Crappy vehicle selection at dealerships

I was at my local dealership to have some oil added to my vehicle. It disgusted me that not one car in the showroom had sport auto transmission. Why in Gods name would you order MSport vehicles and put the standard auto transmission? What a total waste. No wonder there are such undesireable vehicles in the used car market.

Just for the heck of it, I have been looking at used Msport 535i's on cars.com and I am hard pressed to find many with sport auto transmission.


OK...Thanks for lettting me rant

Hey... I'm ranting too this morning! The omission of sat radio is the one that baffles me.

Ill throw in my two cents. here in the chicago area there are 17 328xis with lighting package. This is across 9 dealers all within a 30 mile radius.

I think that's absurd. There are plenty 50k* cars without xenons. It's the most frustrating thing. And to top it all off. 16 are at 1 dealer.

I hate the lack of good color selection. I have yet to see a dealership with Le Mans blue available ... Only black and white ...boring

Guys. This is nothing new. Dealers stock easy sales. This means they pick only the options they think people want to keep the MSRP as low as possible (BMW could fix this problem by making sport automatic standard on any sport/m sport car). They also pick the most poplular colors so that the vehicle is not likely to get passed over. Most of us will have to order to get exactly what we want or settle for a lot car.

Originally Posted by Arciga18

Ill throw in my two cents. here in the chicago area there are 17 328xis with lighting package. This is across 9 dealers all within a 30 mile radius.

I think that's absurd. There are plenty 50k* cars without xenons. It's the most frustrating thing. And to top it all off. 16 are at 1 dealer.

Xenons are only for people who actually know how superior they are at night. I could just hear a ton of people say, headlights are headlights, why do I have to pay extra for headlights?

The biggest eye-opener on the non-enthusiast ownership of BMWs came when my sister in law leased one. She leased a badge only. Heck, I was coming back from tennis with my brother in law when she called. She locked herself in the car and couldn't get out. She was frantic, the door pull was not working. So, what happened said he, I pushed the lock button on the remote by mistake, and now I can't get out. Well push it again. She did, and got out.

I could easily hear her whine about why she would have to pay for headlights.

Originally Posted by Kamdog

Xenons are only for people who actually know how superior they are at night.

Also remember that not everyone drives at night. I go to work, pick up the kids, go home for dinner. I probably get out at night once a week. So basically just paying for Xenons for about once a week. And it may be less for stay at home parents or those who have the car as a second or third.

Originally Posted by chrischeung

Also remember that not everyone drives at night. I go to work, pick up the kids, go home for dinner. I probably get out at night once a week. So basically just paying for Xenons for about once a week. And it may be less for stay at home parents or those who have the car as a second or third.

Up here in the higher latitudes, if you work all day, you must drive at night for many months at a time.

Try finding a 6-speed to test drive. Maybe an M3 but that's it.

Originally Posted by Submariner

I hate the lack of good color selection. I have yet to see a dealership with Le Mans blue available ... Only black and white ...boring

Last year we ordered our 335is Coupe in Le Mans Blue without ever having seen the color in person. At the time there were four dealers in the San Diego are (now six, including Boris Said's dealership in Murrietta) and none had a single new or used car on the lot in LMB. Fortunately, we were not disappointed!

Originally Posted by NASA43

Try finding a 6-speed to test drive. Maybe an M3 but that's it.

Same story, only one 6MT at four dealers, which fortunately was a 335i with the M Sport Package. My wife didn't even get to drive it, I drove it during the week and told her she'd love it. This was before I bought my Z4 M, so she had never driven a 6MT BMW before she drove hers off the floor at BMW Welt!

Originally Posted by Alpine300ZHP

Guys. This is nothing new. Dealers stock easy sales. This means they pick only the options they think people want to keep the MSRP as low as possible (BMW could fix this problem by making sport automatic standard on any sport/m sport car). They also pick the most poplular colors so that the vehicle is not likely to get passed over. Most of us will have to order to get exactly what we want or settle for a lot car.

Bingo.

People that surf here are NOT dealerships target customers, thats for sure...

(And might I comment that Xenons are MORE important for people that rarely drive at night!)

Dealers tend to order (1) bright shiny objects, like big rims, running board, crap....nothing related to how a car handles nor drives, and (2) options that make them easy $$.

They determine how to sell around these issues too: "Oh, you only need XYZ if you are racing or really aggressive", or "Oh, those lights are just for looks- the ricerboys like them" or "we tend to see a lot of warranty work on that so we dont order it"



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Originally Posted by jzcrna

I was at my local dealership to have some oil added to my vehicle. It disgusted me that not one car in the showroom had sport auto transmission. Why in Gods name would you order MSport vehicles and put the standard auto transmission? What a total waste. No wonder there are such undesireable vehicles in the used car market.

Just for the heck of it, I have been looking at used Msport 535i's on cars.com and I am hard pressed to find many with sport auto transmission.


OK...Thanks for lettting me rant

Save the $500. Sport auto is completely useless. It performs exactly the same as the standard trans.

I help configure our stock order every month. It is definitely a process; I really try to configure stock units like the cars that we're selling day in and day out....

Sport auto is a RARELY selected option on custom orders; why would I add $500 to an in stock car?

OTOH - I put ZLP (xenons) on a large portion of our cars.

Happy to answer any other questions.

As to accessories; our store doesn't do much - I tend to do port installed black grilles on ZSL and ZMP/ZMM cars.

Originally Posted by Kar Don

Save the $500. Sport auto is completely useless. It performs exactly the same as the standard trans.

Except it isn't. It has different shift logic.

Originally Posted by hans007

Except it isn't. It has different shift logic.

And you have to push the lever to the left or it will shift standard. Once left you get the sport shift changes and/or the manual all the time paddle shifters.

Originally Posted by Alpine300ZHP

Guys. This is nothing new. Dealers stock easy sales. This means they pick only the options they think people want to keep the MSRP as low as possible (BMW could fix this problem by making sport automatic standard on any sport/m sport car). They also pick the most poplular colors so that the vehicle is not likely to get passed over. Most of us will have to order to get exactly what we want or settle for a lot car.

Bingo, a majority of the sales are for status buyers that dont care enough to customize the car to their liking. They'll want the pretty exterior bits like xenons

Originally Posted by Ty Vil

I help configure our stock order every month. It is definitely a process; I really try to configure stock units like the cars that we're selling day in and day out....

Sport auto is a RARELY selected option on custom orders; why would I add $500 to an in stock car?

OTOH - I put ZLP (xenons) on a large portion of our cars.

Happy to answer any other questions.

As to accessories; our store doesn't do much - I tend to do port installed black grilles on ZSL and ZMP/ZMM cars.

I often wonder though..do you not order because you don't sell it...or do you not sell it because you don't order it? I remember my dad trying buy a long bed 4x4 Toyota pickup or Ford Ranger in the early 90's. All the salespeople tried to tell him he couldn't get it. His response was always the same - the brochure says I can buy it. They'd also tell him that they never ordered those trucks because they couldn't sell them. He'd tell them that if they didn't have them then yeah, they won't sell them. He delayed purchasing a truck for a year or more. He finally bought a short bed. I don't know why he didn't try to order one.

I inquired with a salesman once why so many of the cars were silver. He said, "nobody hates silver. If you want to buy a car today and you want a white car, but we have a silver one that's equipped how you want otherwise, you'll probably buy it. Same thing if you wanted a black car, but if you wanted a black car and the only thing we had was a white car, you're probably not going to be interested. Then we have to work a trade with another dealer or order one for you."
It makes sense to order the stuff you can sell easily, it's just frustrating when you have non-mainstream preferences.

When I bought my VW Golf in 2000, I knew I wanted a manual trans, 4 door, diesel, not black or white, and not beige interior. I was open on everything else. There were only a couple options - luxury package (aluminum wheels and sunroof) and the upgraded sound system and I was ok having or not having them. There was not a single car that met my specs in the south-eastern US. I was amazed. I ordered it and had it about 6 weeks later.

Originally Posted by Daedalus34r

Bingo, a majority of the sales are for status buyers that dont care enough to customize the car to their liking.

I think it's because they are fine with what is on the lot. It's like me and and the coffee shop - I order straight from the menu. I don't customize my drink as others do. I'd like a good drink, but I'm indifferent to the subtleties.

I would say most people don't know you can order a car. People are constantly talking about having to pick color over options over interior etc. you get trained to pick something off the floor. The German car companies definitely make it easier to order a car than most other manufacturers. We are spoiled for sure.

Originally Posted by Ty Vil

I help configure our stock order every month. It is definitely a process; I really try to configure stock units like the cars that we're selling day in and day out....

Sport auto is a RARELY selected option on custom orders; why would I add $500 to an in stock car?

OTOH - I put ZLP (xenons) on a large portion of our cars.

Happy to answer any other questions.

As to accessories; our store doesn't do much - I tend to do port installed black grilles on ZSL and ZMP/ZMM cars.

Are the X-drives popular?

Until I started following this site, I was not aware how easy it was to "custom order" a BMW, nor was I aware of the PCD - both of which I did for my 2013 X5 3.5. So I owe all the posters on this site a debt of gratitude. The BMW dealer closest to where I live, and from whom I purchased my recent BMW had a lousy reputation but is now under new ownership. At one point on their website they had over 200 new BMWs listed! They had about 20 X5s at one point. Don't know how they can carry the "floor charge" or whatever they call it.

Yeah most people I know (even people are into cars) don't have any clue about custom ordering. Only possible exception is Mini buyers - since Mini really markets that aspect. Everyone else just assumes you take whats on the lot or maybe have the dealer trade for something closer to what you want. I think there's also the perception that you get a much better deal this way-- maybe in some cases but not always.

Originally Posted by bmw325

I think there's also the perception that you get a much better deal this way-- maybe in some cases but not always.

My opinion is that most deals for cars off the lots should yield better deals, ED excluded (ED only takes up about 2% of sales anyway). Because dealers would logically prefer to sell a car that is in inventory and costing them money.

Remember the push by Ian Robertson, former boss of BMWNA wanting customers to order cars instead of taking stock? I don't think that initiative, perhaps poorly executed, made much headway. Perhaps most Americans are impulse buyers?

I found my car on the lot with the colors and important options I wanted. The only missing option was Xenon lights... Oh well, I saved $800 there. Then again, maybe this was a special occasion since it happened during the oversupply of 328xis sitting around late last year in preparation for the lack of supply for the F30 xDrive. They had dozens to choose from.

If I decide to buy another BMW I'll order it since I want to pick it up in Munich.

Originally Posted by chrischeung

My opinion is that most deals for cars off the lots should yield better deals, ED excluded (ED only takes up about 2% of sales anyway). Because dealers would logically prefer to sell a car that is in inventory and costing them money.

Remember the push by Ian Robertson, former boss of BMWNA wanting customers to order cars instead of taking stock? I don't think that initiative, perhaps poorly executed, made much headway. Perhaps most Americans are impulse buyers?

Interesting question...

if you had a 'monolithic' dealership- wherein all parties (owner, sales manager and salesmen) were motivated by the same thing, you might think dealers would want to discount off the lot.

But front line salesmen only make money selling lot cars...they'd rather get $2000 over invoice twice a month, and turn away 40 customers...the key is that each dealer does not have an elastic supply. Otherwise, dealers would sell 100,000 cars for $1 profit. (Ridiculous, but you get the idea.) With a limited supply the trick is to manage the flow of the supply to the retail chain. IMO, lot shoppers tend to be under-informed. People that want to order tend to be informed, they know pricing, AND they will delay gratification. All these traits select to a lower profit deal.

IMO

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