Quote:
Originally Posted by metallicpea
Yes, understood. I mentioned that in my post. Also why I recommend the 328 over the 320 when buying used.
320s on the lot seem always very poorly specd. And a not so good deal on a poorly specd 320 isn't fair to compare to a good deal on a better specd 328.
My only point was you could spec a 320 quite well for an attractive bottom line before, and now BMW has taken that away and killed something of a secret spec to push savvy buyers farther up the line.
When I was buying I wanted LCI, so a used 328i LCI m-sport wasn't available yet on the used market.
I always order or find the exact spec. I never buy a car that just happens to be on the lot - too many compromises for me. If I am going to make the spend and go new, I am going to get exactly the car I want - no compromises. This would be my approach buy or lease.
Of all the new cars I have purchased, all were ordered to my spec after researching / test driving each model and each package and option on the order guide. Except 2 - both of these were found in my region in exactly the spec I was looking for and were year end to take advantage of the incentives a special order would have missed out on.
I will also wait for months/years to find the right car when buying used and go anywhere to get it. I looked for my M3 for over 2 years and drove 3 states to get it. It is as close to exactly what I would have ordered as possible.
I understand many buyers don't see going to these lengths as worth it to them, but I like to feel satisfied with the appliance I drive every day, and the process of researching and buying isn't stressful for me like it is for many, so I am happy to do it to ensure the highest possibility of years of enjoyment with my car.
I think often times people switch cars more frequently as they grow unhappy with their car. Perhaps they would feel satisfied longer if they got a more suitable spec with each purchase.
|
I see. I would probably be fine to stay in this car for quite a while but I think the price I can buy it for @ lease end will be way too high to consider it. True market used value on a 2016 328 spec'd like mine in the fall of 2019 will likely be about $22000. That'd be a swell price. But the residual value is... $31500. Hahahaha! Epic. This is the thing. Can't have the cake and eat it too and all of that. I pay $367 a month on a $49000 car because the ridiculously imaginary residual value they set on this thing. They're like "shit, we have a TON of 328's we need to move, make the RV 68%!" So you get a sweet deal on the front end lease and no hope of ever buying the car if you wanted to. They kind of shoot themselves in the foot w/that though because I am a buyer in place, ready to buy. For some reason, they would rather take my car back, 'certify it' which is basically a glorified 30 minute inspection, cuz guess what there is nothing wrong with a 3 year old car with 30k miles on it and then let it sit on some dealer lot for x amount of months while they try to sell it. Or they could sell it to me but they'd never actually sell it to me for what its going to be worth. Bizarre sales model.
So am I instead going to buy a CPO 328 somewhere for $22k? No, why on earth would I do that, when I could just lease a G20 or whatever else. This is the trap my friend, this is the trap. Or I could have bought this car and had like a $850 car payment for 4 years.. Yeah, sweet, sounds great, sign me up!Then after its finally paid off I'm paying through the nose for my aging 3 series maintenance and repair.
I can see your approach making sense for a buy but the whole point of a lease in my view is its a cheap way, in the short term, to drive a nice car and comes with some other inherent benefits, already discussed in length in other threads. The way you get really cheap leases is by getting cars off lots. Special order you'll never get the same deal. End of the day, IMHO, a preciously spec'd 3 series with the options being 'just so' is hardly different than myriad cars on dealer lots, not to where it warrants paying more money. Like, sure I could have my same car with top view camera or ACC or fine ostrich seating surfaces but end of the day, theyre all the same damn car.
To buy and hold for many years though, I would absolutely special order.