Not really, considering this is an undesirable stripper with almost no options.
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You think he can do better than 12% off before incentives and buy rate on a new 2021 330i in the beginning of the month and quarter? I don’t think so man.
I agree, the $483/month payment is high for a base 330i, but that’s partly because he has no loyalty or any other incentives to stack. With loyalty, Penfed, and an OL code, this would be a low-$400’s payment, which is perfectly in line with other well-negotiated 2021 330i leases, even base ones. Also, for you and I, this may be an “undesirable stripper,” but for OP, it may be the precise build he’s looking for.
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how about “too lightly optioned”? lol
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I also think we’re so used to seeing loaner 330i deals that, when we see a new one, sometimes the price can be kind of… surprising.
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LOL that’s much better! I agree though, it is too lightly optioned for my taste.
Yup, exactly. We’re also used to seeing a bunch of incentives stacked and 7x MSDs. If that was the case with this car, it would be sub-$400.
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If a base 3-series is all one can afford, don’t get a 3-series.
That’s quite condescending. In this case it isn’t what I can afford, but what I’m stuck with to get the color (sunset). This deal beat the broker I contacted substantially. I understand that once I have loyalty, the next lease will be better. If the deal is structured poorly, I’ll take that advice, but why attack anyone for the choice of car?
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People often get very focused on the badge and lose sight of the forest through the trees. Call it “too lightly optioned” or an “undesirable stripper”, what @max_g is saying in not the most eloquent way is that this is a very poor value because of how little you actually get, even if it is about the best price you’re going to get.
Wow. I was not expecting that kind of condescending response from you - a “Trusted” Hackr. No one is forcing OP to get this car. He likes it, he did his research, and he did pretty damn well for a first time lessee. How about we encourage him and give him some constructive criticism rather than judge his purchase decision just because you don’t like it.
OP - hope you get the car and enjoy it.
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Thank you. For me, the badge means little. Totaled current car, like orange, enjoy driving the 3. Don’t need many bells whistles because my last car was 10 years old. I don’t feel assuming another poster is poor is adding anything to the conversation. Is the deal bad, or should I be getting a better car are different things.
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I don’t think the deal’s bad, discounted m.f., 12%. Although a “desirable stripper” is preferred if you know what I mean. Good luck OP, I probably said too much already!
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Good job on working it yourself! If you like it, get it. Just know that this is not the best deal out there.
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Have you considered a lease transfer? Take advantage of a deal someone got and then pickup a new one down the road with more incentives.
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All JMO but… I grew up w/ and driving German luxury cars (although compact to mid-sized ones). I remember a time when German luxury cars didn’t have “tech” (or really any options to speak of) and that it didn’t matter b/c the build quality and driving dynamics (all of which came standard, even on “stripped” models) ran circles around what you could get from, well, any non-German cars.
Times have obviously changed, but my last car was a base 2012 MB C250. The car before that was an almost fully loaded 2003 Accord V6 (missing just nav). Can’t say that I enjoyed that fully loaded Accord any more than a base C. I have a Golf now, and it has even fewer bells and whistles in most ways than my C. But as the baseline for standard equipment goes up, my Golf is decently equipped and having options matters even less to me.
I don’t miss my C much at all… except for the RWD dynamics (esp after I finally got a set of decent tires for the C). An understeering RWD car still understeers way less than a standard FWD car. And, yes, you can absolutely feel it in everyday driving (and I am not an aggressive driver). So, for my next car, I’m going to see what relatively affordable RWD cars are out there.
People value different things in car. A base BMW and C-Class would be just fine for me, I I imagine. And it’s not about chasing a badge (although the badge certainly doesn’t hurt b/c I think the VW service station takes my concerns about the car way less seriously than did the MB people… Of course, the VW also charge much less $$$). I had a loaner BMW 3-series from 2 generations ago for a few days. Had the sports package, and the highway ride was completely unacceptable, IMHO. Base model had a way better ride/handling balance. Don’t recall if it was in that generation or not, but BMW sport steering wheels also started to get comically thick, at one point.
YMMV.
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You would NEVER pay $480 for a base 3-series. So encouraging someone else to take a deal that you wouldn’t is BS. That is not constructive at all.
I honestly couldn’t care if it was 22% off. We don’t pay with imaginary “% off” certificates. We pay with dollars. ~$17,000 will leave the OP’s bank account for the term, not including lease-end charges, and that is absolute garbage for a base 3-series.
We don’t just judge deals based on % off. Look at the rest of it. The RV sucks, hardly any incentives, and MF is meh. Not a good recipe for a good deal at all… and the OP has no levers to pull to make it any better.
So yeah “move on to something else” is the most honest, constructive advice I can offer the OP.
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If your last car was an E90, then ironically it has nothing in common with the current 3 except the badge. And that’s not to knock the current 3 but the way BMW offers its cars has changed dramatically since then. E90 and prior 3 series actually offered a pure sport sedan experience in the base model as long as you checked ZSP (sport package) on the base RWD model. That got you sport seats, etc and crucially got you the sport suspension. You can’t do that any more. Now for the sportiest handing you need dynamic this and dynamic that which btw also require other packages as prerequisites.
I’m not even talking about engine size and 0-60 but the things that separate a sport sedan from a sedan that happens to be quick in a straight line (which are all commodities now including the 330i and all its competitors… they all have the same recipe of a 2.0L 4-cylinder mated to an automatic, either RWD or AWD, similar quickness and grip, etc etc). No more silky smooth I6 or manual either.
So the days of a low-optioned 3 offering something unique are long gone and if you are just getting a commodity experience, why pay more?
I think the best move (financially) for OP here was to takeover someone’s lease who had loyalty and a combo of incentives added to the deal like penfed/OL. Even with MSDs out of pocket, could’ve prob scored a much better equipped car (even if short term) and then utilize the loyalty and his own rebates on his next.
The question he asked was if 12% off and base MF was a good deal and on the surface it is. He wasn’t getting taken by a dealer. The deal is just shit as he didn’t qualify for any other incentives.
@paranoidgarliclover i totally agree with you with the German cars in the past, especially MB. They were “stripped” but no way any Honda / Toyota or any non German could compare to the drive. They’ve closed that gap tho…
OP, one last point, always look at loaners at well . Substantial savings over a new vehicle. Nothing wrong with a loaner either if you find the color/specs you’re looking for.
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That’s a much better (and more relevant) response than “If a base 3-series is all one can afford, don’t get a 3-series.”
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