Inventory car vs. new order

Does it cost the dealer more to order a new car? Is it easier to get a bargain deal on their inventory car? I am thinking about the new 2013 X3 but not sure if it will cost me more if I order it now or buy it when they are in stock. Any idea?

It's more likely an issue of where you are and demand. My area (Colorado) is only doing custom orders as all the dealer allocations are taken and we are having to order months out to get an available allocation. They have a few 2012s on the lot but said they won't be getting any 2013s until much later in the year, if then, as the fall here is obviously high-demand for vehicles like the X3.

I was still able to get the Costco Auto Program price on my custom order. Without that I would have had a hard time getting them to come down off the price at all.

There is certainly incentive for the dealer to sell cars they have on the lot. However, there is no real difference on paper between buying one off the lot and ordering it. If you want a 2013 X3, I would say order it and get in line now. It will be a long time before the dealers can stock them.

I think that one problem with buying one from the lot is that it probably comes with options you don't want and/or it doesn't have options you would have ordered. I ordered a 28i yesterday and the dealer did have one in the color we wanted, but it wasn't equipped right. I probably could have saved a little more buying the one on the lot, but then I wouldn't have what I really wanted. This will be our first BMW so we might as well get it right.

Cliff

Originally Posted by Robocheme

I think that one problem with buying one from the lot is that it probably comes with options you don't want and/or it doesn't have options you would have ordered. I ordered a 28i yesterday and the dealer did have one in the color we wanted, but it wasn't equipped right. I probably could have saved a little more buying the one on the lot, but then I wouldn't have what I really wanted. This will be our first BMW so we might as well get it right.

Cliff

I am facing the same issue here. saw a car in the color we want but does not have the package we want. The dealer even want to sell it to me at MSRP which is totally a rip-off.

btw, how much were you able to get compared to invoice?

Depends. First and foremost is how long that car has been on his lot taking up "flooring" (cost of keeping inventory -- he has to pay for those cars sitting there), secondly is there "trunk money" (money from BMW to the dealer for moving certain car models that don't sell quickly) on that car. Finally is he expecting a shipment of fresh cars and needs to make room for the new arrivals. There are other criteria but those are some of the most pressing. Personally, I like picking one off the lot. They are almost always well prepared, nicely sorted out and any immediate problems fixed before it goes on display. Off the truck, not so much. Everyone is different and some, perhaps even most, prefer to order exactly the car they want right down to the color of the gear shift knob. Others, like myself, do not.

There is no additional fee or you don't pay more if you custom order your car with the dealer versus buy off the lot. Now there may be some incentives to buy from the lot, but then again it may not be optioned out to what you want.

Spoke to a salesperson last weekend...

Right now is the beginning of 2013 X3 production cycle. No 2013 X3 has been delivered to bay area BMW yet. Regarding discount or incentive, there is no difference on making a custom order or buying an inventory car at this moment. Perhaps in several months when a dealer has many X3s in inventory, then there is more room for discounts. (If you want to wait until December...)


The salesperson told me that they wanted to move as many 328 out as possible because next 328 shipments are coming. He implied that there was more room for discount on 328.

You should get what you want and except no substitute. You can arrive at the same price if you order or buy off of lot. The only difference might be the incentives. If you can stand to wait I always order. You get what you want with no exceptions and it has not been driven by anyone and the battery has not sat for months untended. But to each their own. Some folks want what they want right now and that's cool too.

Originally Posted by CaliRubicon

You should get what you want and except no substitute. You can arrive at the same price if you order or buy off of lot. The only difference might be the incentives. If you can stand to wait I always order. You get what you want with no exceptions and it has not been driven by anyone and the battery has not sat for months untended. But to each their own. Some folks want what they want right now and that's cool too.

totally agree

Originally Posted by CaliRubicon

You should get what you want and except no substitute. You can arrive at the same price if you order or buy off of lot. The only difference might be the incentives. If you can stand to wait I always order. You get what you want with no exceptions and it has not been driven by anyone and the battery has not sat for months untended. But to each their own. Some folks want what they want right now and that's cool too.

As you probably know other car brands don't offer customers to order their car. Some people like the op are not informed or know about ordering cars.

Originally Posted by Kzang

As you probably know other car brands don't offer customers to order their car. Some people like the op are not informed or know about ordering cars.

Which is why I always try to encourage people to do the research and I also try to help as much as I can by empowering people to be their own best advocate. I am in a few car forums and a common need is for people to be encouraged to stand up for themselves when making large purchases. There are some brands that don't order ( like Toyota and Honda ) but even those will usually trade with a with another dealer to get you what you want. If they are only interested in selling off the lot then I would look elsewhere. In life you tend to get treated the way you expect people to treat you. Don't be a sheep and stand up for yourself and you will have a better shot of getting what you want at the price you want. Power to the consumer.

I just ordered my 3rd Bimmer in 3.5 years, my second (current) one being a ED. I had to make the choice to switch over to an SUV because I moved from Hawaii to Colorado and even though I feel like Bimmers are made for me, I still test drove and looked into everything in the X3's class. I was stunned to learn that Audi and Lexus wouldn't let me custom order, and 3 of the 4 Audi dealers in a 200 mile radius refuse to do ED and the one who would, who happened to be my closest dealer, sat there and told me why dealers hate ED and really discourage it. That sort of "customer service" is just lame, IMO. At the end of the day there never really was a question of comparison to a Bimmer for me, and I wouldn't have done it any other way than ordering exactly what I wanted. I just wish I could have done ED again.

I ordered my 5, and loved being able to get exactly what I wanted. My dealer did just find a 328i convertible that just came in and was equipped as I would have ordered it. It was even one of the colors we would have chosen and it is the perfect car for us. We just have a short wait to get it.

Originally Posted by Wabbajack

I just ordered my 3rd Bimmer in 3.5 years, my second (current) one being a ED. I had to make the choice to switch over to an SUV because I moved from Hawaii to Colorado and even though I feel like Bimmers are made for me, I still test drove and looked into everything in the X3's class. I was stunned to learn that Audi and Lexus wouldn't let me custom order, and 3 of the 4 Audi dealers in a 200 mile radius refuse to do ED and the one who would, who happened to be my closest dealer, sat there and told me why dealers hate ED and really discourage it. That sort of "customer service" is just lame, IMO. At the end of the day there never really was a question of comparison to a Bimmer for me, and I wouldn't have done it any other way than ordering exactly what I wanted. I just wish I could have done ED again.

What is "ED"?

European Delivery—which is obviously a custom order.

It should never cost more to order a car, especially because the customer is pretty much going to buy it. Cars, on the lot, should be about the same price or even less (if it is in a undesirable color or doesn't have couple options)

Originally Posted by AutoUnion

It should never cost more to order a car, especially because the customer is pretty much going to buy it. Cars, on the lot, should be about the same price or even less (if it is in a undesirable color or doesn't have couple options)

I have to disagree. The nature of inventory management is such that you should be able to negotiate a better deal for a car already on the lot. The dealer has to pay interest for every day a car sits on his lot. If you want to order and get exactly what you want, that's great, but a smart dealer should be willing to deal more for a car in his inventory, especially for a car that is as hot as the X3. He knows he will sell his allocation of cars to be ordered, so why should he cut a deal? I personally was able to cut a FANTASTIC deal on a car that was on the lot. I had sent out emails to dealers inquiring about ordering, and one said, "if you would consider it, I've got this car on the lot I am willing to deal on". I then knew the game was afoot and the bargaining began.
Let me be clear, if you want to order, by all means, do, and don't let a dealer dissuade you, but don't dismiss existing inventory out of hand. I think it's the only way you will get a great (not just good) deal. This is how I got my car for a couple thousand under invoice.

Originally Posted by Fryguy29

I have to disagree. The nature of inventory management is such that you should be able to negotiate a better deal for a car already on the lot. The dealer has to pay interest for every day a car sits on his lot. If you want to order and get exactly what you want, that's great, but a smart dealer should be willing to deal more for a car in his inventory, especially for a car that is as hot as the X3. He knows he will sell his allocation of cars to be ordered, so why should he cut a deal? I personally was able to cut a FANTASTIC deal on a car that was on the lot. I had sent out emails to dealers inquiring about ordering, and one said, "if you would consider it, I've got this car on the lot I am willing to deal on". I then knew the game was afoot and the bargaining began.
Let me be clear, if you want to order, by all means, do, and don't let a dealer dissuade you, but don't dismiss existing inventory out of hand. I think it's the only way you will get a great (not just good) deal. This is how I got my car for a couple thousand under invoice.

Thanks for all the replies.

For now, the only option on 2013 X3 is new order. If it is true that I can get better deal on inventory car, I might consider waiting for couple weeks until they have the new 2013 X3 in stock.

Originally Posted by jeffreyfu

Thanks for all the replies.

For now, the only option on 2013 X3 is new order. If it is true that I can get better deal on inventory car, I might consider waiting for couple weeks until they have the new 2013 X3 in stock.

Not sure if this is good news or not, but 2013 X3's are already on the lot. Test drove a MY13 28i last Friday at Classic BMW, and they had a handful on the lot ready to go, so they have already arrived. I have one on order, production was finished on 4/4 and have my PCD scheduled for 4/26.....Just a week to go!!

Originally Posted by NeedWisdom

Not sure if this is good news or not, but 2013 X3's are already on the lot. Test drove a MY13 28i last Friday at Classic BMW, and they had a handful on the lot ready to go, so they have already arrived. I have one on order, production was finished on 4/4 and have my PCD scheduled for 4/26.....Just a week to go!!

NeedWisdom, do you mind telling me the deal that you got from Classic BMW when you order it? Like how much money above invoice? $1500?

500 to 1000 over invoice is always a comfortable range for both buyer and dealer. Sometimes on a very popular vehicle you may have to go above this but sometimes it's possible to get under this as well. Only you have the power to be your own advocate.

Originally Posted by jeffreyfu

NeedWisdom, do you mind telling me the deal that you got from Classic BMW when you order it? Like how much money above invoice? $1500?

1300 over invoice One of the first to order, so not sure how much they are dealing now that it's been available for a few weeks.

Good Luck!!

Originally Posted by NeedWisdom

1300 over invoice One of the first to order, so not sure how much they are dealing now that it's been available for a few weeks.

Good Luck!!

Great! Hope I can get a similar deal. Congrat to your new ride.