BMW Camarillo - Review + general tips when dealer shopping

najammin · 07-26-2024, 04:26 PM

Not sure if this is the right section to post, but wanted to offer some tips that helped me when going down the custom build route.

I first reached out to BMW Camarillo via GOLFFRR back in March. I am in Northern California and didn't have much luck/respect from local dealers negotiating in price and providing me the time/information required when making a six-figure purchase. I remembered GOLFFRR from back when I was in the market for an E92, and at that time I elected to go with a local dealer because of proximity/price-matching. In any case, GOLFFRR introduced me to Kote Melendez and we started the journey to build my new family hauler.

At the time of the build allocation we had agreement on price, but I was uncertain whether to lease/finance. We had also agreed that any additional manufacturer rebates (such as loyalty) would be in-addition to the agreed price, if available. This was fine as rates and promotions vary month over month. An area that I noob'd on during my E92 build was not knowing about hidden interest mark-ups and I made sure this time around there weren't any surprises by asking the moderators on the Edmunds Forums for the latest money-factor rate (for leasing). One last thing I wanted to make sure I took advantage of this time around was the BMW CCA rebate. You need to be a member for 6 months in order to qualify for a discount, which is paid in form of a reimbursement after the purchase.

Once the build was submitted in May things moved very quickly! I think I received a build number in mid-May and picked up the car on June 29th. In the meantime I started to compile a backlog of parts to give the car my version of an OEM+ touch (more threads to come) and pray that my wife didn't pay attention to all the boxes in the garage.

I received some exciting news from Kote on Monday June 24th and flew down to LA that weekend and did a mini road trip along the 101 back up to the bay.

Don't mind the temporary ppf job, Johnny at Detailership was kind enough to give me some scrap film that I can put on for the drive back north.

During the first 300 miles BMW has programmed a gradually increasing rev limiter (e.g. 4k rpm until 100 miles, 5k rpm until 200 miles, 5.5k rpm until 250, and fully unlocked after ~320 miles); overall this was good given how easy it is to get pulled over these days.

After the car was unlocked (and I topped off the fuel tank) I finally got to open up the V8 and feel the rush of a 530hp, 5,300 pound machine!

Looking forward to writing more on my ownership, and wanted to give another shout-out to BMW Camarillo for really taking care of me throughout the whole process, cheers!

Some extra photos I snapped, featuring the pairing of the LeMans Blue E92 the X5 will be sharing a garage with.

TurtleBoy · 07-26-2024, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by najammin

After the car was unlocked (and I topped off the fuel tank) I finally got to open up the V8 and feel the rush of a 530hp, 5,300 pound machine!

Congratulations. Just keep in mind that the lift of the RPM limiter doe snot mean that the break-in period is over. That is 1,200 miles and you should keep the RPM's below 4,500 and speed below 100mph.

najammin · 07-26-2024, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TurtleBoy

Congratulations. Just keep in mind that the lift of the RPM limiter doe snot mean that the break-in period is over. That is 1,200 miles and you should keep the RPM's below 4,500 and speed below 100mph.

thanks for the pointer!

Kforau · 07-26-2024, 07:41 PM

Pretty color! It's nice seeing the plastic on the seats and knowing no one has taken the car out for a test drive (outside of what was needed to get the car to you)

najammin · 07-27-2024, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kforau

Pretty color! It's nice seeing the plastic on the seats and knowing no one has taken the car out for a test drive (outside of what was needed to get the car to you)

thank you! yes, the blue really pops in sunlight, it’s really making LeMans Blue look rather dull.

+1 on the dealer not allowing anyone else to test drive, the car was also kept in the gated storage lot.

iX nOOky · 07-28-2024, 01:01 PM

Beautiful color, congrats! I worry that when mine arrives someone will take it out for a test drive, would it be cheeky to ask them to let no one else drive it?

I bought an Acura Integra GSR back in 1994 and when I went outside to pick it up, someone else just brought it back from a test drive, and they were sitting in it and checking it out. I was livid, despite them cleaning it again and giving me another $500 off because I complained.

najammin · 07-29-2024, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iX nOOky

Beautiful color, congrats! I worry that when mine arrives someone will take it out for a test drive, would it be cheeky to ask them to let no one else drive it?

I bought an Acura Integra GSR back in 1994 and when I went outside to pick it up, someone else just brought it back from a test drive, and they were sitting in it and checking it out. I was livid, despite them cleaning it again and giving me another $500 off because I complained.

Wouldn't hurt to ask, I think generally speaking custom builds are hands-off.

07-26-2024, 04:26 PM	#1
najammin Private 38 Rep 94 Posts Drives: 2012 LMB M3 Coupe Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: NorCal iTrader: (0)	BMW Camarillo - Review + general tips when dealer shopping Not sure if this is the right section to post, but wanted to offer some tips that helped me when going down the custom build route. I first reached out to BMW Camarillo via GOLFFRR back in March. I am in Northern California and didn't have much luck/respect from local dealers negotiating in price and providing me the time/information required when making a six-figure purchase. I remembered GOLFFRR from back when I was in the market for an E92, and at that time I elected to go with a local dealer because of proximity/price-matching. In any case, GOLFFRR introduced me to Kote Melendez and we started the journey to build my new family hauler. At the time of the build allocation we had agreement on price, but I was uncertain whether to lease/finance. We had also agreed that any additional manufacturer rebates (such as loyalty) would be in-addition to the agreed price, if available. This was fine as rates and promotions vary month over month. An area that I noob'd on during my E92 build was not knowing about hidden interest mark-ups and I made sure this time around there weren't any surprises by asking the moderators on the Edmunds Forums for the latest money-factor rate (for leasing). One last thing I wanted to make sure I took advantage of this time around was the BMW CCA rebate. You need to be a member for 6 months in order to qualify for a discount, which is paid in form of a reimbursement after the purchase. Once the build was submitted in May things moved very quickly! I think I received a build number in mid-May and picked up the car on June 29th. In the meantime I started to compile a backlog of parts to give the car my version of an OEM+ touch (more threads to come) and pray that my wife didn't pay attention to all the boxes in the garage. I received some exciting news from Kote on Monday June 24th and flew down to LA that weekend and did a mini road trip along the 101 back up to the bay. Don't mind the temporary ppf job, Johnny at Detailership was kind enough to give me some scrap film that I can put on for the drive back north. During the first 300 miles BMW has programmed a gradually increasing rev limiter (e.g. 4k rpm until 100 miles, 5k rpm until 200 miles, 5.5k rpm until 250, and fully unlocked after ~320 miles); overall this was good given how easy it is to get pulled over these days. After the car was unlocked (and I topped off the fuel tank) I finally got to open up the V8 and feel the rush of a 530hp, 5,300 pound machine! Looking forward to writing more on my ownership, and wanted to give another shout-out to BMW Camarillo for really taking care of me throughout the whole process, cheers! Some extra photos I snapped, featuring the pairing of the LeMans Blue E92 the X5 will be sharing a garage with. Last edited by najammin; 07-27-2024 at 03:07 AM..
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07-26-2024, 07:41 PM	#4
Kforau Private 31 Rep 57 Posts Drives: 2025 BMW X5 50e Join Date: May 2024 Location: Birmingham, AL iTrader: (0)	Pretty color! It's nice seeing the plastic on the seats and knowing no one has taken the car out for a test drive (outside of what was needed to get the car to you)
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07-28-2024, 01:01 PM	#6
iX nOOky Private First Class 212 Rep 161 Posts Drives: 2019 Ford Edge ST, RX350 Join Date: Apr 2024 Location: Wisconsin iTrader: (0)	Beautiful color, congrats! I worry that when mine arrives someone will take it out for a test drive, would it be cheeky to ask them to let no one else drive it? I bought an Acura Integra GSR back in 1994 and when I went outside to pick it up, someone else just brought it back from a test drive, and they were sitting in it and checking it out. I was livid, despite them cleaning it again and giving me another $500 off because I complained.
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