motor

deuces · 05-10-2008, 11:46 PM

So my dad was picking up his new 328i today and I went along with him to work out the deal since I have a good relationship with one of the salesmen. They had 5 new M3's there to my surprise. 3 coupes, 2 sedans, , 1 convertible. I asked how many production slots they had since they had so many in the showroom and he said they have less than 10 now.

So anyway, after we got the car I asked if I could drive one of the M3 coupes. He said normally he only lets the serious buyers drive it but because he knows I drive an E46 M3 and were friends, he let me.
WOW. It was such a handful. I made sure to have the "power" button on, so I got all 415 horsepower. At first driving it was a little difficult, it likes to be revved high and I was having trouble getting it off the line without putting too much throttle in because its just so abundant! We did a quick run through a winding road and then onto the freeway, where I red-lined 1st and 2nd. The power was so different from my car. There was something about how it was a little quieter but got going so fast that made it a totally different experience than my M. The ride is also very deceptive. It was incredibly smooth but when I went for an aggressive turn, it was completely flat and poised. It's also a big car. It felt much bigger than my car and frankly a little bulkier because of all the new stuff in it. Not that I don't approve, its just different. Overall it was a great experience in the car and I had a great time driving it.
Oh yeah and I'll post pics of the 328i tomorrow when its light out. Hope you enjoyed my story.

79TA · 05-11-2008, 12:20 AM

Sounds like you had a fun test drive. Did you guys consider or try out the new 135i's?

RC45 · 05-11-2008, 12:23 AM

What sort of miles were on the car?

Hopefully the salesman will tell the buyer not to worry about the proper breakin regiman for the transmission, diff and engine - as it already had the piss beat out of it.

As for the car itself, it seems to be the new 5 series,a nd the 5 series is now the 7 series... with the 1 series being more like the 3 series size we are used to.

79TA · 05-11-2008, 12:28 AM

Yea, car growth over the years makes things awkward like that. If they continue their trend and neverdownsize again, they'll have to come out with some sort of a < 1 series.

deuces · 05-11-2008, 12:47 AM

Originally Posted by 79TA

Sounds like you had a fun test drive. Did you guys consider or try out the new 135i's?

they only had one 135i there and it had already been sold. right now they are more expensive than 328i's because they are the new "hot car" so they get marked up. Surprisingly the M3's were all around $68,000. I have a picture from BMW of Hollywood marked up $30,000 to a total of $100,000:

Originally Posted by RC45

What sort of miles were on the car?

Hopefully the salesman will tell the buyer not to worry about the proper breakin regiman for the transmission, diff and engine - as it already had the piss beat out of it.

As for the car itself, it seems to be the new 5 series,a nd the 5 series is now the 7 series... with the 1 series being more like the 3 series size we are used to.

It had around 65 miles on it...I didn't ask but guess they are planning on using it as a demo so they will sell it for a little less once it reaches around 2000 miles. They sell a lot of demos there, I had a friend get an M6 demo for the price of 550i...

79TA · 05-11-2008, 12:50 AM

whoa, I think that "dealer market adjustment" is the scariest thing I've ever seen printed on a car's window sticker.

HeilSvenska · 05-11-2008, 12:51 AM

Originally Posted by deuces

Surprisingly the M3's were all around $68,000. I have a picture from BMW of Hollywood marked up $30,000 to a total of $100,000:

Which dealer did you go to? I guess price markups are worse where more people would be looking for a car like that. Like Hollywood.

deuces · 05-11-2008, 01:01 AM

Originally Posted by HeilSvenska

Which dealer did you go to? I guess price markups are worse where more people would be looking for a car like that. Like Hollywood.

I went to Bob Smith BMW in Calabasas. Of course the M3's are more expensive in Hollywood! People who don't know any better would certainly pay that price haha.

79TA · 05-11-2008, 01:05 AM

Crevier is pretty big and advertises a lot. Any idea how their prices compare to that of the other BMW dealers?

deuces · 05-11-2008, 01:12 AM

Yeah I think they have some of the best prices in socal because they do so much business. I placed my order for my M3 through South Bay BMW, but the pricing was more based on BMW than them, since it was European delivery.

HeilSvenska · 05-11-2008, 01:17 AM

Originally Posted by 79TA

Any idea how their prices compare to that of the other BMW dealers?

Shelley BMW in Buena Park wants $90,020 for '08 M3. And Long Beach BMW wants $56,500 for it?! McKenna in Norwalk shows inventory of "somewhere in between".

deuces · 05-11-2008, 01:21 AM

When we were there my friend was helping some other good clients of his...It was a family of 5 I think. They came to pick up a 328i convertible they had ordered for their daughter who was probably 16. Then on a whim, the dad decided to order an X6 and then his wife decided to order an M3 with DCT. What a huge day for my friend! He said the wife had no idea what she was buying, she just looked at the brochure and thought "that looks nice", and bought it...some people...

79TA · 05-11-2008, 01:26 AM

^

Good day for your friend indeed! I hope to one day buy cars on a whim like that, but probably on a slightly more sensible and cheaper scale.

For example: mmm, 1990 325is looks quite nice . . . I'll take it!

I just need lots more money, space, and time

deuces · 05-11-2008, 02:08 AM

Yeah, wouldn't we all...I know plenty of people like that in LA...it leaves something to be desired.

HeilSvenska · 05-11-2008, 02:10 AM

Originally Posted by deuces

...it leaves something to be desired.

Yes. All their money.