[nebatuga]

So I'm hoping to order a new 340i 6mt. I'm new to ordering cars, including BMWs (of course). Thought some of the experienced pros on this forum might be able to answer basic questions...

1) I assume current BMW incentives (i.e. option credit $750 and holiday adder $750) wouldn't apply on a car they couldn't possible deliver by Jan. 4. Is that right?

2) I also assume I would be eligible for whatever incentives BMW may offer on the delivery date. Does BMW "just about always" have some sort of incentive plan running... say in the spring time, when my car might be delivered? I'm not sure what the "normal" is for BMW. E.g. is holiday time an especially generous time for BMW incentives?

3) I notice BMW finance offers a 60 day rate lock on financing. I should qualify for the current 0.9% financing for 36 months. But what if the car takes more than 60 days to deliver? Would I have to take what BMW offers on delivery date, or find other financing?

4) Do you all think I could rest reasonably assured I would get the car delivered within 60 days of order?

5) How do you handle trade-in values on current car when you order? Wait and see what they'll give you in the future, when the car's delivered? Seems like you're giving up some bargaining leverage in that case. Do you just plan on selling your car private owner (if you're willing and have the time and energy)?

6) Finally, an area dealer is advertising 340s on the lot for a "true price" of about 10% off MSRP (including current incentives, I'm assuming). Yet, I'm real particular about getting the options I want (and nothing on lots fits the bill.. the 6mt narrows the market bit time). I'd hope to get the same rough deal for an ordered 340, but are dealers generally willing to price ordered cars what they will cars on the lot?

Again, new world for me. I just want to approach dealers informed. Thanks in advance for any insights anyone can provide!

[dalto]

Originally Posted by nebatuga

So I'm hoping to order a new 340i 6mt. I'm new to ordering cars, including BMWs (of course). Thought some of the experienced pros on this forum might be able to answer basic questions...

1) I assume current BMW incentives (i.e. option credit $750 and holiday adder $750) wouldn't apply on a car they couldn't possible deliver by Jan. 4. Is that right?

I believe that one the them is lockable the other requires delivery in December but you should double check that.

Originally Posted by nebatuga

2) I also assume I would be eligible for whatever incentives BMW may offer on the delivery date.

Yes you would be eligible for the promotions at the time of delivery. You can also lock promotions in the between months such as January.(As long as you lock them during the month in question)

Originally Posted by nebatuga

3) I notice BMW finance offers a 60 day rate lock on financing. I should qualify for the current 0.9% financing for 36 months. But what if the car takes more than 60 days to deliver? Would I have to take what BMW offers on delivery date, or find other financing?

Yes, you could miss them but you can lock interim promotions as above.

Originally Posted by nebatuga

4) Do you all think I could rest reasonably assured I would get the car delivered within 60 days of order?

No, not right now. The combination of the car being somewhat in demand, it being the end of the month and the somewhat strange production around the holidays makes this fairly unlikely but not impossible. Keep in mind that you can lock at the end of the month so if you ordered a car at the beginning of January you could lock at the end of January for Jan promotions and get a bit more than 60 days that way.

Originally Posted by nebatuga

5) How do you handle trade-in values on current car when you order? Wait and see what they'll give you in the future, when the car's delivered? Seems like you're giving up some bargaining leverage in that case. Do you just plan on selling your car private owner (if you're willing and have the time and energy)?

Depends on the dealer. My dealership will do the trade eval once the car is produced which gives me enough time to decide what I want to do with their offer. Either way, ordering a car certainly reduced leverage on a trade.

Originally Posted by nebatuga

6) Finally, an area dealer is advertising 340s on the lot for a "true price" of about 10% off MSRP (including current incentives, I'm assuming). Yet, I'm real particular about getting the options I want (and nothing on lots fits the bill.. the 6mt narrows the market bit time). I'd hope to get the same rough deal for an ordered 340, but are dealers generally willing to price ordered cars what they will cars on the lot?

It just depends. That 10% is probably including the current $1500 in incentives. You should be able to target $0-$500 over invoice before incentives. You should negotiate that part of the deal prior to ordering.

[nebatuga]

Thanks, dalto! That's super helpful information, and much appreciated.

I hadn't considered the interim period locks on incentives and financing. I'll follow up with dealers on that issue.

Part of me thinks that you can overthink a couple hundred dollars here and there on a $50K plus purchase, when really you might not even notice the difference when you're driving the machine over the next many years. Then another part of me thinks, "$50K is a heck of a lot of money for a car, and a few hundred (or thousand) dollars swinging one way or the other actually is a big deal."

Either way you consider it, there's no question that future owners should have as clear an understanding of the deal as possible. That's never a bad thing! I always so appreciate that folks are willing to help others out on these forums with what they've learned.