[JustChris]

I'm pretty terrible at waiting for my exact spec to be built, especially on anything limited at 6/12 months. Too annoying.

Most of my best purchases have been new but of a stock car.

1 Its ready now!
2 No waiting and facing about with spec, its approximately what you would have picked
3 More discount, especially if its a car you've seen in the showroom that's been in a little while

As for general reasons, its all been said

1 Warranty
2 No one else has ragged it
3 I could afford it, so why not?

[Wills2]

Because I'm stupid, what you should do is buy a 2nd hand £20k, f30 330d M sport put 5k in and the rest on 0% credit card pay that off over 24 months and have something to show for your money whilst paying no interest.

Like this:

http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/3-Series/3...cmdc=se_na_re_

But we like shiny things and they know that.

[robbiep]

Originally Posted by Wills2

Because I'm stupid, what you should do is buy a 2nd hand £20k, f30 330d M sport put 5k in and the rest on 0% credit card pay that off over 24 months and have something to show for your money whilst paying no interest.

Like this:

http://usedcars.bmw.co.uk/3-Series/3...cmdc=se_na_re_

But we like shiny things and they know that.

That is not a great deal. HJ in Llandudno had a 330d SE touring with pro nav and a few other nice bits for £24k last year. 6 months old with 5k miles, I seem to recall.

For my car, I bought an ex-press spec 325d touring nearly 3 years ago for £15k (32%) off the list price, and specced up to hell. 3k miles, 6 months old, and at a time when most people were fighting like hell to get 15-17% off list. Yes, I could have bought brand new, but I'd never have specced a car to that extent.

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by robbiep

That is not a great deal. HJ in Llandudno had a 330d SE touring with pro nav and a few other nice bits for £24k last year. 6 months old with 5k miles, I seem to recall.

For my car, I bought an ex-press spec 325d touring nearly 3 years ago for £15k (32%) off the list price, and specced up to hell. 3k miles, 6 months old, and at a time when most people were fighting like hell to get 15-17% off list. Yes, I could have bought brand new, but I'd never have specced a car to that extent.

Sorry but you lost me at "SE"

I wasn't linking to the car other than to illustrate a point, no idea whether it's a "deal" or not, but your response highlights the "deal" mentality that BMW feed off, looking at what you're saving off a made up list price that BMW plucked out of thin air rather than the actual price of the car.

I'm guilty of that myself many times over but let's not pretend it makes sense....

[CazuaLLUK]

Originally Posted by robbiep

For my car, I bought an ex-press spec 325d touring nearly 3 years ago for £15k (32%) off the list price, and specced up to hell. 3k miles, 6 months old, and at a time when most people were fighting like hell to get 15-17% off list. Yes, I could have bought brand new, but I'd never have specced a car to that extent.

This is what I mean, there must be so many high spec cars just sat out there with some discount to be had that have almost every option under the sun that you could get for a great deal.

It would just be a case if you like the colour/interior as to whether it would really entice you in.

[Dyl]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Unless you are buying an 18 month+ old car, don't bother with second hand, well not from BMW AUC. Apr too high and cars too pricey.

It can be seen how much the monthlies can be on a brand new car with discounts and lower aprs. I bet there are lots on non-savvy folks out there that turn up at a dealer and buy a second hand car and pay the same if not more in monthlies than a brand new one. Then they are stuck with the spec.

Got to say I slightly disagree with this.

I bought my car £15k off with only 7k miles on it with massive spec. You would only have known it wasn't new because of the the numbers on the odometer. Absolutely spotless.

Not everyone uses dealer finance either, it's a really expensive way to buy a car. In fact I paid for mine using my debit card, using a Bluetooth card machine like I was at a restaurant. I was assured it would work, I had doubts, but it did.

Was driving my car less than a week after spotting it online, admittedly to get the car/spec I wanted I had to travel for it, but buying an approved used has all worked out perfectly in my experience.

[Watsey]

I went UAC for a few reasons. The car was always going to be a project, and I probably wouldn't have heavily modified a new car. Through careful research and experience of the brand and model I knew the exact spec I was looking for, and found it. The car is fully warranted, has a service pack, was competitively priced for a main dealer car, and was thousands £ cheaper than new.

No waiting, great dealer support, and after a few liberal sprays of Febreze I even managed to get rid of the smell of Mark and his missus. Dirty buggers

[robbiep]

Originally Posted by Wills2

Sorry but you lost me at "SE"

I wasn't linking to the car other than to illustrate a point, no idea whether it's a "deal" or not, but your response highlights the "deal" mentality that BMW feed off, looking at what you're saving off a made up list price that BMW plucked out of thin air rather than the actual price of the car.

I'm guilty of that myself many times over but let's not pretend it makes sense....

Go on then, what makes the standard SE so terrible compared to the MSport ?

It's not got the flashy front and rear bumpers.
It's got seats that you don't sit ON, but that you sink in to.
It's got smaller wheels - which means higher profile tyres, so more 'give' and suppleness on our pothole-infested roads.
Smaller wheels also equals cheaper tyres, the higher profile tyres mean less chance of wrecking the wheels too. (we see lots of posts for of damaged 403Ms, etc).
The SE doesn't have the 'M' logo on the steering wheel, gearlever, wheels, etc.
The SE doesn't have the MSport suspension. So, again, more suppleness and comfort on the ride.

Anything else that the 330d MSport has that makes the 330d SE so utterly terrible ?
Or is it just the ego that doesn't get massaged, and the fact that you don't 'think' you're driving a 'sporty' car ?

[Chompers]

Originally Posted by teaston

Because it's cheaper than buying a nearly new one!

Not all the time. I have mainly bought ex BMW cars or demos over the years and these were priced that a new car deal could not come close to and in the spec I wanted. Albeit I have had to travel the length of the country to get them at times.

Pre-reg cars are great news from my POV, I can get the customer into a car within the week, am often able to 'assist' them out of their current car sooner than they may have thought. And also having unusual high spec pre-reg stock can open up opportunities I would never get in normal new car ordering terms.

However given the support available on 6cyl cars, I can see the appeal of buying new to the lucky few that are on here and up to speed with said offers

[MarkG_M5Comp]

We basically need the US version of buying new cars...

Search for a dealer with the car in stock, walk in, kick the tyres, sign and leave with the car.

[Chompers]

Originally Posted by MarkG_M50d

We basically need the US version of buying new cars...

Search for a dealer with the car in stock, walk in, kick the tyres, sign and leave with the car.

Pre-reg is the closest to that, for the moment

[....,,,,..,,..]

How many people buying used are quoting £10k / £15k off the new list price?

Even now mid year you are getting nearly £10k off a 340i.

So fair enough if anyone is getting a 6 month car for £10k - £15k off the Coast to Coast price.

My previous 320d was £21k new.

Yes there are good deals on 2nd hand cars out there, however can people quote discount from Coadt to Coast and not BMW configurator prices

[Dave63]

I just purchased my first new car. Reasons being...

1) Spec exactly what I wanted

2) No concerns with whether it had been looked after properly before and far less stressful buying brand new. It also means I have it in warranty for a longer period, especially when planning on keeping it

3) Discount of > 20% (£10k off list) meant the difference of a brand new one was only about £5k more than a 12-18 month old approved used one.

4) Felt a lot more special buying new compared to used, and like others have said, I'm the only one to have owned it, which feels better than used.

5) The new car smell...Ok that wasn't a swinging factor...but it was a good feeling!

[Chompers]

The % of buyers going to the likes of C2C is very very low. It is only because of the likes of this forum that a few go on to get a deal similar to C2C. Also not everybody is buying 340i's again a very small % of overall sales. Factor in cash buyers, yes they are still out there, then late used can be appealing.

[Drek]

I wish my dealer would ring me up with a stonking offer on an M3 Touring. No, wait..

[Chompers]

Originally Posted by Drek

I wish my dealer would ring me up with a stonking offer on an M3 Touring. No, wait..

Now that would be something

[Drek]

Actually, if he rang me tomorrow with a smashing deal on a 340i I'd be seriously tempted. The 335d is great but it's sooooooo boring.

[GaryUFM]

Worked out cheaper for me, and the trade off in ideal spec and within budget (than either a used car with compromised spec, or decent spec but blown budget) and a bit of a wait is worth it.

Plus, there is something great about putting the first miles on a car. The wait is part of the privilege. You can by an off the peg suit, but to get a made to measure suit takes time. Whilst you might look good in made to measure, the feel when you put on a jacket made just for you, to your exact measurements and design...it can't be beaten. Same with a car.

If you are in the position to (and as many of us have found, new BMW can work out better than used similar spec, so it's not necessarily about having more money)...try it. If only the once.

The moaning to you lot whilst waiting is just an added bonus

[Rich9600]

The other thing with new is you know you're not inheriting someone else's mistakes/negligence.

A 6 pot ex-demonstrator would gave to be a serious bargain tempt me. Not the kindest of introductions tinge world. lol... I know I pushed my 400 mile old 40i demonstrator much harder than I have my own car yet.

[HighlandPete]

For the best time to buy a BMW, new or nearly new, goal posts have moved (and are still moving), we are in a far different place than a few years back. A new BMW was never a cheaper option, however the man maths were worked. Now it is not clear and it's more what we want and how we work the deal.

I have bought new, (and waited for the car to be built, about 12 weeks) but in times when discounts were pretty much 5% possibly up to 8% at a push, on the right car. Could just about make financial sense on a new car, compared to a car less than 6 months old, if you saw the new car experience having a bit of monetary value in the deal.

BMW, like other manufacturers, are making it attractive to buy new, finance being a key part of the deal.

I chose nearly new 4-years ago, high spec for massive saving over new cost, (40%). As a 'cash' buyer, self-financing the deal, made it the cheapest option for me.

Car was like new, less than 6k miles, so little difference to the buying new experience. In fact a used car has slightly "less expectation" (in my view), any imperfections are 'as seen', far less stressful. Nothing worse than the first paint chip, carpark ding, or screen chip on a new car.

[stefan4]

for me it was aboyt spec. Any pre built cars had either no extras or every extra and i wasnt going to pay for crap i didnt want so i waited for what was about 8 ti 10 weeks which just made tge process all the more exciting, likel a kid waiting for christmas

[HelmutVisor]

I promised I'd never buy a new car in UK due to losing so much off it compared to a 6 month old car. My only other times buying new was in Germany in the mid 90s when we could take advantage of the tax free deals. I did very well out of buying new Saabs and selling them back in the UK for a couple of grand more than I'd paid for them every six months. First one I got was a 900 SE. £10,000 tax free plus extra discount, got about 6k finance and sold it for £14k six months later (UK new price would have been 16k or so). Chucking profit back in to up-speccing each time to eventually end up with a Saab 9000 Aero, paid for after 4 years. The chap I'd sell to in UK would tell me what spec was selling well and I'd spec my next new car to whatever was en-vogue. 'Bright green paint with purple interior? Yep no probs...'. London architects and doctors loved them.

My previous car was a 6 month old E92 320D M Sport that I got from a main dealer (ex demo) back in 2013. I was more than happy with that and would have been content keeping it as a long termer. My local dealer approached me with a deal that would have seen me in a new equivalent 4 series (420D) for the same monthly cost. Did a few sums and went in to dealer to discuss some options. When I mentioned that I was happy keeping my old car and also mentioned that I had been discussing a new car with Park Lane London with a view to getting Armed Forces discount, I think this upped the ante a bit. I had mentioned to him to do some figures on other engines and specs. Mainly 430 and 435D's as I would have liked a bit more grunt. He had a chat with the sales manager and came back with a deal on a just built but yet to be delivered 435D M Sport (I believe it was to be their new demo).

We threw a few finance configurations around and we got it to a point where a brand new, fully loaded F32 435D X Drive would cost £7 more a month than my 40k mile, 4 year old 320D. A test drive in a 435D nailed the deal. I'd have been mad not to! Speccing my car on the BMW configurator worked out at £50,535. I've paid a shit load less than that. And regardless of real cost, interest and depreciation, it makes me happy! :-D

Several grand off a new car to the individual in the grand scheme of numbers sold for BMW is small fry. I doubt they are losing money but getting people in to their brand as opposed to Audi or Mercs is the prime objective. The old cliche of 'its a buyers market' seems to be true right now.

So back to the original question:

Having your own spec? Luckily, the car that had been pre-ordered ticked all my boxes
New car discounts & APR rate lower? Yep. Seems BMW are fighting to move cars in a very competitive market and are flexible on the discount they can give
Having the latest model? Nice but not a 'must'
Knowing you are the only one who has owned/been in the car? Yep! I know how I drive and would hate to buy a car off me...
Warranty Yep!