kab416

Hello!

I'm going through this car buying routine on my own for the first time...dad usually helped me, but he's no longer with us unfortunately. Before I pull the trigger on an 08 535 I was hoping to get some opinions on the offer:

Price - 36,998
Owe on Trade in - 18,900 (07 328 with 66k miles)
Trade in offer - 18,000
Money Down - 1,000
2.9 APR

Details on the 535 include:
CPO
32k miles
NC car
Clean service history (no fuel pump stuff yet)
Premium pkg
Navigation
Cold Weather
iPod
Satellite Ready (no satellite though)
Bluetooth/BMW Assist

Based on what I've seen in other threads, I think the base price is too high. I pressed on price, but they said its already price below market. So please HALPPPP! I need some input and direction! I'd really appreciate it!

healthservices

Simple , they need to give you more for your trade in then.

Always be willing to walk away from the deal.

StasGS4

I think their price for 535 is a bit high. My buddy just bought a non-CPO 2010 535i with 38K miles for $34,000. His car has Nav, Mtech kit, sports package, and SAT trans.

Like healthservices suggested, you can either negotiate the price of the car or your trade in value (or both). What I like to do is to tell them that they can have my car for free, but in return I expect them to come way down on the price of their car.

Kaizen

Sounds like you really like this car, your enthusiasm is clear! You've made a great choice, but don't show them how much you NEED this car. Good deals will always arise. If this car has all the options you want but doesn't match your price and they won't budge, then it's not the car for you. Just my 2c. Good luck with the process!

rctmthouse

Walk away and look for one with a sport package since for that price, it should have the sport suspension. Also take your trade in to Carmax to find out how much they're willing to buy it for just to confirm the bottom line trade in amount then start dealing from there.

GL

nomis_nehc

I like how you put "single lady" in your topic subject, lol.

With that said, which city are you in? Asking because the price is on the high side, but sometimes deviations are due to the demand in some cities.

I personally think there are better deals out there.

Gilgorm

Starting price seems high even by my Canadian standards which always have higher prices.
Let me get this right.
You owe $18,900
They offer $18,000 + you pay $1000 down which really means they are offering you $17,000. Why put cash in when they have a hefty amount already in the form of your trade.

I agree with the others. The only price that really matters is what the $ difference is between the two cars. If they want a lot on one side but won't give on your side then it is NOT a good deal.
I often go in comparing the 'retail' value of my car against the 'retail' value they want for theirs. Retail prices are easy to find.
My current 08 535i took five hours to negotiate with first the salesperson and then the Pre-owned Manager. I ended up paying $100 more than what I wanted to pay but almost $4,000(+tax) less than their opening 'best' price. I also got a paint stick, winter rubber mats and a $50 gift certificate from their Accessories shop. (I like my new BMW hat).LOL
They only gave a discount of $2000 off the 535i but increased the value of my 03 325iT by $2,000.
I think I wore them down after 5 hours and the place was past closing time.
I drove away very happy.
GL and keep looking if you have to.

MisterMike

You can get an idea of the range of trade-in prices in a number of places (kbb.com; edmunds.com, etc.) The price of the 535 seems high. I bought a CPO 535xi similarly equipped with 39,000 miles a few months ago for $32K.

kab416

Thank you all so much! This has been a huge help.

Last question, as far as strategy, do you start at your real low point or a point even lower than that with the expectation that the dealer will always come back higher?

Thanks again!

kab416

hahahahahaha....you guys need all the pertninent details. I'm in Charlotte btw...not sure what that means in terms of demand. Thanks for your input though!