Ordering 2013 535i - Need Help!

Go with the Multi-contour seats. It is the main reason I am getting a 5 series, although they aren't as huggy as sport seats but it's very comfortable. I also love the nappa leather but I didn't get it because I want a brown interior. Wish they have come in brown like in the 6 series.

I am not too sure about the MT as I didn't get to drive a MT F10. However, I had a MT X5 as a loaner earlier this year and it was a little bit weird driving such a big and refined car with a stickshift. It reminded me of driving a MT pickup truck back then.

My dealer offered 535i $500 over invoice minus loyalty and Holiday cash incentives but wants to charge $699 dealer service fee. What's up with that? Is that common on orders?

Originally Posted by darius7

My dealer offered 535i $500 over invoice minus loyalty and Holiday cash incentives but wants to charge $699 dealer service fee. What's up with that? Is that common on orders?

No, ordered 4 cars and never had that "fee". I think it's pure profit.

Originally Posted by darius7

My dealer offered 535i $500 over invoice minus loyalty and Holiday cash incentives but wants to charge $699 dealer service fee. What's up with that? Is that common on orders?

$699 dealer service fee to order a car? That's total BS. Ordering a car isn't really ordering a car from scratch for a dealer. They just take an existing dealer allocated vehicle thats in queue for production and modify it to your specifications before it goes into production. The status will change to priority 1 meaning it's a sold vehicle. It's really nothing special that the CA or the dealer needs to do. We ordered our 2013 F10 back in July at invoice plus customer loyalty $750 rebate. Shop it!

Your dealer seems a bit shady. Offering holiday incentives to lure in customers and hit them with the $699 service fee to order a car. We've ordered cars from MB and BMW and never had this charge.

Originally Posted by darius7

My dealer offered 535i $500 over invoice minus loyalty and Holiday cash incentives but wants to charge $699 dealer service fee. What's up with that? Is that common on orders?

Welcome to Florida. Don't know what's going on down there, but dealer fees like that are VERY common there. That doesn't mean you can't negotiate hard.

Thanks guys. Sales person said it's to prep
car for you when it's on the lot. To clean
and gas it lol.
Waiting for other dealers in the area to make
their offer.

Multi-Contour are a must!/

Frankly, I love the Manual transmission in my F10. I do not have much of an issue with Idrive as this is true in all cars nowadays. Its not exactly a short shifter, but it is buttery smooth.

Originally Posted by darius7

Thanks guys. Sales person said it's to prep
car for you when it's on the lot. To clean
and gas it lol.
Waiting for other dealers in the area to make
their offer.

That is crap! I dealt with the same stuff when I lived in Florida, until I started going through my credit union - then poof - no more dealer fees. Its a total ADD ON.


Deal with a sponsor, then you won't have these issues.

Originally Posted by miamiboyca

That is crap! I dealt with the same stuff when I lived in Florida, until I started going through my credit union - then poof - no more dealer fees. Its a total ADD ON.


Deal with a sponsor, then you won't have these issues.

Thank you Sir!

so what's a decent dealer prep fee to pay? or is none even possible?

Sent from my XT557 using Bimmer App

Seriously just wait a week and order from Adrian in the ATL. Eff your locals if they won't budge.

Originally Posted by mr29

so what's a decent dealer prep fee to pay? or is none even possible?

Sent from my XT557 using Bimmer App

A reasonable fee is $0.00. That is reasonable, its a BS mark up.

If you can't wait - reach out to Grep Poland, he did my ED and my car is registered in FL.

Originally Posted by darius7

Thanks guys. Sales person said it's to prep
car for you when it's on the lot. To clean
and gas it lol.
Waiting for other dealers in the area to make
their offer.

Dealer prep fee? Haha, I would have tip the sales guy personally just for telling me that. $699 for them to hose down the car and put some tire shine on the tires. The BMW Vehicle Delivery Centers (VDC) does all the prep work before it gets delivered to the respective dealerships. There are VDCs throughout the U.S for West, East and Midwest coast dealerships.

Originally Posted by Decboy

Dealer prep fee? Haha, I would have tip the sales guy personally just for telling me that. $699 for them to hose down the car and put some tire shine on the tires. The BMW Vehicle Delivery Centers (VDC) does all the prep work before it gets delivered to the respective dealerships. There are VDCs throughout the U.S for West, East and Midwest coast dealerships.

There are four VDCs, each located at one of the ports where BMWs arrive from Germany - New Jersey, Baltimore, MD, Brunswick, GA, and Port Hueneme, CA.

Originally Posted by tturedraider

There are three VDCs, each located at one of the ports where BMWs arrive from Germany - New Jersey, Brunswick, GA, and Port Hueneme, CA.

I am pretty sure there is also one in near Longbeach CA.

Originally Posted by miamiboyca

I am pretty sure there is also one in near Longbeach CA.

Not unless they just opened it and didn't publicize it. Only Oxnard/Port Hueneme. There is a fourth one in Baltimore that I forgot. I added it.

Originally Posted by tturedraider

Not unless they just opened it and didn't publicize it. Only Oxnard/Port Hueneme. There is a fourth one in Baltimore that I forgot. I added it.

YUP, That's it. The port is called Long Beach or sometimes Port of LA.

Originally Posted by Keyser Soze

Eff your locals if they won't budge.

I did this just today, in fact. My order is being placed tomorrow with an out-of-state dealership. $700 to ship the vehicle to me when it arrives. My local stealership was over $1,500 more even after factoring in the cost to ship.

-Corey

To the OP: I used to be in Orlando and that one dealer that ur talking abt is useless and are used to people paying the prices that the dealership wants due to its monopoly in the area. Also most people who buy cars in that area are either super rich or families with old money. Got complete opposite reaction when I moved to Chicago. Listen to what other posters are saying. Either contact board sponsors or shop around in large metro areas like Miami for instance. Good luck!

Originally Posted by cordoor

I did this just today, in fact. My order is being placed tomorrow with an out-of-state dealership. $700 to ship the vehicle to me when it arrives. My local stealership was over $1,500 more even after factoring in the cost to ship.

-Corey

Rather than spend that $700 to ship the car, take delivery at the Performance Center in South Carolina and spend the money on a little road trip vacation. Fly there (with a companion if you'd like), BMW picks you up at the airport, pays for dinner, puts you up at the Marriott, feeds you breakfast, picks you up at the hotel, gives you a half day of driving instruction, feeds you lunch, has a professional delivery specialist deliver your car to you in the afternoon.

Originally Posted by tturedraider

Rather than spend that $700 to ship the car, take delivery at the Performance Center in South Carolina and spend the money on a little road trip vacation. Fly there (with a companion if you'd like), BMW picks you up at the airport, pays for dinner, puts you up at the Marriott, feeds you breakfast, picks you up at the hotel, gives you a half day of driving instruction, feeds you lunch, has a professional delivery specialist deliver your car to you in the afternoon.

What a fantastic idea! Thanks for the tip. I will check it out.

My wife would love to visit South Carolina. I have been there and driven through the Appalachians and it is nothing short of spectacular.

I tried to talk her into ED but she wouldn't budge. We still have young kids at home and she didn't want to leave them for the time we'd be gone (we could do 5-6 days with a nanny watching them but my wife doesn't want to do much more than that). So perhaps this would be a nice consolation prize :-)

-Corey

Originally Posted by cordoor

What a fantastic idea! Thanks for the tip. I will check it out.

My wife would love to visit South Carolina. I have been there and driven through the Appalachians and it is nothing short of spectacular.

I tried to talk her into ED but she wouldn't budge. We still have young kids at home and she didn't want to leave them for the time we'd be gone (we could do 5-6 days with a nanny watching them but my wife doesn't want to do much more than that). So perhaps this would be a nice consolation prize :-)

-Corey

Glad you like the idea. There's a twisty mountain road over there called The Tail of the Dragon. In the Best of Bimmerfest section there's a PCD (Performance Center Delivery) forum.

[QUOTE=svc;7214717]Hi all,

I'm planning on leasing a 535i and I have a few questions about the options and pricing before heading to the dealer. Any help would be much appreciated.

Secondly, I am considering European Delivery and I'm wondering if I still have some wiggle room over the sticker price at the dealer (after getting approx. $3,600 off on ED). I'm in Central Florida. How much room do I have to negotiate if any?
************************************************** ****************
OK...listen closely (to me and the others who have responded to your post).

If you order from your dealer, make sure that he at least sends you flowers and buys you dinner, seeing as you are being bent over.

Be smart and order from a Board sponsor. Several reliable names have been mentioned. All are excellent, whether for European Delivery, Performance Center Delivery...whatever works for you. Most will come in somewhere around $500 or so over invoice, depending on availability, etc., and will make your transaction both fair and seamless.

However, if you feel really bad about denying your dealer the several thousand dollars you will save by ordering through a sponsor, you can always send a check to me in that amount. I don't charge any add-on, prep or document fees, and don't sell rust protection, paint protection, etc. I would appreciate it!

Good luck. Please listen to those who have taken the time to save you, and not only figuratively!

Richard

What Richard says is very true and I just experienced it.

Try Jeff Martz at Husker BMW in Lincoln Nebraska. He offered (which I accepted) $909/month (tax not included) with 0 down on 39 months, 10K miles lease for a 550 xDrive build that MSRP's around $84,500. He came in very close to invoice *before* the 2K holiday incentive and 750 loyalty. This was his first quote and it was his last because there was no need for me to push him lower.

Or try Greg Poland if you're closer to him (California). I sent him Jeff's offer (I heard back from Jeff first so naturally I was going to go with Jeff all else being equal) and Greg graciously wrote back saying it was a great deal and I should take it. He didn't try to paint numbers to dupe me into going with him instead. He was just flat out honest. Greg didn't get this deal, but of course in 3 years if Greg is around I will contact him again because of this.

I would do a deal with either of these guys (this time I am doing a deal with Jeff).

I have heard of other board sponsors in the south. I don't know who they are because I am in Utah.

Both of these experiences were completely the opposite of the experience I had with my local stealership. Before contacting Jeff or Greg, I went by the local. Their best offer was somewhere around $1,220/month on 12K miles with 2K down. Then I haggled them to roughly $1,100. Then I sent them Jeff's quote. Then they came back, very arrogantly mind you like I was putting them out and they were giving me the moon, at $948/month for 10K miles. They ultimately got close after much pain, but I was fed up of course. (And still, they were over $1,500 away). Also during all of the discussions with the local, they paint numbers and don't talk clear about things. They have to be fuzzy because, unlike Greg who was honest, they want to dupe you into getting your business even though they can't compete.

All that matters is the capital cost (price you agree on for the vehicle), money factor, and residual.

Both Jeff and Greg, and I assume any other friend of the board, will give you these numbers straight up plus the monthly and you can simply do the math yourself on bmwconfig.com to verify and then play around.

So: Do exactly what Richard says. I now know this from personal experience.

-Corey

Thank you Richard and Corey for looking out for me! I emailed Greg Poland and got a response back. I will most likely get his offer tomorrow. Couple of questions about ordering from an out of state dealer.

Will I ever need to show up in person at the dealership and can I use my credit card to pay the upfront charges without actually showing up at the dealership?

Also, I remember reading somewhere on the forums that BMW makes my second lease payment on ED. Is this true no matter where I buy from because the local CA doesn't know (or at least he says he doesn't) about this.

Again, thank you everyone who posted in my thread - you guys are the nicest bunch I ever encountered on an Internet forum!