BMW Car Sales - The cost to be Number 1

[rangerreece]

I believe those statements reinforce my point. Yes, I'm sure the cars are fun to drive. $60,000 worth of fun? I'd say that was debatable. Tack on the dealer repair prices when they're out of warranty, and the hefty depreciation upon trade-in/resale, and you really have to want that "fun". I don't think most people are trying to " break it loose, hit off ramps at 60mph". But, then again, a lot of people drive like idiots these days, doing just that and acting like the highways are their personal race course, so I'm probably wrong there. Hey, if you've got the money to burn, might as well torch it at the BMW dealership. And if the car will do it, well then, as they like to say, "Drive it like you stole it!" I'll try and get out of the way.

A little judgmental in Akron Ohio today?

 

[pampero]

Forgetting the shame of mentioning VW for a moment, is there any reason not to feel great and possibly equal joy in a Golf R as in an M2 or M4? I drove one two days ago and was very impressed.

 

[milo]

I believe those statements reinforce my point. Yes, I'm sure the cars are fun to drive. $60,000 worth of fun? I'd say that was debatable. Tack on the dealer repair prices when they're out of warranty, and the hefty depreciation upon trade-in/resale, and you really have to want that "fun". .

This is my feeling regarding BMW/Mercedes/Audi and some extent VW automobiles. They're well designed cars that handle and run well and for are nice for those who can really appreciate them. Most are are leases with them being turned in before warranty expires. Buying them at that point you roll the dice, factor in adding in a pricy factory extended warranty or risk very expensive maintenance and repair considering they have average at best reliability. I was told by an X5 owner that replacing brakes is around $2,000 because pads and rotors are designed to wear together. This is one reason why resale takes such a dive.

 

[jconway607]

A little judgmental in Akron Ohio today?

I suppose you might say so. As one who finds true value in no-frill, reliable, and reasonably priced, machinery, I have come to take a dim view of all the supercharged, ten computer driven, "Look at me! I'm driving the most expensive car on the road!" items that so many people seem so impressed with. They're cars. Point A to point B. When did Americans start believing that they had to be coddled in luxury, or own a Grand Prix capable car to go get a loaf of bread? I guess I was born in the wrong time frame. A model T would suit me fine.

 

[36654]

Experiencing the truth of this first hand from both perspectives as buyer and seller. My wife purchased a nearly new 435xi last summer with only 3500 Kms on it for a good discount over new. Now we are still trying to sell her previous 2008 335i six months later. It is no help that our local economy is in severe free fall with the effects of low oil prices.

You can easily spot the first-time leasee at the end of lease period. That's when the realization of the salesman's BS becomes apparent and the 3-yr old gem isn't worth more than the end-of-lease value and they aren't going to make money on a private sale.

In my experience, getting a good deal at purchase/lease time is all you can hope for. Getting NADA/Kelley/Edmund's value in a private sale of your old car is pretty rare. At that point, you're competing with all those places that can offer assistance to potential buyers with problem credit.

 

[36654]

I suppose you might say so. As one who finds true value in no-frill, reliable, and reasonably priced, machinery, I have come to take a dim view of all the supercharged, ten computer driven, "Look at me! I'm driving the most expensive car on the road!" items that so many people seem so impressed with. They're cars. Point A to point B. When did Americans start believing that they had to be coddled in luxury, or own a Grand Prix capable car to go get a loaf of bread? I guess I was born in the wrong time frame. A model T would suit me fine.

About 15-yrs ago, I was flying home from Frankfurt and my neighboring passenger was a BMW engineering manager traveling to TX, as I recall, to appear as a witness in an accident liability trial. It was a very pleasant conversation and I found it quite interesting to hear how US business schools marketed themselves to employees of known luxury brands. It seems, Business Schools want students from companies with preferred trademarks to inflate their own market value. Ironic, No?

In any case, during the conversation, I lamented the lack of BMW models being offered with manual transmissions. The BMW engineer responded with something like........."Why would you want that? I love not having to shift in my 5-series wagon...". When I responded that I enjoyed the driver-car interaction of a manual transmission.......he responded with something like......"Ah, a BMW-crazy! You should drive a steptronic". I responded that I had and wasn't excited. It functioned fine, but didn't add anything to the driving experience beyond a typical automatic transmission, for me. At that point, he had nothing more to offer on the subject.

As someone said........I can stomp on the gas and it goes like heck. And, when I stomp on the brakes, it really stops. It's the digital world, 1's and 0's.

 

[Omega Man]

You make friends wherever you go!

OM

 

[36654]

is there any reason not to feel great and possibly equal joy in a Golf R as in an M2 or M4? I drove one two days ago and was very impressed.

What? How dare you offer an objective comment among all this BMW car-fatuation? The other question is ......... how discerning of a driver are you with your M-"pick a number" when the foreign grad students drive new Maserati, Lamborghini, etc.. M-series and AMG's are pretty common in the student parking lots of many colleges, thanks to the foreign students.

 

[lkchris]

Forgetting the shame of mentioning VW for a moment, is there any reason not to feel great and possibly equal joy in a Golf R as in an M2 or M4? I drove one two days ago and was very impressed.

Probably the dealer experience.

 

[ecaho]

Since we're talking performance cars that take a dump on our Schwab accounts, I highly recommend anyone with Netflix to watch A Faster Horse. Do it. Watch it tonight. It's a great documentary about the history of the Mustang and the gyrations the engineers go through in bringing the 2015 model to market on time. I've never been much of a Mustang fan but this documentary actually made me want to go to a Ford dealership and abuse a test ride. More broadly, it makes a car guy like me appreciate the invisible challenges that manufacturers face when retooling a performance car for a demanding customer base.

 

[rangerreece]

A faster horse.. I'll bet that on the list.. Love me some documentaries. Thanks for the tip.