How to Get a Good Deal On M3/4

[M-Pilot]

I'm considering to order an M3 (or alternatively an M4) in the next two months or so. Actually, I'm also #1 on a waitlist for M2 so according to how good/bad M2 leases I might incline towards an M3.

I started my search couple of weeks ago with some CA dealers for M3. I have a configuration in mind and I sent emails to different dealers explaining what I want and tried to get quotes. I haven't told them anything about if I'm purchasing/leasing etc. However, my experience so far is pretty frustrating. Although I have an incredible passion and love for BMWs, I now started to even consider moving on and heading to another brand.

Not only the best offer I got was $1500 off MSRP plus incentives but also many of the dealers that I emailed were pretty ignorant/cocky and some of didn't even bother to give me a quote when I told them I prefer ordering the car instead of buying one from their inventory. Some of them didn't give me a quote without forcing me to tell if I'm going to lease or buy. I talked to a NJ dealer as well. He gave me a quote of $72K for $76K MSRP (no incentives allowed) but when I asked him if I could use my company's fleet discount ($1500 off plus 0.0002 MF reduction), he stopped replying my emails.

I can go on and on but I don't to waste your time either. I have seen several lease/buy deals on this forum and some people even got $500 below invoice. Some people got lease deals around low 800s or high 700s. All I'm asking is how and where can I find these great deals?

I'm struggling to find any good deals on M3 and really tired of those cocky CAs. Can you guys give me any advice on what dealership or which CA to work with?

[TB///M3]

NJ dealers? You planning on flying over here to drive it back?

[visi107]

There are plenty of people from CA who have posted their deals on the pricing thread, why don't you PM them and see if they are willing to share where they got their car from.

[M-Pilot]

Originally Posted by BluF22

NJ dealers? You planning on flying over here to drive it back?

I read on the "lease deals" thread that some people from CA, Arizona actually got their cars from NJ. I think how it works is that the NJ dealer ships the car to a dealer in CA.

[M-Pilot]

Originally Posted by visi107

There are plenty of people from CA who have posted their deals on the pricing thread, why don't you PM them and see if they are willing to share where they got their car from.

I will! However, another reason I created this thread is that other people in a similar situation can benefit from it as well.

[STOOF]

Im one of those 500 below invoice guys.

I go through a leasing company which i refer a lot of business to. In return, they give me cost. So thats how I got that. They use dealers in NJ.

Also, combined with MSDs and paying tax/title upfront, my 83,145 build gets me to $799.09.

Hope that helps.

[M-Pilot]

Originally Posted by STOOF

Im one of those 500 below invoice guys.

I go through a leasing company which i refer a lot of business to. In return, they give me cost. So thats how I got that. They use dealers in NJ.

Also, combined with MSDs and paying tax/title upfront, my 83,145 build gets me to $799.09.

Hope that helps.

That's pretty impressive, thanks for sharing how you got the deal

[STOOF]

Originally Posted by cntzl

That's pretty impressive, thanks for sharing how you got the deal

No problem.

Also forgot to mention I have a 500 incentive for USAA on top of the 1250 option credit avail on the M4 right now.

[MadZarBMR]

I'm near you and I'm waiting for my M3 due in a couple of weeks. Like you, I quickly learned that dealers in our area are absolutely not dealing and some have the nerve to markup the M3. I guess it is all the tech money in our area and people willing to pay whatever it takes. On top of that, no allocations and the waiting lists at some dealers were as long as 4 months. So... I called around and got lucky with a dealer in the L.A. area that had an open allocation ready to go into production. They gave me a price I could live with, but nowhere near the amazing deals some here have posted. If you read some of the threads with awesome deals, you will quickly learn that most of them are still waiting for their allocations. The only advice I can give you is to be ready to pay slightly more than you might expect if you need the car right away. Given the high demand and low allocation situation the M3 has been experiencing for a few months now, you might find yourself waiting longer for the awesome deal.

Best of luck!

[dalto]

The best way to get a good deal is to find someone who is sitting on an allocation. Not easy to do, especially for an M3 but they are out there.

Other than that, you just need to contact more dealers. Eventually you will find what you are looking for. I contacted about 30 dealerships when I was looking a few months ago and found some decent deals out there. Not invoice pricing but better than you are being offered currently.

[apgpa]

Originally Posted by MadZarBMR

I'm near you and I'm waiting for my M3 due in a couple of weeks. Like you, I quickly learned that dealers in our area are absolutely not dealing and some have the nerve to markup the M3. I guess it is all the tech money in our area and people willing to pay whatever it takes. On top of that, no allocations and the waiting lists at some dealers were as long as 4 months. So... I called around and got lucky with a dealer in the L.A. area that had an open allocation ready to go into production. They gave me a price I could live with, but nowhere near the amazing deals some here have posted. If you read some of the threads with awesome deals, you will quickly learn that most of them are still waiting for their allocations. The only advice I can give you is to be ready to pay slightly more than you might expect if you need the car right away. Given the high demand and low allocation situation the M3 has been experiencing for a few months now, you might find yourself waiting longer for the awesome deal.

Best of luck!

I can vouch for this. Got a really good deal on an M3 about 6 weeks ago, and am still waiting for an allocation.

The terms of my deal are I can get my deposit back after Feb 1 if no allocation by then.

After seeing the rumored $70,000 starting price for the new Alfa Romeo Giulia QV, and the healthy list of standard equipment, that may motivate me to back out of the M3 deal and wait for the Giulia. I will see one in person at the Philly auto show on Saturday.

The more I read and watch on the Giulia, the better it seems. Especially factoring in BMW's upcoming reduction of covered maintenance, and what that says about the reliability of recent BMW models, the Alfa may not be any worse maintenance wise for a car I plan to keep 10+ years, and not as my only vehicle.

[m4recruiter]

Originally Posted by cntzl

Can you guys give me any advice on what dealership or which CA to work with?

PM sent.

[XRAVE]

Seems you need to find a desperate dealer. Last year I got 7% off MSRP from a dealer in NJ. This year I'm trying to do an ED M3 and that same dealer won't discount of ED MSRP. That would make this ED M3 more expensive than my US delivered M3.

Really hoping to find a dealer that will do 500-1000 over ED Invoice before incentives.

[BavarianFanatic]

A key thing to remember, it's not a "deal" until there's a car. It's all about supply and demand. If you've got a killer deal but you're on a waitlist for allocation 4 months out you don't really have a deal at all. All they've done is taken you off the market making your chances of finding something at a later date even harder. They're selling hopes and dreams, not cars.

Don't fixate on the monthly payment. Don't divulge your intentions of buy vs. lease vs. cash. All are irrelevant when it comes to arriving at a fair selling price. The dealers want this info so they know where to "hide" their mark-up (usually in interest rates, money factor, residuals, etc.). Similarly, there's no reason to mention other outside factors or offers such as supplier discounts, USAA, or other programs since those are funded by outside sources, not the dealer. That info is required when doing the financial transaction, but it has no bearing on how much the dealer is able/willing to discount the car. Get a pure number first, then go from there. If they're not willing to play, find someone else if you can. BUT, it's their game at this point with the limited availability of allocations.

Another key thing to keep in mind regarding the less than helpful responses, these dealers all recognize when they're just one of many that you're going to contact. Especially when you're long distance. Without some sort of personal connection (a recommendation from a client for example), they're going to treat you with kid gloves. I'd be willing to wager that their actual hit rate for inquiries like this is in the single digits percentage-wise. They're not going to spend a lot of time on a long shot.

[MN2///M]

The best way is to know what the invoice price is; see this thread:
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...=pricing+guide

Once you know invoice you can work from there. This worked for me on my ED deal, but I also was not looking to cut the dealer to the quick. I could have likely done a little better, but really what's a few hundred on an $75-80K vehicle. I also have been shopping since the first F82s started showing up.

I don't know what other games BMW NA may be playing with the dealer, some have mentioned holdback money and other schemes which result in the dealer paying less than invoice. I'm not so sure since no one seems to have any real solid information on this.

I have heard from a few sources that there are currently more M4 allocations/vehicles than there are for M3's at the moment. A lot of rumors that BMW will release additional allocations the first week of February. See this thread:
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1215379

You may do better on an M4 if you are not set on having the M3.

I'm with BavarianFanatic also that if "you're on a waitlist for allocation 4 months out you don't really have a deal at all" If no allocation becomes available, then your car never gets built, so make sure they guarantee you an allocation and a production number within a week or two of you giving them the order/deposit; else you get your deposit back.

Lastly if you search out some of the larger BMW dealers, you'll find great deals on their current inventory. Use this information to get other dealers to deal. This has worked for me in the past to end up getting a deal from the dealer I preferred dealing with. You might even find your specified car.

Schomp BMW out of Denver has some great advertised discounts and supposedly moves about 400 BMWs a month.

They don't have any M3s, but 10 M4's currently; here is their current inventory:
http://www.schompbmw.com/all-invento...ions=compliant

They are discounting about 7.5%; I did a little better than this on my M4 on order.

Best of luck!

[XRAVE]

Originally Posted by MN2///M

The best way is to know what the invoice price is; see this thread:
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...=pricing+guide

Once you know invoice you can work from there. This worked for me on my ED deal, but I also was not looking to cut the dealer to the quick. I could have likely done a little better, but really what's a few hundred on an $75-80K vehicle. I also have been shopping since the first F82s started showing up.

I don't know what other games BMW NA may be playing with the dealer, some have mentioned holdback money and other schemes which result in the dealer paying less than invoice. I'm not so sure since no one seems to have any real solid information on this.

I have heard from a few sources that there are currently more M4 allocations/vehicles than there are for M3's at the moment. A lot of rumors that BMW will release additional allocations the first week of February. See this thread:
http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1215379

You may do better on an M4 if you are not set on having the M3.

I'm with BavarianFanatic also that if "you're on a waitlist for allocation 4 months out you don't really have a deal at all" If no allocation becomes available, then your car never gets built, so make sure they guarantee you an allocation and a production number within a week or two of you giving them the order/deposit; else you get your deposit back.

Lastly if you search out some of the larger BMW dealers, you'll find great deals on their current inventory. Use this information to get other dealers to deal. This has worked for me in the past to end up getting a deal from the dealer I preferred dealing with. You might even find your specified car.

Schomp BMW out of Denver has some great advertised discounts and supposedly moves about 400 BMWs a month.

They don't have any M3s, but 10 M4's currently; here is their current inventory:
http://www.schompbmw.com/all-invento...ions=compliant

They are discounting about 7.5%; I did a little better than this on my M4 on order.

Best of luck!

You got better than 7.5% off US MSRP or ED MSRP?

EDIT: Just saw your other post, it was off ED MSRP.

[MN2///M]

Originally Posted by XRAVE

You got better than 7.5% off US MSRP or ED MSRP?

EDIT: Just saw your other post, it was off ED MSRP.

Yes, 7.5 % off the ED MSRP. From my experience, this is a reasonable threshold for either US MSRP or ED MSRP depending on the demand.

[XRAVE]

Originally Posted by MN2///M

Yes, 7.5 % off the ED MSRP. From my experience, this is a reasonable threshold for either US MSRP or ED MSRP depending on the demand.

Yea I got 7% off last year when demand was even higher. I've spoken to 2 dealers so far, one was the one I got the 7% off last year and one was one that was recommend. Both said ED MSRP. ED MSRP would make a cheaper car more expensive to lease than one I got delivered in the US last year.

I thought supply had caught up with demand by now but I guess not. I plan on doing ED in the middle of September so I still have time to lock in a good deal. Honestly I would take 500-1000 over ED invoice before incentives and place a deposit 5 months in advance. I believe that is the earliest you can lock in an ED date.

[catchm3ifyoucann]

Steal it. Best deal out there, no fees, no mark ups, and no dealing with a CA. jk jk lol

[MN2///M]

Originally Posted by XRAVE

Yea I got 7% off last year when demand was even higher. I've spoken to 2 dealers so far, one was the one I got the 7% off last year and one was one that was recommend. Both said ED MSRP. ED MSRP would make a cheaper car more expensive to lease than one I got delivered in the US last year.

I thought supply had caught up with demand by now but I guess not. I plan on doing ED in the middle of September so I still have time to lock in a good deal. Honestly I would take 500-1000 over ED invoice before incentives and place a deposit 5 months in advance. I believe that is the earliest you can lock in an ED date.

You've heard about the change in warranty I assume for 2017; yes? You should be able to get a good deal on a 2016 M4 now; M3 looks to be a different ball park right now. Dealer I talked to the other day told me he has 8 M3's waiting for allocations, but said he could order a M4 right now.

[M-Pilot]

Yea, it looks like it will be easier to go for an M4 at this point...

[XRAVE]

Originally Posted by MN2///M

You've heard about the change in warranty I assume for 2017; yes? You should be able to get a good deal on a 2016 M4 now; M3 looks to be a different ball park right now. Dealer I talked to the other day told me he has 8 M3's waiting for allocations, but said he could order a M4 right now.

I will be in Germany in September for work and have 4 free days, so I want to take advantage of that. I know the warranty change and am not happy about it but would prefer to do ED than a US delivery.

I could potentially get a 2016 produced on the last day of production and have them hold if for 90 days but I don't know how easy that is.