Quote:
Originally Posted by mbetoni
2. Demand for the IS was never high, and the flip side to that is that BMW also never planned to produce this car in numbers anyway. BMW gives each dealership an allocation for every car they build, allocation numbers are determined by that dealership's past performance bounced against BMW's product plan. Allocations for the IS were few and far between (at least in the States, BMW's largest single market); my dealership, a top-performer, had to trade with another in CA to be able to order mine. It's a niche car. Most likely, this decision was based on the good chance that between the cars currently available on dealer lots and those planned to be built through July, BMW's predicted demand for the IS through the remainder of E89 availability will be met. The one (albeit small) crowd for whom it does suck is anyone who wishes to order one after July. With no remaining allocations that will be impossible, so they'll need to do some tough searching, and potentially compromising, to get what they want.
3. As an IS owner, I'm very happy the numbers are so low. You don't see a ton of them out and it's nice to be recognized by others who 'know' the car, especially when it's de-badged like mine (bumpers/exhaust are the giveaway). Rare is good!
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Allocations/ordering definitely vary by market. There were a LOT of 35is sitting around on the lot at Pacific BMW in LA when I was shopping for my car.
I personally look at the front brakes when I see a debadged Z4 to check if its a 35is, since the 28i/30i/35i have a different caliper and slightly smaller rotors. (US 35i gets the shaft, since the rest of the world 35i and 35is share the same brakes)
Hopefully the 35is will be a good collectible for you
