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, :thumbup:
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, :thumbup: