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Sedans Entry Level Luxury Performance Sedans
11053 messages, Last post on Sep 03, 2008 at 8:40 AM
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ED as a way to save money buying a BMW comes up on a regular basis and the pros and cons are debated as if there is a "right" answer. There isn't. Having two associates that purchsed BMW's in the last 2 months highlights the differences. The one that purchased via ED took his wife to Europe for a 10 day vacation. They bought a 335i convertible and had a great time enjoying the experience. The cost of the vacation was more thn offset by the savings, especially since the car was not one that is being discounted much, if at all, stateside. He paid $1,500 over ED invoice and saved $5,500+ over the US MSRP. The other person, who previously bought a BMW in 1996 via ED considered going that route again. But given that he now has kids (3) at home and the trip could not be converted, practically or economically, into a family vacation, he decided to buy stateside. He bought an in-stock 550ia at close to invoice, and would have only saved an additional $3,000 going the ED route. He is a freelance attorney, with an hourly billing rate of around $500 and could not justify going away for 3-4 days to essentially save perhaps $1,500, after expenses. For some, the idea of ED is a very appealing way to take advantage of a significant price break, especially on certain models. But I certainly respect that, for others, time is money and the ED savings, while not insignificant, may not meet their "return" requirments, given the time it takes. I would agree with the suggestion, however, that ED should at least be explored and considered as an alternative. Almost everyone I know that has done it has had a great experience. The one exception is a friend who's (frequent flier) flight was cancelled and he went through hell and great expense rebooking to pick up the car within the required deadline. But even he admits that, once he got there, it was a worthwhile experience, albeit not much of a savings. |
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I suspect the 135i will be the new old 3-series. I believe the size/weight is comparable to an E46. Price is $4-5K lower, repectively. BMW this week released preliminary pricing details on the BMW 1-Series coupe, which will go on sale in America in spring 2008. U.S. pricing will start at $29,375 for the 128i and $35,675 for the 135i, with a fully-loaded car costing another ten grand on top of that. The 135i features the same 300+ horsepower twin-turbocharged inline-six as the 335i 3-Series. Predictably, the 128i has the same powerplant as the 328i, delivering 230 horsepower. Pricing for optional equipment on the 128i is not yet available, but the 135i can be ordered with a slew of options pushing its price tag close to $45,000. A six-speed automatic transmission costs $1,275, the Premium Package is $3,300, the Sport Package is $1,000, the Cold Weather kit is $600, Active Steering costs $1,400, paddle shifters are a mere $100, Comfort Access adds $500, power front seats cost $1000, heated front seats are another $500, rear park assist is $350, navigation is $2,100, Bluetooth is $750, HD radio is $350, XM costs $595, premium audio is $875, and iPod adapter is $400, metallic paint adds another $475, and premium Boston Leather is $1,450. Since many of these standalone options are included in larger options packages, adding up all the prices won't give an accurate estimate of the cost of a fully-loaded 135i. However, taking packages into consideration, we've determined a fully-loaded 135i would cost $44,500. Regards, OW |
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| Near as I can tell a 135 loaded to the gills will easily top 46k. The car's ridiculously priced. | |
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Replying to: circlew (Nov 15, 2007 12:13 pm) fedlawman, "BMW 1-Series" #682, 26 Jun 2007 6:12 am fedlawman, "BMW 1-Series" #875, 2 Oct 2007 10:46 pm |
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Replying to: fedlawman (Nov 15, 2007 1:08 pm)
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Replying to: fedlawman (Nov 15, 2007 1:08 pm) link title Regards, OW |
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Replying to: blueguydotcom (Nov 15, 2007 1:32 pm) Regards, OW |
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Replying to: blueguydotcom (Nov 15, 2007 1:32 pm) Well, they just lost me as a potential buyer at those prices. What happened to the idea that the 1-series were really entry level cars like the old 1600/2002 series (of which I was a proud owner)?
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Replying to: lmacmil (Nov 16, 2007 9:47 am) |
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I'm not a BMW marketing exec and, in fact, have never even owned one. But this notion that BMW is overpricing its cars is, based upon some hard historical data I've looked at, is absurd. Sorry I can't go back to the days of the sardine can 2002 tii for my analysis, but thanks to an old Kelly Blue Book, I can go back 20 years. Here are some figures for you to digest (all base MSRP prices): BMW Prices: 1987 325i Sedan - $28,190 2007 328i Sedan - $32,400 Increase in Percentage - 14.9% Honda Prices: 1987 Accord LX - $13,752 2007 Accord LX - $20,925 (4 cylinder) Increase in Percentage - 52.2% Toyota Prices: 1987 Corolla LE - $8,853 2007 Corolla LE - $16,315 Increase in Percentage - 84.3% I'm sorry, guys, I'm not tryong to sound elitist, but, in the past, BMW was a relatively EXPENSIVE car to be ASPIRED to. I graduated from a top 10 business school with an MBA in 1981 and looked forward to the day when I might be able to afford a BMW. That was Director/VP territory, not standard fare for an entry level analyst. Today, the 328i is barely priced above a loaded Accord V6 ($30k+ MSRP for the EX-L V6). The 3 series has never been cheaper, relatively speaking. And the fact that the 1-series apparantly won't undercut that price by the 30% some would like to see is frankly, too damn bad. The 135 has nearly 50 more horsepower than the original M1, for goodness sakes. It's hardly your Dad's 1600/2000 which, by the way, were WAY more than twice as expensive as the Honda Civics of their vintage. So pony up for a BMW 3 series or 1 series if you can afford it. But stop your bellyaching if you can't. Because you sure as hell wouldn't have been driving a 3 series 20 years ago either, if that's the case today. I, for one, don't want to see BMW stoop to cost cutting or "value engineering" just to compete for the dollars that probably should be more prudently spent on a Honda or Toyota. |
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