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      06-07-2011, 10:06 PM   #1
cfen
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Build Delivery - Dealer Jerking Me Around?

Hey folks,

I see a number of you have ordered your Z4 and waited for delivery. I have ordered mine but just got an update from my dealer today that has me second guessing things. I was hoping someone could shed some light on the process. At this point I feel like I'm being jerked around by the dealer. Here's how my buying process went:

I was first going to lease a 135i, but after seeing the great lease rates for the Z4, I gave one a test drive. Instantly, I was sold. Once we settled on the rough options I was after, including my two color choices of gray or blue, the dealer did a search and came up empty. He then tried to sell me on the white one they had on the lot, or the yellow one coming in the following week. I passed on both and told him I had to think about my next step.

Being a pretty savvy internet researcher, I found a blue Z4 at a dealership less than 10 miles down the road. I also found a gray one 100 miles away. Armed with this information I spoke with my dealer and told him we'd have a deal if he could get me either of those two cars.

Over the course of the next few days, the dealer fed me all sorts of excuses, including the other dealerships being closed on the weekend (really?), closed on Memorial Day and the typical "we're already taking a loss on this purchase so we don't want to pay for transit" line.

Figuring I was getting a decent deal ($2,500 under MSRP), and I could order exactly the car I wanted (all features I wanted, nothing I didn't, interior and exterior selection, etc.), I decided to just place an order. The dealer told me it would be 35-60 days until delivery. I was told the dealer was able to modify an already allocated vehicle, but it may not improve the delivery date at all. I asked the dealer when to expect a tracking number and I was told within a week or two.

A week passed and I emailed my sales rep. He informed me BMW is "pulling parts" for my car and it is scheduled for production June 26th. Alarmed, I emailed him back and asked for clarification and whether or not the original delivery estimate of 35-60 days has slipped. He said he'll know more once it's in production but didn't offer any additional help.

So, is the dealer being upfront with me? Does he know when it will be delivered and doesn't want to say for fear of losing the sale?

At this point, I'm tempted to email the other dealer in town to see if they will offer me a similar (or better) deal on the blue one they've had on their lot since March. It's not my first choice in color/options (it's my second), but I'd rather have a car now than 90 days from now. I suppose that's my fear -- the dealer is unwilling to share more info because they didn't actually get my order into their previous allocation and it won't be 35-60 days but 65-90 days.

Can anyone who's been through the ordering process shed some light on my situation?

Thanks much!
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      06-07-2011, 10:17 PM   #2
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It sounds like you're being jerked around, but I have yet to find a car dealer that didn't to some extent (BMW or otherwise).

My advice? If you can cancel, you should and go down the street to the other BMW dealership. The lease rates may have changed, since the promo did say you had to take delivery by the 31st.

The dealer telling you he is losing money is a classic car dealer sales tactic, and you didn't get that good of a deal. I paid $1500 under invoice, what the dealer paid from the factory, in my lease. I bought through AMEX, which uses zag.com to negotiate amazing deals on cars; if you're not an AMEX cardholder, go to their website and see if you belong to any of the other organizations that offer their services.

You and I both want to lease -- you should just go find an acceptable Z4 in stock somewhere. Delaying the purchase 2+ months is unnecessary, and decreases your leverage in a negotiating situation. Find a dealer with the car you want on the lot, and be prepared to sign that day. He'll know you're for real, know that you want the car, and will work harder to get your sale. If he doesn't play ball, well, there are other Z4s! His loss!

I would ditch this loser dealer and start over fresh somewhere else. If he can't give you straight answers about a lease of a ~$60000 car, do you really want to hop into bed, metaphorically, with him for 2 years?
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      06-07-2011, 10:19 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cfen View Post
I'd rather have a car now than 90 days from now
If this is the case, you shouldn't have ordered a car

However, if you look at the long run, you will have the car for a couple of years... it'll be exactly as you've wanted and nothing you didn't want.

For some, the wait is worth it, for others, it's not.

Your sales rep rarely knows anything, you need to speak to BMW NA or the General Manager
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      06-07-2011, 10:26 PM   #4
cfen
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Quote:
Originally Posted by egtownsend View Post
If you can cancel, you should and go down the street to the other BMW dealership. The lease rates may have changed, since the promo did say you had to take delivery by the 31st.
Whether I can cancel it or not is another issue. I figured I should decide if I want to first, then explore whether or not I can. Maybe I have that backwards, however. Hmmm....

Good advice. That's the general feeling I have as well. I don't want to start a relationship with this dealership if they are going to lie to me from the start. On the other hand, all dealers lie so maybe this isn't that big of a deal. What's another 30 days?
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      06-07-2011, 10:29 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by persian54 View Post
If this is the case, you shouldn't have ordered a car.
That may be true. I suppose my preference would be in this order:

1) Order the exact car I want and wait 35-60 days.
2) Settle for the car that's 95% what I want and drive it home today.
3) Order the exact car I want and wait 65-90 days.

A part of my issue is wanting to shed the high payment of my M3, which is why the time element is more important to me than others. Although, I suppose the difference between 60 days and 90 days is one more M3 payment -- not the end of the world.



Quote:
Originally Posted by persian54 View Post
Your sales rep rarely knows anything, you need to speak to BMW NA or the General Manager
That's a good idea. Thanks!
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      06-08-2011, 12:10 AM   #6
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if you don't mind, what is your M3 payment?

What is the proposed Z4 payment?
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      06-08-2011, 12:13 AM   #7
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It's a 45% reduction, but mostly because I'm going from owning (not upside-down) to leasing.
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      06-08-2011, 09:03 AM   #8
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Try to get your production order number, and track it yourself (the 1-800 number has the best information). I only waited 6 weeks from order to delivery, and it went by fast. The 1-800 number was fairly up to date with tracking, and towards the end was changing status at least daily. Heck, you can even track shipment by sea if you want.

If you have to, go down to the dealer and get some face time with the sales rep or his manager so that they can lookup the production order number for you. These guys often have a hectic busy work schedule, and you may have to physically grab their attention if you can't get the details by e-mail or phone. I am not saying it's OK for them to be unresponsive -- that's not cool -- but rather, you can definitely get some attention in person.

With your production order number, you get direct access to concrete information about your order, and you will know exactly what's going on. I wouldn't change plans until you know more details about this current order.
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      06-08-2011, 02:15 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skier219 View Post
Try to get your production order number, and track it yourself (the 1-800 number has the best information).
Is the production number available before the car starts production? I was thinking I was going to be in the dark until production starts (June 26th).
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      06-08-2011, 02:38 PM   #10
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I live near Seattle and have ordered BMW's to my specifications. I have never heard of a 35 day delivery. Here's the scoop: You should have gotten a production number with your order sheet. Your CA should be able to tell you the build week. Mine is week 27 or around July 4. Figure a week to build and another week for it to arrive at port and leave Bremerhaven. From there it's at least 22-22 days to arrive on the West Coast. Figure another week to be put on a truck and a few days to arrive in Portland. To make a long story short figure the 60 days is more realistic. Your CA may be afraid that you will back out of deal and is stringing you out. I had my CA do a search two weeks ago. At that time there were 17 in the Western Region, most automatics. In Fife, Wa the dealer has a beautiful black on black six speed.
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      06-08-2011, 05:22 PM   #11
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I just took delivery of my new Z4. I went to the dealer on April 22 and ordered my car. He didn't put the order into the system until Monday, April 25. I took delivery of it this past Friday, June 3. So from the time the order was placed it was only 40 days. Biggest difference for you would be that you are on the west coast, I'm in the midwest, so my car came into Baltimore for delivery. I had my production number about a week and a half after I ordered, but I wasn't bugging him for it. If it's been a few weeks, he's definitely jerking you around.
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      06-09-2011, 03:52 PM   #12
cfen
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How many digits/what syntax is the production number? I received this from the dealer:

1129 Z4 sDr35i 3565666 A52 LYD1 1 112 2011/07 2011/06/26

I see "112" in there, which I assume means it's in status 112. Does any of the other numbers mean anything to anyone?

Thanks!
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      06-09-2011, 04:53 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cfen View Post
1129 Z4 sDr35i 3565666 A52 LYD1 1 112 2011/07 2011/06/26
3565666 is your production order number, and 112 is current status.

If you enter it into "track your BMW" on bmwusa you should see the spec for your car. It might take up to a week to show the correct car specs if they changed a previoud allocation.
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      06-09-2011, 09:32 PM   #14
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http://www.bmwblog.com/2009/07/14/ho...d-to-delivery/

Status codes

Not all info on this website is up to date but the codes are fine
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      06-10-2011, 05:28 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cfen
1129 Z4 sDr35i 3565666 A52 LYD1 1 112 2011/07 2011/06/26
What do the dates at the end mean?
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      06-10-2011, 09:01 AM   #16
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Production Week or Scheduled for Production???????
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      06-10-2011, 12:04 PM   #17
cfen
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bjarne View Post
If you enter it into "track your BMW" on bmwusa you should see the spec for your car. It might take up to a week to show the correct car specs if they changed a previoud allocation.
Cool! I entered it in and it recognized it (correct color/options even). It says "on order," which I guess I knew from the 112 status. So now I wait.

I ended up emailing the other dealer in town and the blue Z4 has the sport package instead of m-sport, it's missing nav and included the extended leather. In all, it'd be about the same price but missing a couple essential things for me, so I'll just wait it out with the one on order.

Thanks for all your help!
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      06-10-2011, 03:18 PM   #18
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I expect delivery for mine in mid August
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      06-10-2011, 08:41 PM   #19
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Oh Man, so does that mean I shouldn't expect delivery until almost Spetember?

1130Z4 sDr35is 3566099300 LYD11 RNS 111 2011/07 2011/07/29
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      06-11-2011, 06:35 AM   #20
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I've ordered 6 built-to-spec BMWs over recent years. 10-to-12 weeks from order to delivery is par for the course, though it's a bit shorter for that on Spartanburg-built SAVs under a new BMW US delivery system. For the Germany-built cars the long pole in the tent is the leg across the water, which entails additional logistics steps and wait times.

The online BMW data available to the buyer during this process often lags the events. The dealer has more timely info, but what he has from his system changes occasionally with fact-of-life adjustments in schedules etc. This forum and Bimmerfest have threads that give info on how to track the ship that's carrying it across the pond.

In all, it's a murky science and not every CA went into that business from a career as a rocket scientist ... but it doesn't sound like you're being jerked around...
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      06-11-2011, 10:23 AM   #21
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Yep near the end of August
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      06-12-2011, 11:24 AM   #22
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Only took 6 weeks for my Z4 from order to delivery. The first 3 weeks were "on order" and "scheduled for production" status. Once it went into production, the rest went very quickly. I was actually impressed by the quick 6-week turnaround, which included about 15 days in transit over sea.

I do believe each BMW plant has shutdowns at certain times of year, which could easily add 2+ weeks to the standard timeline.
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