[Das BMW]

I'm currently deciding between purchasing a new M550i (one of the last) or waiting to purchase a slightly used one that's close-ish to my spec.

For my particular situation, and keeping an eye on the used market, by buying New I can ensure I get the exact paint + leather + trim + wheels I want. Everything else (DHP, DAP, Exec, Shadowline pkgs) are relatively easy to come by. In the used market, 2021's with B&W's are a bonus.

I'm more interested your thoughts on if buying new was worth the extra $ to you, now that you've owned your G30 for X years. Do the exterior & interior colors, packages, options, mean as much to you today vs what you thought they would mean to you when you purchased new? Are you so glad you purchased X color / option, or looking back does it not matter much to you, the car is what really puts the smile on your face?

TIA

[G30 B58]

Not a M550 but we couldn't find the spec we wanted back in mid-'22 and even if we found something close it usually already had a deposit on it when we finally decided to pull the trigger.

Spec'd exactly what we wanted, offered our dealer 8% off MSRP and they wrote the deal. The .9% finance was awesome too. Add in PCD (did ED in 2015) and I wouldn't buy a car any other way. So glad we didn't "settle".

[mffarrell]

I ordered a M550i in 2020 and I am glad I did. I was able to configure my car to exactly what I wanted. I searched high and low for a new or used M550i but could not exactly what I wanted. Also, ordering a new M550i had some financial advantages. I was able to get 10% off MSRP plus $10K off from BMW incentives which made ordering a new car a no-brainer.

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by mffarrell

I ordered a M550i in 2020 and I am glad I did. I was able to configure my car to exactly what I wanted. I searched high and low for a new or used M550i but could not exactly what I wanted. Also, ordering a new M550i had some financial advantages. I was able to get 10% off MSRP plus $10K off from BMW incentives which made ordering a new car a no-brainer.

So, you got roughly $20k off MSRP????

[AP]

I ting new is very much worth it to me for several reasons

Yes in terms of spec I get exactly what I want - although subject to budget.

I’d be happy to buy a new car “off the lot” if it matched my spec but the chances of that are incredibly remote given the dealers seem to spec out cars with just a few safe options.

The other obvious benefits are that it’s new. You are the first to drive it, it has that new car smell!

I also just got a 550 , should arrive in about a weeks time and it could well turn out to be one of the last if not last ones into the U.K.

[Greywall]

Went through a similar thing before ordering my new M550i. I could not find quite the option and color combo I wanted. On top of that, used car prices were at their peak. Happened to get a discount through a connection and ended up ordering exactly what I wanted.

Would have definitely liked to pay less, but getting exactly what I wanted and also with no miles was definitely worth the extra price. The car keeps putting a smile on my face every time I drive it.

[mffarrell]

Originally Posted by Mosaud1998

So, you got roughly $20k off MSRP????

$18.5K to be exact. I don’t think you can get those kind of BMW incentives now.

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by mffarrell

$18.5K to be exact. I don’t think you can get those kind of BMW incentives now.

Jesus, if I was able to get that much off a new one, I would've ordered a new one myself.

[spiderman1982]

What BMW incentives were available?

[mffarrell]

Originally Posted by spiderman1982

What BMW incentives were available?

As I recall, I got $6500 for paying all cash, $2500 from being a member of Pentagon Federal Credit Union (military affiliation) and $1000 from being a member of BMWCCA.

Kuni and BMW of Portland were not competitive…would only give me $3K off MSRP. I purchased from BMW of Salem which gave me around 10% off MSRP.

[DNYC1919]

I got lucky with my 2021 540 I got built. Besides better prices and stuff, the main reason is bernina grey not offered anymore and I was able to get it with the 360 parking package, where for now you need to jump to the 550 to get that.

And when I looked at anything in stock it did not have everything I wanted. So that would annoy me. This is the first time I had my car built with 99% no buyers remorse. Only thing I wish I added was the sensatec dash. But I’m happy I did build it as I love it and will most likely buy it out after lease is up.

[LogicalApex]

I’m very happy still with the options I picked and getting the car configured as I wanted versus what was on the lot. For the 530e very few were configured heavily so I had to order to get exactly what I wanted.

I will own my car a minimum of 7 years. So that matters too. If you’re going to hold onto it for a shorter duration then it might not be as problematic to have to compromise today.

[Mandingo9]

Originally Posted by mffarrell

As I recall, I got $6500 for paying all cash,

.

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by mffarrell

As I recall, I got $6500 for paying all cash, $2500 from being a member of Pentagon Federal Credit Union (military affiliation) and $1000 from being a member of BMWCCA.

Kuni and BMW of Portland were not competitive…would only give me $3K off MSRP. I purchased from BMW of Salem which gave me around 10% off MSRP.

The dealership gave you $6,500 off the MSRP for paying cash or BMW? We kick cash buyers out

[Mandingo9]

Originally Posted by Mosaud1998

The dealership gave you $6,500 off the MSRP for paying cash or BMW? We kick cash buyers out

Very wise

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by Mandingo9

Very wise

I remember cash used to be king. Now if you walk into a dealership and tell them your paying cash, you're not going to really get any sort of deal.

Just keep your mouth shut and don't tell them how you're paying, Even if you're paying cash, act like you're going to finance the car.

Dealers rather have you finance so they can make money off the interest rate. Or pick the money that they're losing on the front end(if the dealership is in the hole with the car you're buying) in the finance office (back end).

If you're going to finance, try to get pre-approved from a credit union or a bank. This way, you can't get bent over by the dealership raising the actual interest rate on you. Or if the manufacturer is running specials, fiance through them.

[Volasko]

I just bought nice depreciated fully loaded 2018 530e, for 1/3 the cost of it new at 125k kms. Of all the tech that car came with the only items I feel I could live without are the massaging seats and heads up display. The massaging effect is pretty mild and I only like it for blood circulation for my behind on long trips. The back effect is so minimal you might as well not have it. It came with the H&K sound system which leaves a bit to be desired at the top end but for 95% of the time does just fine. I've yet to experience a B&W system to compare so take that as you will.

The diamond stitching seats and upgraded leather are a nice touch, as is the extended leather option. It really does take the interior feel to the next level compared to the base seats. I really find all the parking assists and full 360 degree cameras very handy and useful. The 530e I believe isn't available with the VDC suspension in the NA market so again I can't comment on that, but I've experienced the tech before and would assume it would be nicely integrated by BMW for the models it is available in. Especially for luxury cruisier I would think this is a must have.

[Numark318i]

Purchased a 530e with late July ‘22 delivery. I knew what I wanted and did not want to compromise as I plan on keeping the car for atleast ten years (Maybe my one of my kids first car?).

I knew going into it what the depreciation would be, and if I’m worried about loosing ~$10-$15k a year over three years on this type of purchase I shouldn’t be buying it in the first place.

Plus, I can say with certainty I am the only one who has let one go in my drivers seat. 💨

[igelkotten82]

Everytime I see my car I love my individual exterior Color(BRG). It came at ha hight price (about 6k Euro) but really worth it for me.

The Caramel Merino interior which has almost a Bentley amount of leather in the interior is great and also something I appreciate a lot.

When ordering mine in mid 2020 they had a really good deal of an ultimate pack so got a lot of extras for a good price with things I was not willing to pay for (like tinted rear windows for example) so it has almost all the available options except for rear seat entertainment, M-colored seatbelts, red brake callipers and shadow line. In those days it was still able to negotiate a good rebate. Think the amount of extras was about 45k Euros but paid about 15k for it.

The feeling of having a car that there is only 1 of in the whole world makes me appreciate it even more. When going individual like I did going for a used one without all the individual manufaktur options was not an alternative and would make a big difference on what I would get.

[LuvMyE92]

Originally Posted by Das BMW

I'm currently deciding between purchasing a new M550i (one of the last) or waiting to purchase a slightly used one that's close-ish to my spec.

I'm more interested your thoughts on if buying new was worth the extra $ to you, now that you've owned your G30 for X years. Do the exterior & interior colors, packages, options, mean as much to you today vs what you thought they would mean to you when you purchased new? Are you so glad you purchased X color / option, or looking back does it not matter much to you, the car is what really puts the smile on your face?

TIA

I've owned 2 G30s, a 540i and still have the 550i. Both were bought out of dealer stock - which is unusual for me because I prefer to order something.

But the first one... I don't remember the details, but I think I couldn't wait, and the second one (purchased in August 2022) because I couldn't get an allocation to order one.

In both cases, I got more options on them than I wanted.

For me, the only "gotta have" options on the 550 were executive (for HUD) and Nappa leather. I would have liked to get the leather dash, and I would have preferred to skip the driving assistance package, but I use it more than I expected (it has improved a lot). Still, ordering one today, I would skip it.

Maybe it's because I flip cars so quickly, but getting that "perfect spec" is less important to me than it used to be.

I prefer to buy new unless I can save a crap-ton of money. These days, used cars are so expensive that if you can find a new one, that's a better deal.

I would never have ordered the color that my 550 is in (SG) but I like it OK.

For me, questions like this with so many variables, I'll make a list, pros and cons, perhaps weight certain items so that I know how important it is (ranging from "don't care" to "deal breaker") and go from there.

Best of luck!

[SonD]

Currently driving a 320i tourer loan car, which has covered 4k miles.
I did order a 330e tourer during covid, only to cancel it after some 6 weeks due to so many options becoming non available.
Immediately missing, after just driving to work - HUD, AutoHold, seat heating (it says its there, but work it does not) heated steering wheel, ride quality, steering is odd (does not like changing direct quickly when asked to - wheel drags as you feel the actuator working)
Perhaps most of all, the sheer difference in power / acceleration (that il6/B58 is such a special bit of kit)
So for me, having had the 545 for 7 months, yes, my spec was absolutely worth it.

[DCDude]

I was thinking about this yesterday. I waited 5 months to get a 530e I ordered. This past weekend I did college visits with my kid and the car was an absolute dream to take on road trips. I considered compromising and taking something off the lot, but I stuck it out and I’m glad I did. If you’re gonna pay up, might as well get exactly what you want.