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      04-25-2012, 03:39 PM   #1
AggieTexan
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Question New to BMW...Advice Please!

I am getting ready to purchase my first BMW...a 2012 328i. My "Client Advisor" has located a car that has some but not all of the options I'm looking for. It is a Modern, Mineral Gray Metallic, with Oyster Leather and Anthracite Wood. Options are Premium Package, Xenon headlights, Technology Package (Navigation and HUD), Satellite Radio, & BMW Assist. I was hoping to get heated front seats, the Park Distance Control, and possibly the sunshades.

Questions -- Like I said, this car ticks most of my boxes. I live in Houston, so the heated seats are certainly not a "must have," and the rear shade is nice (I have one now), but I'll have the windows tinted to take care of the sun problem. I liked the Park Distance Control, but it also wouldn't be a deal breaker. Do any of you have these items on your cars, and if so would it be worth ordering the car and waiting just to get ALL my wish list instead of most of my list? About how long is the entire process if I was to order a car?

I also read something about a USAA discount. Has anybody on here used that, and how does that process work?

Thanks in advance for your help. If it matters, coincidentally the car I'm looking at is right here in Houston, so I could be in my new car in a matter of days!
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      04-25-2012, 03:42 PM   #2
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depends on your situation. here is my story:

i also found a car on the lot that ticked about 90% of my boxes, except xenons. i took the car anyway and was happy with it. in fact, it had more options than i wanted and now i would regret not getting the options since i wasn't going to order them. but i still do regret not getting the exact car i wanted. in my case i also needed a new car since my current one was showing its age with brake faults and check engine lights. i would still be waiting for my car had i ordered one.

long story short, order what you want if you can wait or you will regret it.
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      04-25-2012, 03:53 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AggieTexan View Post
I am getting ready to purchase my first BMW...a 2012 328i. My "Client Advisor" has located a car that has some but not all of the options I'm looking for. It is a Modern, Mineral Gray Metallic, with Oyster Leather and Anthracite Wood. Options are Premium Package, Xenon headlights, Technology Package (Navigation and HUD), Satellite Radio, & BMW Assist. I was hoping to get heated front seats, the Park Distance Control, and possibly the sunshades.

Questions -- Like I said, this car ticks most of my boxes. I live in Houston, so the heated seats are certainly not a "must have," and the rear shade is nice (I have one now), but I'll have the windows tinted to take care of the sun problem. I liked the Park Distance Control, but it also wouldn't be a deal breaker. Do any of you have these items on your cars, and if so would it be worth ordering the car and waiting just to get ALL my wish list instead of most of my list? About how long is the entire process if I was to order a car?

I also read something about a USAA discount. Has anybody on here used that, and how does that process work?

Thanks in advance for your help. If it matters, coincidentally the car I'm looking at is right here in Houston, so I could be in my new car in a matter of days!

I live in So Cal, the weather is practically perfect and never cold... but i like my butt, as well as my rear passengers' butt, and my hands on the steering well to be warm and toasty...
Therefore i got heated seats all around
and I love it myself!
I would recommend you that.

I got NO rear shade, and i didn't want it
because i am planning to tint my car anyways...

I got no Parking Helper... I am skilled
but if you think it can make it easier on you
(or if it was for my wife (that i dont have))
then i would get it... it's definitely a convenience i am sure.

In the end, it's really up to you whether you have a must or just a preference...

What options could you not live without ...??
you should ask yourself that question:


For me:

must be Manual
must have sunrơof
must be 6 cyl
must be at least 300 horses
must be 4 dơors
must be blue
........................... and that's all
anything else would just be extra for me
and extra is always gơod

gơod luck in your choice.
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      04-25-2012, 04:37 PM   #4
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Thanks for your thoughts. If I decide to wait I have the luxury of time, because there's nothing wrong with my current car (2006 Lexus GS300), and I've only put 50,000 miles on it in 6 years.

That kind of brings me to the other part of my quandry...I only put about 8,000 miles a year on my car, and since I'm retiring in June that number will drop even lower...probably to about 5,000. I'm pretty sure I don't really need any of the options I'm mulling over. I think I just want them because I saw them on a test drive and I thought they were cool. I'm easily impressed by car toys!

The other piece of the puzzle is that my color combination hasn't been easy to find. I don't want a black interior (not girly enough and too hot for Texas) and I don't want a black, white, or silver car, so that eliminates a lot of what's out there. The car that's at a dealership about 5 miles from my house has all three of my choices for paint, leather, and wood trim, so I keep thinking I really shouldn't let it go!

Last edited by AggieTexan; 04-25-2012 at 04:44 PM..
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      04-25-2012, 04:50 PM   #5
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are you leasing?
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      04-25-2012, 04:56 PM   #6
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i say order the car you want!
i think it's worth the satisfaction. and the wait makes it soo...much...better when you get it
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      04-25-2012, 05:06 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by bcl0328 View Post
are you leasing?
No, purchasing.
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      04-25-2012, 05:08 PM   #8
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Yeah, life is short. Get the car you want and make sure you get the gadgets!
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      04-25-2012, 05:53 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AggieTexan
I am getting ready to purchase my first BMW...a 2012 328i. My "Client Advisor" has located a car that has some but not all of the options I'm looking for. It is a Modern, Mineral Gray Metallic, with Oyster Leather and Anthracite Wood. Options are Premium Package, Xenon headlights, Technology Package (Navigation and HUD), Satellite Radio, & BMW Assist. I was hoping to get heated front seats, the Park Distance Control, and possibly the sunshades.

Questions -- Like I said, this car ticks most of my boxes. I live in Houston, so the heated seats are certainly not a "must have," and the rear shade is nice (I have one now), but I'll have the windows tinted to take care of the sun problem. I liked the Park Distance Control, but it also wouldn't be a deal breaker. Do any of you have these items on your cars, and if so would it be worth ordering the car and waiting just to get ALL my wish list instead of most of my list? About how long is the entire process if I was to order a car?

I also read something about a USAA discount. Has anybody on here used that, and how does that process work?

Thanks in advance for your help. If it matters, coincidentally the car I'm looking at is right here in Houston, so I could be in my new car in a matter of days!
IF you can wait, order the vehicle!
I'm in the same situation and although waiting for a 60 day delivery sucks, I will not regret a bit once I get the car I personally customized.
Good luck.
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      04-25-2012, 05:56 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AggieTexan View Post
I am getting ready to purchase my first BMW...a 2012 328i. My "Client Advisor" has located a car that has some but not all of the options I'm looking for. It is a Modern, Mineral Gray Metallic, with Oyster Leather and Anthracite Wood. Options are Premium Package, Xenon headlights, Technology Package (Navigation and HUD), Satellite Radio, & BMW Assist. I was hoping to get heated front seats, the Park Distance Control, and possibly the sunshades.

Questions -- Like I said, this car ticks most of my boxes. I live in Houston, so the heated seats are certainly not a "must have," and the rear shade is nice (I have one now), but I'll have the windows tinted to take care of the sun problem. I liked the Park Distance Control, but it also wouldn't be a deal breaker. Do any of you have these items on your cars, and if so would it be worth ordering the car and waiting just to get ALL my wish list instead of most of my list? About how long is the entire process if I was to order a car?

I also read something about a USAA discount. Has anybody on here used that, and how does that process work?

Thanks in advance for your help. If it matters, coincidentally the car I'm looking at is right here in Houston, so I could be in my new car in a matter of days!
I would definitely get the rear camera/park sensors! Wish mine had these.
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      04-25-2012, 06:38 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AggieTexan View Post

I also read something about a USAA discount. Has anybody on here used that, and how does that process work?

Thanks in advance for your help. If it matters, coincidentally the car I'm looking at is right here in Houston, so I could be in my new car in a matter of days!
I used the USAA discount. For a 2012 328i, it was a $1500 discount on my purchase. My dealer called USAA and got a eligibility letter and I didn't have to do anything else. You must be a member of USAA and I think that's the only requirement. But I don't think you can use the BMW car club discount with it.
Good luck with your purchase!
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      04-25-2012, 06:42 PM   #12
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order and wait. At least u know you are getting exactly what you want.
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      04-25-2012, 07:03 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AggieTexan View Post
I also read something about a USAA discount. Has anybody on here used that, and how does that process work?
I also used the USAA discount. $1500 off the final negotiated price. Consider getting a quote from the USAA car buying service too -- it varies by dealer and area, but I got a very good quote that the dealer honored. If you think you can do better than the USAA quote, you're not locked in and you can still use the $1500 discount.

I think the USAA car buying service uses the same system as Truecar.com, so you don't have to be a member and can just get a quote from Truecar. But you do have to be a member to use the $1500 discount.
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      04-25-2012, 08:25 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RxCritical View Post
I used the USAA discount. For a 2012 328i, it was a $1500 discount on my purchase. My dealer called USAA and got a eligibility letter and I didn't have to do anything else. You must be a member of USAA and I think that's the only requirement. But I don't think you can use the BMW car club discount with it.
Good luck with your purchase!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooldorky View Post
I also used the USAA discount. $1500 off the final negotiated price. Consider getting a quote from the USAA car buying service too -- it varies by dealer and area, but I got a very good quote that the dealer honored. If you think you can do better than the USAA quote, you're not locked in and you can still use the $1500 discount.

I think the USAA car buying service uses the same system as Truecar.com, so you don't have to be a member and can just get a quote from Truecar. But you do have to be a member to use the $1500 discount.
I just used the USAA car buyer site to price out the car that's on the lot in Houston since that's the way I'm leaning. The thing I like about the USAA site as opposed to some other sites is their target prices seem reasonable. I've seen some prices that I know are just wishful thinking, or I would have to be a very good negotiator, which I'm not.

It's my understanding that I can use the USAA savings along with my $1,000 certificate from the Drive for Team USA event, so that's a pretty substantial additional discount in my book!
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      04-25-2012, 09:01 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AggieTexan View Post

It's my understanding that I can use the USAA savings along with my $1,000 certificate from the Drive for Team USA event, so that's a pretty substantial additional discount in my book!
If you can combine the discounts that's great. Just make sure that the purchase price before rebates is reasonable. Rebates like this are "below the line" (i.e., more or less "cash back" after you've agreed on price) and don't come out of the dealer's pocket, so don't let anyone suggest you're taking them to the poorhouse.
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      04-25-2012, 09:21 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sr5959
Quote:
Originally Posted by AggieTexan View Post
I am getting ready to purchase my first BMW...a 2012 328i. My "Client Advisor" has located a car that has some but not all of the options I'm looking for. It is a Modern, Mineral Gray Metallic, with Oyster Leather and Anthracite Wood. Options are Premium Package, Xenon headlights, Technology Package (Navigation and HUD), Satellite Radio, & BMW Assist. I was hoping to get heated front seats, the Park Distance Control, and possibly the sunshades.

Questions -- Like I said, this car ticks most of my boxes. I live in Houston, so the heated seats are certainly not a "must have," and the rear shade is nice (I have one now), but I'll have the windows tinted to take care of the sun problem. I liked the Park Distance Control, but it also wouldn't be a deal breaker. Do any of you have these items on your cars, and if so would it be worth ordering the car and waiting just to get ALL my wish list instead of most of my list? About how long is the entire process if I was to order a car?

I also read something about a USAA discount. Has anybody on here used that, and how does that process work?

Thanks in advance for your help. If it matters, coincidentally the car I'm looking at is right here in Houston, so I could be in my new car in a matter of days!
I would definitely get the rear camera/park sensors! Wish mine had these.
Definitely, this car's dimensions are a bit harder to gauge than the e46 I'm coming from.
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      04-29-2012, 07:23 AM   #17
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Update...I changed my mind! After all, that's a woman's perogative!

I decided I really didn't want to go through the wait to order if I could help it, so my husband and I worked with our CA yesterday to find me a reasonably local car that met my wish list, and we found "my car!"

I wanted a dark exterior and (preferably) a light interior, so that really limited my choices. I ruled out Mojave as being too bronze for me in the sunlight, and I didn't want Jet Black. That left Mineral Gray, Black Sapphire, and the Deep Blue as possibilities and we went from there.

Sometime this week I will be a BMW newbie with a 328i Modern Line, Black Sapphire, Oyster interior, Premium Package, Premium Sound, Technology Package, Parking Package, Heated seats, and BMW Assist! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited. The only thing I would have done differently if we built the car is have Anthracite wood instead of the lighter Fineline wood, but that wasn't a deal breaker and I'm thrilled to have found this car in stock at a Houston area dealership!

We ended up at $115 under USAA's target price and about $1,100 under Edmund's True Market Value, so I'm fairly pleased with the price. I also have a voucher we received for wandering around the lot last Sunday looking at colors, which should just about cover the window tinting, so all in all I'm a happy camper! I can't wait!
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