Greg Poland / Pacific BMW

This is my first post, but I think others may find this information useful. Thanks to all the incredible information on this forum, I was able to conclude my M3 Conv purchase quickly and without wasting money. For the most part, though, I'm writing this as a thank-you note for Greg Poland, one of the board sponsors.

First, I contacted a few dealerships to see what deals they could offer and whether or not a lease was an option for me. This was mostly a disappointing experience, especially since most of those dealerships either wanted to haggle over the price, charged huge markups on MFs, or stopped replying to my emails once they found out that I wouldn't be the easiest customer to get approved through BMWFS thanks to a few late payments.

Luckily, someone suggested I contact one of the board sponsors, so I got in touch with Greg Poland in Los Angeles. Greg didn't ask me to post this recommendation (hopefully he won't mind, either), but he deserves it after the great work he did to first get me approved for a lease with BMWFS (without a MF markup) and quickly and efficiently set up my ED appointment and car purchase. I also didn't have to negotiate the price at all - Greg offered his usual great pricing (set amount over invoice - very reasonable) without my having to ask. Furthermore, since I generally have learned to distrust dealers, he did his best to share all relevant information with me, including screen shots and whatever other information was relevant.

I did not think buying a car could be so painless and simple. Greg's great, and he dealt with my 30+ emails quickly and professionally. I'd never thought I would say this - but this was actually a pleasant experience and if you are looking for a car in California, I really don't think you could do much better than to go with Greg. This is how car buying should be IMO.

I realize that there's a lot of superlatives in this post - but honestly,

Did you lease? May I ask your terms and payment.

Originally Posted by wolfe

Did you lease? May I ask your terms and payment.

Yes, I did. You can find the current lease rates in the "BMW Auto Lease Programs - January 2011" sticky in this forum.

+1 for Greg.

Originally Posted by sba110

Just picked up my car (couldn't do ED after all). The car is great of course. But the buying process was great, too, since everything worked out exactly as Greg had promised. There weren't any last minute surprises at the dealership (like "oh btw BMW wants more money for the lease").

I didn't have to tell Greg not to mount the front license plate holder, or not to display the car on the showroom, or any of that. He clearly knows exactly what he's doing. I hate buying cars bc of shady dealerships and sales people and I have made my share of bad experiences there. This time was 100% better. Thanks Greg.

Congrats!

Since you ended up not doing ED, did you still get the ED discount? I don't mind doing ED but worry about last minute cancellation. Wonder how they deal with that.

Originally Posted by dtc100

Congrats!

Since you ended up not doing ED, did you still get the ED discount? I don't mind doing ED but worry about last minute cancellation. Wonder how they deal with that.

I didn't get the ED discount, but other than that, everything stayed the same.

Also traded in my old 335 and the Greg managed to get me the same deal on it as my CarMax appraisal. They just matched it. Quite nice since trade-ins are usually such a bad deal.

+1 for Greg! ED was perfect and I'm waiting redelivery right now (signature pic is crossing the Alps back into Austria from Italy). Everthing has gone down with perfect timing and Greg's been very easy to work with. When PCD is done in July then I expect Greg will have a perfect score with me!

Originally Posted by Mace14

+1 for Greg! ED was perfect and I'm waiting redelivery right now (signature pic is crossing the Alps back into Austria from Italy). Everthing has gone down with perfect timing and Greg's been very easy to work with. When PCD is done in July then I expect Greg will have a perfect score with me!

Nice profile picture! Good luck with PCD; I'll definitely have to do ED next time. Looks amazing!

It's nice to hear your pleasant buying experience with Greg. i envy you.
im in the market for new car, but so far i'm not that happy with dealers from where i live.
maybe, i should talk to Greg.^^

Originally Posted by safelight902

It's nice to hear your pleasant buying experience with Greg. i envy you.
im in the market for new car, but so far i'm not that happy with dealers from where i live.
maybe, i should talk to Greg.^^

Looks like you're on the east coast? Have you tried contacting one of the sponsors there? http://garage.bimmerfest.com/siteSpo...tesponsorindex

I didn't know that there are so many.

Thanks for the info.

Originally Posted by sba110

This is my first post, but I think others may find this information useful. Thanks to all the incredible information on this forum, I was able to conclude my M3 Conv purchase quickly and without wasting money. For the most part, though, I'm writing this as a thank-you note for Greg Poland, one of the board sponsors.

First, I contacted a few dealerships to see what deals they could offer and whether or not a lease was an option for me. This was mostly a disappointing experience, especially since most of those dealerships either wanted to haggle over the price, charged huge markups on MFs, or stopped replying to my emails once they found out that I wouldn't be the easiest customer to get approved through BMWFS thanks to a few late payments.

Luckily, someone suggested I contact one of the board sponsors, so I got in touch with Greg Poland in Los Angeles. Greg didn't ask me to post this recommendation (hopefully he won't mind, either), but he deserves it after the great work he did to first get me approved for a lease with BMWFS (without a MF markup) and quickly and efficiently set up my ED appointment and car purchase. I also didn't have to negotiate the price at all - Greg offered his usual great pricing (set amount over invoice - very reasonable) without my having to ask. Furthermore, since I generally have learned to distrust dealers, he did his best to share all relevant information with me, including screen shots and whatever other information was relevant.

I did not think buying a car could be so painless and simple. Greg's great, and he dealt with my 30+ emails quickly and professionally. I'd never thought I would say this - but this was actually a pleasant experience and if you are looking for a car in California, I really don't think you could do much better than to go with Greg. This is how car buying should be IMO.

I realize that there's a lot of superlatives in this post - but honestly,

Concur.

Greg did a great job with our 335i ED in March and follow up PCD in May. Simply outstanding pricing and service and I highly recommend him, regardless of where you live (as long as you don't mind picking up in SoCal or South Carolina).

Highly recommended due to the info he provides here on the board too . . . .

Although I haven't bought a car from him, I recommend him as well. He is very informative and responsive.

Originally Posted by bodonx

Although I haven't bought a car from him, I recommend him as well. He is very informative and responsive.

+1 to that!

Greg is awesome - quick responses, great information and very helpful. In fact, he is at least 1000 times more helpful than the CA I ordered my car through - I've got faster and more helpful responses from Greg BY FAR.

+1 Greg rocks!! He is the best CA ever!! He is really there for you... has your best interest in mind and not just doing a sale....don't even think twice, call him!!

for greg

Where is the location for pick up if I order from Greg?

Originally Posted by dtc100

Where is the location for pick up if I order from Greg?

As mentioned, Los Angeles or of course the PDC in South Carolina. Though someone here said Greg arranged to have their car shipped to the Bay Area. Personally, I found the drive from LA to NorCal to be very nice and it also got me closer to 1200 miles.

Pacific BMW is in Glendale, CA. I'll be picking up our 2012 X5 this coming Friday from Greg and driving up to NorCal after we do some driving in LA/San Diego area.

Thank you guys, I will keep it in mind.

Over the years I have purchased several BMWs (one 3 series, three 5 series, two 6's and one 7) from my local dealer - so you would think they would treat me fairly. The problem is that the turnover is so high, I am nearly always treated as a "new" customer.

This weekend, being that my wife's 650 lease was up - it was time for a new BMW (yeah!!), and after two six series, my wife wanted a 535. My wife took the car to the dealer for inspection and drove the five (and the X6). She decided on the five, and after the brand new sales person conferred with the (unseen) sales manager - my wife received a quote that so irritated her, she simply walked out of the dealership.

Since I live in San Diego, I sent my first ever PM to one of the SoCal board sponsors Greg Poland. I simply asked for his best price and promised not to share the information with anyone. Almost immediately he responded with a very, very good quote. (Surprisingly much better than my local dealer).

What surprised me the most was that even though I had never met Greg, he treated me with the respect of a long time customer (both in pricing and service). He even offered to pick me up at the train station so I could drive the car home! Talk about service!

I know this has been said often - but if you can swing it, give Greg a chance to earn your business. He spends a lot of time on this board helping people even though he knows most will never purchase from him. So, if you live in SoCal - send him PM!

Thanks Greg!

Originally Posted by credit777

Over the years I have purchased several BMWs (one 3 series, three 5 series, two 6's and one 7) from my local dealer - so you would think they would treat me fairly. The problem is that the turnover is so high, I am nearly always treated as a "new" customer.

This weekend, being that my wife's 650 lease was up - it was time for a new BMW (yeah!!), and after two six series, my wife wanted a 535. My wife took the car to the dealer for inspection and drove the five (and the X6). She decided on the five, and after the brand new sales person conferred with the (unseen) sales manager - my wife received a quote that so irritated her, she simply walked out of the dealership.

Since I live in San Diego, I sent my first ever PM to one of the SoCal board sponsors Greg Poland. I simply asked for his best price and promised not to share the information with anyone. Almost immediately he responded with a very, very good quote. (Surprisingly much better than my local dealer).

What surprised me the most was that even though I had never met Greg, he treated me with the respect of a long time customer (both in pricing and service). He even offered to pick me up at the train station so I could drive the car home! Talk about service!

I know this has been said often - but if you can swing it, give Greg a chance to earn your business. He spends a lot of time on this board helping people even though he knows most will never purchase from him. So, if you live in SoCal - send him PM!

Thanks Greg!

+1

He's taking care of my euro delivery E90 M3 sedan. Excellent communication by Greg has made this a very easy process.

He's arranging my E90 328i ED as well.

+1 for Greg. The OP hit everything on the head, Greg's a great guy to work with.