Leaning towards an M3 as my next car... advice wanted!

[White340]

Hi guys,

I currently have a 2016 340 xDrive which I love but my lease will be coming to an end in December 2018. I find myself watching M3/M4 videos all the time these days and am seriously considering getting one now. I read that this car will stop production in October 2018 (correct me if I'm wrong). From what I understand, some people get contacted a few months before lease end by the dealership to see if they want to get into a new lease. I have a few questions regarding this process.

1) How does the pull ahead program work? If I get contacted say 3 months early, will they just roll the negative equity from the remaining 3 months of my current lease payments into my new lease or is it a true walk away program where I can forget about my old payments and negotiate the best price on a new car with several dealers and pick the best price among them?

2) What is the best way to time my new M3 lease? I might want to do a custom build to get just the options I want. Someone told me that each dealer has an allocation for M vehicles meaning that I might not get a good deal on a custom build. Alternatively, if I take something in stock, then i'm subject to the low inventory that each dealer has (1-2 per dealer in my area) which would then probably demand a premium closer to the end of production.

3) If end of production is October 2018, then does this mean that I can place my order for a custom build up until then? As a result, it will take a few weeks for it to be built and shipped so I could potentially take delivery in December when my 340 lease ends.

4) My 340 xDrive has the Track package which has 19" wheels and an adaptive suspension. Quite honestly, this suspension handles day to day bumps really well and i would say its smoother than my last car (2013 Acura TL SHAWD with 18" wheels). I'm on the fence whether I should get the competition package on the M3. While the CP has 20" wheels and the adaptive suspension, some reviews I saw said that the suspension is harsh for day to day driving (I'm in NYC). Is there anyone here who has the CP and is coming from an F30 with the adaptive suspension? How does it compare?

Thanks a lot for your input and hopefully I can get into an M3 soon!

[Aaaaaaaaa]

Some rumor out there that EOP is now May 2018. Pull ahead will waive your last 3 months payments and disposition fee. Program can change so you have to check with your dealer. Ordering from scratch can take anywhere from around 6-10 weeks depending on your dealer's production allocations, production delays, shipping delays etc. Timing a custom order to coincide with your pull ahead can be quite tricky for these reasons. I lucked out because I got a car that was already in transit that fit my criteria. I came from a 435 GC with 18"a and passive suspension. The M3 with 20" is much stiffer. I'm ok with it but my wife hates it. I've lived in NYC for a few years and I would not even consider it as a DD. You'll need winter tires and probably go through a couple wheels because of the potholes. Plus there's the horrendous parking situations there. Good luck

[TXSoxFan]

Originally Posted by White340

Hi guys,

I currently have a 2016 340 xDrive which I love but my lease will be coming to an end in December 2018. I find myself watching M3/M4 videos all the time these days and am seriously considering getting one now. I read that this car will stop production in October 2018 (correct me if I'm wrong). From what I understand, some people get contacted a few months before lease end by the dealership to see if they want to get into a new lease. I have a few questions regarding this process.

1) How does the pull ahead program work? If I get contacted say 3 months early, will they just roll the negative equity from the remaining 3 months of my current lease payments into my new lease or is it a true walk away program where I can forget about my old payments and negotiate the best price on a new car with several dealers and pick the best price among them?

2) What is the best way to time my new M3 lease? I might want to do a custom build to get just the options I want. Someone told me that each dealer has an allocation for M vehicles meaning that I might not get a good deal on a custom build. Alternatively, if I take something in stock, then i'm subject to the low inventory that each dealer has (1-2 per dealer in my area) which would then probably demand a premium closer to the end of production.

3) If end of production is October 2018, then does this mean that I can place my order for a custom build up until then? As a result, it will take a few weeks for it to be built and shipped so I could potentially take delivery in December when my 340 lease ends.

4) My 340 xDrive has the Track package which has 19" wheels and an adaptive suspension. Quite honestly, this suspension handles day to day bumps really well and i would say its smoother than my last car (2013 Acura TL SHAWD with 18" wheels). I'm on the fence whether I should get the competition package on the M3. While the CP has 20" wheels and the adaptive suspension, some reviews I saw said that the suspension is harsh for day to day driving (I'm in NYC). Is there anyone here who has the CP and is coming from an F30 with the adaptive suspension? How does it compare?

Thanks a lot for your input and hopefully I can get into an M3 soon!

1 - The dealer will pay the last 3 payments, they are not rolled into the new lease...however the program has currently been discontinued at this point. Of course there is nothing to say they won't continue it again at some point.

2 - Ideally you want to give yourself a few months if you are custom ordering as there can be a shortage of allocations, especially in your area. I would just be flexible a bit on timing (overlapping payments for a couple of months). Also, you can buy it from any dealer (like on in SoCal who get more allocations) and pick it up in SC or have them ship it to you. From NY you can drive from SC in one day.

4 - You can get the M3 comp package with the 19" wheels as I know how bad the NYC roads are. That is how I ordered my M3 (not for road issues just don't like the 20" wheel styling).

[uniqueMR]

(1) Pull ahead are not being offered at this time. In past BMW did offered on 3 years leasing. I always do 2 year lease so I was never offered pull ahead program. 
They do not roll negative equity. They will just make your payments or BMW will waive them. You have to pay nothing but you do have to lease/buy the new car from same dealership.

(2) All year around is best time. It depends on your circumstances. Allocation do play a major role at the dealership. Go with a dealer with allocation otherwise you will be waiting much longer. Good deals is all about negotiation skills and willing to walk away if things are not acceptable at your end. End of the day they want your business.

(3) To be honest with you, rumors are rumors. No one is 100% sure when production will end. Even if production ends by Fall 2018 the new M3 won’t be coming until 2020 or 2021. So you still can enjoy F80 M3 till newer generation unless you want newer non-M 3-series which should be coming in 2019.

(4) Get the competition package. Its worth it: 20” wheels, wide tires, blacked out all around, different seats (I prefer CP seating then regular M seats), exhaust sound and more horsepower.

M car build quality, performance and feeling are beyond regular BMWs. No doubt.
Go with M Good Luck
.

[Aaaaaaaaa]

When did pull ahead end? Just this month?

[Moota]

Originally Posted by pheerlx

When did pull ahead end? Just this month?

December was the last month of the Pull Ahead. Numbers are kind of lean right now and dealers are complaining so there’s a chance it may come back. Best programs are usually November/December however like was stated above the M3 may still not be produced at that point.

You have some time to decide - but you may consider Swapalease to unload your car or wait and see as we get into springtime to see what happens with M3 production.

[Aaaaaaaaa]

Originally Posted by Moota

December was the last month of the Pull Ahead. Numbers are kind of lean right now and dealers are complaining so there’s a chance it may come back. Best programs are usually November/December however like was stated above the M3 may still not be produced at that point.

You have some time to decide - but you may consider Swapalease to unload your car or wait and see as we get into springtime to see what happens with M3 production.

Got mine in Nov. Definitely glad I did. Pull Ahead, $4500 in incentives, and fleet discount.

[Ibiza]

Pull ahead ended as of Jan 2nd, 2018.

OP, living in NYC if you order ZCP then opt for the 19" rims- otherwise NYC potholes will cause lots of blow outs.

From past experience towards the end of production with allocations scarce, pricing will increase due to the expected greater 2-3 yr gap before the G80. EOP for the F83 is 10/2020, so G80 will not be released before then. I suggest that you secure a allocation around June before the end of model rush, but that's too far out from the end of your current lease. Might want to consider a F82 then.