[PhizzurpF]

Hey all,

Current F30 owner looking at the G20. I'm curious, did you build your own or pick one in dealers inventory?

I've never bought new, but it's becoming more appealing to do so considering how much these cars depreciate. I bought my f30 cpo with 20,000 miles on it and have only had minor problems-been a great car overall.

I wouldn't finance the car, I'd be looking at leasing. The idea of taking ownership under 100 miles ODO is appealing in that I would know exactly how it's been treated.

Cheers

[wtwo3]

I built. I loved the ability to build a car exactly how I wanted it. What I realized looking through inventory was that there was no one car that had exactly everything I wanted... So I'd be compromising. Plus the excitement of custom building the car was another part of the experience I loved. Gave it a completely different experience from selecting a car sitting on a lot.

[PhizzurpF]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

I built. I loved the ability to build a car exactly how I wanted it. What I realized looking through inventory was that there was no one car that had exactly everything I wanted... So I'd be compromising. Plus the excitement of custom building the car was another part of the experience I loved. Gave it a completely different experience from selecting a car sitting on a lot.

Good point about a car sitting in the lot. I've also noticed, at least in my area, the majority of inventory dealers have are base models and not a single m sport 330.

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by PhizzurpF

Good point about a car sitting in the lot. I've also noticed, at least in my area, the majority of inventory dealers have are base models and not a single m sport 330.

Yup... Dealers stock their inventory based on forecasted sales. Most buyers are simply looking for a base model. There's nothing wrong with that, but I like a fully loaded model with an individual color and am willing to pay for it. So BMW providing the opportunity to custom build a car is excellent, because at that point I can make it my own.

[mrkrad]

Originally Posted by wtwo3

Yup... Dealers stock their inventory based on forecasted sales. Most buyers are simply looking for a base model. There's nothing wrong with that, but I like a fully loaded model with an individual color and am willing to pay for it. So BMW providing the opportunity to custom build a car is excellent, because at that point I can make it my own.

I bought my f80 m3 individual color and extended merino off the lot and my m340 with front splitter rear carbon spoiler black grill and mpe exhaust off the lot too do you can find special cars if you look!

[Weiner0123]

Custom ordered mine!! That way you can build it the way you want to!! And plus the excitement of waiting for it to arrive is amazing

[wtwo3]

Originally Posted by mrkrad

I bought my f80 m3 individual color and extended merino off the lot and my m340 with front splitter rear carbon spoiler black grill and mpe exhaust off the lot too do you can find special cars if you look!

Yeah I'm not saying they don't exist on the lots at all. I'm just saying they're much rarer. And sure you can find one if you look, but the more specific options you want, the less chance you have of finding one off the lot.

In your case you were lucky to be able to find exactly what you wanted. I also looked - nationwide, for both my M340 and X5 and found neither in the exact spec I was looking for. Hell, the 2020 X5 hadn't even hit the lots yet when I placed my order.

But this is all anecdotal. There's a reason lots are flooded with base trims, it's because those are the volume sellers.

[SteveinArizona]

G30. But I ordered it. Got exactly what I wanted that way. Some of my choices would have been impossible on a dealership lot (e.g., nappa uphostery, nightvision). Glad I did.

[premier3is]

Got mines off a dealer lot, but I went through a broker to find exactly what I wanted. Luckily there was a few M-Sport 330i around a 100 mile radius for me, I'm in SoCal. I'm sure the build your own would be a nice experience, I just did not have the time to wait for it to arrive since my prior lease was ending and I did not want to extend it with Lexus.

[NorCalAthlete]

I’ve bought 3 cars used and custom ordered 3 now. There are positives and negatives to both aspects. As long as you’re financially able to order new though, I think custom ordering is definitely the way to go.

Buying used:
- packages, specs, etc are likely to be a compromise somewhere.
+ you’ll pay less initially because someone else already ate the biggest part of the depreciation hit
- you’ll likely pay more in maintenance over the same time period, plus have to take it in more often, due to higher mileage and unknown quality of prior care
+ you won’t care as much about minor parking lot dings or stress over meticulous detailing, because chances are it came with a few dings and paint swirls already.
+ guilt free modding. When something wears out, replace it with aftermarket during maintenance, enjoy a more customized and highly specced ride that eventually gets to be exactly what you want.

Buying new:
- higher initial cost for purchase, though likely lower initial few years cost of maintenance
- waiting period to get your car - if this is your primary or only vehicle, might not work out if you have an urgent need
+ you get to customize EXACTLY what you want right off the bat - no more, no less. Find a CA that will work with you - if it comes down to it you can even mix and match interior trim let alone bloatware-esque sensor packages you don’t need or want.
+ latest and greatest technology, efficiency, power, handling
- that first parking lot ding / curb rash while learning your car’s turning radius sucks
- negotiating with dealership can suck
- reselling later can suck but be worth it - while your payments will be higher during ownership, if you get tired of it and resell private instead of trade in the money you get back can effectively mean you paid less per month to own during that time than a lease would have been, though you’ll probably still pay a bit more than if you’d just purchased used.

As others have said there are other issues too such as dealer lots tending to stock either tons of base models or fully decked out max everything models with little in between. I’ll likely be custom ordering the M440i next when it opens up, though maybe not quite right away as I’m hoping to buy a house in the next few months too. This year though for sure.

[JayPichardo]

I ordered mine

[Burrcold]

I ordered mine as well. None of the dealers around me had a single M340i in stock with the adaptive m suspension and that was a must for me.

[GOLFFRR]

Originally Posted by PhizzurpF

Hey all,

Current F30 owner looking at the G20. I'm curious, did you build your own or pick one in dealers inventory?

I've never bought new, but it's becoming more appealing to do so considering how much these cars depreciate. I bought my f30 cpo with 20,000 miles on it and have only had minor problems-been a great car overall.

I wouldn't finance the car, I'd be looking at leasing. The idea of taking ownership under 100 miles ODO is appealing in that I would know exactly how it's been treated.

Cheers

If you lease make sure you get the full breakdown of the deal as there is a lot of ways dealers can make up a profit in a lease, especially the MF (money factor). You should be able to get a little better deal if the car has been sitting on the lot for a while over one that is brand new on lot or a order but there are some insane deals (we give them everyday) on orders and inventory out there so def shop around

if you need any assistance or would like a comparison quote feel free to shoot Jimmy Bach one of our sales rep a quick email jbach@stevethomasbmw.com

[-EndOfAnEra-]

Originally Posted by NorCalAthlete

I’ve bought 3 cars used and custom ordered 3 now. There are positives and negatives to both aspects. As long as you’re financially able to order new though, I think custom ordering is definitely the way to go.

Buying used:
- packages, specs, etc are likely to be a compromise somewhere.
+ you’ll pay less initially because someone else already ate the biggest part of the depreciation hit
- you’ll likely pay more in maintenance over the same time period, plus have to take it in more often, due to higher mileage and unknown quality of prior care
+ you won’t care as much about minor parking lot dings or stress over meticulous detailing, because chances are it came with a few dings and paint swirls already.
+ guilt free modding. When something wears out, replace it with aftermarket during maintenance, enjoy a more customized and highly specced ride that eventually gets to be exactly what you want.

Buying new:
- higher initial cost for purchase, though likely lower initial few years cost of maintenance
- waiting period to get your car - if this is your primary or only vehicle, might not work out if you have an urgent need
+ you get to customize EXACTLY what you want right off the bat - no more, no less. Find a CA that will work with you - if it comes down to it you can even mix and match interior trim let alone bloatware-esque sensor packages you don’t need or want.
+ latest and greatest technology, efficiency, power, handling
- that first parking lot ding / curb rash while learning your car’s turning radius sucks
- negotiating with dealership can suck
- reselling later can suck but be worth it - while your payments will be higher during ownership, if you get tired of it and resell private instead of trade in the money you get back can effectively mean you paid less per month to own during that time than a lease would have been, though you’ll probably still pay a bit more than if you’d just purchased used.

As others have said there are other issues too such as dealer lots tending to stock either tons of base models or fully decked out max everything models with little in between. I’ll likely be custom ordering the M440i next when it opens up, though maybe not quite right away as I’m hoping to buy a house in the next few months too. This year though for sure.

Thanks for your insights. For me I had intended to go CPO for my next car, same as I did from my prior. Then I realized that going CPO, I would always be settling in some way, either on options, or colors, or maintenance history, or mileage. It took time to love my CPO because of the compromises inherent (but love her in the end I certainly did).

As a person who keeps cars for 7 years or more, it made sense to me to swallow that depreciation if I could pull it off. I'm eagerly awaiting my car and since it has everything on it I wanted, I expect I'll want to keep it for 10 years!

[gofast182]

This thread calls for a poll! I ordered mine and did PCD. Best experience I've ever had with a new car.

[NorCalAthlete]

Originally Posted by gofast182

This thread calls for a poll! I ordered mine and did PCD. Best experience I've ever had with a new car.

I’m definitely leaning towards the Southern California performance center as my delivery option. Take a road trip from SoCal up to visit friends in Seattle, then swing over to Colorado and maybe down through Texas before coming back to the Bay Area.

[in2zion]

I definitely lucked out. I bought mine used with all the options I wanted. It only had 2800 miles on it and in perfect condition. More importantly, I only paid $50K for it; with all the options, it was $62.5K.

I'm assume people are purchasing more crossovers; there are awesome deals out there.

[themnmd]

I ordered mine, relatively painless. Except maybe the wait, a full 8 weeks from Germany. Boat to California. I did get about 10k off msrp. 8.5% plus incentives

[MurrayB]

I have ordered at least six which allows a custom configuration and color I feel that is the best way to go unless you need a car immediately. I also only lease. Good luck!

[WhiskyPat12]

My 2017 f32 was off the lot, and I loved that car but it didn't have everything I wanted.

I'm waiting for my M340i to arrive, which I orderd in Dec... It's a loooooooong wait but it has everything I want. And I'll basically be the only person to put miles on it.

[Gdiddy23]

Custom ordered mine too. Was nice bc dealer I ordered through gave me best offer on my trade in and is honoring that price until my new one arrives.

Also, I lucked out w getting better rates at the end of 2019 than what's currently being offered.

Only crappy thing is, I think the wait has been so long that another credit pull is in order which frustrates me to some extent. Mine is arriving stateside on the 8th and can't wait

[Gorkyg]

Originally Posted by WhiskyPat12

My 2017 f32 was off the lot, and I loved that car but it didn't have everything I wanted.

I'm waiting for my M340i to arrive, which I orderd in Dec... It's a loooooooong wait but it has everything I want. And I'll basically be the only person to put miles on it.

I ordered mine on mid February. Today, it said dispatched from factory. I guess that is due to allocation.

From what I read, it will approximately take another 4 weeks for me on the east coast to receive the car.