# BMW - Drivethedeal discounts



## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

Thinking about a Z4 Coupe instead of the TT I've ordered, and had a look at the drivethedeal site to see whether they were offering any discounts. Â£1200 off the Â£33k 3.0Si Sport, which isn't even released until the 21st of September. Surely some mistake?

Then I have a look at the 335d Touring. Â£37k OTR, Â£4k discount!! What?! I have a look at the other 3 series car. All have similar discounts quoted.

535d. Same story: Â£42k OTR, almost Â£5k discount.

130i sport - Â£27k - Â£2400 discount.

Every single BMW other than the M cars attracting a 10-15% discount, even those like the Z4 and 3 series which are brand new. What's going on with BMW?

Similar discounts are offered on Audis and Mercs. But this seems OTT to me. Does experience hold these discounts true?


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## tehdarkstar (Jul 24, 2006)

Before ordering the MK2 I considered the Z4 and I was quoted a Â£4K+ discount on the 2.5si as well, with lots of options. My dealer was furious with that and has quoted me a Â£3K discount and some extras like 5 years servicing pack. He also guaranteed delivery for October in case I went through with the order.

The catch with Drivethedeal.com is that they can't guarantee that you will actually get that discount. They add the following text to the printed quote:



> Quotes are for information only and this does not constitute an offer by us capable of acceptance by you.


It means that when they put you through to a dealer, you will have to renegotiate the whole thing. These prices also depend on when you want to take delivery of your car, meaning that you may wait for long times to get that price.

I would still pay the Â£1K difference in a over Â£30K car to stick with a dealership that can guarantee me a reasonable delivery date.


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## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

Â£3k would be nice! I'm really shocked that it's that much!

At the moment, I think people could pick up a good deal with Z4 Coupes already in the ordering system that dealers have placed with best guess options but will be changeable for a week or so.


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## W7 PMC (May 6, 2002)

Karcsi said:


> Thinking about a Z4 Coupe instead of the TT I've ordered, and had a look at the drivethedeal site to see whether they were offering any discounts. Â£1200 off the Â£33k 3.0Si Sport, which isn't even released until the 21st of September. Surely some mistake?
> 
> Then I have a look at the 335d Touring. Â£37k OTR, Â£4k discount!! What?! I have a look at the other 3 series car. All have similar discounts quoted.
> 
> ...


Surely a "too good to be true deal" for the un-released BMW's as i'd reckon BMW dealers will get list with even a slight premium for early deliveries of the new 330si & both the petrol & diesel 335's.

However dealers are discounting existing BMW stock & that does include the M Models (seen some very heavy discounts on M6's as they're proving difficult to shift & the current M3's given the new model around the corner) Also most of the 5 Series range including the 535d have decent discounts & the levels you mention on the 535d can probably be had from main dealers. Look at the back of Auto Express for guide buy prices.


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## tehdarkstar (Jul 24, 2006)

My Audi dealer is driving me crazy with their lack of information and the fact that they don't even return my phone calls or e-mails. Coincidentaly, my BMW dealer called me this morning telling me that if I still want to consider the Z4, he can get me a good deal on a 3.0si Sport with the options I want, so I may have to go back there and reevaluate it...

I just think that all those discounts will certainly dent the resale values of the car after three years, maybe putting it below the FGV on my PCP. It would mean that I would walk away at the end of the contract empty handed. The TT seems to be a safer choice resales wise... Also, the 3.0si 6 pot is a pretty expensive engine to run and the 265bhp it gives are not far away from a remapped 2.0T FSI from Audi... You do get RWD, though...

Ah, choices, choices, choices... :? :roll:


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## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

Upsides for the BMW:

Looks are amazing - low slung classic sports car looks are far more impressive to me that the Mk2 TT.

Engine is sweeeet and punchy - need to test drive a manual 3.2 Mk2 TT before I can judge properly, as the DSG Mk1 I test drove was a damp squib.

RWD, proper sports car handling (Dealer described it as "raw" :lol

Negatives:

Two seats only - although the Mk2 is a 2+2, I have small friends and family!

It's a BMW

Teh: what do you mean, the engine is expensive to run? Servicing?


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

tehdarkstar said:


> My Audi dealer is driving me crazy with their lack of information and the fact that they don't even return my phone calls or e-mails. Coincidentaly, my BMW dealer called me this morning telling me that if I still want to consider the Z4, he can get me a good deal on a 3.0si Sport with the options I want, so I may have to go back there and reevaluate it...
> 
> I just think that all those discounts will certainly dent the resale values of the car after three years, maybe putting it below the FGV on my PCP. It would mean that I would walk away at the end of the contract empty handed. The TT seems to be a safer choice resales wise... Also, the 3.0si 6 pot is a pretty expensive engine to run and the 265bhp it gives are not far away from a remapped 2.0T FSI from Audi... You do get RWD, though...
> 
> Ah, choices, choices, choices... :? :roll:


You should be getting a confirmed date shortly as you have no restricting options.

Call Audi CS and ask for a CS manager - they will ask you for what area/dealer. Explain to the CS person you are really not happy with the dealer and the feedback been provided is really poor. Express you'd like his help to find out whats happening with you order as you have been offered a Z4 and unless you can find out some definate information you will be forced to cancel. Also point out BMWs CS is much better. The CS manager will ensure the dealer calls you. (works everytime)


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## tehdarkstar (Jul 24, 2006)

I will do exactly as you say Toshiba. Thanks for the advice.


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## ag (Sep 12, 2002)

Back on topic. Earlier this year I got a 10% discount off a brand new BMW 5 Series M-Sport ordered directly through my local dealer. They're playing the numbers game, especially in the UK where BMWs traditionally sell well.


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## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

Popped into Westminster BMW on Tuesday evening. Had a good long chat. Since then I've had two phone calls from BMW - one from BMW CS to make sure I got everything I needed from the dealer, and another one from the dealer to confirm when they would get there demo in and whether it would be OK to give me a call when they know for certain to arrange a test drive.

Eat your heart out Audi! Although, there is a hint of desperation in the guy's voice, and I think he was hoping I would jump at putting my name down for one of the 6 or so Z4s they have on order.


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## Neil (May 7, 2002)

Back to the original question.... :roll:



Karcsi said:


> Does experience hold these discounts true?


yes, they do. Friend of mine bought an A3 a while back, big discount on the site, but I told her to haggle for more, she did, and she got even more discount than was advertised. She got a cracking deal in the end, and the car was trailered to her house.


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## The Silver Surfer (May 14, 2002)

When I was looking to buy my current car, I looked at some Brokers, thinking that there was no way that my local dealer was going to come anywhere close to the Brokers price.

I was ready to buy my BMW through http://broombroom.com/ who are based in Southampton.

Before I signed on the dotted line, I wanted to see a new blue colour BMW had introduced and rang around the local dealers.

I ended up going to a dealer which was half an hour away to look at the colour in the metal and got talking to the dealer who, to my surprise, was able to match the price I was quoted by the Broker. 

I then contacted my preferred and local dealer, and ended up getting the car slightly cheaper than I would have via the Broker and saved myself a trip to Southampton into the bargain. 

My advice is, get the best price you can from the various Brokers, and then go to your local dealer.


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

Agree - BMWs they sell more than mondeos so massive discounts are easy to get.


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## gcp (Aug 8, 2002)

I bought my TT from drivethedeal.com in 2002

Price quoted was the price I paid, can't remember the exact figures but was at least 10%, local dealers at the time were offering nothing.

Whole process was easy and I was kept informed reasonably well, supplying Audi dealer was not too keen to talk direct to confirm dates though.

When I bought the 330d used the printouts from drivethedeal and a couple of others as bargaining tools at the local BMW dealer, they got near enough to make the deal worth going to them on.

Would use them (drivethedeal) again without hesitation if the prices were right.


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## The Silver Surfer (May 14, 2002)

Toshiba said:


> Agree - BMWs they sell more than mondeos so massive discounts are easy to get.


Yes, they sell nearly as many as Audi do TT's. :wink:


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## ag (Sep 12, 2002)

I feel that BMW dealers are suffering more than AUDI at the moment. Many people are downsizing due to company benefit in kind rules and improvements in smaller cars. Sales of both A6 and 5 Series are probably rather slow. Everywhere you look there are new A4 Avants, but far fewer new 3 Series. AUDI are discounting, Jaguar can't even give them away and the C Klasse is ready for replacement. It doesn't matter how good the 3 Series is, if deals are to be had on the competition then BMW will follow suit. This may not have been the case if the car was universally regarded as a looker. It isn't, which is a problem for a car in the most style conscious class of all.


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

I thinks its more to do with its a reps car. Also the BMW name means nothing anymore as everyone can afford one now. They are now main stream not prestige.


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## tehdarkstar (Jul 24, 2006)

ag said:


> I feel that BMW dealers are suffering more than AUDI at the moment. Many people are downsizing due to company benefit in kind rules and improvements in smaller cars. Sales of both A6 and 5 Series are probably rather slow. Everywhere you look there are new A4 Avants, but far fewer new 3 Series. AUDI are discounting, Jaguar can't even give them away and the C Klasse is ready for replacement. It doesn't matter how good the 3 Series is, if deals are to be had on the competition then BMW will follow suit. This may not have been the case if the car was universally regarded as a looker. It isn't, which is a problem for a car in the most style conscious class of all.


I think also that the high fuel prices are a reason to steer away from BMWs, as even the diesel engines are thirstier than Audi's equivalents. 6 pots are expensive to run and the performance in my opinion is not that greater.



Toshiba said:


> I thinks its more to do with its a reps car. Also the BMW name means nothing anymore as everyone can afford one now. They are now main stream not prestige.


I think you're right too. The previous 3 series sold just too much. The same with the 1 series. I participate on a 1 series forum and people over there are say that some dealers have so many used 1ers to sell that they won't get those as part-exchanges any more.

I test drove the current 3 series when it came out and although it's a fine handling car, the ride is too firm, even with standard suspension and it is not as big as you would expect from a car in it's category. I'm 1.9m tall and don't have enough headroom on the rear seats of the car.


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## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

tehdarkstar said:


> and it is not as big as you would expect from a car in it's category. I'm 1.9m tall and don't have enough headroom on the rear seats of the car.


I don't think it's a family car at all really. The A4 and C-class are family cars - spacious interiors and boot space. The 3 series is not. That shows in the sales figures - I would not be surprised if Audi are selling more A4 than 3 series and C classes put together. Plus, the A4 (especially the Avant in S-line guise) are damn goodlooking and much much cheaper than BMW and Merc.

The 335i / 335d are almost Â£36k to begin with. Some decent options, and it's way over Â£40k. That's stupid money for a small family car. Not many people want an uber small family car. A4's may have less in the power stakes. But you get way more for your money in all other areas. So, I suppose, I shouldn't be surprised at the very high discounting that's going on.


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

http://www.********.co.uk/gallery/toshiba/bestsellers.JPG

3 series out sells A4

Good read if you want the facts
http://lib.smmt.co.uk/articles/shar...earch="best selling models 2006 top ten cars"


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

tehdarkstar said:


> . I'm 1.9m tall and don't have enough headroom on the rear seats of the car.


You may find that your new TT has still less rear space - head-leg-knee- elbow. :wink:


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Toshiba said:


> http://www.********.co.uk/gallery/toshiba/bestsellers.JPG
> 
> 3 series out sells A4
> 
> ...





Toshiba said:


> Agree - BMWs they sell more than mondeos


Not according to your post above. Do try not to contradict yourself on the same thread. :lol:


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Toshiba said:


> Agree - BMWs they sell more than mondeos so massive discounts are easy to get.


That's some depreciation on your QS Tosh, assuming it actually makes your Â£20350 asking price. Bet you wish you'd got a BMW style 'massive' discount to make up for that hit eh? :wink:


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

Depends what i paid for it to start with :wink:

I dont care if it sells or not - i will get 98% of it from the trade in value pre-agreed with the dealer.

I never said that Audi (TT) was any better or worse than anything else - only that BMW is main stream as shown on the sales chart. If you get a big discount you also lose out at the backend too. I got a big discount on the qS. My loss over the year will be next to nothing when you factor in my car allowance. ( i wont be ahead this time tho  )

But i still have a smile.

I lost more in ISA's from 9/11 than iv'e lost on a car. :wink:


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Toshiba said:


> Depends what i paid for it to start with .... I got a big discount on the qS. . :wink:


Ergo anyone can also get a massive discount on an Audi. :wink:


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

garyc said:


> Toshiba said:
> 
> 
> > ]Agree - BMWs they sell more than mondeos
> ...


Thats this year - those figures are 2005.

But at least i show and not hide from the facts.
End of the day i dont mind either way. I had a 320CI in 2000/2001 and they are just a common car. Nothing special, nothing bad, just a car. Not sure what point you are trying to make. :?


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## tehdarkstar (Jul 24, 2006)

garyc said:


> tehdarkstar said:
> 
> 
> > . I'm 1.9m tall and don't have enough headroom on the rear seats of the car.
> ...


The difference is that my TT is a two-seater coupe with two spare seats for me to torture some people I don't like, not an executive saloon. :lol: [smiley=thumbsup.gif]


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Toshiba said:


> garyc said:
> 
> 
> > Toshiba said:
> ...


Tosh. That is tosh since 2006 figures are not yet published on account of the year not being complete yet. :wink:

But seeing as you like the SMMT figs you will have course noted that the TT is only marginally less common than VX Tigra (buy 100 registration). And that the A4 and 3 series diesels also sell in broadly similar volumes.
Stats, lies, stats eh?


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Karcsi said:


> tehdarkstar said:
> 
> 
> > and it is not as big as you would expect from a car in it's category. I'm 1.9m tall and don't have enough headroom on the rear seats of the car.
> ...


Internal dimensions: front headroom (mm): 978, front headroom (inches): 38.5, rear headroom (mm): 953, rear headroom (inches): 37.5, front hip room (mm): 1,460, front hip room (inches): 57.5, rear hip room (mm): 1,454, rear hip room (inches): 57.2, front shoulder room (mm): 1,408, front shoulder room (inches): 55.4, rear shoulder room (mm): 1,399 and rear shoulder room (inches): 55.1

Internal dimensions: front headroom (mm): 976, front headroom (inches): 38.4, rear headroom (mm): 946, rear headroom (inches): 37.2, front shoulder room (mm): 1,400, front shoulder room (inches): 55.1, rear shoulder room (mm): 1,357 and rear shoulder room (inches): 53.4

Internal dimensions: front headroom (mm): 987, front headroom (inches): 38.9, rear headroom (mm): 948, rear headroom (inches): 37.3, front hip room (mm): 1,400, front hip room (inches): 55.1, rear hip room (mm): 1,422, rear hip room (inches): 56, front shoulder room (mm): 1,350, front shoulder room (inches): 53.1, rear shoulder room (mm): 1,378 and rear shoulder room (inches): 54.3

Guys, can you guess from above, which refers to the A4, the C class and 3 series? :lol:

Still, there is little point in confusing anyone with facts. :wink:

...and at least someone had sense to edit out their laughable previous comment about the Audi diesels being more economical, cheaper to service and performing better than those from Munich :roll:


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## ag (Sep 12, 2002)

Interesting facts from the SMMT. It just goes to show how far out perceptions can be! Especially mine. They are still selling 30% more 3 Series than A4, which are both considered as upper-medium segment cars. The C Klasse is a Luxury car and sells only 15% less than the A4. Next highest seller in the Luxury class is the 5 Series, beating the E Klasse and selling more then 50% more than the A6.

This means that there is either demand for the cars, they are being priced aggressively to enhance sales to sell the brand or people just dig ugly cars. Either way BMW obviously rock!


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

ag said:


> Interesting facts from the SMMT. It just goes to show how far out perceptions can be! Especially mine. They are still selling 30% more 3 Series than A4, which are both considered as upper-medium segment cars. The C Klasse is a Luxury car and sells only 15% less than the A4. Next highest seller in the Luxury class is the 5 Series, beating the E Klasse and selling more then 50% more than the A6.
> 
> This means that there is either demand for the cars, they are being priced aggressively to enhance sales to sell the brand or people just dig ugly cars. Either way BMW obviously rock!


I actually think all the vendors are struggling now - not just the Fords, VXs etc, but also the 'premium' German and japenes brands. Discounts not a problem on most volume cars.


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## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

garyc said:


> Karcsi said:
> 
> 
> > tehdarkstar said:
> ...


You could have at least put those figures in a table so they are easy to compare. :lol:

I've adequate experience of both the 3 series and the A4 to know that the A4 is a bigger car inside, despite what the stats say - which report the greatest distance between two points, btw, and is no indication of how much of it is useable e.g. the outside edges of the rear seats slope forward to meet the door, forcing you to sit further in.

Plus, I see far more new A4s than 3-series on the roads, and hardly any new C-classes. I expect 2006 figures to look very different, unless I frequent strange parts of the country.


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

...they use dummies. :roll:


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## Karcsi (Mar 6, 2003)

garyc said:


> ...they use dummies. :roll:


They? Interior dimensions are always shown from the extremes of the interior on manufacturers' diagrams e.g. door to door, and not where your hips can physically start and end. If they used dummies, wouldn't the useable dimensions be different for a thin person than for a more rotund one, depending on the curvature of the seat etc.


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