[330Lover]

Hello, first post here. My wife and I decided to order a M2. However, my sales from local dealer said they don’t take order. They will have 1 allocation this month which the Spec. is not what we want so we walked out.

I then sent out emails to only 2 other dealer. Dealer 1 got back to me said they accept MSRP and have an allocation that match my spec. The production starts on June and finish on Sept and it is 2017 model. They need $5,000 deposit, 50% non-refundable.

Dealer 2 got back to me said they accept MSRP and can take my order. It will take 4-5 months to get the car and it should be 2017 model. They also need $5,000 deposit, 100% refundable.
I think the $5k deposit is too much. Usually is $1k right? What other thing I should watch out? Any advice is welcome.

The Spec. of the car:
1). Alpine white, 2). DCT and 3). Executive package



My Current cars
01’ E46 330i
14’ Mazda 3 st
13 GLK 350

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by 330Lover

Hello, first post here. My wife and I decided to order a M2. However, my sales from local dealer said they don’t take order. They will have 1 allocation this month which the Spec. is not what we want so we walked out.

I then sent out emails to only 2 other dealer. Dealer 1 got back to me said they accept MSRP and have an allocation that match my spec. The production starts on June and finish on Sept and it is 2017 model. They need $5,000 deposit, 50% non-refundable.

Dealer 2 got back to me said they accept MSRP and can take my order. It will take 4-5 months to get the car and it should be 2017 model. They also need $5,000 deposit, 100% refundable.
I think the $5k deposit is too much. Usually is $1k right? What other thing I should watch out? Any advice is welcome.

The Spec. of the car:
1). Alpine white, 2). DCT and 3). Executive package



My Current cars
01’ E46 330i
14’ Mazda 3 st
13 GLK 350

Hello! Welcome to Bimmerpost!!

There are a lot of purchase threads, look around, there is one on prices people are paying right now.....

M2 allocations are for the most part.. hard to come by.. much more difficult than an M3 or M4.
There are MANY people on this forum that have accepted options they don't want in order to get an M2.
Some caved on color... many caved on transmission ( including my bro @FranklinJoseph ), and many have caved on an entire host of performance parts, and others have caved and paid markups..

In California.. Pricing is usually insane. Some dealers have M2 marked up as much as 40-50K.

So.. you have info on three dealers..

your local dealer will get a single allocation this month. It's certainly more than likely that the other dealers you have contacted are getting a single allocation a month (or not much more) as their allocations are not immediately available.

Clearly you did not want to compromise. so you left. Since one of the other two dealers is indicating that they have a confirmed allocation in your spec.. this is pretty much a clear buying signal.

5K is a large deposit. However, i can inform you it's exactly the amount I paid to secure my deposit for my 1M.

I am a bit concerned about the 50% non refundable.. however.. this is the car you want.. in the spec you want.. and available reasonably SOON.. compared to your other options..

Do you think you are you going to change your mind on the PERFECT spec of the car you want.. that's a limited edition model selling at Markup at many other dealers.. and you are getting it at MSRP. If so.. then walk.. however..

I highly recommend you grab a credit card, contact Dealer 1 and buy yourself a brand new BIMMER!

Ask them if there is a production number.. if they can provide one.. you are IN LIKE FLYNN bro..... Even without a production #... if they will confirm you have a June allocation you need to make a move. like.. IMMEDIATELY... with bells on..

Good Luck!

[soco352]

Agree with M3 adjuster...if this is the car you want then what's the issue with the deposit? It will just go towards your down payment.

[Mr 2]

330 lover, you could try BMW Beverly Hills. I placed an order with them back in January and should be getting the car in April. I didn't have to place a deposit at all. They just ran my credit information.

[M2 Blur]

Not sure what dealer/SA you're working with. Try Long Beach BMW. They asked for 1K down and it was refundable. The SA was A.B.

[MineralGreyMetallic]

Non refundable deposit is BS. I found various dealers around LA willing to sell at MSRP for at most $1k refundable deposit.

The dealer I have an order with didn't even ask for a deposit. His argument was that he'll have absolutely no problem selling the car if I back out, and he's right.

Shop around. Use the internet. Send emails.

[Stu Pedasho]

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

In California.. Pricing is usually insane. Some dealers have M2 marked up as much as 40-50K.

5K is a large deposit. However, i can inform you it's exactly the amount I paid to secure my deposit for my 1M.

I am a bit concerned about the 50% non refundable.

I highly recommend you grab a credit card, contact Dealer 1 and buy yourself a brand new BIMMER!

I agree .... CA market is crazy. There are cars but also a price to pay for the nice weather. There are plenty of dealers out of CA that just want your business and a refundable, $1,000 deposit for a M2 at MSRP is what they seek. All depends on whether you are willing to travel or have the car shipped.

Allocations have seemed to increase over these last few months and build dates have been pushed up a couple weeks. I was a week 20 and I am now a week 18.

Good luck!

[Chuck W.]

As usual... some pretty good advise. I do not believe that California law will allow a dealer to keep 50 % of a deposit. This may be put out there to discourage folks that are on the fence from gumming up the system with paperwork and time. I agree with M3 Adjuster, go with dealer 1. Good luck and keep us posted.

[jayg80]

I worked through Bev Hills BMW about 4 months ago and paid MSRP for the exact build I wanted. They did require a $5k deposit but it was fully refundable. I got the car 2 months later and they applied the $5k to my down payment.

Good luck.

[piesauce]

My dealer asked for a $5,000 deposit as well. I told him that I wasn't willing to pay that much for a deposit.. Basically told him how much I would be willing to pay and they didn't give me any trouble with it. Refund is 100% refundable, which I don't understand why it wouldn't be.. If a buyer backs out, even if the car is on the dealers lot, that dealer could easily sell to another potential buyer within a week if not days.

Don't let them play these games with you. Tell them how much you're willing to put down and it must be 100% refundable. If they don't agree take your business elsewhere. There are PLENTY of BMW dealerships around, within the US, that will be happy to give you what you want.

[mokrunka]

Check out Steve Thomas BMW in Camarillo. No deposit required for me, and paid MSRP for a 2017. Ordered on Dec. 31st, taking delivery tomorrow.

Talk to David A.

California market certainly has it's outliers in terms of crazy price and terms, but if you call around to 15 or 20 dealers I can almost guarantee you will find someone willing to work with you at MSRP, for no deposit, or at least a fully refundable one. ALSO, and this is important. Make sure you get everything in writing!

[littleoldman]

I spoke to a dealer in Diego yesterday - they have 2 on the lot -one is DCT the other 6spd. They will sell the DCT for MSRP...the other is $15K (obo) as manual is more in demand.

Try them - The dealer is in San Diego - found it on Cars.com

[pruettfan]

If your certain that you want the car that the deposit shouldn't be an issue. Use a credit card and if for some reason things go south in life you can always dispute the transaction. A buddy had an order with a dealer that said the deposit was not refundable, he found a car that was available so he cancelled the order and they gave him his deposit back because they understood they cannot just take money for nothing and they wouldn't be able to beat a dispute with AMEX on that basis. There are cars out there but none are going to be convenient. I wouldn't go with any dealer that doesn't have a car or allocation already because allocations continue to drip slowly out of BMW.

[ddk632]

I would go with Dealer 2, because you can order to spec (this is how I read the OP at least) and because, out of principle, I would not want to deal with any dealer that asks for a deposit that is in any way (fully or partially) non-refundable.

First off, I'm no lawyer, but it appears that according to California Vehicle Code, Section 11736, both a $5000 deposit for this car (exceeds 2.5% of M2 selling price), as well as a non-refundable deposit, are actually illegal in California.

That being said, let's say the legality isn't a question.

I would be concerned about dealing with Dealer 1 because they seem shady already, so who knows what else they may be shady with. Any deposit should be refundable. Period.

I had a deposit for an i8 well before they were available (and were being sold for well above MSRP at the time), and it was $1k and refundable. Deposit should never be non-refundable. That's total BS.

Another practical reason for not dealing with Dealer 1:
What if the car is significantly damaged in transport or at the port and you would rather not accept the order and get a new car? Will they give you back the 50% of the deposit then? Or a perfectly to-spec car becomes available sooner elsewhere and you decide to switch? Etc.

(Sure you can get some waiver for not taking a damaged car in writing, but it becomes a hassle - because who can predict all the reasons you might need a refund.)

I would not deal with any dealer who asks for a partially non-refundable deposit simply out of principle, just my $0.02.