[Phych]

Hey everyone,

I'm just about ready to grab my 335i coupe! However, I haven't been able to find a dealer who had the options I was looking for, so it looks like I might be doing a custom order.

Does anyone know how custom orders effect the price? For example, is it an extra cost, or would final price be the same but not as negotiable, etc.? Any info regarding the process of custom orders would be appreciated!

[Phych]

I spoke with a sales rep at Monrovia and he said that $1000 is added to the price if I do a custom order. Does that sound about right?

[jho]

No. Doesn't cost them anything extra to custom order a car (unless you want it in a special color, at which point $1000 isn't going to cover that extra cost). I wouldn't go with them, unless the $1000 is in addition to a very favorable deal they already gave you.

[McLuVan]

I used to think this too my friend
the price of an ordered car should be invoice in today's time

[Phych]

jho: Yeah, I wasn't even talking price with the guy. I just asked about a Le Mans blue manual and he said they don't have it and it would take about 4 months to custom order it. I asked about the process of doing a custom order (just the process, not even the cost) and he said I give them $1000 and it'll arrive 6-12 months after. I got wary after the 4 months turned into 6-12 months

McLuVan: Mucho thanks for the info! I was wondering if there was an added cost over invoice.

[E90RWC]

Got mine ordered for $500 over invoice.

Easy as pie.

[taliesen]

Sounds like that sales rep has been directed to discourage orders, so they can sell cars already on the lot . . .

[PsychoSlug]

Originally Posted by E90RWC

Got mine ordered for $500 over invoice.

Easy as pie.

+1

[kgb1637]

The car comes out of the dealer's alotment, no extra charge to them so no, they shouldn't be adding on costs. Offer $500-$1,000 over invoice depending on how the demand is in your area for 3'ers and see who bites.

[huh13]

I am in SoCal too. Got my car for $250 over invoice. Haggling was pretty much non existent. I figured out the invoice pricing for my car by looking at the "Confidential Dealer Order Sheet" that is posted on these forums. I then emailed all the dealers in the area and gave them the list of all the options I wanted with my calculated invoice pricing. I explicitly told them I am ready to buy right now and that I am shopping around with all the other dealers for the best price and asked what kind of deal they could give me. A day or two later I had a number of emails with deals anywhere from $250-$1000 over invoice + MACO and training fees. I then just contacted the dealers I heard good things about and told them that "one dealer offered me $250 over invoice, can you match it?" A few of them did and that was it. Easy. I didn't bother trying to haggle the price down to invoice, but I am assuming it is possible.

Also, Phych, I do not believe the dealer is telling you $1000 over invoice. They said you "give them $1000" because that is the deposit you pay when you place your order. Although my car was $250 over invoice, I still had to pay a $1000 deposit the day I placed my order.

And depending on your dealer, the car should arrive anywhere from 2-3 months. Just make sure you insist on making your order Priority 1. I did not know about this and it looks like my car is going to take me ~10 wks.

[kgb1637]

OP, the $1,000 deposit is standard, no getting around that, make sure thats what they want.

[PsychoSlug]

Originally Posted by huh13

Just make sure you insist on making your order Priority 1. I did not know about this and it looks like my car is going to take me ~10 wks.

I was under the impression that "Priority 1" was automatic for a customer order.

Also, the $1000 down to order is negotiable as well. I had one dealer tell me $2000 was mandatory, but I ended up only needing to put down $500.

[gt3fever]

$1000(amount may vary) is required when you special order the car with options you want.

Especially if you order MT, they ask you to put deposit down is quite normal.

However, the deposit is deductable to your final payment when the car arrival.

You can try new century. I got my 6mt custome order from them, plus their service is awesome !

GL on finding new car

[huh13]

Yah, I never even knew about the "Priority 1" status until just recently. I assumed that since I ordered a car and paid a deposit that the car is basically already in my name and they should have put my car into production right away. After 1 month of nothing I realized something was wrong, checked my order and I had "Priority 2 - Center Own Use." I'd be lying if I said that description doesn't make me feel just a little uneasy that somehow my dealer is going to screw me over come delivery date. But I am going to be hounding them more and more to not touch my car as the date gets closer.

So yes, Priority 1 is NOT automatic.

[PsychoSlug]

Originally Posted by huh13

So yes, Priority 1 is NOT automatic.

Good point. The dealer probably needs to select priority, and may not fill out all of the required fields. My order has my name on it, and the dealer selected Priority 1. I just assumed it would receive that status since it is in my name.

We really shouldn't have to request Priority 1. The dealer should do it automatically if you order a vehicle from the factory. Not all CA's are equal though...

[E90RWC]

All the BMWs I have ordered have been ordered without putting a deposit down.



I am loyal to BMW though, that's why.

[brakedust335i]

$1,000 is normal. This just helps guarantee you won't walk away and stick the dealership with a car that may be difficult to sell to the general public.

[MassBimmer]

I ordered mine on April 6th and took delivery on May 15th. Standard delivery time is 6-8 weeks. If you have a really good CA, they will email updates each week as the car goes through production. You can then track the boat once it's in transit, pretty nuts.

Don't believe any dealer that says it'll take more than 2 months or that it costs more, it definitely doesn't. They will ask for the $1k deposit up front to order the car but you're not held to that, when you take delivery you can adjust it to another amount or completely get rid of it.

[a14lee]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the great info on this post. I, too, am looking to custom order an e90 sedan (I don't understand why everyone in America wants to experience "The Ultimate Driving Machine" through a slushbox).

The information in this thread seems encouraging in that you can get close to invoice, but here's my question. If you can get near invoice pricing for custom orders, why does it seem so hard to get near invoice pricing for cars the dealer already has on their lot? It seems to me they would be more willing to sell cars they already have and are eating the cost on at a cheaper price than to help the consumer bypass their profit opportunity through a custom order.

Can anyone else chime in with how well they did when custom ordering their car through the dealer? One example is anectodal evidence... 5 examples, now, that's pure science... haha.

[DavidBMWofMiss]

From a dealerships perspective ordering a car is great, you have a deal secured you dont have to chase around or rush to deliver. It's the same as selling an in stock vehicle essentially. You get the exact car you want from Germany it comes off the truck marked sold so nobody will sit in it test drive it etc...
pricing will be the same.