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First of all I am one of those people who first signed the order sheet and then realized there are forums out there that people share their experiences,prices, etc.. I am grateful for people who are posting on these forums.
I have a unique situation...
I ordered a 335i RWD + Sapphire Black Metallic + Sports Line + Premium Package + Enhanced Bluetooth. MSRP: $49,145. Invoice (bmw.config): $45,770. My purchase price: $47,145. Delivery is supposed to be mid-April.
Yes, I over paid as opposed to those who paid at invoice or $500 over invoice. However, before I ordered my 335i, I ordered a 328i without lighting pakage (what was I thinking???) back in January. I put down $1,000 deposit. The dealers in Dallas barely had any inventory due to an excellent December and they were not willing to do any invoice. I was very peculiar with my color and packages so I had no choice but to order one at $1,000 over invoice. After waiting 8 weeks, my car was at the dealership. Once the car came in to the dealership, I asked myself halogen lights??? really??? so I changed my mind and told my dealer that I am not buying the car and instead I wanted to buy a 335i. Well, they did not have the 335i that I wanted so it would have to be ordered, but they had only one slot. Same day they told me that they would give me that slot if I agree on transferring the discount that they gave me on 328i and not a dime more. Well the $1,000 over invoice on 328i became $1,400 over invoice on 335i. But I got to transfer my deposit and was able to order a 335i on the same day and the car went into production a week after. Had I dealt with a dealer from a different city or had I picked the ED just because of the attractive ED MSRP, I would not be able to make these changes that easily or I might have lost my deposit.
Long story short...The month matters when buying a car. In January and February most dealers do not have much inventory. They are building one. The deals are scarce. Therefore, they are not willing to sell the car at invoice. Plus, they still have 11 months to meet their annual sales quotes. I realize there are exceptions, but I heard mostly this is the case.
A lot of people focus on the price and misses the fact that this is also a service industry and having a good relationship with a sales rep who thinks he is making a good profit margin from you comes in handy when you need to make changes or have special requests. You can even get a better loaner when you take your car to the service because they know you. I also believe the best dealer is the one that is closest to you.
If I had to buy another 3 series BMW, I would do it ED instead of calling 5 different US dealerships in order to save $500-$900. The ED option could have saved me $2,000 to $3,000 but most importantly I would have the chance to take a vacation out of it.
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