BMW 1-Series

Replying to: venture (Sep 11, 2008 6:42 pm)

Replies to this message:
• venture (Sep 12, 2008 3:39 am)

Replying to: venture (Sep 11, 2008 6:42 pm)

WTF? Did you pull up in an old beater? Were you wearing an old smelly t-shirt?
 
Must be the new "no-pressure" sales strategy... you're actually sold, but you don't even know it yet!
 
TM

Replies to this message:
• bodble2 (Sep 11, 2008 10:17 pm)
  • circlew (Sep 12, 2008 3:05 am)
• venture (Sep 12, 2008 3:37 am)

Replying to: tagman (Sep 11, 2008 8:34 pm)

I'm almost certain BMW salesmen are trained not to initiate, so as to not appear desperate for sales. In the past year, I have visited 3 BMW dealerships. At 2 of them, after a few minutes a salesperson did stroll over and asked if I needed assistance. At the 3rd one I asked the receptionist to summon a salesperson for me. But the interesting thing is I left my name and cell phone # with 2 of the salespersons, and neither gave me a follow-up call. One answered my email enquiries, but not exactly in an eager manner. I emailed him prior to the 1-series intro, and indicated that I would be interested in a test drive when the cars were available, and to this day he has not called or emailed me! The saleman with whom I did not leave my phone # did not ask me for it. It must be BMW's no-pressure sales tactic. On the other hand, at least 8 out of 10 Honda/Acura/Toyota/VW salesman would ask for your phone # before you've walked out the door. I don't know about salesmen for the Big 3 domestic brands. I never go there due to their apparent policy of using red-neck junior college drop-outs for salespeople.
 
I normally can't stand overly attentive salespeople (try going into a Tommy Hilfiger store, for instance), but I think I would appreciate some sign of interest from the BMW sales guys.

Replies to this message:
• circlew (Sep 12, 2008 3:05 am)

Replying to: bodble2 (Sep 11, 2008 10:17 pm)

Replying to: tagman (Sep 11, 2008 8:34 pm)

Did you pull up in an old beater? Were you wearing an old smelly t-shirt?
 
I was driving the E46. I guess "old and smelly" is in the eyes of the beholder.
 
This particular dealer is know for being a little *snooty* which is why I bought from the other one last time.
 
Here's a good one - I mentioned previously about my friends new '08 535i. He bought it at the snooty dealer. After he ordered the car I mentioned that the Premium Package was free as noted on the BMW web site. When he called they balked about giving him the $2,200 back. He insisted - and they insisted they wouldn't. Since he gave them his Sequoia as a trade a few weeks earlier, he didn't have much leverage.
 
He did manage to get all-weather floor mats and an update to his X5's nav.

Replying to: ivan_99 (Sep 11, 2008 8:32 pm)

Exact thing happened to my co-worker; he spent a long time at the dealership looking at some pretty high end vehicles (M6)...but nobody seemed to want to initiate a conversation.
 
I'm going to wear a tuxedo the next time.

Replying to: venture (Sep 11, 2008 6:13 pm)

I have a similar tale... I got a manual tranny (which my wife can't/won't drive), but one time I had an automatic loaner car. I let my wife drive it on a local twisty road. When we got to the end I asked her what she thought. Her reply... "It's not bad, but I'd rather drive my Odyssey".. It was at that point in time I lost all respect for the woman.

Replies to this message:
• bodble2 (Sep 12, 2008 1:46 pm)

Replying to: kominsky (Sep 12, 2008 9:45 am)

Yeah, but be careful if she ever asks you for your opinion on her shoes or handbag!

Replying to: venture (Sep 11, 2008 6:42 pm)

Here's my "Ignored at a BMW dealer story"- from back in November 2006:
 
While we were visiting in Cincinnati we decided to check out the CPO inventory at Jake Sweeney BMW as well as The BMW Store. I had checked both of their web sites and each of them had at least one car I was very, VERY interested in. I was prepared to make a simple deal; 100% cash, no trade. We first stopped at Sweeney's, where we pulled up in my wife's 2004 X3 and walked over to the CPO lot to find the two 540i Sports that I had seen on Sweeney's website. We walked across the lot and through the CPO showroom and received no offers of assistance- not counting the lot jockey who asked me if I wanted the keys to a car I WASN'T looking at. I guess jeans, a BMW CCA golf shirt, and a BMW F1 jacket don't meet Jake's dress code. After about fifteen minutes of this I decided enough was enough; as we were leaving we walked by a sales guy who had been ignoring us while he chatted on his cell phone. As we passed him he heard me tell my wife that we were moving on to the BMW Store. So NOW he asks, "You mean you folks haven't been helped?" "Just forget it." I replied. His response? "Have a nice day. We're busy too, you know." Nice try, but I'd just walked through the CPO showroom and there was maybe one customer in the whole place, and two bored looking sales guys sitting at their desks. I wrote a letter to the CPO sales manager that detailed the entire incident and that was ignored as well. Worst of all, when we did get to the BMW Store the car I was interested in had just been taken out on a test drive- and ended up being sold to that customer...

Replies to this message:
• venture (Sep 12, 2008 10:30 pm)
  • bodble2 (Sep 12, 2008 11:19 pm)