Oregon Dealer Experiences

dickster · 11-18-2006, 09:42 PM

I'm new to the forums and about to make the migration from M-B to BMW (I think). I currently drive a '98 M-B SLK230 and my wife's car is an '99 ML430. Both are due for replacement.

I've just about had it with being treated like an inconvenience and with the less than ethical tactics of my M-B dealer. The final act of transgression was for them to sell my wife tires for her ML430 (at a greatly inflated price, no pun intended) when she did not need them yet.

I'm very impressed by the new 335i Coupe. Because of where I live (on Oregon's coast) I don't have any specific dealer in mind. I've had a bad experience with Rasmussen (M-B, several years ago) and Eugene or Salem are a bit closer for me than Portland.

My questions: Which dealer understands the relationship between dealer and customer and will be most 'fair'? Which dealer is most likely to offer the best deal (buy or lease)? Are there specific dealers to avoid and, if so, why? Mind you I'm not looking to have anyone kiss my feet (or elsewhere) and I realize that the dealer must make a profit to stay in business. I just want to be treated as though the dealer appreciates the fact that I chose to do business with them. Of course, I'd like to save a few bucks if I can but that's not nearly as important to me as an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect.
Any suggestions, folks?

Thanks for the bandwith...

dickster
Oregon

Borti · 11-19-2006, 01:30 AM

I know Carrera motors pretty well and Mitch Allee has been nothing but super helpful towards me. I do not think they are too flexible on price, however, and I have heard that Delon BMW is more willing to work with you on price.

dickster · 11-19-2006, 05:43 PM

Thanks, Borti, for the response; Bend is quite a stretch for me but I appreciate your thoughts.

dickster

tommithy · 11-20-2006, 11:15 AM

Delon is definately the best place to go for price from what I hear. After that I'd say Kuni for pricing although I hear they can be a bit snobby. I'm starting to think you are spot on about Rasmussen. My 335 is sitting in their lot right now (delivered on Saturday) and my SA isn't very proactive in getting me the status, letting me know how long PDI will be, etc.

King335i · 01-27-2007, 10:11 PM

whatever you do don't end up at BMW of Eugene. Their service is a joke, and their salespeople are arrogant, yet they don't know half of the OEM parts that are available for the cars they sell.

Ty Vil · 01-27-2007, 11:55 PM

If you're still in the market Rasmussen BMW although I'm very biased.

wagonmaster · 02-12-2007, 12:33 AM

Hi! Great info! Has anyone had success shaking OR dealers from the insistence for asking MSRP for the 328xit? What I've been seeing would be downright amusing if it weren't so pervasive.

E91AWD · 02-14-2007, 09:56 PM

I bought a E91 328xi from Kuni. I made inquiries to 11 BMW NW dealers and they met the lowest price I had been offered for a car. I had mixed reponses from dealers in Oregon.

Rasmussen: "we don't have to discount our cars"
Eugene "what do you think is fair ..... not interested in selling for that price, it is not fair to us" (although after I blew him off he called twice the next day and started throwing hard numbers at me that were competitive.
Some of the other dealerships were either late in responding, or did not match the often quoted $1500.00 over invoice that I received from just about every one else. (You know that they are calling other dealerships and pretending to be buyers to see what the going price is.)

On top of that, Kuni had a car that was so close to what I was looking for that I bought it off the lot (I wanted something minimally equipped). When I first saw it it had not even been prep'ed. I was the only one to ever test drive it.

Everyone in the dealership has been very professional, even the parts guy that agreed with me that BMW should have used the 255 hp version of the engine in the 328xi Sport Wagon that they use in the 530xi Sport Wagon. Just for kicks, everytime I'm in the area I stop to sit in one of their $100,000 cars, get a cappicino or coke along with an Italian buiscuit with the chocolate on it. Just not all at the same time.

wagonmaster · 02-15-2007, 09:20 AM

Hey Badnews! There must be some rulebook on that $1,500 over invoice offer. I gave only one chance for a price offer bid adjustment to any dealer who quickly tossed that number out. A few dealers, Kuni in particular, was willing to keep a more open mind. Bellevue was surprisingly inflexible and Eugene never responded. Not sure who I'm going to go with just yet. If it's not presumptuous, could I ask you what you ended up getting and how much bargained for? I agree on the 255hp engine, but I'm glad that they boosted it a few hp from the 325xi engine!

E91AWD · 02-26-2007, 11:57 AM

You might try the BMW dealer in Seattle and Yakima as well.

993 911 · 03-05-2007, 01:44 AM

We are getting our E93 for MSRP from Rasmussen.

david_lm · 04-05-2007, 05:08 PM

Great experience at BMW of Eugene.

motorheart · 05-15-2007, 07:52 PM

I would be sure to stay away from Allee at Carrera. I have found him to be very dishonest in my past dealings with him. Eugene isn't far from Bend, or you could try working with someone else from Carrera.

david_lm · 05-17-2007, 03:38 PM

If you do decide to look at BMW of Eugene I worked with Bob Bofferding and he was great. The only thing I didn't like about my experiene there was that the car wasn't detailed as well as I was expecting when I took delivery. Kind of a small thing, but I'm pretty picky.

Ioman · 08-29-2007, 11:07 PM

Where did you wind up buying from Dickster?

dickster · 08-30-2007, 01:04 AM

Interestingly enough, I still haven't bought my 335i.

A variety of factors have gotten in the way, not the least of which is a lack of garage space and too many vehicles. We replaced the ML with a new Volvo XC-90 for my wife and the SLK is still my daily driver. I'm thinking of selling the Dino and doing some major house cleaning before I move to the BMW.

I have heard from several people with a variety of suggestions but right now my front runner for a dealer is DeLon in Salem. They come highly recommended not only for their pricing policy but also for their after sale service and general customer relations attitude.

Will keep you all posted but, in the meantime, I'll continue to lurk...

dickster

Ty Vil · 08-30-2007, 10:22 AM

Come see us!

Ioman · 08-30-2007, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ty Vil

Come see us!

Only if you give me good trade-in value! $26-29K is ridiculous.

Ioman · 08-30-2007, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dickster

Interestingly enough, I still haven't bought my 335i.

A variety of factors have gotten in the way, not the least of which is a lack of garage space and too many vehicles. We replaced the ML with a new Volvo XC-90 for my wife and the SLK is still my daily driver. I'm thinking of selling the Dino and doing some major house cleaning before I move to the BMW.

I have heard from several people with a variety of suggestions but right now my front runner for a dealer is DeLon in Salem. They come highly recommended not only for their pricing policy but also for their after sale service and general customer relations attitude.

Will keep you all posted but, in the meantime, I'll continue to lurk...

dickster

I was impressed by how quickly the internet manager at DeLon BMW got back to me. He was VERY competitive on price, and offered decent trade-in on my car (and still recommend I sell it private party which is honest of him).

Ty Vil · 08-30-2007, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ioman

Only if you give me good trade-in value! $26-29K is ridiculous.

I'm not in sales, but who were you working with?

If you're going to sell the car private party anyway then trade in doesn't matter

.

Ioman · 08-30-2007, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ty Vil

I'm not in sales, but who were you working with?

If you're going to sell the car private party anyway then trade in doesn't matter

.

Well I would prefer trade-in, less hassle...

Ty Vil · 08-30-2007, 11:29 PM

Understand that.

I'm SURE our sales department can take care of you. Have you talked to someone specific already?

11-18-2006, 09:42 PM	#1
dickster Enlisted Member 2 Rep 42 Posts Drives: MB SLK230; Ferrari 206GT Dino Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Newport, Oregon iTrader: (0)	Oregon Dealer Experiences I'm new to the forums and about to make the migration from M-B to BMW (I think). I currently drive a '98 M-B SLK230 and my wife's car is an '99 ML430. Both are due for replacement. I've just about had it with being treated like an inconvenience and with the less than ethical tactics of my M-B dealer. The final act of transgression was for them to sell my wife tires for her ML430 (at a greatly inflated price, no pun intended) when she did not need them yet. I'm very impressed by the new 335i Coupe. Because of where I live (on Oregon's coast) I don't have any specific dealer in mind. I've had a bad experience with Rasmussen (M-B, several years ago) and Eugene or Salem are a bit closer for me than Portland. My questions: Which dealer understands the relationship between dealer and customer and will be most 'fair'? Which dealer is most likely to offer the best deal (buy or lease)? Are there specific dealers to avoid and, if so, why? Mind you I'm not looking to have anyone kiss my feet (or elsewhere) and I realize that the dealer must make a profit to stay in business. I just want to be treated as though the dealer appreciates the fact that I chose to do business with them. Of course, I'd like to save a few bucks if I can but that's not nearly as important to me as an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. Any suggestions, folks? Thanks for the bandwith... dickster Oregon
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11-19-2006, 05:43 PM	#3
dickster Enlisted Member 2 Rep 42 Posts Drives: MB SLK230; Ferrari 206GT Dino Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Newport, Oregon iTrader: (0)	Thanks, Borti, for the response; Bend is quite a stretch for me but I appreciate your thoughts. dickster
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11-20-2006, 11:15 AM	#4
tommithy Second Lieutenant 5 Rep 286 Posts Drives: 2007 E90 335i Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Vancouver, WA iTrader: (0)	Delon is definately the best place to go for price from what I hear. After that I'd say Kuni for pricing although I hear they can be a bit snobby. I'm starting to think you are spot on about Rasmussen. My 335 is sitting in their lot right now (delivered on Saturday) and my SA isn't very proactive in getting me the status, letting me know how long PDI will be, etc. __________________ E90 335i, Sparkling Graphite, Black Dakota leather, Burlwood trim, 6MT, ZSP, ZPP, PDC, Comfort access, heated seats, Navi w/iDrive, Production finished 10/6, Delivered 11/22/06.
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01-27-2007, 10:11 PM	#5
King335i Captain 47 Rep 726 Posts Drives: '13 E92 M3 CP 6MT, '13 X1 35i Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Eugene, Oregon iTrader: (1)	whatever you do don't end up at BMW of Eugene. Their service is a joke, and their salespeople are arrogant, yet they don't know half of the OEM parts that are available for the cars they sell. __________________ 2007 E92 335i--SG, Fully loaded, minus the dead weight..err..iDrive and Active Steering.
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01-27-2007, 11:55 PM	#6
Ty Vil Captain 31 Rep 913 Posts Drives: ///M4 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Scottsdale, AZ (by way of Portland, OR) iTrader: (0)	If you're still in the market Rasmussen BMW although I'm very biased.
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02-12-2007, 12:33 AM	#7
wagonmaster Private First Class 4 Rep 103 Posts Drives: 328xi Touring Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Seattle iTrader: (0)	Hi! Great info! Has anyone had success shaking OR dealers from the insistence for asking MSRP for the 328xit? What I've been seeing would be downright amusing if it weren't so pervasive.
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02-14-2007, 09:56 PM	#8
E91AWD Lieutenant 16 Rep 448 Posts Drives: BMW 2007 328xiT Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Portland, Oregon iTrader: (1)	I bought a E91 328xi from Kuni. I made inquiries to 11 BMW NW dealers and they met the lowest price I had been offered for a car. I had mixed reponses from dealers in Oregon. Rasmussen: "we don't have to discount our cars" Eugene "what do you think is fair ..... not interested in selling for that price, it is not fair to us" (although after I blew him off he called twice the next day and started throwing hard numbers at me that were competitive. Some of the other dealerships were either late in responding, or did not match the often quoted $1500.00 over invoice that I received from just about every one else. (You know that they are calling other dealerships and pretending to be buyers to see what the going price is.) On top of that, Kuni had a car that was so close to what I was looking for that I bought it off the lot (I wanted something minimally equipped). When I first saw it it had not even been prep'ed. I was the only one to ever test drive it. Everyone in the dealership has been very professional, even the parts guy that agreed with me that BMW should have used the 255 hp version of the engine in the 328xi Sport Wagon that they use in the 530xi Sport Wagon. Just for kicks, everytime I'm in the area I stop to sit in one of their $100,000 cars, get a cappicino or coke along with an Italian buiscuit with the chocolate on it. Just not all at the same time.
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02-15-2007, 09:20 AM	#9
wagonmaster Private First Class 4 Rep 103 Posts Drives: 328xi Touring Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Seattle iTrader: (0)	Hey Badnews! There must be some rulebook on that $1,500 over invoice offer. I gave only one chance for a price offer bid adjustment to any dealer who quickly tossed that number out. A few dealers, Kuni in particular, was willing to keep a more open mind. Bellevue was surprisingly inflexible and Eugene never responded. Not sure who I'm going to go with just yet. If it's not presumptuous, could I ask you what you ended up getting and how much bargained for? I agree on the 255hp engine, but I'm glad that they boosted it a few hp from the 325xi engine!
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02-26-2007, 11:57 AM	#10
E91AWD Lieutenant 16 Rep 448 Posts Drives: BMW 2007 328xiT Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Portland, Oregon iTrader: (1)	You might try the BMW dealer in Seattle and Yakima as well.
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03-05-2007, 01:44 AM	#11
993 911 Captain 47 Rep 882 Posts Drives: Z3M, F31, G07 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Portland iTrader: (0)	We are getting our E93 for MSRP from Rasmussen.
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04-05-2007, 05:08 PM	#12
david_lm Go Ducks! 16 Rep 399 Posts Drives: 06 Z4Mr Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Lynnwood iTrader: (1)	Great experience at BMW of Eugene.
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05-15-2007, 07:52 PM	#13
motorheart Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: M3 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bend iTrader: (0)	Bend dealership I would be sure to stay away from Allee at Carrera. I have found him to be very dishonest in my past dealings with him. Eugene isn't far from Bend, or you could try working with someone else from Carrera.
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05-17-2007, 03:38 PM	#14
david_lm Go Ducks! 16 Rep 399 Posts Drives: 06 Z4Mr Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Lynnwood iTrader: (1)	If you do decide to look at BMW of Eugene I worked with Bob Bofferding and he was great. The only thing I didn't like about my experiene there was that the car wasn't detailed as well as I was expecting when I took delivery. Kind of a small thing, but I'm pretty picky. __________________ David . MY2006 IB Z4Mr
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08-29-2007, 11:07 PM	#15
Ioman Private First Class 13 Rep 106 Posts Drives: Porsche 911 C4S Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Oregon iTrader: (0)	Where did you wind up buying from Dickster? __________________ 330i Titanium Silver/Blk/Alum/Sports/Prem/Cold wthr/6 SPD manual
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08-30-2007, 01:04 AM	#16
dickster Enlisted Member 2 Rep 42 Posts Drives: MB SLK230; Ferrari 206GT Dino Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Newport, Oregon iTrader: (0)	Interestingly enough, I still haven't bought my 335i. A variety of factors have gotten in the way, not the least of which is a lack of garage space and too many vehicles. We replaced the ML with a new Volvo XC-90 for my wife and the SLK is still my daily driver. I'm thinking of selling the Dino and doing some major house cleaning before I move to the BMW. I have heard from several people with a variety of suggestions but right now my front runner for a dealer is DeLon in Salem. They come highly recommended not only for their pricing policy but also for their after sale service and general customer relations attitude. Will keep you all posted but, in the meantime, I'll continue to lurk... dickster
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08-30-2007, 10:22 AM	#17
Ty Vil Captain 31 Rep 913 Posts Drives: ///M4 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Scottsdale, AZ (by way of Portland, OR) iTrader: (0)	Come see us!
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08-30-2007, 11:29 PM	#22
Ty Vil Captain 31 Rep 913 Posts Drives: ///M4 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Scottsdale, AZ (by way of Portland, OR) iTrader: (0)	Understand that. I'm SURE our sales department can take care of you. Have you talked to someone specific already?
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