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G80 BMW M3 and M4 General Topics Pricing, Ordering, Leasing / Purchasing, Delivery

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      10-23-2021, 01:07 PM   #1
bhmax16
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Is it really this hard to spend money?

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?
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      10-23-2021, 01:19 PM   #2
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Yes. Tried getting on the allocation list here locally multiple times and kept getting ignored and blown off. Did a frustration search on cars.com and found the car I wanted out of state and got it shipped. They have the upper hand and they know it.
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      10-23-2021, 01:46 PM   #3
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I would say it's a case that there is just far more buyers than there is cars. Nothing to do with your age profile.

I would pick up the phone and talk to someone, don't wait around for email replies. I had to chase my dealer on the phone for answers even when they had my deposit and knew I was buying because they were just so busy
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      10-23-2021, 02:35 PM   #4
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Yes. The sales people get paid when they deliver cars. Unless you have a relationship or they have an available allocation it's not unusual to have a hard time getting a response as they figure best case scenario is 4-6 months so they focus on the low hanging fruit. I think you will find similar experiences for most high performance cars these days. Also, if you are trying to negotiate discount off MSRP that's going to hurt your chances big time as well.
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      10-23-2021, 02:56 PM   #5
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If you are not getting anywhere with the local dealers, look elsewhere. You are close enough to do Performance Center Delivery and drive it home.
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      10-23-2021, 03:09 PM   #6
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Give this old article a read: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...o-enthusiasts/

TL;DR neither dealership nor Salsesperson make any money by helping a prospective buyer place an order for a car that won't sell until a few months later.
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      10-23-2021, 03:20 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by FriedPiston View Post
Give this old article a read: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...o-enthusiasts/

TL;DR neither dealership nor Salsesperson make any money by helping a prospective buyer place an order for a car that won't sell until a few months later.
Great article
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      10-23-2021, 04:49 PM   #8
bhmax16
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Appreciate the replies thus far.

To clarify, I have emailed AND called, so I am not simply waiting around for emails to be answered. Recent calls have gone unreturned. It seems to be a much different environment compared to over the summer where I sensed more enthusiasm to sell vehicles.

Price should not be a factor as pricing has not been discussed to date. Paying MSRP is not an issue but I refuse to pay above MSRP. With that said, my employer has a corporate purchase program with BMW which "should" give me a small break. That will be the fallback option if unable to negotiate anything better.

I appreciate the above article and found it informative, but do not agree that a factory order customer should take a backseat. The sale still results in dealer profit and commission in the CA's pocket even if at the expense of a few months wait in lieu of immediate gratification. I work in customer service, though in the aerospace industry. Every customer is important, even the ones who have secured maintenance contracts that we lose money on.

I understand the current environment, but this still strikes me as a poor way to do business.
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      10-23-2021, 04:59 PM   #9
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It's not only cars. I walked into a designer store to get a purse for my wife for our anniversary. No one gave a shit and told me the only way I could get it is if I was a preferred customer. Crazy times
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      10-23-2021, 05:00 PM   #10
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When I was initially looking ( my dealer did not have allocation) dealers in my area were non responsive and blew me off, when I tried to let them know the deal I was looking for. About a week later my local dealer got an allocation so I ordered my car ( received car already), but today about 3.5 months after I ordered my car some of the dealers I contacted sent me emails asking if I'm still interested and would agree to my terms. I told them they had their chance and I've already moved on. I'm not young and I'm 52 years old. I don't think age has anything to do with it. I think right now it's easy for the dealers to sell cars, but this will not last forever.
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      10-23-2021, 05:21 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bhmax16 View Post
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?
Trying to spend $80k+ on a car and no one seems interested... crazy right? Don't take it personally. Has nothing to do with your age. They're not being responsive simply because they have no g80s to sell you, and it's not worth the agent's time and effort now in the small hope that a miracle happens and they get an allocation, you're the one to buy it, and he's the one to sell it to you.

Just do what I did. Email every dealer within a 300 mile radius of you and ask if they have an allocation in hand and what the build week is. Once they confirm they do, offer MSRP and see if they take.

Last edited by razman; 10-23-2021 at 05:28 PM..
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      10-23-2021, 05:22 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by modat View Post
It's not only cars. I walked into a designer store to get a purse for my wife for our anniversary. No one gave a shit and told me the only way I could get it is if I was a preferred customer. Crazy times
Indeed. Everyone is making millions.
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      10-23-2021, 05:27 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bhmax16 View Post
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?
My pet peeve, do not EVER make me work to spend money. There are plenty of people who will jump over their desk to sell me (and you) something.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 'Cane View Post
If you are not getting anywhere with the local dealers, look elsewhere. You are close enough to do Performance Center Delivery and drive it home.
^^^ This.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gfit View Post
Great article
Anyone who has the approach that they aren't getting paid to place the order is very short sighted. While true you gotta keep the funnel full of buyers. Doing this all along would ensure you will get paid each month.

Quote:
Originally Posted by modat View Post
It's not only cars. I walked into a designer store to get a purse for my wife for our anniversary. No one gave a shit and told me the only way I could get it is if I was a preferred customer. Crazy times
I have a very long memory. While I get that supply can't meet demand, many of those brands keep it that way on purpose. It's like an auction without having an auction. Simply make somebody buy multiple items that are available to to then have the privilege to buy the lower volume hard to get item. Totally pisses me off, think Rolex (and others). Cars are a commodity, even at high prices...maybe not attainable to all but still a commodity until you're way past $200k. Lots of options.

Competition will come back and I'll remember if you were a dick to me sales person. But I may still give you another chance despite that prior transgression but it may involve a ton of ass kissing.

Last edited by edofloat; 10-23-2021 at 07:20 PM..
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      10-23-2021, 07:14 PM   #14
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I've been with my dealer and sales guy for 15 years and about 6 cars from them. As of purchasing my most recent it seems apparently from they way everyone at the dealer acts, including my 6 car salesperson, that they no longer want my business. I don't get it. Unfortunately so many businesses forget that customers are the source of their income.

And as to that article - the difference with the enthusiast vs the soccer mom is that if you treat they enthusiast well they will come back to you for many more cars and refer sales to you. The soccer mom has no allegiance for future purchases. As I told my CA, I've bought 6 cars from him with no intention or slightest thought of ever going anywhere else... until now. It's really unfortunate. Take care of your enthusiast customers and they will take care of you.
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      10-23-2021, 07:24 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snareman View Post
I've been with my dealer and sales guy for 15 years and about 6 cars from them. As of purchasing my most recent it seems apparently from they way everyone at the dealer acts, including my 6 car salesperson, that they no longer want my business. I don't get it. Unfortunately so many businesses forget that customers are the source of their income.

And as to that article - the difference with the enthusiast vs the soccer mom is that if you treat they enthusiast well they will come back to you for many more cars and refer sales to you. The soccer mom has no allegiance for future purchases. As I told my CA, I've bought 6 cars from him with no intention or slightest thought of ever going anywhere else... until now. It's really unfortunate. Take care of your enthusiast customers and they will take care of you.
Enthusiast or not, all the customers need to be taken care of, but the reason is the same, they like how they were treated (in various ways) and will repeat and refer.
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      10-23-2021, 07:47 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by modat View Post
It's not only cars. I walked into a designer store to get a purse for my wife for our anniversary. No one gave a shit and told me the only way I could get it is if I was a preferred customer. Crazy times
Same with trying to buy a house these days. Seller's market... demand far outweighs supply.

Age is irrelevant. It's 2021. In the age of DocuSign, Carvana/Vroom, and "Express Car Buying" service on most dealerships on new cars, I never plan to step foot in a dealership sales dept again. Trying to take an optimistic view on things, one good thing about COVID is that is basically forced everyone to implement some sort of remote transaction process.
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      10-23-2021, 08:20 PM   #17
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I had success with emailing the general manager or the general sale manger directly after getting blown off by the sales people. The GM and GSM generally have a larger and longer profit prospective (sales, finance, services, customer retention) and behavior more professionally. A lot of the sales people in this supply constrained environment seem to feel obligated to a commission for just doing the minimum work.
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      10-24-2021, 07:43 AM   #18
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I started buying BMW in South Florida when i was 24. I am 37 now and it is very different. No one cared about my age, what they care about now is selling the cars that are sitting on their lot.
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      10-24-2021, 08:32 AM   #19
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First world problems. lol
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      10-24-2021, 09:02 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by barryc365 View Post
I would say it's a case that there is just far more buyers than there is cars. Nothing to do with your age profile.

I would pick up the phone and talk to someone, don't wait around for email replies. I had to chase my dealer on the phone for answers even when they had my deposit and knew I was buying because they were just so busy
But he has a younger looking face…
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      10-24-2021, 11:14 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snareman View Post
I've been with my dealer and sales guy for 15 years and about 6 cars from them. As of purchasing my most recent it seems apparently from they way everyone at the dealer acts, including my 6 car salesperson, that they no longer want my business. I don't get it. Unfortunately so many businesses forget that customers are the source of their income.

And as to that article - the difference with the enthusiast vs the soccer mom is that if you treat they enthusiast well they will come back to you for many more cars and refer sales to you. The soccer mom has no allegiance for future purchases. As I told my CA, I've bought 6 cars from him with no intention or slightest thought of ever going anywhere else... until now. It's really unfortunate. Take care of your enthusiast customers and they will take care of you.
This will be my 8th BMW and 6th from my dealership. Also 3rd M car. I think I was considered the same as a person buying their first car from them. At least I have an allocation and I am at production begins so I am not complaining. I just think if you are a long-standing client you should be treated that way.
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      10-24-2021, 11:20 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bruce911_ View Post
This will be my 8th BMW and 6th from my dealership. Also 3rd M car. I think I was considered the same as a person buying their first car from them. At least I have an allocation and I am at production begins so I am not complaining. I just think if you are a long-standing client you should be treated that way.
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.
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