[loudnotes]

Hi all,

I am about to order my first BMW and have been having a lot of fun reading these forums and playing with bmwconfig. And so far you've already saved me $1000 by letting me know about the Olympics promotion - so thank you!

I live in SF where there are lots of dealerships nearby, and over email a couple have already indicated they'll be happy to do a 328i at invoice. So I'm more or less comfortable with the pricing (maybe I can do even better?), but one thing I was wondering before I start negotiating in earnest: has anyone successfully gotten their dealership to agree to provide a loaner during the waiting period?

I am starting a new job and will need to commute - have not previously owned a car in the city since there was no need. Given that it would cost a couple grand to rent a car for 2 months (and more for a nice one), I'm hoping to avoid that expense and have something to drive to work every day while I'm waiting on the new dream car.

I'm happy to put down a larger deposit than normal, drive a really old loaner, or worst case increase my bid a bit in exchange for the convenience. Anyone have any experience with this? Doable?

[Merlin93]

Originally Posted by loudnotes

Hi all,

I am about to order my first BMW and have been having a lot of fun reading these forums and playing with bmwconfig. And so far you've already saved me $1000 by letting me know about the Olympics promotion - so thank you!

I live in SF where there are lots of dealerships nearby, and over email a couple have already indicated they'll be happy to do a 328i at invoice. So I'm more or less comfortable with the pricing (maybe I can do even better?), but one thing I was wondering before I start negotiating in earnest: has anyone successfully gotten their dealership to agree to provide a loaner during the waiting period?

I am starting a new job and will need to commute - have not previously owned a car in the city since there was no need. Given that it would cost a couple grand to rent a car for 2 months (and more for a nice one), I'm hoping to avoid that expense and have something to drive to work every day while I'm waiting on the new dream car.

I'm happy to put down a larger deposit than normal, drive a really old loaner, or worst case increase my bid a bit in exchange for the convenience. Anyone have any experience with this? Doable?

I'm basically in the same boat as you... new car ordered but currently stuck with public transportation until it arrives (which sucks given its about a 2 hour commute for me each way.) I've been looking for options for a few weeks now myself.

I've talked to several area dealerships and none offer any kind of loaner or rental program or a buy back program for a used car from their lot (aside from the normal trade in process) or anything like that. I've also looked at doing a long term rental, and at the SF car rental prices, I've determined it will be cheaper to buy a car and resell it in a few months (though I'm thinking about getting a roadster so I may not end up selling it if I like it... there are days I like having the top down.)

Good luck, and if you come up with anything please let us know!

[tony20009]

OP, you cannot be serious???

If you need a loaner car for a few months, my recommendation is to solicit your friends and family because there's no dealer who isn't a family member that's going to give you one. You may find an outfit of some sort that will lease a car to you for 6 months (your dealer might even lease one of their used cars to you for a short term); car rental companies may have such programs. Outside of that, I can pretty confidently tell you that only hitchhikers and peoples' children get a free ride. Another option would be to just buy a beater for $1500 so you can get to and from work. Finally, your employer may have company cars and be willing to let you use one for a month or two.

Having said that, if your need for transportation is really that urgent, why not pick something on their lot ? With the heavy discounting (as much as $10K off) currently being offered on the E90 328i and the new F30s already available, I don't think I would order a car if had to have one in order to go to work. I'm all for not buying things one doesn't want, but dire circumstances militate for compromise, and not being able to get to work is pretty dire as go non-life threatening situations. it's hard to imagine that a person who clearly -- by virtue of not having had a car for a while, even though they had the means to do so -- hasn't a love affair with cars, being in a position of having to have a car and not being able to find something suitable on a dealer's lot. In short, sane adults don't suddenly need transportation (not want a car) and become so picky about it that the sole solution they can come up with to order a car, much less that it has to be a BMW....

It's at this point that I'm going to tell you, something doesn't sound right about your story. I don't want to say that you are prevaricating, but there's a critical detail or two that's not there if there be any truth to the situation. (Note: I wasn't getting Ebonic with you; that was a deliberate use of the subjunctive mode.) Given the story as you've offered it, I'm going to tell you it's a good thing you aren't my family member, because were you, I'd take you to Foot Locker for with that fishy story, you'd be walking a lot, because I damn sure wouldn't give you a car. So I'm going to hope for your benefit that the grownups in your family were all born yesterday because then maybe they'll assist you. I just cannot see a responsible adult (i) asking the question you did, (ii) given that they have not already placed the order, and having no transportation to get to work, not just simply changing their mind about ordering a car and instead buying something off the lot (or even having placed an order, not just going back, cancelling it and buying something off the lot.)

Hell, if I had to have a car for work purposes, and, for the sake of argument, BMW didn't have something I could accept, I'd go check out the Honda dealer, and the Hyundai dealer, and Audi dealer and MB dealer, and the newspaper ads, and Goodwill, etc. But there is no way, I would -- having the means you must if you live in SF -- not have a car if that's what I need in order to do my job, especially the first day of my job with a new employer. I know SF pretty well, I have a good friend/colleague living in Mill Valley, and a high school class mate who lives in the Russian Hill area. There's no shortage of car inventory out there. If you have to have a car, and it has to be a BMW (ignoring the improbability of such a thing), you should be able to find one.

Incredulously yours,
Tony

[nsquared]

Wow, lots of Bay Area people are buying the F30 apparently lol.

Same boat, when I finally order, I'll have no car which sucks.

[loudnotes]

Originally Posted by tony20009

OP, you cannot be serious???
...
Incredulously yours,
Tony

Wow, what a strange and amusing reaction, especially the part where you assumed I wouldn't understand the subjunctive. I'll have to go back and parse my original post for some indication my grammatical skills were lacking. I suppose it's helpful to know a dealer might be equally skeptical, but otherwise, gee, what a nice welcome to this forum.

In any case, I am completely serious. A car is unnecessary within SF and I've been perfectly happy without one. I currently live within walking distance of work, but that's about to change. I'm starting a new job with offices outside the city (not uncommon here) in a few weeks, hence the need for a car.

I'm not thrilled about commuting every day, and getting my dream car is a nice way to make up for that. Since I can afford to buy new, know what I want, and expect to be driving it for quite some time, I see no reason not to wait a couple months to get the exact specs I'd like. Not sure why that's so hard to understand.

I can rent a car for 8 weeks for about $2000. If a dealer wants my business enough to provide me a loaner for less than that, they'll get it. I was just curious if anyone else in the same situation had successfully negotiated this kind of arrangement, especially by being flexible on other terms.

Edit: I see you suggested "your dealer might even lease one of their used cars to you for a short term" which is actually a great suggestion, since that's basically exactly what I was asking. Now, has anyone here ever done that and have a story to report? What'd you pay for a 2 month lease?

[Eric500]

Your posts are too smart for me...

Good luck getting a loaner, I don't believe dealers are that generous

[m630]

I think many of us maybe in this same position, my car goes back end of July but I wont get my car till early Sept if not later so will most likely rent a car since just about anything I choose will cost less than my current ride. I will though be asking my dealer if there are any options for a short lease or to use or rent one of their loaners, I actually do know that if you have a relationship with your dealer, they can help here, I know someone who was lent a car by their dealer while they awaited a new car for a few months, so it's possible.

[BeachsideF30]

Best bet which im going to do is buy a cheap honda civic or something on CL for a grand or 2 drive it for a cpl months and sell it for what i have into it, maybe even make a cpl hundred off it. Beater cars are a dime a dozen here and go quick.

[Merlin93]

Originally Posted by BeachsideF30

Best bet which im going to do is buy a cheap honda civic or something on CL for a grand or 2 drive it for a cpl months and sell it for what i have into it, maybe even make a cpl hundred off it. Beater cars are a dime a dozen here and go quick.

I'm probably going to do something similar, but I'm looking for a nicer car that the wife would also be able to use after the 328 is delivered. She's driving our QX56 right now which is great for hauling lots of stuff but gets horrible gas mileage, so getting something that is more fuel efficient isn't a bad compromise. It also means I can look at nicer used vehicles though.

[micosilver]

Originally Posted by BeachsideF30

Best bet which im going to do is buy a cheap honda civic or something on CL for a grand or 2 drive it for a cpl months and sell it for what i have into it, maybe even make a cpl hundred off it. Beater cars are a dime a dozen here and go quick.

This is what I suggested to Merlin, who ordered his new 328 with my help (Thank you! )

Bottom line - it is all about the bottom line. BMW dealers have loaners specifically for service customers (like you, once you get your car). One car out of service for 2 months could mean many angry service customers. Another issue is cost: those service loaners are not free. They depreciate, accrue miles and dealers make payments on them to BMW. It might make sense for a dealer to place your order at MSRP and give you a car for a couple of months (if their service deparment is not that busy), but my guess is that you are not going to do that, and the profit margin will be very thin.

There are no short term leases, the shortest I have seen was 12 months (not BMW).

My life would have been much easier if we had a fleet to loan to everybody that orders a car, but the world is not perfect, and free lunches are almost non-existent.

[neilk]

Neil Wednesday 10AM:
That's a really stupid question.


Neil Wednesday 7:30 PM
So, what's the answer, any loaners available? I now need a new car after a minor hail storm...



Just kidding. Need to find a beater until I get my car. ED scheduled for late July. It's going to be a long summer.

[Poor Knight]

No dealer loaners - I have been unsuccessful with my dealer in getting a loaner so far and I planned for being without a car - but they told me I'd have the car end of May and here it is June 16 and my car is still sitting in port waiting to get shipped. So now my son has a job starting Tuesday and I am still driving the truck I got him and looks like I will need it until the end of July unless I can get a loaner. In my situation I really think they should give me a loaner since BMW isn't getting the car to me in the time period they specified.

[johntchow]

Originally Posted by Poor Knight

No dealer loaners - I have been unsuccessful with my dealer in getting a loaner so far and I planned for being without a car - but they told me I'd have the car end of May and here it is June 16 and my car is still sitting in port waiting to get shipped. So now my son has a job starting Tuesday and I am still driving the truck I got him and looks like I will need it until the end of July unless I can get a loaner. In my situation I really think they should give me a loaner since BMW isn't getting the car to me in the time period they specified.

wow that sucks... especially if its a dealer youve worked with in the past...

i ordered my f30 in mid-feb in time for my e90 lease return in may. my CA virtually assured me the car would be here in april and wouldnt need to worry. about a month into waiting on production i contacted him again and he was pretty adamant that it would still be here before end of april. but he told me he would take care of me if the car didnt come. anyway. the car ended up getting to VDC the day of my lease return. i returned my lease and the dealer put me in a loaner. i ended up being in the loaner for about 2 weeks because the car arrived at the VDC with some damage.

anyway, meaning of the story, is that its pretty much up to the dealer and to leverage whatever you can especially if you have a relationship. we had just gotten a X3 through the same CA just a few months before. and ive been with bmw since 2004 but previously with a different dealer.

if you dont get a loaner in your situation i would also make sure to hit them hard on the post-acquisition survey. all the dealers want 10s on that. and that seems to hit them where it counts.

[micosilver]

Originally Posted by johntchow

wow that sucks... especially if its a dealer youve worked with in the past...

i ordered my f30 in mid-feb in time for my e90 lease return in may. my CA virtually assured me the car would be here in april and wouldnt need to worry. about a month into waiting on production i contacted him again and he was pretty adamant that it would still be here before end of april. but he told me he would take care of me if the car didnt come. anyway. the car ended up getting to VDC the day of my lease return. i returned my lease and the dealer put me in a loaner. i ended up being in the loaner for about 2 weeks because the car arrived at the VDC with some damage.

anyway, meaning of the story, is that its pretty much up to the dealer and to leverage whatever you can especially if you have a relationship. we had just gotten a X3 through the same CA just a few months before. and ive been with bmw since 2004 but previously with a different dealer.

if you dont get a loaner in your situation i would also make sure to hit them hard on the post-acquisition survey. all the dealers want 10s on that. and that seems to hit them where it counts.

It is one thing when dealer promises you something and doesn't deliver, and another when it is discussed upfront.

Also, blackmail it not a good way to start a relationship.

[Poor Knight]

Originally Posted by johntchow

ive been with bmw since 2004 but previously with a different dealer.

if you dont get a loaner in your situation i would also make sure to hit them hard on the post-acquisition survey. all the dealers want 10s on that. and that seems to hit them where it counts.

I'll definitely let them know I'm upset if given a chance to fill out a survey -- I really did push my CA to find out when I would have the car and he said mid-June latest - I don't know how long it takes for the dealer to get cars so I am relying on them. If he had told me mid-August I probably would have bought the silver one they had on the lot instead of ordering.

[DmitryF30]

I was able to negotiate two weeks: from the time financial paperwork is signed to delivery in Spartanburg. A few months could be a stretch, but a few weeks should not be a problem, especially if you discuss upfront. Good luck!

[loudnotes]

Just to close the loop: I ended up placing an order today without getting the loaner. Price was right and the reaction from the dealership wasn't so much "you're crazy" as "we'd do it if we could." I offered to pay, and the response was that they simply didn't have enough service vehicles available to spare. Fair enough. Rental car for a couple months is cheap in SF anyway.

[Merlin93]

Originally Posted by loudnotes

Just to close the loop: I ended up placing an order today without getting the loaner. Price was right and the reaction from the dealership wasn't so much "you're crazy" as "we'd do it if we could." I offered to pay, and the response was that they simply didn't have enough service vehicles available to spare. Fair enough. Rental car for a couple months is cheap in SF anyway.

I ended up buying a used BMW Z4 Roadster to drive over the summer... its a fun car so I might just end up keeping it afterwards as well.