[js39]

Originally Posted by m01lim

I sat down with our MB dealer today and completely specced out an A250 Sport AMG:

A250 Sport AMG
- Vision Package
- AMG Exclusive Package
- Driver Assistance Package
- Command Package

All up it came to $64,000 Drive Away. The packages represent fantastic value compared to the 'tick every option' approach on the BMW 125is and the car is completely loaded with features far in excess of even a 70K 125i. I signed on the dotted line and got the vehicle for $62,500. I'm expecting delivery in early March. I'll drive the vehicle well before then I'm sure, and if it's not what I want, I doubt I'll have trouble getting the car allocated to someone else.

I didn't push further with the BMW, because all up the car I wanted was coming in at around 73K. This was less fully featured than the A250, and I doubt they were going to knock 7k off the price. I still love the vehicle, the Estoril Blue with the M-Pack looks brilliant, and the drive is lovely. If the A doesn't work out I'll revisit the 1-series. Hopefully by then BMW sorts themselves out and come back down to earth with the pricing and equipment. Right now they are just gouging.

Very attractive price for the top spec A-250 AMG. Though I still love the 125i M Sport more, I really hope that the re-sale value of the 125i won't be affected too much by the A-Class.

Very keen to take a look at the A-Class in real life, did they already have a demo at the dealership when you visited?

Cheers,

Jeff

[OzBMW84]

I can't help but think BMW will be forced to respond to the A either by loading the cars with more equipment at no extra charge or giving heavy discounts at the dealership. Either way, people who have paid close to full retail will be affected.

The A is not in dealerships yet, but they are hoping to get some out to show people maybe next month. If you're in Sydney, go check it out at the motor show.

[AusF20/F48]

It is hard to qualify the resale value of the F20 at present.

If it proves to be reliable it should hold its resale as it will appeal to Rear wheel drivers
(125i and 135i will be the sort after models) 118i will not be sold in Aus next year so it may fall to 116i price.

Unfortunately, these days all cars depreciate to around 50% by their third birthday and now have to compete with new models offering new technology. with longer warrantees being offered on new, Second hand cars past their warrantee are very cheap now.

Merc will be pushing the A Class to be its volume seller, so in theory it will depreciate more once the model has been out for more than a full year.

This allows for initial demand to catch up with supply.

The current depreciation on a 1 year old C Class is around 32% EG: 2012 new $76,000 Resell $47,000 and on 3YO 62% (red book). This mainly due to the volume of C class available in the second hand market.

Trade value as it is real value of the car to the industry.

[OzBMW84]

Originally Posted by AusF20

It is hard to qualify the resale value of the F20 at present.

If it proves to be reliable it should hold its resale as it will appeal to Rear wheel drivers
(125i and 135i will be the sort after models) 118i will not be sold in Aus next year so it may fall to 116i price.

Unfortunately, these days all cars depreciate to around 50% by their third birthday and now have to compete with new models offering new technology. with longer warrantees being offered on new, Second hand cars past their warrantee are very cheap now.

Merc will be pushing the A Class to be its volume seller, so in theory it will depreciate more once the model has been out for more than a full year.

This allows for initial demand to catch up with supply.

The current depreciation on a 1 year old C Class is around 32% EG: 2012 new $76,000 Resell $47,000 and on 3YO 62% (red book). This mainly due to the volume of C class available in the second hand market.

Trade value as it is real value of the car to the industry.

Retained values are not what they used to be, I wholeheartedly agree. When MB, BMW and AUDI are willing to slash 5-10k of RRP on models once sales slow, early buyers will bare the brunt. That said I am yet to find a 1 year old C for $47,000. The coupes are holding on to their values particularly well.

I hope the 125i's and 135i's do retain their value well because of their appeal to 'enthusiasts'.

[amberzombie]

Originally Posted by AusF20

118i will not be sold in Aus next year so it may fall to 116i price.

Where did you read that??

[AusF20/F48]

Originally Posted by amberzombie

Where did you read that??

Informed by a BMW sales manager a few weeks back
He was referring to the Australian market.
He also said the same about the 118d. It may also be dropped due to poor take up, as those who want low consumption are buying the 116d and those who want a performance diesel are buying the 120d

[AusF20/F48]

Originally Posted by m01lim

That said I am yet to find a 1 year old C for $47,000. The coupes are holding on to their values particularly well.

I hope the 125i's and 135i's do retain their value well because of their appeal to 'enthusiasts'.

Brisbane motor autions last month sold several
Black 2011 C 200 26Kkm on the clock with 18 AMG wheels for $45,800
The reason I was there was that I went along with a friend. He bought a May 2011 E350 coupe for $71,000. It had 32Kkm on the clock.

It appears that the more expensive the car was the bigger the hit. Most of the Uber luxury cars like S Class and the like didn't get a bid that day or where passed in because of low bids

[js39]

Originally Posted by AusF20

He also said the same about the 118d. It may also be dropped due to poor take up, as those who want low consumption are buying the 116d and those who want a performance diesel are buying the 120d

You said 118i in your previous post..

This makes sense now

[amberzombie]

Originally Posted by AusF20

Informed by a BMW sales manager a few weeks back
He was referring to the Australian market.
He also said the same about the 118d. It may also be dropped due to poor take up, as those who want low consumption are buying the 116d and those who want a performance diesel are buying the 120d

Hmm that's strange because the sales manager at BMW Sydney (which is owned by BMW and not a franchise) told me that 118i's have been literally walking themselves out the door in the past couple of months.

Not sure if he said that just to convince me into getting one or not...

I'm glad I got an ex-demo then... At least I won't get hit by the huge depreciation should they really discontinue it

[AusF20/F48]

I spoke to the BMW sales manager whilst there last Friday
To clarify;
BMW Aust is considering 'not stocking' the 118i or 118d urban and sport models as they have been slower to move against the 116i and 116d (eco minded) and the 120d and 125i (preformance minded). The exception could be 118i M Sport at a price point.

When I first placed my order for the 125i M Sport, I was told, and shown the BMW list. The 125i M Sport was the only 125i model available.
No problem, that is what I wanted.
You can now have the 125i in Sport or M Sport. (this creates price points)

When the F20 first came out here, the 118 was the performance version, unfortunately now, there are two engines versions above it for those who want more get up and go, so their sales volumes have been effected.

This does not mean that a 118i or 118d cannot be ordered or if a dealer wished they can order and stock them.
BMW is still making them.

The Dealers get better pricing and rebates on preferred 'Stock' from BMW Aust, so it is unlikely they will stock the 118 unless they have demand for them.

As most dealers want to maximise their profits, they will push whatever model makes them a profit.

Who knows what will happen in the next 12 months when some serious competition arrives (A Class,--- AMG) (Audi 1S) etc etc

[clfive02]

Originally Posted by AusF20

I spoke to the BMW sales manager whilst there last Friday
To clarify;
BMW Aust is considering 'not stocking' the 118i or 118d urban and sport models as they have been slower to move against the 116i and 116d (eco minded) and the 120d and 125i (preformance minded). The exception could be 118i M Sport at a price point.

When I first placed my order for the 125i M Sport, I was told, and shown the BMW list. The 125i M Sport was the only 125i model available.
No problem, that is what I wanted.
You can now have the 125i in Sport or M Sport. (this creates price points)

When the F20 first came out here, the 118 was the performance version, unfortunately now, there are two engines versions above it for those who want more get up and go, so their sales volumes have been effected.

This does not mean that a 118i or 118d cannot be ordered or if a dealer wished they can order and stock them.
BMW is still making them.

The Dealers get better pricing and rebates on preferred 'Stock' from BMW Aust, so it is unlikely they will stock the 118 unless they have demand for them.

As most dealers want to maximise their profits, they will push whatever model makes them a profit.

Who knows what will happen in the next 12 months when some serious competition arrives (A Class,--- AMG) (Audi 1S) etc etc

But the 116d and 120d aren't even offered here so the argument seems flawed? Anyway, the 118i/118d fills a nice gap between 116i and 125i so I think it's presence is required.

[AusF20/F48]

Originally Posted by clfive02

But the 116d and 120d aren't even offered here so the argument seems flawed? Anyway, the 118i/118d fills a nice gap between 116i and 125i so I think it's presence is required.

It must be just your dealer. I see plenty of them advertised on carsales, Drive etc in Vic

Don't shoot the messanger
I only passed on what I heard.
I wish I had kept it to myself

To reiterate

It is the dealer's choice as to what he/she orders and stocks.

They will stock or push the models / variants that gives them the best profit.

It is just a numbers game for BMW, not who likes what.

BMW want you to order a vehicle and add extras or take a fast moving model

They provide demos and basic cars as dealer stock for those of us who want to deal and buy.

Mostly these cars come from a quota system (certain models at a price point) (its a bit like bulk buying) to allow the Dealer to play with the price when needed whilst still having a profit margin.

The four dealer up here in Brisbane all have the full range of 1er available to order.

For the past six months, I have only seen 116i Urban / Sport / M Sport, 118i Urban, Sport and M Sport, 116d and 120d as floor stock.

Back in May I drove the very first 125i M Sport (white) with the same specs as the ones you see on Carsales etc.

It was a BMW car used by all of them as the demo car.
It was sold that following week.
I have only seen one on a showroom floor since then, and it had a 'SOLD' sticker on it

I wish we had dealers like they do in the USA (CA , TX, NY etc)
Dealers who stock hundreds, if not thousands of new cars so that you can just walk in, look, discuss price, buy, have extras like wheels etc done the same day and sometimes drive away the same day.

[amberzombie]

Originally Posted by AusF20

I wish we had dealers like they do in the USA (CA , TX, NY etc)
Dealers who stock hundreds, if not thousands of new cars so that you can just walk in, look, discuss price, buy, have extras like wheels etc done the same day and sometimes drive away the same day.

I wish that too... with US prices to boot!

I guess it make sense to leave the 118i as "on an order basis" only, but not discontinue it altogether.

Reason being the 116i does come with a lot less standard equipment, and there would be a huge price gap to get into a 125i.

[clfive02]

Originally Posted by AusF20

It must be just your dealer. I see plenty of them advertised on carsales, Drive etc in Vic

Don't shoot the messanger
I only passed on what I heard.
I wish I had kept it to myself

To reiterate

It is the dealer's choice as to what he/she orders and stocks.

They will stock or push the models / variants that gives them the best profit.

It is just a numbers game for BMW, not who likes what.

BMW want you to order a vehicle and add extras or take a fast moving model

They provide demos and basic cars as dealer stock for those of us who want to deal and buy.

Mostly these cars come from a quota system (certain models at a price point) (its a bit like bulk buying) to allow the Dealer to play with the price when needed whilst still having a profit margin.

The four dealer up here in Brisbane all have the full range of 1er available to order.

For the past six months, I have only seen 116i Urban / Sport / M Sport, 118i Urban, Sport and M Sport, 116d and 120d as floor stock.

Back in May I drove the very first 125i M Sport (white) with the same specs as the ones you see on Carsales etc.

It was a BMW car used by all of them as the demo car.
It was sold that following week.
I have only seen one on a showroom floor since then, and it had a 'SOLD' sticker on it

I wish we had dealers like they do in the USA (CA , TX, NY etc)
Dealers who stock hundreds, if not thousands of new cars so that you can just walk in, look, discuss price, buy, have extras like wheels etc done the same day and sometimes drive away the same day.

Not shooting the messenger but I cringe when I read about dealers misinforming customers. The 116d and 120d are not sold in Australia, they should know better

[AusF20/F48]

UPDATE

Sorry Typo, it was late at night when I posted it (edited)

I spoke to their Sales director today.
He says they are making small changes to the line up from March 2013.

He says it is due to demand volumes, and market infulences. Sales speak for 'depends on what MBA bring in'
BMWA will introduce the 114d to the range. He did say that the 118d is staying for now.

[OzBMW84]

Originally Posted by AusF20

Brisbane motor autions last month sold several
Black 2011 C 200 26Kkm on the clock with 18 AMG wheels for $45,800
The reason I was there was that I went along with a friend. He bought a May 2011 E350 coupe for $71,000. It had 32Kkm on the clock.

It appears that the more expensive the car was the bigger the hit. Most of the Uber luxury cars like S Class and the like didn't get a bid that day or where passed in because of low bids

Of course you can't compare prices fetched at Motor Auctions to the open market.

I've managed to get the dealer to agree to the condition that the purchase of A250 I've ordered will be subject to me viewing the vehicle and being satisfied with it. Come march, if the car is not what I'm expecting I'll revisit the F20.It really does look lovely in Estoril Blue with the M-sports. It's just not as well equipped as I would expect for the price. And hopefully the nasty rust issue is resolved by then. I've bought a second hand Civic to tide me over in the meanwhile.