[why is that or will this happen in the near future Either way I am gonna get the 135i in fall of 2009 in with the euro delivery.
This doesn't make sense especially since this sucker (135i) costs $40k ++ ...of all the folks out there, you want the 1 series enthusiasts in the club, not to mention this may be the first Bimmer for many of them. CCA staff .... what's up?
No BMWNA Loyalty Recognition for 1er buyers!?!?! I am horribly disappointed in BMWNA. For the record, the sticker on my 135i Coupe sitting on the dock at Bremmerhaven is $47,145 and it will be my ninth BMW. If the 135i is the "heir apparent to the 2002", then I'm at BMW royalty by association. My first BMW was a new 1970 Colorado 2002 which was a blast to drive as long as the thermostat didn't freeze and warp the head! After a string of Porsches I came back to the brand with my '94 325iS and then a '97 M3, '98 MZ3, '98 M3, '01 M3, '04 Z4 3.0i, '05 M3 and my BMWCCA membership goes back to 1994. And I don't qualify for at least a $500 rebate from BMWNA? Outrageous! Whose behind do we need to kiss to get some recognition for buying over $400,000 of their very expensive toys anyway? Bimmernet 118084
I think that this is complete B.S.!!!!!!!!! Every BMW (including a 1995 318ti) that a member of my family has purchased has included the rebate check. Its kind of funny too, in that BMW is marketing the 1 series to enthusiasts (such as those of us in BMWCCA), but does not "reward" us for buying one. We just got a 135i and have a 128i due to arrive any day and were counting on the rebate check.
WOW, its like BMW doesn't really want me to buy one of these. I've had 8 BMW's and never bought one from a dealer new, this was going to be a special car that I would actually purchase/lease new. For months I was excited about the "$32k" 135 only to find out I couldn't touch one for within $5k of that price, due in part to the weak dollar but also due to impending demand I suspect. The loss of the loyalty reward program on the car is a reall kick in the nutz. I could buy/lease a cheaper car such as a 328i and get it but I'll get nothing on the 1 series, nice!
I pick up my 135i next week. This is too bad. First, no Euro delivery, now no rebate. 25 year member, always a BMW in the garage since '83!
Let's do more... ...than gripe to each other! I wrote an email to Customer Service at BMWNA at the following link which is not easy to find: https://www.bmwusa.com/Secured/Content/Forms/ContactUsPS.aspx I told them my purchasing and loyalty history and haven't heard back (big surprise) but if enough of us "enthusiasts" write them with our CCA number present to validate us walking breathing fools that buy their flippin' cars they, might give us a break in their own best interest. I hope no one here believes what I read on www.1addicts.com, "I guess this shows they really are making a very small profit on each 1 Series." And I suppose the really high priced X6 is another example of BMW's not making enough money to keep the lights on. Ha! They're not paying rewards on that schizophrenic SUV cum hot rod either because they aren't profitable enough? I'm definitely not believing that for a minute. The new Audi A4 and A5 are great cars and the new C Class is the most BMW-like car MB has ever produced. We need to send a message that lets them know we have alternatives. Read the "Winding Road" story on the G37 vs. the 135 or the "Motor Trend" story where the G37 topped the 335i Coupe on the road and the track! Come on my brothers, let them know how you, the true believers, feel about their stingy disregard for their most loyal customers. Propeller heads unite, we're mad as hell and we not going to take it any more! Bimmernet
The base 135i sells for over 32,000 EUR before taxes in Germany (with less standard equipment), this would be the equivalent of over $51,000 dollars here at today's exchange rate. How much more of a 'bargin' do you expect BMW NA to provide?
If selling price is the issue why are rebates being given on CPO models selling for considerably less than the 1 series.....
Check out other German makes/models... Yeah, the conversion rate on the Euro/US$ exchange is horrible but it's across the board, not just on the 135i. Check other models (and other German Manufacturers) and you'll see all the German domestic model prices are sky high. If it was just a matter of margin then why don't they pay a reward on the new X6? It's made in South Carolina giving them the benefit of the exchange and it's very pricey (about $5K more than comparable X5 one of their most profitable vehicles). I think it's more of a case that it's new and high demand so they'll buy it regardless...and they are right but it's making me question my future plans. The BMWCCA reward, I thought, is for supporting the Club which in turn supports BMW. People join and stay in the Club and buy nicely equipped performance models with pricey options which are very high margin items. From what I can see Porsche is the another brand that adds significant margin to it's cars by offering an extensive Option List. BMW is no slacker in this area though. Example: Comfort Access on a 3 Series is pricey at $500 but on a X6 (5 Series, X5 and 6 Series) it's $1K. Does that seem like a big hike with plenty of margin built in? Yes, but no rebate on the X6 either. Is the 135i a bargain compared to a M3? Yes, no question, but is it a bargain unto itself? IMHO, no! But that's not stopping me, I'm waiting for my fully option 135i to arrive from Germany about 5/4/08. I just wish BMW thought as much of a 9 time BMW buyer on a 135i that joined the Club in 1994 as they do a one year member getting a 328i. After all the time and money, I believe what I'm wanting is a Buyer Loyalty program instead of a Cub reward. Heck, if I buy four Cheese steaks, I get the fourth one free and they don't check to see how long I've been patronizing their establishment or if I got the Chicken or the Sirloin sandwiches. Maybe we should have a sliding scale for total dollars spent and membership years to figure the reward. What do you think of that my fellow members? BTW: Just curious, if you believe it's a killer bargain are you getting one?
While I appreciate the fierce loyalty exhibited by repeated ownership of BMWs, as well as long-term membership in BMW CCA, the sense of entitlement expressed in this thread is a bit unnerving. The rebate program provides a benefit for Club members that no one else gets. Most, if not all, of BMW's corporate programs have been discontinued and yet the BMW CCA owner loyalty rebate lives on. Does it make sense that it's not offered on the 1 Series? No, but that doesn't mean it should create animosity between 1-Series buyers and BMW NA. The program is a gift and a benefit. Enough complaining about not receiving a gift and I suspect BMW NA will have cause to rethink why they offer the program at all. The easiest thing for them to do would be to simply discontinue the entire program, especially if it results in negative goodwill. If you feel compelled to write BMW NA about the lack of rebate on the 1 Series, why not at least try to adopt a reasonable attitude and thank them for their past rebates in support of BMW CCA and ask them, nicely, to explain their reasons for not offering one now? That would at least leave open the option for BMW to consider 1-Series Club-member owners as reasonable people and perhaps rethink their decision. You are reasonable people, aren't you?
If there's any question about what a 1 Series costs BMW, factor in the bucket-loads of money they're spending-both traditional and on-line-to promote a model "meant to appeal to a younger, somewhat less well-heeled driver than the current BMW model lineup". I hope this link works. If not, registration is free: NY Times: BMW Turns to the Web for Its 1-Series Here's a taste: It would appear your rebate dollars are being spent entertaining Facebook members.
For the price of a fully equipped 135i 6-speed around $42,000-$48,000, I would rather get a 2001-2002 E39 M5 and whatever left over get a E36 M3.......or better yet the real M3, the E30 M3.......
God bless them that have to be the early adopters and will only buy new. The rest of us appreciate the depreciation of your assets! No, really!!
When I first heard of the 1 series back in 2003, I knew it would take a good 5 years for it to come on our shores. I assumed prices would be a bit higher than the E36 318ti was when new. Funny how the commercials say that "coupes start at $29,xxx". I still can't believe that a 1 series could be more expensive than a E90. Don't get me wrong, the 128i and 135i are wonderful cars and I wouldn't mind owning one, but for $40k+, hello E39 M5 and another toy!
Well that makes me feel a lot better. Firstly, thank you for supporting my point by providing evidence that BMW has plenty of cash to support the 1 Series. Sorry though I don't see why trying to convince "less well heeled" young "Facebook readers" to buy BMW's when they probably want Subaru's and Mitsubishi's or even Priuses rather than BMW's. I know because I'm sending one of them to college in her Scion. Splitting the difference of the estimated $20 million, BMW is throwing $2K at each of the 10,000 1 Series they're bringing in this year instead of giving me, and let's be really generous here and say 1,000 of my fellow CCA members a $500 reward for being loyal brand followers. Seems to me you could be a little more supportive of the suckers, I mean "early adopters" like me losing our assetts providing you great deals on well cared for, performance optioned BMW's for fellow club members like you to pick-up when our leases mature. And you asked rhetorically if I'm "reasonable people"? Well I think so but my wife will not be when she finds out that even 1 year members buying used cars are more valued by BMWNA. I was using the (hoped for) $500 as an incentive to elicit her indulgence of my 1 Series transaction. I can easily predict it will now be a point of contention. Sorry if I sound a little bitter but I'm a little bitter.
I'm not unsupportive. I simply offered BMW's marketing strategy (and the quotes were the NY Times', not mine or BMW NA's) to show where they thought their marketing money was being well-spent. My point was any money BMW offers as a rebate to BMW CCA members is money you did nothing to earn. If $500 is the difference between your buying a $30k BMW or some other brand, then they're not rewarding loyalty by giving it in the first place. What I'm saying is that reasonable people understand the member loyalty rebate for what it is--a bonus and a gift. For the prospective 1-series owner to "screw the pooch" for other members because they approach BMW as if this were an entitlement just makes the point to BMW NA that there is no goodwill to be gained by such a program on any model, that their dollars really are better spent elsewhere, and that it might be time to rethink the entire program. I simply ask that those bitter about the perceived slight should temper their attitude and not take BMW NA to task if they choose to write in about the issue, but instead thank BMW for the program, mention how you've used it to make your purchase decision in the past, and tell them you're possibly putting a purchase on hold until they reconsider supporting BMW CCA 1-Series prospects by including them in the program. Remember, BMW CCA is not BMW NA. We're not related. We're not joined at the hip. If they choose to support BMW CCA members in the purchase of a BMW it's because they've made the determination that it makes sense in their marketing and they've weighed to pros and cons. Don't give them more ammunition for the negative side of that ledger, add to the positive. And I have two daughters in college with no cars. They have a ten-year-old 318ti with 180k on it to drive when they're home, but no car at school. My soon-to-be high-schooler at home will have that same car to learn on. Daughter #2 has always desired a Mini. I've told her that an eight-year-old one might be affordable for her after graduation, if she just forgets health insurance, food costs, fuel cost, or rent. She, unlike BMW NA, loves the idea of a hatchback. Now there's a potential buyer who could use a $500 rebate, but the CPO program, and so the BMW CCA rebate on used BMWs, only covers BMWs up to six-years-old and Minis don't get BMW CCA members a rebate at all. Should I complain about that?
Not only that. If you're spending that much money on a car, would $500 really be something you'd put off purchasing a car on? I think not. It's like complaining at the store that a coupon you've got for 40 cents can't be used on an item. 40 cents / $500 (on a car) is not going to harm anybody. If you factor in the extra monthly payment to make up for the $500, you'll find it's chump change when you divide it up into all the months you'll be paying for the car.
