[Elle BMW]

Just got off the phone with Sterling BMW (Sterling VA). They have an i4 M50 coming in that is available. I inquired about it today and they said it is going for 20K over sticker! Talk about sticker shock. Passing on that. I'll just wait for one. $5K I would think about it, but not 20K, that's just price gouging, but I guess they can do it.

[mlanes01]

Originally Posted by Elle BMW

Just got off the phone with Sterling BMW (Sterling VA). They have an i4 M50 coming in that is available. I inquired about it today and they said it is going for 20K over sticker! Talk about sticker shock. Passing on that. I'll just wait for one. $5K I would think about it, but not 20K, that's just price gouging, but I guess they can do it.

some idiot will pay for it, however I would drop that dealer out of principle, that's the kinda stuff the ford dealer does, bmw is supposed to treat their customers better. 20K upcharge is robbery

[techwhiz1]

Originally Posted by mlanes01

some idiot will pay for it, however I would drop that dealer out of principle, that's the kinda stuff the ford dealer does, bmw is supposed to treat their customers better. 20K upcharge is robbery

We need a thread for bad dealers.

[BimmerBahn]

Originally Posted by mlanes01

some idiot will pay for it, however I would drop that dealer out of principle, that's the kinda stuff the ford dealer does, bmw is supposed to treat their customers better. 20K upcharge is robbery

All legacy auto brands suffer from this. The Ford dealer handling my F150 lightning order has a business policy of MSRP... no markup. Sadly, they're the minority, but I don't have a problem with it...they're in the biz of making money... that doesn't translate to fleecing the customer. They try that crap with me and I'll write them off in an instant.

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by mlanes01

some idiot will pay for it, however I would drop that dealer out of principle, that's the kinda stuff the ford dealer does, bmw is supposed to treat their customers better. 20K upcharge is robbery

We tried to buy a BASE model Mach-E for our son last week, and the dealer wants $18,000 over sticker for a $45k car. Insanity!!!!

So we got him a new '22 BMW 228i (a little off sticker price ) from our local and trusted BMW dealer, and he is soooo thrilled and we all like it better than the Mustang!

F these gouging dealers. I really hope consumers remember the dealers who are doing this!!!!!

[Raille]

Originally Posted by deutsch100

We tried to buy a BASE model Mach-E for our son last week, and the dealer wants $18,000 over sticker for a $45k car. Insanity!!!!

So we got him a new '22 BMW 228i (a little off sticker price ) from our local and trusted BMW dealer, and he is soooo thrilled and we all like it better than the Mustang!

F these gouging dealers. I really hope consumers remember the dealers who are doing this!!!!!

We dismissed the Mach-E specifically because how many Ford dealers had a reputation for gouging. I definitely know who I'd consider buying a car from in the future based on what they quote me now.

[Haywood]

Originally Posted by Elle BMW

Just got off the phone with Sterling BMW (Sterling VA). They have an i4 M50 coming in that is available. I inquired about it today and they said it is going for 20K over sticker! Talk about sticker shock. Passing on that. I'll just wait for one. $5K I would think about it, but not 20K, that's just price gouging, but I guess they can do it.

I would take the short amount of time and call BMW and let them know. I don't think BMWNA will be happy that one of their dealers are doing this.

I lived in VA for 20 years and never liked Sterling. Found them to be very arrogant. Bought 3 new BMW's from Passport in MD. Always found them to be a good dealership.

[Elle BMW]

Originally Posted by Haywood

I would take the short amount of time and call BMW and let them know. I don't think BMWNA will be happy that one of their dealers are doing this.

I lived in VA for 20 years and never liked Sterling. Found them to be very arrogant. Bought 3 new BMW's from Passport in MD. Always found them to be a good dealership.

Where would I call?

[Haywood]

Originally Posted by Elle BMW

Where would I call?

https://www.bmwusa.com/contact-us.html

[BimmerBahn]

Originally Posted by Elle BMW

Where would I call?

you can email - bmwiconcierge@bmwusa.com

[Elle BMW]

Called the number, said the dealers are independently owned and they can do with the inventory what they want. He was not aware of any corporate policy and did put me on hold while he looked for one. He checked with a supervisor and they are starting a dealer complaint which is an internal process. They don't want dealers doing that.

[cruzer666]

It is the law of supply and demand. It's also business, not personal. As much as this sucks for the us the consumers, the more of us that want this car, the more likely we will pay a premium for an in-stock unit. Let's remember this is a very optional, luxury vehicle.

Dealers can sell their stock at whatever price they wish, it is a free market. They are free to price gauge and we are free to go to a different dealer.

It is clear they're trying to recoup lost revenue due to low stock and they're playing the short game; that is their business model and will likely yield poor results in the long run.

I am curious what BMWNA can and will do about this.

[techwhiz1]

Originally Posted by cruzer666

It is the law of supply and demand. It's also business, not personal. As much as this sucks for the us the consumers, the more of us that want this car, the more likely we will pay a premium for an in-stock unit. Let's remember this is a very optional, luxury vehicle.

Dealers can sell their stock at whatever price they wish, it is a free market. They are free to price gauge and we are free to go to a different dealer.

It is clear they're trying to recoup lost revenue due to low stock and they're playing the short game; that is their business model and will likely yield poor results in the long run.

I am curious what BMWNA can and will do about this.

The only cars my dealer has low stock on is the "I" models.

What can BMW do? Well if it is perceived that their actions "damage" the brand; they might find allocations being a little slim.

BMW USA can influence dealer behavior by how they allocate cars.

[Elle BMW]

Originally Posted by cruzer666

It is the law of supply and demand. It's also business, not personal. As much as this sucks for the us the consumers, the more of us that want this car, the more likely we will pay a premium for an in-stock unit. Let's remember this is a very optional, luxury vehicle.

Dealers can sell their stock at whatever price they wish, it is a free market. They are free to price gauge and we are free to go to a different dealer.

It is clear they're trying to recoup lost revenue due to low stock and they're playing the short game; that is their business model and will likely yield poor results in the long run.

I am curious what BMWNA can and will do about this.

they started a dealer complaint. They didn't really take any information from me other than what I said about them charging 20K above sticker and my name. they said it's an internal process. I also told someone that called me on behalf of the GM of the dealership to invite me to a VIP event that a sales staff told me the i4 was going for 20K above sticker and he didn't say a word about it so not sure if it comes from the top down or not, but BMW did initiate a complaint.

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by Haywood

I would take the short amount of time and call BMW and let them know. I don't think BMWNA will be happy that one of their dealers are doing this.

I lived in VA for 20 years and never liked Sterling. Found them to be very arrogant. Bought 3 new BMW's from Passport in MD. Always found them to be a good dealership.

I honestly do not think BMW can or will do anything. When I was trying to buy a new Taycan, I called Porsche USA and reported two dealers that were charging $15-20,000 over sticker. Porsche told me that dealers can charge what ever they want, even if Porsche does not agree with it. I'm sure the same as BMW. If it was not allowed...BMW dealers would not be charging over on the i4, iX and most M models.

Porsche and several BMW dealers made it very clear that MSRP is Manufacturer SUGGESTED retail price. The market will dictate price until all of this sorts out (if that ever happens)

[Haywood]

Originally Posted by Elle BMW

they started a dealer complaint. They didn't really take any information from me other than what I said about them charging 20K above sticker and my name. they said it's an internal process. I also told someone that called me on behalf of the GM of the dealership to invite me to a VIP event that a sales staff told me the i4 was going for 20K above sticker and he didn't say a word about it so not sure if it comes from the top down or not, but BMW did initiate a complaint.

Good. At least they will have a record of it and maybe send them a note. May not do anything in the end, but BMWNA is now aware.

[Raille]

Well if all dealers gouge, then I'll happily drive a Civic Hybrid until prices go down, but I trust my dealer to be a straight shooter with me, so hopefully a moot point.

[motzus]

Originally Posted by Haywood

I would take the short amount of time and call BMW and let them know. I don't think BMWNA will be happy that one of their dealers are doing this.

I lived in VA for 20 years and never liked Sterling. Found them to be very arrogant. Bought 3 new BMW's from Passport in MD. Always found them to be a good dealership.

I agree about Passport in MD. My i4 M50 pre-order is with them. I also use Passport for service. Their web site states that they do not do mark up over MSRP.

[techwhiz1]

I think it's important to keep almost of dealers that charge over MSRP and those that don't.

Frequent those that don't and punish those that do by not shopping there.

[chadkoepf]

shocked to see so many people from my neck of the woods. I have my preorder through bmw annapolis who said they only go over MSRP for people traveling out of state, and my preorder will be sticker.

[PRBMWiE]

The only manufacturer that has said something about going over MSRP is Ford, and they can’t do anything about it either. The Ford dealers are all going 10-20K over MSRP for the Mach-E and even more for the F-150 Lightning.

[BimmerBahn]

Originally Posted by PRBMWiE

The only manufacturer that has said something about going over MSRP is Ford, and they can’t do anything about it either. The Ford dealers are all going 10-20K over MSRP for the Mach-E and even more for the F-150 Lightning.

It's a stretch to say "all".... my nearest Ford dealer is ~$3K over MSRP for F150 Lightning..... I found another one relatively close that has a policy of no ADM. There are definitely dealers out there taking advantage - as is their right - but as a consumer, I don't have to accept it.. so I take my business elsewhere.

These exorbitant ADM fees will just hasten the demise of the legacy dealer model. The new startups, Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, et al are breaking the mold, showing it can be done... the only potential issues, as we've seen with Tesla is their service after the sale can be lacking and at best inconsistent. If the legacy brands can solve the after sale service experience, in a decade or so the dealers will go the way of the DoDo.... or that's my hope