[rsen]

After much thought, I have decided to cancel my order for the 135i. I would have liked to own this car so much that I was willing to:

Pay full MSRP on a car that is priced 20% higher than the US car despite the Canadian dollar at par.

Pay a ridiculous $2000 for freight and PDI ($775 in the USA).

Pay $800 dollars for the priviledge of having a metallic colour ($475 in the USA).

Live with a watered down free maintenance plan (no coverage for brake rotors/pads, wiper blades, belts, etc., unlike in the USA).

Live with the uncertainty of whether the car will or will not come with the "secondary" oil cooler, which would reduce the risk of the car overheating.


However, I just cannot accept a finance interest rate that is more than double the interest rate for its big brother the 335i (2.9%), and simply out of line with the rest of the automotive industry at this time. I will be be sending my sales associate the following e-mail (which will also be sent to BMW Canada to inform them that they have possibly lost a new customer):


"Thank you for your prompt reply. I agree that the 135i is going to be a great car (from what I have read in various reviews). However, the 1 series is still BMW’s new entry-level series car. As such, I would have thought that BMW would offer financing rates in line with the rest of the automotive industry, let alone with the rest of BMW’s own line of cars.

Yes the 135i is a very desirable car. However, the difference in interest paid on a 49,700 car loan (with all taxes and fees included), at an interest rate of 6.67% vs 2.9% (the current rate for the 335i, its big brother) is over $5000, over the 5 year loan period. This is not a small amount of money. Therefore, it is with regret that I have to decline purchasing the 135i at this time, however much I would like to get this car.

Having said that, I understand that BMW Canada sets the interest rates and that your hands are tied. I have appreciated your help over the past few weeks. I will revisit purchasing this car in the near future, once the initial "frenzy" has subsided, provided that BMW Canada lowers the finance rate to a more competitive level, as it has now done with the 335i. You can refund my $500 deposit to my VISA card. Thank you."