I basically went dealer by dealer website and looked at inventory. True car is also another good tool since it has colors, packages, and days in stock which helps with negotiations
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Cargurus also good for inventory. Use google maps for dealers, the BMW website doesnât actually list them all. Find each dealer there then hit their individual website and start your inquiry. Painful to sift through the muck but could be rewarding.
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Thanks guys! So, I finally ended up walking into my local dealership just cz my wife wanted to âSeeâ the car. I knew they didnât have the exact one I wanted in their inventory, but had one with same exterior and interior color, which was good enough to show my wife what car I was talkin about lol.
I was having hard time finding one with all the packages I wanted in the colors I preferred in entire SoCal, so I knew I had to compromise somewhere or give up on getting a good deal with a custom order. I walk into our dealership and the sales guy as well as the Sales Manager turned out to be people I knew (my close friendâs friends). They tried me to sell the car we looked at on their lot, same color, but instead of packages I wanted, it had different ones. (It had MSport pack, which was 4700, I would rather get sport line and spend that money on safety packages, since my wife is a very new driver, this car is for her).
However, we went back to his computer and after much searching, we located One car with some dealer, with all the packages I wanted in exact same color I wanted. Time for dealer Trade.
Hereâs the deal they gave me on it. It might not be the best deal, but remember I got exactly what I wanted, ZERO compromise, and I got to build a relationship with my local dealer which I believe would come handy in long term. We did the frowned upon âDown paymentâ towards cap reduction, but it was our call and not theirs. We had a target in mind for monthly payment amount on our credit, to keep our DTI very low for an upcoming property purchase. The rebates I receive for this car post purchase will offset the risk of losing the Down payment in case of catastrophe, and it was an acceptable risk for us.
2020 530e
MSRP - $60.2k
Selling Price - $54180
Credits/Bonus - $2250
MF - 0.00128
Customer Cap Reduction : $2500
36/10K
Residual - 60%
DAS - $3900
Monthly - $540 including tax.
LH Score - 8.3 (not the best, but this was my first time, lol)
Thanks you guys for the help and guidance!
Why didnât you wait until after the house to keep DTI low?
Also - serious q: what do people see in the M package on the 530e? Its not a fast car.
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Since the 530E no longer qualifies for the California state rebate of $1,500, I suspect the availability of cars will increase, and prices will decrease next year. There was a rush to get them before the change took place earlier this month.
Yeah exactly - Iâve had this debate with a few dealers. Unfortunately in my specific situation it doesnât make sense financially to wait unless the discount becomes obscene because of the cost on extending my current lease.
My gut feeling is by Spring time there will be a glutton of these sitting at BMW dealerships and based on incentives should be able to nab something very cheap.
House purchase wont be until end of next year, and we needed a car for my wife NOW lolâŚ
and yea, about rebates, agree with you guys 100%, they gonna have a surplus soon, but I heard their federal tax credit went up higher since they increased the battery capacity, and I hope they pass on those savings to the customers. 530e buyers might get Better deals in a few months.
However, I live in Central Cali, we still got rebates going on from Central Valley for their Clean Valley Air initiative and get about $2k from them for 530e, our electric company PG&E has $800 rebate for it and then $1000 BMW CCA. 
I picked up a $67K 540i Msport for 560/mo 1600 DAS.
The 530 doesnât have as good of an incentive and the 15K miles raises the payments from 10K about $50-60 per month.
Are you fixed to only the âeâ model? Can probably do a 540i for same or maybe less due to larger incentives. 540i comes with some things that the 530 would be added options, such as real leather.
I donât see you getting under 600 on a 60K 530e, maybe if you go with a cheaper one.
- Itâs a done deal see above
- They got $2800 in post sale rebates. Canât get that with a 540
- The e will be free gas if short commute. If not, 30-40 mpg in hybrid mode. 540 canât do that.
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Hi WSM,
Congratulations on your 540! Iâm sure itâs fun to drive!
Although 540i is a superior trim than 530e, it wasnât a good fit for our Use case. This car is mostly gonna be used for commute that has some city driving in some traffic. The pure electric drive range of about 20 miles is something that was more important than Higher power drivetrain for us.
And like what 2cic mentioned, the rebates I ll get will negate the Cap Cost reduction we paid. That, combined with higher mpg on usual drives, will bring the TCO of 530e lower than 540i even if the 540i is leased at same cost.
depending on use, i seriously doubt uâl be getting 20 miles of electric rangeâŚ
2019 540i is showing $4250 in rebates. Of course we are comparing a 4 cylinder electric gasoline engine to a 6 cylinder. One car starts at $6K higher MSRP. We arenât comparing apples to apples, but in my mind, leasing a car that starts $6K more for remotely close to the cheaper one is a great deal.
Also IMO, a BMW 5 series is a luxury sedan, worrying about fuel economy is second to the reason I chose to get a 60K+ vehicle, for the driving experience. I feel BMW has tried with the diesel and electric alternatives and it doesnât go very far. 535 diesel is discontinued. 320i base 4 cylinder is discontinued. BMW doesnât brand cars for economy. Just IMO.
Understood, but the rebate is only $1000.00 now from the state of California. The 530e shows $1750 in lease incentive. The 540i shows $3250 in lease inventive. Even with the hybrid rebate, its still $500.00 less incentive. The savings are the fuel savings, in trade for 87 Horsepower and more standard equipment.
The TCO of the 530e should be cheaper than the 540i, its much cheaper.
Driven ~1250 miles a month, assuming ~50% electric use and $4/gal CA gas, the 530e will save him $100 a month over a 540i in fuel alone. âmore expensiveâ is not always âbetterâ.
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They may not but their cars are actually pretty efficientâŚthey came a very long way in the last decadeâŚitâs a conscious effort on their part pushed in part by EU legislation.
15,000 mi/yr @ ~34 MPG = $1764.70 @ $4.00 gallon.
15,000 mi/yr @ ~24 MPG = $2500.00 @ $4.00 gallon.
$2500.00 - $1764.70 = $735.30 / 12 months = $61.25 per month savings.
This is assuming $4.00 gas, maybe $30.00 month savings in other states. This is also assuming he actually gets 34MPG. This is also assuming he drives 15K a year, which if 10K or 12K, savings are negligible to void. This is also assuming electricity is 100% free, which it is not.
Yes. Perfecting the automobile experience should be the pinnacle of a brand. However there is a reason the hybrid, diesel and low powered BMWs fail in USA. It wasnât the performance, it wasnât the price, it was the lack of need and want in this segment. No German luxury brand successfully sells hybrid vehicles in the US, at least today. The last time I saw a 7 series parked in my area, it was running and waiting for the passenger.
It is impressive to see a 335HP BMW do under 5 seconds 0-60 while still getting 25+ mpg. It is not impressive to see a 300HP dodge do 0-60 in 7 seconds and get 18 mpg. Thats the German refinement and engineering that BMW owners longe for. While saving at the pump is great and an interest to many BMW owners, there is a reason why those vehicles never succeeded.
No, what that assumes is you run exclusively on gas and the 530e is at 34 mpg when they say itâs 29. I run the math for you, best case you are on an ev plan and pay 12c and savings are at ~$51/mo on half miles driven on gas/ev.
The 530e is at #4 top plug in hybrids sold for 2019 so farâŚahead of cars half its price like Prius, Clarity and Fusion E. BMW is doing just fine with the 530eâŚthe other germans simply donât have a plug, are fairly new on the market or run a compliance one.
~13kwh battery @ ~2mi/kwh (low estimate - stop and go traffic would be much higher) = 26 miles per day of gas-free driving. In CA, at ~$0.13/kw (off-peak rate), thatâs ~$1.70 per day in electricity. If you have solar or charge at work, itâs effectively free.
250 commute days a year x 26 miles per day = 6500 miles a year of gasoline-free driving at a cost of $425 (again, assuming no solar/work charging)
8500mi/yr @ 29mpg combined = $1172.41 @ $4/gal, plus $425 for electricity = $1597.41
15,000mi/yr @ 24mpg combined = $2500 @ $4/gal
$2500 - $1597.41 = $75.22/mo (or $110.63/mo with solar). $2700-$4000 over a 3yr lease.
To each their own, though. You love your 540i, thatâs great. He saw no reason to spend the extra money, thatâs also great.
Real world MPG for 530e, http://www.fuelly.com/car/bmw/530e
BMW failed with the active hybrid 5, for many reasons. They are attempting to find the market that is very slim, by boosting the battery and dropping the price. IMO, I think it will find the same fate as the 328d, active hybrid 3, 535d and active hybrid 5.