There has been a lot of comments on manual transmissions disappearing in favor of automatics, but my gripe is that all I see on my dealer's lots are xdrive models. I don't need 4 wheel drive, don't want to pay for the extra gas that they use, and certainly don't need the added traction it provides in bad weather. I understand why some might want these things, but why is it that when I search dealer inventory for an sdrive X1, I can't even find 1 in the state of Connecticut or in Western Massachusetts? Seems like the only way to get one would be to order one. The same holds true for 3 series cars all are xdrive except for the convertibles, which are 2 WD only. Does this make logical sense to anyone? Am I the only one left who wants 2 wheel drive, and good old rear wheel drive?
Only in a nation that demands a 4WD pimped Chevy Suburban (I.e. Cadillac Escalade) for the weekly grocery / mall run in Atlanta, Houston and LA would it be possible to sell all-wheel drive to every Tom, Dick and Harriet. I'm with you on this one..................
Really my dealership always has a selection of rear wheel drives on hand. Not so much with the sdrive X1 since most people don't want a X1 without xdrive. If you are interested in finding a non xdrive have your dealer do a trader with another dealer that has what you want. Next you will see a M car with xdrive oh wait X5M, X6M haha.
Hard to do a trade with another dealer when everyone in the northeast seems to be xdrive. Guess I'll be forced to order one; something I wasn't looking to do again.
Dealers tend to respond to customer demand. Unfortunately, some of us have uncommon requirements. Party A had to order her 2007 335i because in 2006, there was not a single 2006 330i available to her specifications: white six-speed manual, brown interior. And it was too late to order a 2006, so she had to order a 2007. And that meant she could no longer get a 330i, so she now has that #$%! four-door that blows the doors off my M roadster. Life is not fair.
Satch - My sympathies are with you and having a slower car than party A. I can understand the issue of what colors are in stock, based on preference and orders; my local dealer has a Marakesh Brown X1 sitting on the showroom floor that could be best described as a color that is often found in.... (You can fill in your own description). If this is the only one that is sold during the year, it would not surprise me. On the other hand, this logic also turns into something that is self fulfilling. No sDrive models because the only thing that comes through the door is xDrive. Many will buy into the 4 wheel drive myth because I live in snow country.... The same logic seems to dictate why a size able majority of the cars are black also, and why they all have automatics instead of manuals. I'm sure we all sense a pattern here. This would be somewhat liveable if the process of ordering a car was a little les painful. The delay in getting an ordered car is often longer than I want to put up with, and negates the incentives for a dealer to make an attractive deal. I can be flexible on things like color within reason, but I really don't want to pay more for 4 wheel drive, and then have to buy more fuel to boot, only to never see any benefit from the purchase. How's that for a rant.
All of the dealers around me have xDrive 328i automatics without iDrive with black leather interiors. For whatever reason, most people in northern states just don't want to deal with changing tires in the winter. And black interiors supposedly require less maintenance. This despite the fact that AWD doesn't really help you stop or turn on snow/ice. But alas, thats what the people want.
The problem is that we Yanks are spoiled, in a way; our culture teaches us to go buy something RIGHT NOW. Europeans expect to order their cars and wait for them to be created. But an American dealer who followed that model would starve.
In today's world, dealer inventory is really a regional issue and the dealership's that are willing to sell between dealers. You say what you're interested in and the salesman locates it from regional stock. From that perspective, your selection is broad as long as the selection suits your tastes. If you want a stick, you'll have to pay between invoice and MSRP...........you'll get a better finance or lease deal on an auto with the typical convenience package.
