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I'll tell you what I'd do if a car dealer pulled this on me. After all the normal haggling was done: "$80 a year? Fine. I plan to hang on to this car for 10 yea
by jbuzbee 9y ago
I'll tell you what I'd do if a car dealer pulled this on me. After all the normal haggling was done: "$80 a year? Fine. I plan to hang on to this car for 10 years. If you don't take an additional $800 off the price, no deal. Period"
- MBCook 9y agoThat’s probably smarter, I imagine I would just walk out in disgust. If that’s the way they want to treat me I don’t think I want to deal with them.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- harryh 9y agoYou'd go into a dealership to buy a $35,000+ plus vehicle and then get all huffy about 80 bucks a year? That's a pretty strange thing to do. Most BMW customers won't care.
- mikestew 9y agoI didn’t get to the point of owning two BMW motorcycles, and the means to buy a BMW car should I have the desire, by letting $80/year slide. Maybe if one has FU money, but I don’t, and I therefore care. Let’s flip it around: I’m buying a $42K car (the 428 I’ve had my eye on), and BMW is going to nickel-and-dime me on it?
- epa 9y agoYes. That is what they are known for. $42K is just the upfront fee. Consider the next $10K in maintenance to be 'subscription' as well.
- MBCook 9y agoBut the maintence fee actually DOES something. It replaces parts with physical wear. It’s understandable (if expensive). The $80/yr... turns a boolean from false to true. One that much cheaper cars give away. How would you feel if BMW decided to start charging $80/yr for heated seats? There is absolutely no reason that should have a yearly fee attached to it.
- carterehsmith 9y agoOn the other hand, will you decide to not buy that 428 (and take your business to... whatever competitor) over $80/year? Btw it's not like the BMW is the only one charging for the mobile connection in the car... it's basically another cell phone + monthly plan, they are not free.
- izacus 9y agoYes. Because there are other manufacturers out there that won't make me feel nickel and dimed.
- prepend 9y agoUnfortunately there aren’t really any luxury manufacturers who don’t nickel and dime buyers. Come to think of it, that’s like all cars. I would like a company that just takes the old Apple approach - you’re going to pay more, but you get everything for two different prices. Now even Apple has lower prices and then extra for stuff. I thought Tesla would be this cool company, but they mega upcharge you. My friend signed up for the “35k” model and got $15k in options, one is entirely software based.
- mikestew 9y agoBtw it's not like the BMW is the only one charging for the mobile connection in the car... it's basically another cell phone + monthly plan, they are not free. CarPlay is some firmware, and whatever it costs to certify the unit through the Made for iPhone program. After that, everything comes off my phone including any data. IOW, the Pioneer head unit that has CarPlay I bought for one of our cars doesn't even have a slot for a SIM, because the phone takes care of all that. So once the R&D is paid for, which I'm happy to pay for (with a suitable margin for BMW) once, CarPlay is essentially free of ongoing costs to the manufacturer.
- WWLink 9y agoJeeps and Porsches are like that. Everything's an option!
- harryh 9y agoBMW is going to nickel-and-dime me on it? Um, have you looked at the BMW website? Gone to configure a car? The answer is a resounding YES!
- rs999gti 9y ago> I’m buying a $42K car (the 428 I’ve had my eye on), and BMW is going to nickel-and-dime me on it? A $40K car loan at 60 months is $600/month. You could have got a Honda or Toyota for half that amount with the same features but without the prestige of owning a BMW. Pay to play.
- largote 9y agoNo Honda or Toyota is going to drive anywhere near as well as the equivalent BMW. Even considering modern BMWs. Pay to play.
- jeffdavis 9y agoCar salesman love nothing more than someone who thinks they can out-negotiate them. The mere fact that you believe there is a point where "all the normal haggling" is done means you probably don't negotiate very well.
- sk5t 9y agoExactly, it's overconfidence that gets customers, bettors, investors, etc., into real trouble. Car salesmen who last at their jobs have been through the wringer with every stripe of hostile customer, and they ain't dumb, although seeming dumb may be part of the game.
- tobyhinloopen 9y agoI should have done that as well. I hate paying for that fucking CarNet trash from VW., but it is the only way to pre-heat my car... which is fucking insane. I can't preheat the car by physical access to the car, no, I have to do it with a stupid fucking app that works only 50% of the time for 90 EUR a year. It has been more than once that I actually enabled pre-heating using that fucking app from within the car. I just want the car to remain warm when I grab groceries #ultimatelazyasshole
- virgilp 9y agoStrange, I see that Sharan has CarNet, whereas my Alhambra doesn't (these are practically identical cars built in the same factory). Mine has a button for "preheating" on the dashboard + a small keychain remote control that has a surprisingly long range. I didn't even activate MirrorLink & AndroidAuto in it because it costs an extra 200€ or so #cheapbastard (honestly though, initially waze wasn't working with AndroidAuto, and by the time it started working I figured out I can just pin my phone to the dashboard and be done with it)
- gambiting 9y agoJust install a Webasto system? Sure it's expensive upfront but it always works, has a long range and it doesn't start the engine to warm up to car(it has its own diesel/petrol burner).
- prepend 9y agoI certainly wish you the best of luck with that approach but I think a more successful strategy would accommodate what you think is a fair profit for the dealer. Since the dealer doesn’t get part of that $80, it is unlikely they will reduce your price by $800 as that will reduce or even eliminate their profit. Especially BMW as I’ve seen pretty aggressive margins to keep their high volume.