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      09-17-2020, 03:36 PM   #8
sygazelle
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Drives: 2014 328i M-Sport, 2019 X5 40i
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thereef510 View Post
they wanted/were pressuring us to buy a g05 off their lot. we had a great experience with them when we got the f15 and so we wanted to give them the business again. But when I told them I had done some research and I wanted to order a vehicle and do the PCD, we got a lukewarm reception. The salesman (who I really still like) kept downplaying the ordering process, and how long it would take, how inconvenient it was going to be, how you cant get a discount or any sort of deal with a built vehicle, and that if we really wanted to do a PCD, we could buy one off their lot and they'd give us a voucher for a PCD (which I found out from the forum and from the PCD folks themselves, was a total lie).

So why do all this? the PCD folks said whatever dealer you buy from has to chip into the cost of the PCD, a few hundred bucks and BMWNA pays for the rest. It builds brand loyalty for BMWNA but the dealer loses a few hundred bucks doing it. So there's no real incentive for the dealers themselves to encourage the PCD especially for a naive buyer who doesn't know much about it.
I'm going to take the opportunity here to hijack my own thread. The dealers are in a bit of a dilemma. The car-buying process is shifting from the old days where you had a relationship with a specific dealer and salesperson at that dealer. Now, you can buy a car for the most part online and the dealers' role can be much reduced depending on the situation. In my case, I researched the G05 extensively and knew exactly what I wanted. I built it on the BMW site. I sent that build to my local dealer via email and offered to buy that specific build at 6% off MSRP before other discounts. (That was the going discount off MSRP at the time according to BMW forums.) In the email I told the dealer I wanted to do PCD. A salesperson from the dealer answered my email saying they would sell the car at the price I requested. I went in. The paper work was ready. I signed and gave them the down payment and that was it.

Some buyers will always want to have that close dealer relationship and feel there is value there. For me personally, those days are over.

I can see why the dealers may want to sell a car off the lot instead of setting a buyer up with a PCD deal. My dealer had no issue with it and I'm glad. If they tried to get me to take a car off the lot instead, I would simply have shopped my build with the price I was willing to pay to another BMW dealer. I think that model is the future. It will take time, but the dealer model the way we've known it is in for change going forward. The smart dealers will pivot and embrace that change and find a way to add value. Those that don't will be toast.
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