I am about 6 months from turning in my current lease (non BMW), and have seen what appear to be aggressive deals on 2019 M550i’s. I am torn on whether to try and make a deal now for a 19, or hope to pull off a decent deal for a 20 in Feb/Mar (the 20 adds almost 50hp).
If anyone has an idea of what kind of environment I could expect to see in Feb/Mar for a 2020 I would love to hear it.
To that end, I am hoping someone can provide the following info:
2019 BMW m550i (36mos/15k yr)
MF
Residual
Lease credits/incentives
If available at this point (it seems that all 2020 models are still in route)
2020 BMW m550i (36mos/15k yr)
You can get current lease information from the Edmunds BMW 5 Series forums. Just ask the mods there. Nobody knows what conditions will exist next year.
I just went through this ordeal myself with much of the same thought process. Started with a local dealer in Columbus, OH. Their opening offer was insulting and I didn’t counter. Then started a discussion with a dealer in Dayton by telling them I was targeting 15% before incentives, for all of the reasons you mention (new model with more HP around the corner, etc.). That discussion stalled at 5% before incentives. Then found a dealer in Cleveland with 3 550s on the lot. Thought I was going to snag a $86K MSRP for around 7% but the car sold. Doubled back to the dealer in Dayton and found that that car sold, too. Started looking out of state and quickly realized that the time I was putting in to this was eating in to the $400/hr I charge as a lawyer. I finally ended up where I started with the original dealer in Columbus. I took delivery on 8/7/19 with no regrets. Close to 7% off before incentives. You’ll see my numbers posted on the recent deals.
I’ve seen several posts recommending holding out for 10-15% off before incentives. I’m skeptical of anyone who claims to have actually closed a deal on those terms. Perhaps I am just in a different market or lack negotiation skills. If there are still 2019s on the lot by the end of the year, I’m sure you can do better than I did.
I’m still facing the 2019 vs 2020 dilema with the Porsche 911. A local dealer offered a decent deal on a 991.2 spec’d to my liking. The 992 is a bigger evolution of the 911 than the engine upgrade in the 550, so I’m going to wait for the 992. I’ll drive the 550 in the meantime and hand it off to my girlfriend when I finally pull the trigger on the Porsche. Then all will be right in the universe.
As others have reminded me, if you delay a car purchase in the belief that the next model will be better, you might find yourself waiting a long time. At the end of the day, the M550 is a compromise vehicle. Its straight-line fast but will never handle like a true sports car. I’m not sure there is any measurable or meaningful difference between 460 and 520 hp in a sedan for daily driving. If you get a 2019 and end up with buyer’s remorse, slap a Dinan tune in it.
depends on how you drive, where you drive, etc. etc. I can tell the difference between a 400 and 500 hp car when you pull on the highway and from a low speed (35-45)
But yeah for the most part M5, e63 Amg, charger Hellcat, S6, Rs7, etc. etc. they are all 4 door cars which have great handling and power for the street. To put it in perspective my lightly modded hc can walk stock lambos and ferraris from a roll, on drag radials on a prepped surface I’m sure it can pretty much compete with these awd monsters but if you want a great handling car a 911/ corvette is the way to go.
@cgates27 where are you based? I did a lot of searches for an m550i nationwide recently, and ended up buying locally in WA state. I got 10% before incentives, so its definitely realistic. Depending on where you are I might be able to point you to some dealerships to try. Also the point @mawhitt01 makes is a good one, you should factor in the cost of the hours you will end up putting in to get a strong deal, I would say I easily spent 20+ hours searching dealers before landing a good deal.
10% strikes me as pretty solid. Good work. I spent at least that much time on my so-so deal. Had I gotten the same discount as you, I would have saved about $2900, but again, that time has to come from somewhere. Its very easy to get caught up on these boards and spend inordinate amounts of time trying to put together a deal for bragging rights instead of what makes economic sense. In hindsight I’m glad I ended up back at my local dealer. A relationship and someone to complain to has value, too.
At the end of the day, we all lose and the dealers win – just like in Vegas. There are things we can do to improve our odds, but in the end its all about the experience, not how much we won or lost.
Hey nothing wrong w being a Vegas loser buddy. Find a hacker who’s bragging about his 430 gc lease for 330 a month a damnt you smoke him off the line at a red light. Will teach them to a lesson
just pray its not an m3/m4 cs unicorn at the light.
but yeah most people on here chase deals instead of going after packages and colors they want, it’s sport for a lot of people, for me I prefer a mix of both, a good deal with the stuff I want is worth more to me than a unicorn with nothing I want.
According to 0 to 60 times Bmw m550 beats. M3 competition. 4.0 for m3 and 3.9 for m550. So telll the m3 hack to kiss ur tailpipe by .1 second. Even better light a Benjamin on fire and throw it at them…yeah we Vegas losers burn Benjamin’s …ok we don’t really burn Benjamin’s…we just got raped by the dealer. Maybe we’ll throw a burning dollar bill
You’re spot on. Not only do local markets differ but something people fail to account for is their opportunity cost to try and squeeze out a few more percentage points also differs.
Most important is you’re satisfied with the deal you landed. I hear a lot of folks here saying hold out for a better deal, or keep negotiating until you get XX% off. At some point the ROI turns negative for some a lot quicker than others.
Congrats and go enjoy that beast of a car you got!
.1 seconds = 1 car length, but yeah my favorite saying is 4 doors more wh*res, and with the m3’s backseats you may as well not even have 2 rear doors, the m550 is a better dd and can fit adults passengers in the rear.
it’s not bad for kids and below average sized adults, very uncomfortable if everybody in the backseat is 5’10 or taller. I would have jumped at an m3 cs if the backseats were manageable for people above 6 feet. unfortunately the m5 cost a f*ck ton and it’s double almost 2.5x what I pay for the charger hc. 3 series for me is the go to car for young couples even with a kid, unfortunately I have no kids and most of my friends are 5’10 or taller.
Do you have the performance exhaust on the m340, they should wicked loud with nice pops
I do not. My plan is two years w the m340 and then jump to a m3 if the demand has died down or look at the x3 m. As I said before…you get addicted to the power and want more
should be a mid cycle refresh around that time, and you don’t have to tell me about power. I started at 707 horsepower, then drag radials, then intake, tune, pulley, and now im about 850ish at the crank, which is pretty much the most I can do without starting to get into the tranny and start breaking stuff/hassling myself, already put a stronger drive shaft on it so it’s good for 1k horsepower but I’m content for now.
…ok we don’t really burn Benjamin’s…we just got raped by the dealer. Maybe we’ll throw a burning dollar bill 
