Hey Guys,
1st of all, I just want to say that my actual experience at the Performance Center was awesome!! I couldn't have asked for a better group of people, both at the center, and in my group.
So let me start at the beginning. After much searching for what the right car for me should be, I settled on the M240i. Having had a 135i coupe in the past made its successor a natural fit. For reference, my 135i was manual, alpine white with coral red interior. The 1-series was, in a vehicular sense, "the one that got away"
...had to give it up for the 7-seater family SUV. Taking this into account, a manual transmission was a must for me, kind of ruling out other marques such as Mercedes (thought about the C43 - different size, I know), also ruling out X-drive within BMW. I also kind of wanted to get a convertible, making it a little more enjoyable on a daily basis. I'd love to track it, but that was merely a wish-list item on my 135i, so I figured I'd build for what my actual use would end up being. I know the convertible option isn't for everyone. I'm also admitting the manual is strictly for driving pleasure, not performance, so in adding the convertible weight to my options, I admit I'm not here to shave a few pound with a moonroof delete or go back to basics with cloth seats.
Nothing was available preexisting on lots, no matter how broad my search. I wouldn't have even minded a cross-country trip to bring my car back...call me a romantic
. Looked like I was special-ordering a car. In my search, I approached multiple dealers, settling where I felt I got the best advice and experience. Initially set on European delivery combined with PCD to maximize the actual experience, as I felt (and still feel) this would be the one time in my life I could wait for the car a bit...I have a daughter coming up on driving, so one of our two daily drivers will be going to her (manual Mazda3 hatch). I had a couple of dealers that were very accommodating of my wants, but wound up going with the dealer who's sales manager also seemed to be a proper car enthusiast, having done some BMWCCA events with his personal car in the past, along with BMW events in the course of his employment (man I'm so jealous of those guys
). He advised that because of the reduced amount of savings on European delivery compared to years past, and also missing out on some dealer incentives by virtue of going the ED route, PCD alone was the better choice. The timing in the winter was also a factor, as many of the best driving roads would be closed at the time. Oh, well. I will eventually take my Dad for a European trip where I can hit the Autobahn and Nurburgring, two big bucket list items for me.
Having settled on PCD alone, I specced my car. Being a middle-aged man clinging to middle-aged ways, a manual transmission was a must. This becomes very important later. Amenities were also important to me. I quickly realized this car would not be a good lease, and depreciation would drag the value down like an anchor, making this a purchase I'd keep for a long time. Having decided that, I went all out in speccing it: Melbourne Red M240i with Cognac leather, black 719 staggered wheels with PSS non-run-craps, premium pkg, LED adaptive lights, wireless charging with hot spot, Harmon Kardon upgraded sound, stainless steel pedals, black kidney grills, black front splitter, carbon fiber spoiler, M-performance exhaust with diffuser and carbon tips, and of course, my all-important manual transmission.
I gave my deposit and placed my order on 11/26/18, then settled in for the long wait. I rationalized the long wait, being winter when I couldn't enjoy it any way. This, of course, didn't stop me from making all kinds of plans. I explored the forums and watched many a YouTube video to fuel my daydreams. I already have Burger Motorsports 15mm spacers sitting in my garage, waiting to go on the car. I investigated many cool options BimmerCode presents, thinking about what could be possible to personalize my car. Many items, like a LSD or tune would likely wait a few years, once the B58 engine felt like less of a beast, subjectively. I arranged for a fellow car enthusiast buddy to head down to Spartanburg with me. BTW, said buddy has an MB SLK55 AMG...that engine is truly a beast!!
Finally, two months and three weeks later, the big day was upon me. The day before delivery, I got on a Southwest flight from BWI to Greenville/Spartanburg by way of Atlanta. When we landed, I called the hotel as instructed and an awesome bellhop came and picked us up in a 2018 X5. Very nice, plush ride, and the bellhop, Nick, was incredibly friendly and talkative. After checking in and arranging a time for dinner, we decided to kill some time with a movie. Nick was nice enough to give us a ride to the theater and back, saving us any need to Uber. All food during the BMW-sponsored part of the trip was great. We gathered in the lobby for our group's 7:40am pickup to get to the Performance Center by 8am. Nick had mentoned that it was a large delivery group, 9 deliveries compared to the usual 5 or 6 on a typical day. With one companion each, double the number of participants. I got worried this meant much less seat time for driving.
We got on the shuttle and headed over. I think we must have been a little behind schedule, as the driver really showed what a 15-passenger shuttle is capable of
. I guess a little taste of the autocross to come
. 1st we got some driving instructions in the classroom, and the resumes of these instructors were impressive, all super friendly, too. That friendliness was to be the theme of the day.
We were split into 3 groups with our respective instructors. My buddy and I got a sunset orange M240i to drive. 1st up, the skidpad. I don't think I made a good first impression, spinning out multiple times. The guy after me, getting an M2 competition, was much better at that excercise. He had emntioned track experience and it showed. He also said he was upgrading from a M235i and was local to my area...big shout-out if you're reading this.
Next up was emergency braking. I was much better at this, at least having emergency stopped before on general test drives before. My favorite was the autocross course, short but fun and challenging, allowing us to get a good feel for the car's capabilities.
This was followed by the factory tour, very enlightening. Verycool tech and processes, speaking as a non-engineer. Then we headed over to the off-road course, using brand new X5's. The course was pretty cool, short, but showing just how much the X5 is capable of. Not a vehicle I typically think of as challenging a Jeep Wrangler. A lot of our group were purchasing SUV's, so they probably got a lot more out of that part. This was followed by an impressive lunch. Once again, such friendly people!
After lunch, we couldn't figure out if anything else was on the agenda. It seemed the only thing left was the actual delivery. I couldn't wait to see my car. When walking towards the gift shop, I see a red convertible 2-series pulling up....I'm excitedly pulling out my phone to take pics/video. It looks awesome! At some point as he's pulling in, I realize there's no spoiler on the car, but the rest looks amazing. Then the gentleman pulling in the car opens the door, I see the automatic gearshift, and may heart totally sinks.....there is poor quality iPhone video capturing this. I think I said 'this isn't my car' when I saw it...
A call to my CA later, he has the sales manager call me about 45 minutes later. I was at a loss for how to express my disappointment. Obviously, the spoiler could be remedied, but there is no way to remedy the transmission on this particular car. As he stated succinctly, "the spoiler is the least of my worries right now", as I could tell he was trying to find a way to tell me the bad news I can see coming, as well as try and minimize his own liability in how he needs to fix this. Basically, I have two choices: accept delivey of the car as-is, or try and order a new car altogether. This being the customized dream car I've been waiting for and have so much invested in, my answer is obvious.
The biggest problem I have here is that the 2019 model year production is done and I need to wait until I can order a 2020 model. Now, I don't know what changes the 2020's hold other than some darkened taillights. I'm most upset about the delay at this point. I'm pretty sure every sunny, semi-warm day is now going to elicit thoughts of wanting to drive my now non-existent convertible.
My most immediate problem (note I'm not saying my biggest problem
) is how to get back home. I've only bought a one-way ticket for myself and my buddy, as the original drive back was to be in my new car. The sales manager was accomodating, telling me to submit my travel receipts to him for reimbursement. He did not want me driving the automatic M240i home, as he said that might affect his resale, and there was no such thing as a loaner vehicle at the delivery center. Any flight would get back very late and be quite expensive for two people to fly at the very last minute. In the end, I did not want to abuse this, and I just rented a car from the close-by airport and took the most direct route to get the painful part of this trip over.
Now I had to find out during this drive that red is no longer an exterior color option for the 2020 model year. I'm left with the question of what to do now and how to procedd....I understand fully that it's just a car in the grand scheme of things, but my concern is that I've waited a solid period of time, and I don't have the car that I paid for. Looking for input/advice here, I guess.....
Thanks for reading if you've made it thru this incredibly long post...
