[Sho]

I have had good experience with this dealer so far. The sales showed me the list of incoming car, and was trying hard to trade 1 of their incoming car with CA dealer who has the car I want. After the CA dealer refused to tradem he placed an order of my car the 3rd day after I ordered.
As far as for tracking my order, the sales call/email me when my order move forward on his system. And he could deal with their parts department to match up the accessories price I found on the Internet.

Great experience so far.

[Jason P]

I ordered my 325i through Bellevue also. I negotiated with their internet sales manager over emails and phone calls for several weeks. Over that period I was able to pin down the options that I really needed (power seats, Xenon, Sport Package, and the overpriced metallic paint).

I dealt with Richard Hard. He was pretty nice to work with. So far, he hasn't tried to pressure me into "upgrading". I was able to get the car I wanted at around 3-4% under MSRP.

But the car is in production in Germany, so the jury is still out.

[Sho]

Got the car on my birthday :-) My sales is Dave Skipworth, and he is great. Never push me to upgrade anything. Great buying experience.

[DEAN325i]

had a great sales experience also at Bellevue. No pressure. James Ellis was my sales guy and he was awesome.

[bigrye]

I have a new 330i on order through Bellevue BMW. I'm working with Pat Wiseman, who has been great. My car should be here mid-December and I can't wait!

[cobradav]

i had a few bad experiences with this dealership (service and sales) in the past but i dont live there anymore so i guess it doesnt matter

[obLu]

I've had good and bad there in the past but still went back for the new one. Tried dealing with BMW of Seattle this time around and that didn't go well. They used to have a couple of service advisor that were aweful, I can only hope they're gone now.

Anybody get much of a deal out of them? I got some chicken scratch off, enough to call it good, but not a great deal by any means. Plus they're days behind when they promised to deliver my car, so I'm not the happiest camper.

I don't get it though, why does everybody like low pressure sales? Personally, I want high pressure ... means they're hungry for your business and willing to deal to get it. Low pressure to me = lazy, take it or leave it attitude.

My wife's in sales, maybe I'm used to playing the negotiation game ... although I'm not so good at it.

[obLu]

Have to give my salesguy at BMW of Bellevue (Mark Harrington) a shout out. I'd been dragging my feet about doing BOB again after my first two experiences with buying my e46's. Went in at lunch because I had to get my car before my wife left town, told him I had about an hour to get it all done because my wife had a meeting to get to. Out in 30min.

Totally detail oriented, went over the car with me (eventhough I didn't feel like I needed it since I'd been reading the manual while waiting for the car) but he insisted, even paired my phone for me while we were signing the papers.

That was the experience I was expecting from BMW. Hell, he even kept my son entertained while we were signing. And *gasp* he followed up the next day to make sure everything was correct and to see if I had any questions.

My faith in finding good sales people is restored ... my wife's in sales so I'm pretty critical of bad sales people.

[LunaticFringe]

Oh man, don't get me started on THAT place.

Before selling her 2000 328i, my wife wanted to get everything in top shape. Since she had a coupon for a free oil change from Bellevue, so she took it there for that and afterwards took it to Eastside Bavarian for the certification.
When they got her car on the rack, they said that a full engine inspection couldn't be done because oil had been spilled all over it. They suggested she take it back to Bellevue and have them clean the engine. So, she drives back to the dealership and explains to the service mgr. what had happened. He agreed (relunctantly) to have the engine washed. After that was done he came back and told her that she "might" have an oil leak.

"Oil leak? This car has never leaked a single drop"
"Well, it seems the oil carrier thingy has been...compromised"
“How much to get this thingy fixed?
“It’s $749, but seeing you had to drive all the way back here, I’ll get it done for $748.99.”
“Gee, you’re a real prince. “

Since it was too late to go back to Eastside, she came home where I had to hear all the sordid details of her experience. The next day she went back to Eastside, but she brought along the guy who wanted to buy the car so he could see just what he was buying. She told them about the so called oil leak and to look at that area carefully. After about 10 minutes, they came back and told her that the engine was not cleaned properly. Apparently Bellevue had just washed the top of the engine, but not down where all the oil had pooled.
Needless to say, but my wife was just a bit ticked off.
So, she goes back to Bellevue and tries to find the service mgr., but he was nowhere to be found. Apparently he saw her coming and made a hasty retreat out the side door. After spending about 15 minutes waiting for him, she finally tracked down the GM and explained the situation. The GM managed to find the service mgr. and together with my wife ripped the the guy a couple of new ones. He says he’s sorry and promises everything will be taken care of. After about an hour he comes back and tells her that her car is now clean and ready to go. She asks him about the oil leak and is told she should drive the car around a day or two to see if any new oil appears in the problem area.
Two days later she goes back to Eastside to get everything squared away. She had the potential buyer follow her there and then took his car back to work while he stayed at Eastside to make sure everything was taken care of. They put her car back on the rack, and after a few minutes the owner came into the waiting area.

“Excuse me sir, but you might want to get Angie back here.”
“Why, what’s the problem?”
“Uh, well , it seems that Bellevue still didn’t clean the engine properly.”
“Let me get this straight. You want ME to call her up and tell her?”
“Yes, please. I beg of you”
“You guys are smoking way too much crack. I guarantee you, if she finds out about this, people will die.”
“I’m well aware of that, but if YOU tell her, she might not get so pissed.”
“I don’t think that will do any good. There’s got to be another way around this.”
“Hmmm, tell you what, we’ll go ahead and clean the engine properly,at no charge, and get everything inspected and certified. You don’t tell her a thing. That way, everybody’s happy…and nobody dies.
“You would do that? I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to save lives here.”

They proceed to clean the engine, which turns out NOT to have any oil leak, inspect and certify the car, and to top it all off, wash and detail the entire car.

These guys are good.

He then goes back to the office where my wife works and cuts her a check on the spot.

While I have no beef with the sales staff at Bellevue, their service dept. has to be one of the most inept bunch of idiots I’ve ever had to deal with. You would think that after buying a high performance car like BMW, the service would be same caliber. I guess I have a lot to learn.

On a high note, my wife picked up her new 2006 330i last Friday…from BMW Seattle.

[berndts]

At this point, I can only comment on the sales staff and not the service department. I dealt with David Ly as the Sales rep who was great to work with. We got a very good deal with not much back and forth. Prior to going there we had gone to BMW Seattle with the same printed out offer (ED invoice/Msrp) + dealer profit. They didn't only want to match it, but didn't make any effort to even get lower to come close to our offer. Sort of....take it or leave it.

Belleuve on the other side, made a reasonable counter offer, we counter offered and the deal was done at a price that we had expected to pay. (way below what BMW Seattle wanted offered).

I only dealt with BMW of Fife over the phone...they had a similar attitude as Seattle...take it or leave it for way too much money.

As for the service, I'll probably try Bellevue...if I"m not happy, I'll change to Seattle.

[obLu]

I had a friend of a friend working in parts at BMW of Seattle. The descriptions of how they have to stack cars in their little lot and double them up on lifts over night scares the hell out of me. They did have one customer car they had to pay to respray because coolant leaked all over the hood from the car on the lift above it.

That was a few years ago though, so I don't know if things've changed. I just know it was really really tight when I visited ... and I know when things are tight and people not paying attention damage potential goes way up.

[BMW0]

It sounds to me that Bellevue BMW is the better of two evils (Seattle BMW) excluding the service department.

[Ghunger]

So far my experience with BMW Bellevue is limited to test driving and ordering the car for ED. I'm happy with them so far. I worked with David Ly and he was very helpful in finding cars for me to look at with the options I wanted to look at. When it came time to talk about the deal we had a quick negotiation that I think worked well for both sides. I'll be sure to update after re-delivery.

[Tweak48]

The one thing I learned out of my Puget Sound 330i ordering experience is that the Costo vehicle program is a waste of time when it comes to BMWs. The dealer for the program is Seattle BMW, which offered me a juicy (not) $500 discount. I should have learned from my Tahoe purchse earlier in the year that Costco also gets a cut on the deal, and you can do better on your own.

From my limited experience, I found the Bellevue store was polite, reasonable and willing to deal on a order basis if pushed. A high school buddy of my Dad's (now 82; drives a Caddy CTS-V) owns a BMW store in Utah was willing to cut a significant amount more off a lightly equipped 330i (only heated seats and factory SIRIUS radio). The Bellevue store matched the offer, so I went with it.

I still feel like I still left a lot of money on the table. The dealer whine is that their margins aren't nearly as good as Lexus; I didn't push Lexus on a 350, as I found the exterior ugly, the interior too pimped out for my tastes, and the back seat unusable. The Infiniti guys told me they would only deal on left over 2005's. On 2006's it was the "sticker way" or the highway. I'm used to getting better discounts than this, but what you gonna do? There is too damed much money in this town with too few dealers. BMWs are commodity items in LA. Perhaps I should have bought one down ther an driven it back. Oh well.

[Armen52]

So far I've had a so-so experience with this dealer; I've used them for all of my service visits since I bought the car at Pacific BMW in LA.

My first service visit was scheduled a few months ago to get the software updated on my pre-Sept. car as well as fixing the ticking in the seatbelt B-pillar. Rick Brown was my service advisor and he was a relatively nice guy. When I showed him the service bulletins for what was wrong with my car though, he played stupid, either pretending to not know what they were or not caring and saying they would fix whatever they thought needed fixing their way, thanks. I was sort of turned off by that but whatever. He also tried to feed me a line about me needing to pay for getting the options configured the way I wanted them (i.e. auto-locking doors) for the ones that couldn't have been done at time of delivery on my pre-Sept. car. I told him I wasn't buying that line and that either they, BMWNA, or my original dealer was going to eat the cost; anybody BUT me. He said he would work something out. I had scheduled almost four weeks out so I could get a loaner from him, which turned out to be a good idea since the scheduled for 1 day service took four days.

Friday afternoon I came back to get the car at the time Rick told me to during his mid-day update call. I'm told they're finishing up my car and to just wait a few minutes. About 5-10 minutes later someone comes out to tell me that when doing a final inspection of the car they realized the radio isn't working and they're going to have to reprogram it, which could take an hour, was I willing to come back for it tomorrow. They gave the keys for my loaner back to me and I went home. The next day I call and Rick tells me that they got the radio working but they broke a washer on one of the terminals on the battery when disconnecting it. They wanted to replace it but needed to order the part. They finally got the part and told me to pick up the car on Tuesday afternoon. When I got there, the car was washed and ready (they never dry the cars they wash), but the auto-locking doors were not set to be on. I had to wait another 30 minutes in the lobby while they went back and did that. Also, they did not have the part needed to fix the seatbelt ticking so they would order it from Germany and let me know when it came in.

That was my experience with Rick Brown; like I said so-so. If the rating system from BMWNA were worth a damn, I probably would have rated him 3's and 4's.

I'll post again about my most recent experience with Clif Newton who seems to be a lot more eager to please (mostly), since Rick Brown doesn't work there anymore.

[SeattleSE]

I'm installing the alarm kit myself. I went to my dealer, Bellevue BMW, and asked how much it would cost to have it "coded". They're telling me that it will be $125 because it will take two hours to perform.

I realize that there are other threads on this topic but pricing seems to be a very local phenomina.

So, first off, should it really take two hours to tell the car that I've just plugged in a few parts that were already pre-wired?

Second, is $125 a reasonable price for this service in this area? The guys in Fife said $100 but, by the time I drive down there, it isn't really worth the $25.

Finally, do all the dealers in Seattle charge over retail for parts? I wanted a BMW jack kit which lists for an outrageous $140. Bellevue wants $170 + tax for it so I ordered it from Circle BMW.

This is my first BMW so I'm trying to understand what to expect especially when cost adjusted for the Seattle market.

Thanks.

[Quanticks]

I've got my BMW from Bellevue too. I was impressed by their selection and the sales person was a really nice guy - Alvin. He gave me to test drive anything I wanted.

But their service sucks. But my recommendation is - DON'T go there anymore. They are exclusively and extremely oriented on your pocket only, and will charge you tripple for anything possible. They don't give any technical explanation and they treat you completely different after you bought the car. They will be anything but nice, when you go there and ask some questions later on.

I disconnected a connector under my seat when the ignition was on. This switched on an airbag indicator and there was no way I could switch it off. Nav was asking kindly to visit BMW service.
I went there and had a conversation with Cliff Newton. He was trying to prove me that this was my fault, indicator is on because of my fault, I am not suppose to touch anything in my car except the start/stop button and anything I'll do except this will void my warranty. So what ? - I was continuingly asking?
Furthermore he was very mean (probably not in the mood that day). I was threaten that something "really bad" can happen to my car if I will leave the car for service - he will make sure I'll come there pretty often - to prove: what a valuable asset is BMW service.

I paid them 59 for indicator, but I'm not going there for service anymore. I'll find a different place if needed.

[Ghunger]

My car was redelivered on Friday. My sales experience was great and was happy to have all my registration paperwork processed and my plates installed before I showed up. I guess I'll have to wait and see how the service is because I've heard both good and bad about all three BMW dealers in the area. So, if they're all bad I might as well go to the one where I can get a loaner.

As far as pricing goes, if you want things cheaper you're going to have to mail order, and or get a BMWCCA membership. There's just not a lot of competition in the NW. Maybe you can cross shop the 3 dealers though, might work out for ya.

On a side note, why do you want the BMW jack? Why not just go to Sears. I picked up a rolling floor jack, jack stands, and a Craftsman torque wrench for $90.

[obLu]

Good luck getting a loaner ... last time I was in they made a point to tell me I wouldn't be getting a loaner. Ever. Not a rental, not a loaner, nothing but shuttle.

This after buying my 3rd car from them.

In case this is just a case of the SA I dealt with being an a-hole, anybody have a recommendation for an SA to work with? I went in to have my alarm activated (self installed) and have a customer pay oil change done. First they were totally baffled that I'd install the alarm myself instead of let them do it for $450 (if you've ever done an alarm install, it takes 20min tops) or that I'd want an oil change early. The prices of these services changed each time I inquired which was really discouraging.

Back in my e46 days I used to complain, and eventually left for Audi; now the service appears 10x worse.

I was even told that if my car was towed in, there was no way I was getting a loaner. That they just didn't provide them anymore. When push comes to shove I'll end up getting my salesperson involved since that was the big lure they used to keep me from buying my car down in CA.

Like I said, if anybody's got an SA they enjoy dealing with, please post it or PM me.

[TTG]

I absolutely have NOTHING nice to say about BMW of Bellevue..... Their sales department is nice to you if you don't negotiate w/ them and their service people are not nice to you no matter what....

The only sales negotiation you are going to get out of those people is 500 off the MSRP and that is probably on a car that is going out of style (2006 models).

I am about to place my new car order (335 Coupe) from a dealership in Eastern Washington where I am saving thousands ($6,555 to be exact) over stuck up BMW of Seattle & Bellevue.....

A 2003 325XI purchase was done at Medford BMW in OR only $1K over invoice as well..... I would rather drive couple of hours then to go to BMW of Bellevue....

Do some research people and contact OTHER dealers besides Seattle, Bellevue & Fife.....

Of course service is a different story.... I have to go to BMW of Seattle IF I really have to take the car to the dealer.....

If BMW of Bellevue was the only dealership in the state... I still would not go there.....

[Ghunger]

Boy, I'm a little surprised you had such a bad sales experience with them. Maybe just a bad salesman? I had no trouble getting them to deal on my car. From the numbers you posted I got a similar deal but didn't have to drive across the state.

[TTG]

I know..... Here are my fav quotes:
At BMW of Bellevue: (made an appointment to test drive a 325Xi & 330XI back in 2002).
-ME: I am here to test drive these cars
-Sales person: Sure, Will you be purchasing today?
-ME: My time frame is within a month and I would like to do ED
-SP: Look around sir, all of those sales people are selling cars right now and I should be with a customer who is interested in buying a car today!
-ME: Listen, as a BMW dealership you are reqiured to have me test dive the vehicles regarless of my time frame....... (I ordered the XI 2 days later from OR)

Two weeks ago at BMW of Seattle:

After I got all the info needed on the 335 couple?

ME: Would you be willing to at least wave the destination charge?
SP: We would not be willing to come down a "penny" off the MSRP.

I am about to put a deposit down for a Space Gray 335 coupe tomorow $1k over dealer's invoice.....

Do you get the picture.....