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BMW Z4 Prices Paid and Buying Experience

511 messages,  Last post on Aug 10, 2011 at 3:16 PM

You are in the Prices Paid - Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum.

What is this discussion about? BMW Z4, Coupe, Convertible

Messages Page 2 of 52

#10 of 511 Re: BMW Z-Series:Prices Paid quick question [gatorsfn28] by cuco

Sep 05, 2004 (12:53 pm)

Replying to: gatorsfn28 (Sep 04, 2004 11:37 am)
gatorsfn28,
 
 Here are my 2 cents.
 
 If you still have not bought, good for you. BMW is offering the dealers $5000 in incentive to unload the 2004 2.5 liter Z4. It's $6500 for the 2004 3.0 liter Z4.
 
 I learned in the leasing forum at www.edmunds.com that it is not a good idea to put money down on a lease. If the car is totaled or stolen, you do not get your deposit back. In my case, I did put $2500 down so my wife would feel better at paying $397 per month for her lease instead of $470 per month.
 
 Here are my calculations on your car.
 
 A 2004 2.5 liter Z4 with auto and power top has an MSRP of $36280 and an Invoice of $33535. These numbers are from www.carsdirect.com
 
 First the calculations without putting any money down.
 
 1 - Assume that the dealer makes $1000. You may be able to get the dealer to go for just $500 in profit for him. It depends on how motivated they are to unload the 2004. I had no problem in getting mine at $1000 above dealer cost.
 
 2 - (Invoice - 5000 + 1000) = $29525
  
 3 - I got 58% residual on 10000 miles per year, last month. I don't know if the residuals have changed in September. Car_man at the leasing post may be able to help you with the actual residual number. The residual will also be smaller if you need more than 10000 miles per year on the lease.
 
 4 - 58% of the MSRP = $21042.
 
 5 - (29525 - 21042) / 36 = $235.64 to pay down the difference between the purchase price and the residual value over 36 months.
 
 6 - Interest per month
 
      (29525 + 21042) * 0.002 = $93.13
 
 7 - Total lease, before taxes, no money down.
 
      235.64 + 93.13 = $328.77
 
  Your'll have an acquisition fee, deposit and first month payment.
 
  If you decide to put down an extra $3000, then the payment should be about $247. This is a lot lower than what you were quoted.
 
  The above numbers will change depending on the miles per year you actually need, the residual now in September for the 2004 model and the actual price above dealer cost. The above numbers are $1000 above the dealer cost, which is (Invoice - $5000).
 
  Good luck, let us know how you did.

#11 of 511 I need HELP w/a very important decision..... by nmckain

Sep 07, 2004 (4:06 pm)

I am considering getting a Z4 (or Z3 w/lo miles) for commute purposes... it has two seats and the car pool requires 3 unless you only have two seats! my dilemma is... purchase used, new or lease. i live approx 40mi from my destination (80 per day) so i am not certain that a lease would be effective. i have looked at used but they are pretty pricey... almost as much as new w/o the incentives. can someone give me advice on this? i have a trade-in (98 LR RR4.6HSE w/51Kmi) so purchasing from a dealer in either case is pretty essential. if i buy used, how much wiggle room do i have and if new is it more beneficial due to warranty, incentives, financing, etc. thanks...i appreciate any assistance you can offer!

#12 of 511 Re: I need HELP w/a very important decision..... [nmckain] by vsaxena

Sep 08, 2004 (12:13 am)

Replying to: nmckain (Sep 07, 2004 4:06 pm)
With the current incentives a new Z4 is very attractive, especially since leases have very high residuals since they car calculated based on MSRP. You can get a 3.0 about $9K under MSRP. BMW offers leases upto 15K miles/year (or even more perhaps).
 
In your case the best deal would be a CPO car. This will give you warranty coverage for upto 6 years from the start date or 100K miles. Buy the extended maintenance program ($1K) and you are set with no maintenance/warranty costs for upto 100K miles, except for tires, insurance and gas.
 
Since you are going to be commuting, avoid the 3.0 Sports Package with the 18" wheel. The runflats on the 18" make the ride very hard and not good for commuting. A 3.0 non-Sports or a 2.5 Sports, both with 17" wheels are better for commuting. I also considered a Z3 before going for the Z4 but they are not in the same league. A Z4 is much better car than the Z3 when it comes to the driving dynamics.
 
In order to come up with an offer for a CPO car, I would use this formula:
1. Find the current invoice cost of a new 2004 Z4 with similar equipment (edmunds, carsdirect etc.).
2. Subtract the current incentives ($6500 for 3.0 and $5000 for 2.5); add $1000 for dealer profit. This is the going price for 2004 Z4.
3. Reduce the price you get in #2 by about 20% for the 1st year depreciation.
4. Add $1000 to the price in #3 to come up with a fair market value for the CPO car.
 
Most dealers, especially in the North East and the MidWest will take this deal. They do not want to be stuck with these pre-owned cars for too long. You may end up paying $1000-$2000 more than the number you come up with in #4 but walk if they ask for more.
 
There are a lot of Z4s for sale on EBay, many of them from BMW dealers. Very few of them are selling since the reserves are not being met. Once in a while you get a steal; a 2003 3.0 with less than 10K miles went for $30K, a full $15K less than MSRP last week.
 
If you do your home work well, you should be able to get a 2.5 CPO for around $31-32K and a 3.0 CPO for about $34-36K.

#13 of 511 Re: BMW Z-Series:Prices Paid quick question [cuco] by marcos

Sep 08, 2004 (8:58 am)

Replying to: cuco (Sep 05, 2004 12:53 pm)
Please HELP!
 
I have been looking at the Z4 for a while and now (September) they have very good lease offers.
 
I have the opportunity to get a z4 with power top MSRP is $35570. When I see the BMW site it says that downpayment will be 2500 and monthly payments will be $320 (with taxes).
 
Now I went to a dealer and I know the dealers are getting $5000 from BMW...so I expected to get the car for $35570 - $ 5000 = $30570. This will make the monthly payments lower. However, the dealer is telling me that the $5000 are built in the lease and that's why the lease is so low.
 
He is saying that when BMW talks about $320 monthly payments for the car BMW is including the $5000 discount already there.
is this true?

#14 of 511 Re: I need HELP w/a very important decision..... [vsaxena] by nmckain

Sep 08, 2004 (9:51 am)

Replying to: vsaxena (Sep 08, 2004 12:13 am)
Dear vsaxena:
 
WOW...you are brilliant! Thank you so much for y our help! You really opened my eyes and gave me some amazing info! I now feel armed to do battle. I live on the West Coast and convertibles are premium here but I can go in feeling more comfortable dealing with dealers!!!
Thanks again, and keep up the good advice. You are an asset to this site~!
 
Nancy

#15 of 511 Re: BMW Z-Series:Prices Paid quick question [marcos] by cuco

Sep 08, 2004 (9:59 am)

Replying to: marcos (Sep 08, 2004 8:58 am)
Marcos,
 
  Your MSRP of $35570 has an invoice price of about $32800. What I did in negotiating for the Z4 is work from the Invoice price, not the MSRP. A few people in these forums have been able to purchase or lease a new 2004 Z4 after giving the dealer just $500 to $1000 in profit.
 
   What I would do in your case is the following:
 
   1 - Try offering the dealer (Invoice - 5000 + 500), in other words, about $28300 for the car. This gives the dealer $500 in profit. I personally wouldn't go above $1000 profit for the dealer. That is, your purchase price should be between $28300 and $28800. If not, IMO, you're paying too much. Remember, they are motivated to get rid of the 2004 roadsters. Roadsters, in general, are not selling well. If they don't go for this, be prepare to walk to another dealer or a different car. If you really want the Z4, then they are going to get some extra money from you.
 
   2 - If you are going to lease, go to the leasing forum in this site and ask the host, Car_man what the residual is for the 2004 Z4 2.5 liter this month. Remember, you have to tell Car_man the number of miles that you want to be able to drive per year and the number of months in your lease.
 
  3 - Once you have the best purchase price for the car, the residual percentage, and the current money factor of 0.002, you'll be able to figure out the monthly amount.
 
  4 - If you do your homework you should be able to do a lot better than $320 per month.
 
    For example, last month the residual for a 36 month lease and 10000 miles per year was 58%. If that residual still applies in September, then such a lease in your case should cost only about $251 a month, before taxes, and assuming $2500 down. The same, without a down payment would be about $326.

#16 of 511 Ditto.. by kyfdx HOST

Sep 08, 2004 (10:06 am)

Marcos.. good advice by cuco.
 
Forget the lease calculator on the website or what you see in the ads.. You can almost always do better.

#17 of 511 Re: Ditto.. [kyfdx] by marcos

Sep 08, 2004 (11:33 am)

Replying to: kyfdx (Sep 08, 2004 10:06 am)
Thank you so much guys...is there a calculator I can use with all this data to figure out what the monthly payment should be?
 
Thanks

#18 of 511 BMWFS Lease Numbers for Sept 2004 by vsaxena

Sep 09, 2004 (9:28 pm)

Replying to: marcos (Sep 08, 2004 11:33 am)
Though they have increased the incentive they have drastically reduced the residuals on the Z4. You may want to try leasecompare.com for third party residuals.
 
Z4 2.5i
 
Money Factor .00200 Base Rate (good for all terms and mileage)
 
24 mo/15k mi = 59% residual - 36 mo/15k mi = 51% residual
24 mo/12k mi = 61% residual - 36 mo/12k mi = 52% residual
24 mo/10k mi = 62% residual - 36 mo/10k mi = 53% residual
 
Z4 3.0i
 
Money Factor .00200 Base Rate (good for all terms and mileage)
 
24 mo/15k mi = 59% residual - 36 mo/15k mi = 50% residual
24 mo/12k mi = 61% residual - 36 mo/12k mi = 52% residual
24 mo/10k mi = 62% residual - 36 mo/10k mi = 53% residual
 
LEASE CALCULATOR
Capitalized Cost (CC) = purchase price + acquisition fee - cap cost reduction.
Residual (RD) = % of MSRP (not purchase price).
Monthly Lease payment (CC - RD)/# of months + (CC + RD) * Money Factor.
Add Tax to above.
Drive Off = security deposit, license fee, first month's payment (with 0 down payment towards cap cost reduction).
 
ALWAYS PUT 0 down towards cap cost reduction.

#19 of 511 Re: BMWFS Lease Numbers for Sept 2004 [vsaxena] by cuco

Sep 10, 2004 (7:20 pm)

Replying to: vsaxena (Sep 09, 2004 9:28 pm)
vsaxena,
 
 Thanks for the post. I've been trying to get the residuals for the Z4 for this month. Where do you get these numbers?
 
  I leased my Z4 last month. Last month, the 3 liter 10K miles, 36 month lease had a residual of 58% and a manufacturer-to-dealer incentive of $4500. My lease came out to $397 per month, including taxes in N.J. I just went through the calculations for my car, based on the 53% residual and $6500 incentive. I went ahead and assumed that I would get the $2000 extra incentive between August and September for my lease, and the number came out to about $400 a month.
 
  That is, leasing this month would have cost the same, even with the $2000 extra for the incentive.
 
  I guess what this means is that 3 years from now, I may be able to get the car for 53% of the MSRP instead of the 58% MSRP from last month. It seems the residual takes a deep drop right after the manufacturer stops taking orders for the previous model year car, as it happened for BMW in August.

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