BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
View Threaded
Tue 10 Oct 2017 20:55
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - Dante24

Hello

After much deliberation I decided to buy a BMW (428i) - my first ever BMW. My budget was for an approved used vehicle at about 3 years old.

I finally found something at the BMW Cooper dealership in Ipswich.

This car had all the options that I wanted and was ideal however when I called the dealership this is what I am left with -

- No option to transfer the car to another franchise garage (Coopers in York is closest to me as I am in Dewsbury)

- They can drive the car to me for a cost of £250 for me to look at and test drive at my convenience but if I decide to buy it I cannot keep the vehicle due to some distance selling rule. The car has to be taken back to Ipswich and there is no option for it to be taken another franchise garage (York) - This adds unnecessary mileage to the car, especially if/when I have to go back and drive it back to my home - this is a 392 mile round trip. 392 x 2 = 784 miles...close to 1000 miles to buy the car.

- I can go down to Ipswich to view the car but again, due the distance selling rule I am not able, should I decide to buy the car, drive it away the same day. I must let 24 hours pass before taking the vehicle away - therefore I have to either bear the cost of going back or stay the night there in a hotel.

- If I do go down, view the car and decide to buy it, they can deliver the car to me at a cost of £150 (if I choose not to stay overnight or return back)

- If I do put a deposit down, this is not refundable as the car has to be taken off sale.

As you can see this is quite frustrating - I have to take out at least one full day if I want to go see the vehicle. I am for the first time in my life spending close to £20,000 on a car and yet the buying experience has left me somewhat bitter and annoyed. I find it very frustrating that even-though the franchise (Coopers) has a dealership in York they refuse to transport the vehicle there for me to inspect and test drive. The whole transaction has to be done at the Ipswich branch and if I want the car delivered to me, I have to bear that cost - it feels like they don't want to sell the car to me as I am given a cost at every turn.

I asked for an extended warranty or a free service etc to lessen the burden. This was denied.

Overall the customer experience has been awful - something I did not expect when purchasing my first BMW.

The least troublesome option I have is to buy the car without seeing it or test driving it and paying the £150 to have it delivered to me. This means parting with approx £20,000 for a car I have not seen or driven (yes I have seen pictures and a video). This seems ludicrous to me.

Any advice from you guys would be appreciated as I am not familair with this 24 hour rule or the non-refundable deposit. Also what is your general opinion on the above?

Thanks

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 10 Oct 2017 21:04
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - RobJP

Cooper group of dealerships are not well-known for their brilliant levels of cusomer service.

Get signed up to here : f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/

UK section of the forum is nice and busy, and you even see some nice cars come up on the classified section.

Someone was selling a 435d GC (2015, 24k miles, nice spec) a few weeks ago at £23.5k. Now sold though

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 10 Oct 2017 21:36
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - badbusdriver

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20170615648...2

Found these fairly near you. I would suggest if you can't get decent service from the garage you mention, don't give them your business. And make sure to let them know!

Sorry, i thought i was linking 4 ads, but only one, the nearest 428 to you, has worked. But of the 4 i found, the furthest away was 57 miles.

Edited by badbusdriver on 10/10/2017 at 21:38

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 10 Oct 2017 21:37
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - SLO76
It's a fairly rare car so it's not surprising that you have to travel to find one. It's also a fair distance to transfer a car and would involve £50 of fuel plus a driver for a day so you can understand the reluctance. If it's something you simply want then negotiate a deal before you go including free delivery to the other branch for pick up. If it's an approved used BMW you can be fairly certain it'll be pretty much spotless but If they refuse a reasonable deal (don't expect thousands off) then leave it with them and tell the salesperson to call you if he wants it sold.

When the sales manager takes a look at the weeks inquiries he/she will ask what the salesperson thinks they need to do to rekindle it. This is where common sense kicks in and a little incentive will be added to sweeten the pot. This is of course assuming the car doesn't sell in the meantime.

Include in any deal the explicit terms that you will expect a refund of your deposit if the car isn't up to scratch. Plus pay only the minimum deposit you can incase there's an issue with said refund. They'll ask for more but give them no more than £100.

Remember, never chase a deal, let the dealer persue you. They need to sell cars, the sales staff are desperate to make a commission and the manager has targets to meet. Never let them think they are in control.

Edited by SLO76 on 10/10/2017 at 21:40

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 10 Oct 2017 21:42
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - gordonbennet

Whist i can understand he reluctance to get the car transported that distance for inspection with possible purchase, the degree of awkwardness about the whole thing would see me not bothering with them at all, amazing how a dealer can't even manage to take £20k from someone keen to hand it over, it takes all sorts.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 10 Oct 2017 22:20
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - Dante24

Hi

The minimum they have asked for is £1000...

I'm after a 428i Gran Coupe, not the two door model so even more rare.

Thanks for the advice, especially about not letting them think they are in control. I'll wait it out and see if they contact me.

(Trouble is, the one at this dealership has the spec I want)

Thanks

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 10 Oct 2017 22:46
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - FiestaOwner

Hi

The minimum they have asked for is £1000...

I'm after a 428i Gran Coupe, not the two door model so even more rare.

Thanks for the advice, especially about not letting them think they are in control. I'll wait it out and see if they contact me.

(Trouble is, the one at this dealership has the spec I want)

Thanks

I can understand the dealer wanting money for moving the car for viewing/ test drive, to deter tyre kickers. I'm not suggesting for a second that you are a tyre kicker.

If you are finding the dealer to be awkward at this stage (they sound as if they are being most unreasonable and awkward), I wouldn't proceed any further with this dealership. Trust your instincts.

Remember if you have any issues after purchase, you will have to deal with this same dealership, which is a 392 mile round trip from your home. They are refusing to let you do the transaction at a nearer branch!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 11 Oct 2017 00:35
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - SLO76
I've flogged £30k plus metal on £100 deposits because I had full confidence the car would pass any customer inspection. If they refuse I'd walk. It's a nice thing to drive but 99% of 3/4 series punters want a diesel, usually a 320 which has all the power anyone could ever need - 146mph & 0-60 in 7.3secs. A high spec petrol is a hard sale and they know it unless it's an M series.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 11 Oct 2017 00:10
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - Manatee

Back in Feb I went to a BMW dealer to test drive a 15 month old 320GT x-drive It had about 8,000 miles. The interior was badly marked by rings, the discs were lipped, the wheels were marked, the black paint was covered in swirls. I was assured that it would be "sorted out".

The salesman knew very little about the car, couldn't even tell me what sort of automatic gearbox it was (I knew, but he had been spouting quite a lot of obvious bull so I threw that one in to hear his answer).

I consider it a lucky escape; I liked the specs and might have looked for a better one, but the attitude made me reconsider and I have misgivings about BMW reliability. I bought another Mitsubishi later the same day.

My suggestion would be to go to the nearer branch and tell them the story. If they have a prospective buyer for the car then they might make a bit more effort. Presumably the Ipswich dealer wants the sale less than an easy life.

If you do pay a deposit subject to seeing the car, do not sign an order and make it quite clear that the deposit is returnable if you decide not to purchase.

I had exactly that conversation with a dealer recently. I paid a deposit for "first refusal" on an incoming p/x. The salesman said "I'll just do the order form". I said no, we discussed first refusal. Then "if the car is not as we describe it, we will refund your deposit." I said no, I decide whether I want it when I see it and I am not having a debate with you about whether you described it properly or how you will rectify it. Five weeks later I saw the car and it was not as good as expected, so I declined it. It took a week to get the deposit back.

On no account buy the car without seeing it. It's a used car, perfect "approved used" cars are a myth.

Edited by Manatee on 11/10/2017 at 00:29

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 11 Oct 2017 09:01
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - craig-pd130

Given the way the dealer has conducted itself with you, I would forget it and look elsewhere. As said above, you're trying to buy a car and they are making it hard for you. Imagine what it would be like trying to get a fault fixed or a warranty job done.

I know it's the car you want, but anoither one will come along.

Earlier this year I wanted to test drive a BMW 225xe as a potential new company car (also a rare car in the UK). I approached my local, smaller BMW dealer, thinking that they would be more helpful and keen to make a sale. After a couple of phone calls and emails to their corporate sales person went unanswered for over a week (the person was on site both times I called, but was "with other customers", I contacted the sw***y big BMW dealer in Manchester with the massive showrooms.

They couln't have been more helpful - sorted me a car for an entire weekend, kept me in touch regularly on the progress of the order etc.

I'm not arguing for big dealers vs small dealers; the point is that some dealers actually want to help customers and sell cars, and others don't seem to be that bothered.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 11 Oct 2017 10:30
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - Dante24

Thanks all for your advice - much appreciated.

I'll stay put - I'm in no rush to buy...

My wife suggested ringing the more local garage and see if they can help - I may try that in a few days.

Thanks

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 11 Oct 2017 13:49
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - macscrooge

I bought a (new) Gran Coupe in March from Sytner in Sheffield. A good buying experiance - perhaps influenced by my glowing reportts of Lexus Sheffield's service (my previous car was an IS300h) and the service people seem pretty switched on too.

By contrast the local Audi dealer (JCT600 in Sheffield) showed no interest in selling me a car - as had been the case a couple opf years ago. The Audi dealer in Huddersfield also diplayed a level of disinterest calculated to put off all but the most fanatical of buyers.

Two Mercedes dealers I visited were just as bad - the third nearly had a sale.

Make of that what you will!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 11 Oct 2017 14:04
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - Dante24

I bought a (new) Gran Coupe in March from Sytner in Sheffield. A good buying experiance - perhaps influenced by my glowing reportts of Lexus Sheffield's service (my previous car was an IS300h) and the service people seem pretty switched on too.

By contrast the local Audi dealer (JCT600 in Sheffield) showed no interest in selling me a car - as had been the case a couple opf years ago. The Audi dealer in Huddersfield also diplayed a level of disinterest calculated to put off all but the most fanatical of buyers.

Two Mercedes dealers I visited were just as bad - the third nearly had a sale.

Make of that what you will!

I went to a local Lexus dealer as I had the IS300h shortlisted (I love the F sport dash!) had a chat with a salesman and they took my details and was told someone would call back to arrange a test drive etc. Next day nobody rang...I rang them and they again said someobdy would call back, they never did.

This coming from lexus really surprised me but I'm not going back there...

(BTW - the new RC500 looks fanatstic - they even let me sit in one)

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 11 Oct 2017 18:10
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - gordonbennet

I went to a local Lexus dealer as I had the IS300h shortlisted (I love the F sport dash!) had a chat with a salesman and they took my details and was told someone would call back to arrange a test drive etc. Next day nobody rang...I rang them and they again said someobdy would call back, they never did.

This coming from lexus really surprised me but I'm not going back there...

(BTW - the new RC500 looks fanatstic - they even let me sit in one)

If someone at Toyota head office sees and copies that post to the big cheese i bet that Lexus branch will be getting a quite unpleasant memo.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 11 Oct 2017 19:30
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - badbusdriver

I went to a local Lexus dealer as I had the IS300h shortlisted (I love the F sport dash!) had a chat with a salesman and they took my details and was told someone would call back to arrange a test drive etc. Next day nobody rang...I rang them and they again said someobdy would call back, they never did.

This coming from lexus really surprised me but I'm not going back there...

(BTW - the new RC500 looks fanatstic - they even let me sit in one)

If someone at Toyota head office sees and copies that post to the big cheese i bet that Lexus branch will be getting a quite unpleasant memo.

That surprises me too, Lexus usually score very highly with customer service surveys. You are having some bad luck there!.

Browsing autotrader, i can't help notice that you seem to get a lot of bang per buck with Infiniti. I know the depreciation is probably going to be pretty heavy, but might be worth a look at the Q50 hybrid? (that has 359bhp and absolutely loaded to the gunnels with 'toys'). Your £20k would get you into a 2015 model with >35k miles. An article i read a while back suggested the Infiniti customer service is second to none (in an effort to get more brand awareness through positive experiences).

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 12 Oct 2017 12:06
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - Dante24

I went to a local Lexus dealer as I had the IS300h shortlisted (I love the F sport dash!) had a chat with a salesman and they took my details and was told someone would call back to arrange a test drive etc. Next day nobody rang...I rang them and they again said someobdy would call back, they never did.

This coming from lexus really surprised me but I'm not going back there...

(BTW - the new RC500 looks fanatstic - they even let me sit in one)

If someone at Toyota head office sees and copies that post to the big cheese i bet that Lexus branch will be getting a quite unpleasant memo.

That surprises me too, Lexus usually score very highly with customer service surveys. You are having some bad luck there!.

Browsing autotrader, i can't help notice that you seem to get a lot of bang per buck with Infiniti. I know the depreciation is probably going to be pretty heavy, but might be worth a look at the Q50 hybrid? (that has 359bhp and absolutely loaded to the gunnels with 'toys'). Your £20k would get you into a 2015 model with >35k miles. An article i read a while back suggested the Infiniti customer service is second to none (in an effort to get more brand awareness through positive experiences).

I checked out the Infinity garage as it was next to the Lexus one in Leeds and yes those were my thoughts exactly - lots of car for the money but as the new kid on the block depreciation would be higher than the rest. Also they didn't have any Petrol versions to test...I wish their styling was bit more unique, in my opnion they playes it too safe.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 12 Oct 2017 12:09
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - Dante24

Quick update - I followed my wife's advice and called the Coopers garage in York - they were happy to have the car brought to York at their expense and said that they would accept a refundable deposit. They still asked for £1000 but it was refundable - I asked for it in writing and paid for it on a credit card to cover myself as much as possible.

Now I have to wait for the car to be delivered to the garage and then I can go see it - this feels more like it!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 12 Oct 2017 12:36
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - nick62

I honesly wonder how some of the new car dealerships sell any cars at all.

I was looking to buy a new Merc about 10 years ago and when I went to the local glass palace (and it really is a glass palace), I was fobbed-off as all the sales people were too busy making a video. You couldn't make this stuff up, but I suppose it did me a favour as I ended-up with a Subaru?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 12 Oct 2017 12:50
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - nellyjak

That's great news, Dante.....at least there are some dealers out there who do the right thing...hope it's all that you want it to be.

Good luck.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 12 Oct 2017 13:00
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - Manatee

Quick update - I followed my wife's advice and called the Coopers garage in York - they were happy to have the car brought to York at their expense and said that they would accept a refundable deposit.

I thought they might. Nothing like getting one over the other branch.

I hope the car is all you want it to be.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 21 Oct 2017 17:13
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - Dante24

Went to see the car today and took it for a test drive...(finally came up from Ipswich earlier this week)

The power delivery was very pleasant, no drama just ooomph!

Had a little play with all the toys and made sure all electrics worked. Didn't know about the gesture sensitive iDrive knob, you can write on it and it picks up the letters.

Interior was all good but externally there were a number of light scratches around the car. The dealer said they would polish/buff it all out and also refurb the front alloys as there was some slight damage.

They offered some scotchguard and paint protection (lifetime warranty...) but I asked for more info to be emailed to me as I didn't want to say yes as my 'is this some sales crap' antenna went a bit crazy.

Now waiting for the call to let me know when they can have the car ready by...can't wait!

Thanks for all the input guys.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 30 Oct 2017 14:49
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - Dante24

Picked it up on Friday...still sinking in but loving it :)

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 30 Oct 2017 15:49
BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe - BMW buying experience - concrete

Well done Dante. A chap in our village here in Kent always goes up to Yorkshire to buy his BMW cars. I believe he uses a dealer in Wakefield who apparently is excellent in all aspects of service. Hope the car is all you wish for.

Cheers Concrete

Reply | Report as offensive | Link