the dealer might be that the original lease was "subsidized", that is, BMW sold the car at an interest rate discount to get the business, and needs to make up the difference on the resale. This is bunk -- most of the money factors proposed work out to 5-6% implied interest rate, so they make $$ on the lease as well.
Hope this helps--
Suerte
Sergy, I see your point about the difference between BMW Finance (who probably auctions the car) and the BMW dealer (who buys from the auction). Good clarification, thanks.
So, add Sergy's comment to the 525 example I offered earlier. Since Finance will competitively auction it, let's assume they will make a small profit on the car when the dealers try to get it. It is, after all, worth more in the market than the residual, therefore the dealers should bid it up somewhat towards market. So, say another $1-2K goes to Finance and the dealer buys it for $24K. There's still a big spread to negotiate with when the Dealer puts in on the lot for $30+K, and a smart buyer will negotiate for it. I admit I don't know what the auction markup is (anybody here have an idea?), so I don't know how big the negotiable spread is when you haggle with a dealer. Good point, and it'd be great if anyone knows what the auction - retail spread is. Makes a big difference if it's $6K vs, say $1-2K.
530bmw -- also good points, but I'd again offer the thought on residual vs. market when you were talking to the dealer you mentioned. Residual for a particular car can't "go up" -- it's fixed by contract for the car you leased. Maybe he meant that the latest residual offered by BMW for that particular model had gone up. This is very possible, since it varies all the time by model and the time its offered in the market.
But judging by your post, I think he used the word residual when he meant market (or maybe he meant trade-in) value, which could be very true for the particular car you own and varies all the time.
Anyway, if anyone know the auction-retail spread, it could be very helpful to the used-BMW buyers out there.
Wonder when Edmunds is going to boot this dialog over to the "prices paid" thread :> ?
Thank you,
pocketpc
About the brakes, grinding is not normal, have a shop check it out. I have heard that it is common for the OEM brakes to sqeal if there are no shims or anti-squeal compound. But after market pads will fix that. I just did my front brakes for $160 and that included rotors, pads, sensor and anti-squeal compound.
Here is my question, my 323 had the sports/premium package, and the drivers seat was very comfertable with built in lumbar support.
However, the 528 has no (or it seems like) lumbar support. I have noticed that a lot of 5 series did not come with the comfort seat which has power adjustable lumbar, and I miss my seat in the 323.
I have a hard time adjusting the seat to make the lumbar better. In addition, last week I had my car in for service and the loaner was a 2002 325, and the drivers seat was more supportive than my 2000 528..!!!!!
I mentioned this fact to the service writer and she acknowledged that she had head the same complaint from other customers that had gone from a 3 series to a 5 series..!!
Has anyone here find the similar problem and how do you go about improving the lumbar support......?????
Happy Thanksgiving, all--
If Helmut Panke really believes what he says, BMW's biggest challenge is avoiding arrogance and they're doing a rotten job to date.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Cars delivered to the US will NOT come with options as you order them because BMW is now substituting cheaper quality parts without disclosing this to prospective buyers. You may order a wood interior trim package, and BMW will supply you with a plastic one instead.
Their customer service is terrible, and they will not help you with this as well as other inadequacies of the vehicle. A new model year is DEFINITELY not the time to be buying a car ESPECIALLY a BMW.
Reports are coming in of breakdowns in active steering mechanism and electronics. This coupled with the fiasco called "iDrive" makes this a BAD CHOICE for a new vihecle. Wait a couple years for BMW to fix the MANY BUGS in this model.
Yes the vin number should be able to tell and if you try to register Owner's circle on BMWUSA.COM web site. After you enter the Vin it should tell you.
Dan
But you have to keep in mind the plethora of E60s available: 3 engines (2.5, 3.0, and 4.4), 3 6-speed transmissions (manual, SMG, and AT), and optional Sport Pkg (which brings active steering and active roll stabilization).
The January '04 C&D is a 6-speed manual 530i with Sport Pkg. 0-60 mph in 6.7 seconds. 1/4 mile in 15.2 secs. at 93 mph. Pulled 0.90g on 300 ft skidpad. Braked from 70 mph in 167 ft. MSRP for their loaded car was a whopping $56,145!
This issue also has their test of new Acura TL: 6-speed manual, LSD, all-season tires. 0-60 mph in 5.7 secs. 1/4 mile in 14.4 secs. at 99 mph. Pulled only 0.81g. Braked in 189 ft. MSRP of $35,195.
However, my BMW comes with these ContiSport which are NOT recommended for winter. Based on my research most people don't like these tires even in the summer as they tend to be noisy when they get over 10 - 15K old. Here is my dilemma.
1. do I try it out with these tires for the first winter here
2. do I buy winter wheels
3. do I buy all season tires.
Looking over tirerack.com I see Bridgestone Turanza LS-H which are better rated for summer, winter, traction, noise etc...Should I simply throw away these conti tires (I have 6K on them)? I have a feeling these wont' last long based on what I am reading about them...
Any thoughts?
Thanks
regards,
kyfdx
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
BMW, like other premium marques, seems to have a lot of tire noise and wear issues. Buyers expect perfection. They want noise-free high performance with little wear. Ain't gonna happen. You read this in press reviews, on web, etc. Not sure they often have much to do with the tires. BMW doesn't recommend tire rotation. So if one tire is wearing "wrong" in a particular place it happens that much sooner. Also, it is hard to rotate those BMWs with staggered tires (i.e., the backs are bigger thant the fronts).
Seems like a lot of the noise and wear issues are tied to the way BMW sets up the front and rear suspensions. Things like camber, toe-in, etc. These impact tires.
I recommend at least annual 4-wheel alignments to set suspension components to factory spec or any updated spec.
My '98 540i6 had Yokohamas (think Decibels?). I did a 4-wheel alignment at less than about 10K of use. But they wore poorly. Terrible tire noise after about 10K. When the tires were pulled, you could see the inside wear on at least 3 tires. Likely due to suspension set up. They were properly mounted, balanced, and inflated. No problems with suspension set up. I replaced them with Continental ContiSportContact 2s. These eliminated the tire noise. Sold car off at about 6k of use. So couldn't tell if the type tire was an issue.
Aren't 330i and 530i speed governor limited to 130 mph? Even with Sport Pkg? Thought only 540i6 and 540ia Sport, M3, and M5 had the higher 155 mph governor limit.
Not too many affordable snow tires in ZR, V, or Y speed ratings. Nothing wrong with right-sized H-rated snow tires. Who drives at or above 130 mph in winter?
regards,
kyfdx
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
I put in // to separate, since the fonts don't format in tables on Edmunds.
Happy motoring---
Sales figures published today by BMW NA are as follows:
MODEL // NOV 03 // YTD 03 // NOV 02 // YTD 02
525i // 52 // 14,080 // 875 // 12,089
525i sport wagon // 25 // 1,169 // 175 // 1,470
525 (E60) // 1,197 // 1,651 // 0 // 0
530i // 20 // 14,762 // 1,278 // 17,447
530i (E60) // 1,908 // 4,878 // 0 // 0
540i sport wagon // 1 // 259 // 36 // 309
540i // 7 // 3,632 // 359 // 4,292
545i (E60) // 649 // 881 // 0 // 0
M5 // 29 // 1,427 // 165 // 1,536
TOTALS // 3,888 // 42,739 // 2,888 // 37,143
Curious, how did your car fair in today’s snow squall. I believe we are going to receive another batch this weekend.
Regards,
Chris
If it was me, and if you are concerned about cost, you could always just put the tires on the rims you have now, and save the cost of getting dedicated wheels. Even though you are sacrificing some traction by going with 17" snow tires, the difference will still be dramatic in snowy conditions, and your handling should be even better with the factory wheels and stock tire size. After trying them for the first season, you could then decide if its worth getting dedicated rims. Of course, if your Contis are worn out, then the decision to get winter tires is tougher, as you will have to lay out for new tires again in March.
regards,
kyfdx
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
kyfdx - my conti are in great shape. I have about 6K on them and they look brand new. I read posts about the quality of these tires going down the hill after you reach 10 - 15K. This is why I started the debate about going with all season vs summer/winter wheels. Looks like the advise is to stick with the summer and winter tires.
I appreciate the help from all of you.
When it comes to the proper size tire to use, I would trust the recommendation from the TireRack before my BMW service advisors. They have conducted extensive testing (especially on BMW’s). Good luck with your decision.
Regards,
Chris
Maybe if reputable rims like breyton or AC Schnitzer were used, it'd be ok?
I do like the look of the Borbet rims. Not as nice as the stock Sport rims but it blends in well with the car.
Regards,
Chris