[horsepower_and_hounds]

There's nothing wrong with inventory.......got one in my garage


Seriously, when I was shopping you could barely find one on a dealers lot. Actually I test drove one on a different lot then I bought from since they did not have one. Also local allocation was occupied months out by people who have units on order. Current shoppers got it made

[G-Mann]

I just did a general check of inventory in my area and it is still slim pickings, still looking to be a sellers market in my area, which is a good thing for resale.

I've checked inventory on some other 2015 new models getting some buzz and in one case found 20+ pages of inventory. The discounts won't be far behind with that kind of inventory. 2 series should do a better job at retaining value as a result of its inventory

[Legion5]

You know the more I think about it, the more I admire the fact that these guys are so rare. It's actually a good thing.

[chaswyck1]

It's a good thing after you own one, but not such a good thing if you're trying to buy one.

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Originally Posted by chaswyck@yahoo.com

It's a good thing after you own one, but not such a good thing if you're trying to buy one.

Word.......it was a painful wait

[Stiggy]

Originally Posted by scottomfg

I have a good relationship with my CA and we just signed a deal for $500 over invoice for a RWD manual m235i before any incentives. He said, after we signed, that there were currently 12 open slots for the entire west coast—I have no reason to doubt him. My car has a January build date. Just another data point for the thread.

I placed my order two weeks ago (RWD auto in Vancouver, Canada) and was told it would be a February build. The "reason" I got is that there are no RWD's being built in January for Canada. Though maybe he meant none not yet spoken for.

[hyperzulu]

Yeah I have spoken to a few people who had nothing to gain by blowing smoke, since I had already purchased my car. Everyone was in accord that it is simply not an easy task getting an allocation. I think deals can be had, but they're not the norm. If you happen to find a leftover 2014 somewhere, expect some aggressive discounting. Found a 2015 on the lot that's been there a month, can probably get a discount. Trying to custom order one in a market saturated with demand, it may be difficult to get a nice discount without rebates and incentives stacked. I wouldn't expect a 10% discount just because you have a charming smile.

[wjones14]

Originally Posted by hyperzulu

Yeah I have spoken to a few people who had nothing to gain by blowing smoke, since I had already purchased my car. Everyone was in accord that it is simply not an easy task getting an allocation. I think deals can be had, but they're not the norm. If you happen to find a leftover 2014 somewhere, expect some aggressive discounting. Found a 2015 on the lot that's been there a month, can probably get a discount. Trying to custom order one in a market saturated with demand, it may be difficult to get a nice discount without rebates and incentives stacked. I wouldn't expect a 10% discount just because you have a charming smile.

+1

I ordered a RWD M235 two days ago, and was told the allocation would be for Feb 2015. I was able to get a 6% discount but only after negotiating with 4 dealers and having them price match each other.

[Stiggy]

Originally Posted by Stiggy

I placed my order two weeks ago (RWD auto in Vancouver, Canada) and was told it would be a February build. The "reason" I got is that there are no RWD's being built in January for Canada. Though maybe he meant none not yet spoken for.

When exactly does the dealer get the VIN? They just told me they still don't have it. Some posts indicate they get it when officially ordered. Could this mean they haven't actually placed the order?

[Monoblock]

Originally Posted by Stiggy

When exactly does the dealer get the VIN? They just told me they still don't have it. Some posts indicate they get it when officially ordered. Could this mean they haven't actually placed the order?

I've read that the VIN is generated just before production starts.

BTW, you can find the VIN (once it exists, of course) by decoding your production number through this series of steps:

1) Go to BMWUSA.com

2) Track my BMW

3) View the page html (View->Developer->View Source in Chrome on Mac)

4) Search for "hdnTrackBmw_VIN" in the code and you should see something like:
<input type="hidden" id="hdnTrackBmw_VIN_7" value="VX????" />
Copy the numbers that correspond to VX????

5) Go to the bmws vin decoder here:
http://www.bmwarchive.org/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html
Enter that number (including VX at the beginning). e.g. VX96291

And there ya go, you not only have your VIN, but all options you ordered (albeit in German).

[SDKevin]

Originally Posted by Stiggy

When exactly does the dealer get the VIN? They just told me they still don't have it. Some posts indicate they get it when officially ordered. Could this mean they haven't actually placed the order?

I ordered mine a few weeks ago. Within a week I was given a 'production number' that I was able to use on the tracking portion of BMWs web site. I got my VIN about the same time the status changed from 'waiting for production' to 'vehicle in production' (about two weeks after getting the production number).

Hope that helps?

[chaswyck1]

Originally Posted by SDKevin

I ordered mine a few weeks ago. Within a week I was given a 'production number' that I was able to use on the tracking portion of BMWs web site. I got my VIN about the same time the status changed from 'waiting for production' to 'vehicle in production' (about two weeks after getting the production number).

Hope that helps?

The production number is associated with the allocation slot so if the dealer is putting you into an existing allocation slot he/she can give you the production # pretty quickly. If your production started two weeks after you ordered, there's a good chance that the dealer had an allocation for "dealer stock" for a car of the type you bought and he/she assigned that slot to you. Always nice when that happens because if can shorten the wait considerably.

[SDKevin]

Originally Posted by chaswyck@yahoo.com

The production number is associated with the allocation slot so if the dealer is putting you into an existing allocation slot he/she can give you the production # pretty quickly. If your production started two weeks after you ordered, there's a good chance that the dealer had an allocation for "dealer stock" for a car of the type you bought and he/she assigned that slot to you. Always nice when that happens because if can shorten the wait considerably.

That's pretty much what I was thinking must happen. Although I was told I'd have the car 'early January' when it was ordered and I'm not sure that's likely. I'm going to assume the worst and expect it 'early February'.

[huma]

I guess I can't see any tracking info on bmw's website until the vehicle is in production? I have a production number, but the website doesn't show anything.

[BMWrules7]

Originally Posted by golf_234

What's next for you, doublevanos? 235? Pardon threadjack.

Also, not really putting this out as an answer, it is just a thought, but sometimes I wonder if the margins on the 2 are a little lower for them. This just comes from the intuition that you seem to get a lot of bang for your buck in the car.

Good point. The three series is a legend. The 2 is beautiful, but it's no legend---yet.

[Ricfutures]

Originally Posted by BMWrules7

Good point. The three series is a legend. The 2 is beautiful, but it's no legend---yet.

Knocking the 3 series off of C&D's 10 best makes a compelling argument.

[Dr Fatpuss]

its weird how some people easily get 8 to 10 % off and some people pay over msrp. I got 7% off msrp. i just went in and told them this is what i want and this is what i want to pay. the sales guy did not want to play ball buy i got him to present the offer to the manager. Took a few back and forths but settled close to what i wanted off and made the deal. Its not like they did me a favor they sold a car and that is the goal at the end of the day for dealers. You too can get some cash off msrp. Present it like this give me this off or you buy a merc. they will make the deal.

[sstarrx3]

Originally Posted by Dr Fatpuss

its weird how some people easily get 8 to 10 % off and some people pay over msrp. I got 7% off msrp. i just went in and told them this is what i want and this is what i want to pay. the sales guy did not want to play ball buy i got him to present the offer to the manager. Took a few back and forths but settled close to what i wanted off and made the deal. Its not like they did me a favor they sold a car and that is the goal at the end of the day for dealers. You too can get some cash off msrp. Present it like this give me this off or you buy a merc. they will make the deal.

Yep...I used True Car in June and got over 9% off MSRP. I wont pay MSRP for any car...its just crazy to give away thousands of dollars.

[kd0t]

Originally Posted by sstarrx3

Yep...I used True Car in June and got over 9% off MSRP. I wont pay MSRP for any car...its just crazy to give away thousands of dollars.

MSRP means nothing to me. It bothers me so much when dealers say MSRP is the selling price.

I got my 15 M235i for a super good deal according to True Car. The dealer was playing so many games and ended up with the car for almost 2 months before they realized they should stop.

I still think the one I could've got was perhaps the best deal in SoCal.
2015 AW M235i
Tech
Premium
Driver Assist
HK
Alarm
Heated front seats
$46,800 selling price.

Signed the papers and was going to pick up the next morning but someone walked in the next morning and paid cash for the car :/ ended up with a less loaded one for $45,775 no premium though.

[akuan99]

Originally Posted by Dr Fatpuss

its weird how some people easily get 8 to 10 % off and some people pay over msrp. I got 7% off msrp. i just went in and told them this is what i want and this is what i want to pay. the sales guy did not want to play ball buy i got him to present the offer to the manager. Took a few back and forths but settled close to what i wanted off and made the deal. Its not like they did me a favor they sold a car and that is the goal at the end of the day for dealers. You too can get some cash off msrp. Present it like this give me this off or you buy a merc. they will make the deal.

It depends on the area.
In DFW area both dealers will easily let me walk out.
I got only about 4.5% off msrp but was able to take their last allocation for the following month.

[chaswyck1]

Originally Posted by sstarrx3

Yep...I used True Car in June and got over 9% off MSRP. I wont pay MSRP for any car...its just crazy to give away thousands of dollars.

I'm beginning to think this supply issue (or maybe it's a demand issue) is regional. 2 Series cars are few and far between on the West Coast (at least in SoCal) but when I look on Cars.com I see some dealers with quite a few on the lots, particularly in VA.

[335BOY]

I always thought dealers only had 8-10% in it. Hard to believe/understand how guys are getting 10% off a new car thats in short supply. Well done I guess.