test drove a 135i...questions

[amurph182]

First, I'm in love. Must have. They didn't have any 135 coupes, only verts, but they had a 128 coupe. The sales guy started me off in the coupe, I think he was hoping I'd want to buy it. Nice car. But then I drove a 135....OMG. Must. Have. this. Car.

So we priced one out...does anyone have the real BMW invoice pricing? I've searched the site and found some info on it, but I don't think I've seen a real invoice pricing sheet. He would sell me the car for 1300 over invoice, but his invoice price seemed higher than what I figured it out to be. I could probably do a bit better than 1300 over invoice as well, but to be honest the dealer is in a convenient location and I liked the sales guy more than most car salesman I've worked with so if I can only knock $300 off that then I'll just eat it and reward a good operation with my business.

Other questions, and a caveat: I've read a good number of the threads here and have done some searching, so please don't flame me if this has been answered somewhere else. I just missed it.

1) Winter tires...I live in Northern Virginia. Winters here are...inconsistent. It could be 50 and sunny one day, and then 25 and snowing heavily the next, followed by either an ice storm or a beautiful spring-like day. But when it does snow here it's the mushy nasty stuff, and it tends to freeze overnight. On my current car I get by with all-season Toyos and have never had much of a problem. They aren't ultra-high performance, but they give me enough grip for spirited driving in the summer and decent traction in the winter. Would it be worth it for me to buy a set of winter tires, or should I buy a set of decent all-season tires to put on in the winter, knowing that the number of true "winter" driving days will likely be about the same as the number of days where it's just kind of cold?

2) I followed the discussion of leather vs leatherette...I sat in both today. It's pretty damn hot today, also. I didn't notice much difference in terms of heat or comfort and, to be honest, the leather on the 1-series is kind of meh. I sat in an M6 in the showroom and THAT leather is OMGSOCOMFORTABLE. Can anyone with a 1er give me a real honest opinion on the quality of the leather or leatherette or, even better, someone who's had both in recent model years give me an opinion on the two? I'd hate to spend $1320 on an option that isn't all that much different than the leatherette, but on the other hand if the leatherette falls apart easily then $1320 isn't a lot to spend on higher quality materials.

3) wtf is the difference between the $400 "Ipod & USB adapter" and the $300 "ipod adapter"...does the former accept any usb device, while the latter only accepts ipods?

4) I've seen some threads about the stereo on here. They only had cars with the premium package at the dealership, so I only heard the upgraded stereo. I'm not an audiophile by any means, but I know when something truly sounds like crap and when something is awesome. The premium stereo sounded good to me. Not fantastic, but good enough that listening to it would be enjoyable for me. Is the stock stereo a lot worse than this? I know that's subjective, but honest opinions are appreciated.

Thanks!

[atr_hugo]

Welcome aboard - all of your audio questions are addressed extensively in the audio forum. Invoice pricing (real honest to god invoice pricing) can be found in a sticky at the top of the ordering & pricing forum. Search is your friend!!

[MarinJeff]

Yes, the iPod and USB adapter accepts flash drives, even bigger usb drives. Its very cool. I read somewhere on 1addicts that the other adapter just makes an iPod into a simulated 6-disc changer of sorts.

I have the iPod and USB adapter and love it. BTW, I also love the iPhone integration with BMW Assist. I love voice dialing.

Cheers!

MarinJeff

[1speedbike]

the leatherette in one of my test drive cars was comfortable and nice. i wanted leather because i wanted coral red. the leather i think is slightly nicer but nothing amazing. still they're both very comfortable and above average as far as interior materials go.

[Tom K.]

Regarding winter tires - I'm just around the beltway from you and have used winter tires mounted on steel wheels for my daily driver E46 for a number of years. From what I can tell, the main advantage to mounting winter rubber in our area is that it tends to reduce the amount of snow that actually falls - and if that doesn't work, buy a snow-blower!
Personally, I like the Dunlop M3 winter tires as they still give decent handling on both dry and wet pavement, and they'll get a sanely driven BMW thru 3~4" of the white stuff.
But since our winters are getting so mild, I'll probably switch to an aggressive all-season on the E46 such as the Goodyear F1 A/S and not do the changeover. Luckily, the 128i will keep it's summer tires on all year and stay in the garage when the weather turns bad.
Also, $1,300 over invoice sounds like a great deal in our area. When I ordered my 128i back in March, the only discount being offered was a few hundred $ off MSRP.
Enjoy your new 1er!
Tom

[plien69]

+1 on the Dunlop Winter M3/3Ds. They're almost as good as all seasons in the dry, but are "severe snow" rated. Though as Tom correctly notes, I wouldn't try to get through more than 3-4" of the white stuff with 'em.

[Russo]

what was the price they quoted you with the +$1300 over invoice? as well as the options you selected...

btw does the ipod adapter accept a Zune?

[atr_hugo]

Originally Posted by Russo

btw does the ipod adapter accept a Zune?

Let me share this with you . . .

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...highlight=zune

[warmtoes]

Originally Posted by plien69

+1 on the Dunlop Winter M3/3Ds. They're almost as good as all seasons in the dry, but are "severe snow" rated. Though as Tom correctly notes, I wouldn't try to get through more than 3-4" of the white stuff with 'em.

The M3's are good but I noticed that after two winters they get incredibly noisy when on normal pavement.

I'm going with something else when I buy snows this time.

[amurph182]

Originally Posted by atr_hugo

Welcome aboard - all of your audio questions are addressed extensively in the audio forum. Invoice pricing (real honest to god invoice pricing) can be found in a sticky at the top of the ordering & pricing forum. Search is your friend!!

I've seen that sticky. The pricing sheet is dated Dec 2007, and there has been an increase since then. That's why I'm wondering about the "invoice price" the salesman quoted me...it seemed a bit high compared to the invoice price I had seen here and other places, but those lists are old. Unless I missed it being posted somewhere later in the thread, I'm looking for the current invoice price so I can find out if the guy is quoting me the actual current invoice price or if he's just trying to make me think I'm getting a deal.

Having had car salesman lie right to my face about things that were far more serious, I don't take anything they say at face value and want to check it out on my own.

[amurph182]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

I'll probably switch to an aggressive all-season on the E46 such as the Goodyear F1 A/S and not do the changeover.

Since you're local, and the 135 will be my DD, which do you think makes more sense:

1) get a set of good but affordable all-seasons for our see-saw winters

or

2) get a set of aggressive all seasons like you mentioned above and just be a lot more careful when it snows?

Winter tires are also an option, I just think they could be overkill for our DC winters and would hate to be stuck with them on a nice 60 degree december day if they're going to compromise handling in that weather.

[amurph182]

Originally Posted by Russo

what was the price they quoted you with the +$1300 over invoice? as well as the options you selected...

don't have it with me but I'll ballpark it

135, sports package, cold weather package, leather, $37,600+$1300 for a total of $38,900

I'm thinking of knocking off the leather, depending on what kind of additional feedback I can get on that. It's not something I HAVE to have, I was thinking it would be nice. But after seeing both, I didn't think it was really that much nicer. I mean, if someone tells me that the leather wears really well and the leatherette falls apart easily or something, then it's obviously worth it but other than that I'm probably going to get rid of the leather, so the total price would be closer to $37,600 after their markup.

[My135]

Try http://www.edmunds.com/ for pricing

[dimeesq]

I'm considering the whole winter tire issue myself. I've had some BMWs that didn't perform well in the NOVA winters but I'm not sure there are enough of those days to justify a whole set of seperate wheels and tires. Today, I don't think the weather justifies it, but I could change my mind tomorrow.

Also, which NOVA dealer are you working with? I've had some experiences at several in the area....

[soupy]

For 135i coupe, 6speed, sports pkg, cold weather pkg, non-metallic paint, leather:

MSRP:
Base: 34,900
Cold Weather: 600
Sports Package: 1100
Leather: 1450
Destination: 825
TOTAL: $38,875

Invoice:
Base: 32,290
Cold Weather: 545
Sports Package: 1000
Leather: 1320
Destination: 825
TOTAL: $35,980

35,980 + 1300 = 37,280 (plus VA dealer processing fee, which is roughly $350 and whatever registration is)

So if he mentioned out the door price of $37,600, that's actually a fair deal imo. Of course you can probably do better if you really tried (there's someone who went to Silver Spring/Suitland MD and got $500 above invoice for a 09 order). I pulled off $2600 off MSRP at Arlington BMW, but they had roughly $500 in fees and VA offers no trade-in tax credit, so I declined (it was actually the Bank of Mom's 0% APR Loans that insisted me going with this other dealer).

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by amurph182

Since you're local, and the 135 will be my DD, which do you think makes more sense:

1) get a set of good but affordable all-seasons for our see-saw winters

or

2) get a set of aggressive all seasons like you mentioned above and just be a lot more careful when it snows?

Winter tires are also an option, I just think they could be overkill for our DC winters and would hate to be stuck with them on a nice 60 degree december day if they're going to compromise handling in that weather.

I think if you are going to be changing wheels/tires twice a year, you may as well go with a "performance" (H or V rated) winter tire like the M3. It won't seriously cramp your style on those 60o December days but you'll be prepared for snow. Any all-season is going to be a compromise.

Another consideration - will you ever be taking the car north during the snow months visiting family or friends? I got caught coming back from Atlantic City with Bridgestone 050A tires on my Z4 a couple of years back when the forecasted 40o turned out to be a rainy 33o. The tires seemed to handle it OK but I was getting pretty nervous across the Del. Mem. bridge!

Also, since I'm semi-retired, I can generally afford to say "screw it - I'm not driving thru that stuff", where you may not have that option.
Tom

[amurph182]

MSRP:
Base: 34,900
Cold Weather: 600
Sports Package: 1100
Leather: 1450
Destination: 825
TOTAL: $38,875

Invoice:
Base: 32,290
Cold Weather: 545
Sports Package: 1000
Leather: 1320
Destination: 825
TOTAL: $35,980

35,980 + 1300 = 37,280 (plus VA dealer processing fee, which is roughly $350 and whatever registration is)

So if he mentioned out the door price of $37,600, that's actually a fair deal imo.

your invoice+1300 price is more or less his invoice price. I thought his invoice price seemed a bit high. Hmm.

Also, which NOVA dealer are you working with? I've had some experiences at several in the area....

actually this was at Passport BMW in Marlow Heights, MD. I live in Alexandria but work in beautiful Suitland, MD (can I get a 135 with kevlar and bulletproof glass?) and Passport was just a convenient place to test drive a car on my lunch break. I was thinking that if they can offer me a price that's competitive with other places in the area then it would be a convenient place to get the car serviced...5 minutes from work, 20 minutes from home during rush hour.

Any reccomendations on other area dealerships? I've bought enough cars from enough different places that I'm willing to go with someone who can't quite match the best price someone else will give me if it means that I'll get better service and treated like a valued customer.

[amurph182]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

I think if you are going to be changing wheels/tires twice a year, you may as well go with a "performance" (H or V rated) winter tire like the M3. It won't seriously cramp your style on those 60o December days but you'll be prepared for snow. Any all-season is going to be a compromise.

Another consideration - will you ever be taking the car north during the snow months visiting family or friends? I got caught coming back from Atlantic City with Bridgestone 050A tires on my Z4 a couple of years back when the forecasted 40o turned out to be a rainy 33o. The tires seemed to handle it OK but I was getting pretty nervous across the Del. Mem. bridge!

Also, since I'm semi-retired, I can generally afford to say "screw it - I'm not driving thru that stuff", where you may not have that option.
Tom

lol...semi-retired. No, I've either got 30+ more years or I've got to win the lotto to have "retired" in my status. I'm fortunate in that I live next to a metro station and there's one next to my office so if it's really bad I can metro to work instead of drive...but I'm an IT consultant so that could change tomorrow.

I hear you on the AC trip. I've driven up there with beautiful weather and then had horrible conditions a few hours later on the way home. I ski a lot, too, and although the roads were absolutely clear pretty much every time I went this year, I obviously want to be able to call in sick and roll up to seven springs on those handful of fantastic ski days (that are horrible for driving).

Know of any good shops in the area that don't rip you off to swap out tires? Or is it worth it to just shell out the $$ for some rims?

[soupy]

your invoice+1300 price is more or less his invoice price. I thought his invoice price seemed a bit high. Hmm.

yup, the margin between invoice and msrp for this car is pretty low, no thanks to the weakening (but hopefully rebounding) US Dollar.

Any reccomendations on other area dealerships?

I'd recommend Tischer BMW up in Silver Spring if you don't mind the drive north of the beltway. The service I got there was excellent, even though I wasn't able come to an agreement and ordered elsewhere. I will never go to Fairfax BMW again; very arrogant and rude bunch there (I felt like I was at a Toyota dealer, but worse).

[esses]

#2: I treated the interior with leather cleaner and leather softener (zaino z9, z10) the day I took it home. I can count on one hand the people who have said something about the car without complementing the leather. My only occasional pang of regret is not getting the premium package on top of just leather (then I remind myself how heavy automatic seat motors are).

#3 Go for the USB, its all about the flash drive.

[dimeesq]

Haven't had much experience with the Maryland dealers but I've had problems at both Fairfax and Arlington. Sterling has had my business for the last three cars and always does right.

[adc]

Originally Posted by amurph182

1) Winter tires...I live in Northern Virginia. Winters here are...inconsistent.

Like another poster, I've run an E46 with winter steelies. On my 335 right now I have aggressive all seasons and they have been an incredible upgrade over the stock runflats:
- Better dry traction (running +1, 235 front 265 rears)
- Better wet traction
- Much better cold dry/wet traction
- Some snow traction (will get you home)
- Better comfort (no more jarring impact)
- No more skipping in corners
- Half the price of the OEM runflats

I have tge Pirelli PZero Nero M+S and only 2 negatives with them:
- They took some effort to balance
- Sometimes they flatspot a little (cold weather) and it takes about 1 mile to smooth them back

If I were to do this again I'd try the Goodyear F1 all seasons with the reinforced CF sidewalls. And a separate set of summer/track tires.