[JDUNITNOW]

Correct what someone said earlier, age doesn't matter, its the climate we are in. This only proves one thing, they didn't give two shits about you no matter how many cars you bought from them. I had a similar experience when I ordered my car from a dealership I bought multiple cars from. I put a deposit down in June with no order number and they ghosted me. I went to their sister dealership in September and got a order number and now my car is at the port of Baltimore. The other dealership was happy to give some get back to other dealership.

[BMWRacer523]

it's mostly to do with shortages and the resulting lack of allocations but appearance definitely comes into play unless you are a prior known customer. I remember when i first walked into a BMW dealership about 10 years ago looking a lot younger than I was and wearing shorts and flip flops and driving an e30 none of them gave me the time of day. I found the youngest SA there was and approached him at his desk. Strangely, the local porsche dealership gave me a better reception than BMW.

[petrol_phxz]

Originally Posted by BMWRacer523

it's mostly to do with shortages and the resulting lack of allocations but appearance definitely comes into play unless you are a prior known customer. I remember when i first walked into a BMW dealership about 10 years ago looking a lot younger than I was and wearing shorts and flip flops and driving an e30 none of them gave me the time of day. I found the youngest SA there was and approached him at his desk. Strangely, the local porsche dealership gave me a better reception than BMW.

Appearance does effect first-impressions, but they don't mean everything. I (30 years old) could walk in with shorts and a sports T shirt on or I could walk in with designer jeans and a button up. Neither apparel options would change what my income situation is.

A dealer would be a fool to simply blow off someone because of their age or appearance. Of course there should be a feeling out process, but for all anyone knows, I could have purchased $100 worth of Bitcoin back in 2009 and be a multi-millionaire.

[BMWRacer523]

Originally Posted by petrol_phxz

Appearance does effect first-impressions, but they don't mean everything. I (30 years old) could walk in with shorts and a sports T shirt on or I could walk in with designer jeans and a button up. Neither apparel options would change what my income situation is.

A dealer would be a fool to simply blow off someone because of their age or appearance. Of course there should be a feeling out process, but for all anyone knows, I could have purchased $100 worth of Bitcoin back in 2009 and be a multi-millionaire.

well obviously it has little bearing but the fact remains that people including sales people do judge based on appearance and what you drive. it's reality.

[razman]

Originally Posted by snareman

I couldn't agree more and told both my long time CA and dealer general manager that. My CA for some reason doesn't really seem to care, but the GM at least talked to me for a good 20min about all of my issues at the dealer and offered me some money on my next car, not that I think they can get an allocation.

Guys, don't take my cynicism below as personal as it's not intended to be at all.

I regularly read posts from people who are proud about the "relationship" they have with their dealer; the number of cars they've bought from said dealer over the years, or even from the same sales agent, and how "loyal" they are to their dealer. I am left flabbergasted.

Personally, dealerships and their employees are not my family, they are not my friends. If I drop dead tomorrow, they are not coming to my funeral. Instead, they have one sole purpose: to make as much money as possible. Said differently, their loyalty is not to me, it is to their bottom line. Always. And if that means selling their one M3 allocation for 15k above msrp to a first time customer vs. me, Mr. Loyal, that's what they will do every single time.

Therefore, my loyalty is to my wallet. Most cars, including BMWs, are a commodity. And when I'm in the market for a commodity car, I call around and whoever is willing to give me the best deal wins my business. Establishing a "relationship" to me has a very real cost. It means I lose substantial negotiating power because the other side knows (and will take advantage of the fact) that I will not go anywhere else.

And what do I get in return for that cost? A sales agent named "Dan" that might remember my name when he sees me, vaguely remembers that I have one or two kids, and can't ever seem to remember what I do for a living. Certainly not someone who will prioritize me over other customers if it means he'll make less money, even in the short term.

No thanks Dan.

[snareman]

Originally Posted by razman

Guys, don't take my cynicism below as personal as it's not intended to be at all.

I regularly read posts from people who are proud about the "relationship" they have with their dealer; the number of cars they've bought from said dealer over the years, or even from the same sales agent, and how "loyal" they are to their dealer. I am left flabbergasted.

Personally, dealerships and their employees are not my family, they are not my friends. If I drop dead tomorrow, they are not coming to my funeral. Instead, they have one sole purpose: to make as much money as possible. Said differently, their loyalty is not to me, it is to their bottom line. Always. And if that means selling their one M3 allocation for 15k above msrp to a first time customer vs. me, Mr. Loyal, that's what they will do every single time.

Therefore, my loyalty is to my wallet. Most cars, including BMWs, are a commodity. And when I'm in the market for a commodity car, I call around and whoever is willing to give me the best deal wins my business. Establishing a "relationship" to me has a very real cost. It means I lose substantial negotiating power because the other side knows (and will take advantage of the fact) that I will not go anywhere else.

And what do I get in return for that cost? A sales agent named "Dan" that might remember my name when he sees me, vaguely remembers that I have one or two kids, and can't ever seem to remember what I do for a living. Certainly not someone who will prioritize me over other customers if it means he'll make less money, even in the short term.

No thanks Dan.

I think this is not the case when you actually establish a relationship. I consider myself friends with my CA and FWIW, I'm FB friends with him and sales manager who I've also known for 15 years. Both of them DO know what I do and DO know about my family and have in the past have gone out of their way to help me with things outside of my sale and a few other amenities that I don't think I'd have gotten if I was Dan off the street 1st time customer. That said, all of those things have unfortunately declined over the past year which would have me looking with my wallet at this point, except everything is MSRP, so more so has me looking for a dealer with an allocation.

[ToMorNotToM]

Originally Posted by bhmax16

Looking to gauge how other members' experiences have been in purchasing a G80. Have you experienced hurdles with your respective dealers? I think everybody is well-educated on supply chain woes at this point, but have you ran into dealers seemingly unwilling to work a deal and/or a failed sense of urgency to sell a vehicle?

I am in my mid-30s with a younger looking face. Have those in a similar demographic felt they have not been taken seriously when considering a G80 or like purchase?

My local dealer has failed to respond to my inquiries over several days. Mostly general questions about allocations/production slots, available options, etc. I am ready to pull the trigger on an order if an allocation is available (and pending an agreement on price), but those discussions are on hold due to lack of response.

Fallback options include trying another dealer (likely out of state - open to recommendations from forum members on who to deal with), consider a Giulia Quadrifoglio or hold out another year for a Lotus Emira if I can justify a 2 seater for a daily driver. Pretty sure I do not want to give up 3 pedals which would make the Quad a hard pull to swallow.

Current BMW runs great and has been plenty reliable, though I have owned it for 11 years and it has 145k on the clock. A new vehicle is not a necessity, but I am bored and ready for a new ride.

Seeking others' thoughts/experiences. Is it really this difficult to spend money?

I’m getting very timely responses and feedback from my sales rep. We re both frustrated with the lack of allocations. They have been very patient and supportive. Like others have said check with other dealers. That said, there is just a lack of things to sell so expect courtesy but not action.

[TrevorM3]

there are no cars, and no deals to be had really. dont think it has much to do with your looks.

[V-Eight]

Originally Posted by bhmax16

I am in my mid-30s with a younger looking face. Have those in a similar demographic felt they have not been taken seriously when considering a G80 or like purchase?

Seeking others' thoughts/experiences. Is it really this difficult to spend money?

In my experience no, I'm nearly in the same age (38) and I was considered in the right way since the beginning. But.......is the "savoir faire" of a lot of SA that doesn't work in my opinion. When you've signed the contract....they oftern disappear as they "made it" to make you buy something. I'm experiencing what I'm wiritng in this period. My M3 has already gained a 2 months delay, and it'll arrive at the end of the year as of today. In the meantime I need another car, and my dealer didn't have nothing to give me. So that I've asked to have back my old M140 as a gap filler, but even if it is still on sale from what I've been told, there's nobody that really takes care of my problem. It sounds strange, when you've already bought in their showroom a Maserati Ghibli S, an M8, an M3, a 3 series Touring, and a MINI cooper S in the last 9 months!
It makes me think to go elsewhere for the next car to buy, probably they don't need our money, or they don't need to sell cars.....

[Vishal50028]

I had a different experience. I wasn't even looking to replace my 335i but was bored during the holidays and meandered into my local dealership. 2 hours later, I had a deal at msrp and an allocation a week later

[Aeromotive]

Mid thirties here, was FB friends with SA for many years.

Went to see him twice for an allocation in the span of 3 months. First visit he said he didn't have an allocation until 5 months later and said he'd get back to me. I didn't have any updates so I went back after 3 months and he said the same thing, and no follow-up.

Both times he wasn't interested in making the sale, or he didn't wanna bother with finding an allocation.

I went elsewhere, got offered the same price for allocation and got 1000$ more for my current 340i.

When he learned I had ordered at another dealership, he got angry and blocked me off FB. It was a good time for him to get screwed too, for that mediocre service he had offered a "friend".

Bottom line : Dealerships are here to make money and sell cars, not make friends... and I'm here to purchase a car, not make friends either. Anyone making you feel special is doing it for $.

Just my 0.02$

[nunzo]

Try buying a Rolex or Patek at retail

[Neophyte]

My SA was excellent. I wasn't even sure what model to get and last thing I told him was that I'm leaning for LCI X4M over M3. He sent me a build sheet which I filled out and a few weeks later he just texted me some pics of it being delivered lol. He told me to pass by and see if I like it; if not he'll make another build for me. This was all during the chip shortage as well and they are an M certified dealer.

In between those weeks where I was undecided and needed a car urgently because I just moved to the area, I called Chevy, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Kia dealers so I can get a cheap POS to get around. Told them I was ready to buy and if they could send someone to get me. They were all less than 25 minutes away. All of them told me to find a ride myself or get an Uber and I guess it ended up costing them a sale. Ended up ubering to a used car dealer and got a beater for 2.5k that I still own.

[G82Anxious]

Originally Posted by Neophyte

My SA was excellent. I wasn't even sure what model to get and last thing I told him was that I'm leaning for LCI X4M over M3. He sent me a build sheet which I filled out and a few weeks later he just texted me some pics of it being delivered lol. He told me to pass by and see if I like it; if not he'll make another build for me. This was all during the chip shortage as well and they are an M certified dealer.

In between those weeks where I was undecided and needed a car urgently because I just moved to the area, I called Chevy, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Kia dealers so I can get a cheap POS to get around. Told them I was ready to buy and if they could send someone to get me. They were all less than 25 minutes away. All of them told me to find a ride myself or get an Uber and I guess it ended up costing them a sale. Ended up ubering to a used car dealer and got a beater for 2.5k that I still own.

In this day with Uber..Why do you feel a dealership should send someone to get you?

[Former-Mopar]

I am in my mid 50's and was getting blown off over the phone. Just for the heck of it I walked into a local dealership and stumbled on to an M4 allocation. Order placed April 22 and now car is setting at the port of Galveston. Hope to driving it next week.

[M3coco]

30 something female here, purchased x3mcomp from dealership a few hours away. From the time I started inquiring with them about the m3, It was like pulling teeth getting an allocation from that dealership, always some bs story, but I finally got on the list at msrp no deposit (ended up getting pushed to my 23 after they accidentally gave me allocation away at first) . I also decided to get on the list at my local dealership, no deposit msrp, and now that car is waiting at port and they have been wonderful. When I called them, I spoke to the manager and was really firm with them and told them to take me seriously, so they had me come down and build the car, and hopefully it will be on a ship soon!

[HNSKP]

Originally Posted by G82Anxious

In this day with Uber..Why do you feel a dealership should send someone to get you?

The CA picked me up from the airport and drove me 15 min to the dealer to pick up my F30 340i a few years ago. Pretty sure I was doing them a bigger favor though because the car had been sitting on the lot for months. Guess no one wanted a 6 speed manual non-M car in the Bay area.

[Neophyte]

Originally Posted by G82Anxious

In this day with Uber..Why do you feel a dealership should send someone to get you?

Because I need a ride to buy a car from them. My BMW SA asked me if I needed to be picked up and they are 40 min away.

[disancke]

Originally Posted by NKGK20

But he has a younger looking face…

I think that actually depends on the dealer and the SA. I’m in mid-20s, just about two years after graduation, and currently I have no problem dealing with my SA on ordering G82. Even chatted a lot about different colors/option selections and saying sh*t about the idrive8 and the iPad screen.

But meanwhile, I’d definitely agree that my dad would have another experience when he buys his car. It’s common that, as a young person, they don’t take you seriously at the first place.