1826 messages,
Last post on Mar 11, 2013 at 3:50 PM
You are in the
BMW 1-Series Forum.
What is this discussion about?
BMW 1 Series, Coupe, Convertible, Sedan
#1431 of 1826 Re: She's Right! [hpowders]
by davidd3
Jun 10, 2008 (7:32 pm)
Yes, the 328i sedan is the best BMW lease program this month. However, it is not a good lease program. Residuals dropped 4 whole percentage points in May and stayed that way in June. And the money factor is so so, not high like 1-Series but not aggressive like other car company financing arms either. I'm thinking about extending my lease to see what the lease programs look like on early 2009s. I am hoping that residuals will be higher (as they should be in the beginning of a new model year) while the money factor would if anything get lower. Even BMW has got to do something to boost new car sales in these bad times, or so it would seem.
Infiniti, on the other hand, is just about giving away G35s, the widely regarded #2 car in this market segment. Much lower MSRP to begin with + invoice pricing + high residual + low money factor = WAY lower monthly payment on a lease than even a 328i sedan. It's a relative gas-guzzler (which may be the reason for the aggressive pricing and lease program), but it's mighty tempting. The more comparable 335i would actually cost about 50% more on a lease that the G35!
Back on topic, my fling with the 1 is now officially over . . .
#1432 of 1826 Re: hpowders [nyccarguy]
by hpowders
Jun 10, 2008 (8:23 pm)
Well the 545i, while a sweet car, outside of the warranty can be a mighty expensive one. The car is so technologically complicated with the i Drive and the car's uncanny ability to self-diagnose itself, automatic headlights, memory seats, etc; And then there is the V8 engine. I don't want to even begin to think how expensive a repair could be.
All this means that while BMWFS is lowering the buyout price for me, I would have to be nuts to take on the potential for major expenses as the vehicle ages. All this technology can become a heck of an expensive nightmare. I will pass.
The best way to drive BMWs is to lease them every three years and keep turning them over. Never get attached to them.
As far as the Porsche version of the Rabbit hatch is concerned, I trust Porsche will make it the best performing, as well as the most expensive, hatch ever. They will overcome the problems you mention, somehow. It should be worth waiting for to see exactly how they accomplish this.
#1433 of 1826 Re: She's Right! [davidd3]
by hpowders
Jun 10, 2008 (8:31 pm)
Well, the 2009's will be coming out sometime in the fall, so it is normal for the residuals to be dropping during June on the 2008's. It looks like BMW is not having any trouble moving out the 1 and 3 Series vehicles. Their big concern is what the heck to do with vehicles like my 2005 545i coming back to BMW off lease this summer that get only 20 mpg and will be expensive to maintain starting a year from now after the warranty expires.
#1434 of 1826 good feature to BMW 1 Series
by kafuka2002
Jun 10, 2008 (9:24 pm)
The BMW 1 Series (code name E87) is a small-luxury car / small family car produced by the German automaker BMW since 2004. The 1 Series is the only vehicle in its class featuring rear-wheel drive and a longitudinally-mounted engine.
#1435 of 1826 Re: She's Right! [hpowders]
by moparbad
Jun 11, 2008 (8:59 pm)
20 mpg is not bad. Most midsize cars are epa city rated at less than 20 mpg.
#1436 of 1826 Re: She's Right! [moparbad]
by hpowders
Jun 12, 2008 (4:59 am)
Right. 20 mpg is terrific for a 4.4 liter 325 hp V8. The reason I will not buy it is the inevitable high maintenance costs after year four. The vehicle has so much technology. The repair bills down the road will be very high.
#1437 of 1826 Re: She's Right! [hpowders]
by bodble2
Jun 12, 2008 (8:40 am)
Shouldn't history serve as some indication? If your car has been completely trouble-free thus far, would the repairs really explode just because the car passes some point on the calendar?
It seems you have a low-mileage, trouble-free car with great performance and decent gas mileage that you can retain at or below market value. If it were me, I would think twice about it.
Jun 12, 2008 (8:54 am)
count on BMW raising residuals any time soon. Just a hunch on my part. They had to write off over 300 million in losses due to inflated residual values last year.
They are realizing what a lot of us have been saying for a while. The residuals don't reflect real world prices.
All that said, BMW's still hold their mud better than most.
#1439 of 1826 Re: She's Right! [bodble2]
by hpowders
Jun 12, 2008 (9:37 am)
What you say sounds great on paper, but the vehicle has so much technology, who knows how much some of it will cost to fix when the time comes? I read in Roundel that BMW automatic transmissions are eventually troublesome over the long term.
Another thing-with the 4 year free maintenance, all of a sudden oil changes became necessary at 15,000 mile intervals. Before the free maintenance, BMW required you to bring the car in at 1500 miles and after that more frequently for oil changes. As soon as they began picking up the tab, it became "see you every 15,000 miles." True, the oil is synthetic, but can I buy a vehicle that has had its oil changed at 15,000 mile intervals? That's still a lot of miles, even for synthetic oil. Who knows what the effect will be on that expensive V8 engine by years 5 through 8?
#1440 of 1826 Re: She's Right! [hpowders]
by andys120
Jun 12, 2008 (10:18 am)
I read in Roundel that BMW automatic transmissions are eventually troublesome over the long term.
Read it again, Roundel's techies say BMW's A/Ts are troublesome if you make the mistake of believing BMW's BS about "Lifetime Fill". They believe new trans oil and filters at 60-70K intervals will result in good service life.
The A/T in my E39 528iA shifts more smoothly at 105K than the one in my MIL's LeSabre at 35K.