Anyone else think Individual paint is shady practice?

[logicalunit]

No doubt that they deliberately left something on the table. As goes for so many options: the competition pack, MPE, even the little stuff like black grill/gills, ... it all adds up. And there's nothing wrong with that imho, apart from the fact that the base car suffers. You can't just test this car and expect everything to be as good as it gets, since many options can be very differentiating to the overal experience.

I really contemplated getting an individual colour, but my delivery would have been pushed back for almost 3 months (due to a summer holiday in between). So I didn't. In hindsight, being able to drive the car 3 months earlier, was more worth than the individual paint itself. I sure hope BMW doesn't take notes, because they could easily knocked 5K out of me for the faster delivery.

[Sahbatage]

You could say the same about anything, all cars on the road could be faster, safer, smarter but they release the tech slowly so they can sell more cars every year. Your phone could be better but instead they upgrade the camera by 1MP each year and somehow still haven't offered a shatter-free screen, etc etc. I love my individual color but then again it has some nostalgia and history so maybe that's why it feels worth the price. Definitely not all colors I've seen I'd pay $5k for or even $1 extra but different strokes for different folks I guess.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by dmk08

Thats the same with a lot of cars. The problem is its $5000 to get a decent blue or red.

When I bought my E46 M3 in 2001, the then ///M exclusive Carbon Black I got was a no cost option.

It is all a numbers and marketing game. I wonder how many true stripper M3/4 with white paint and zero options for the advertised MSRP were actually sold.

White: 0$
Basic colours: $550
Generic individual colors: $1950
Other individual colours: $5000+
*Quoting US prices

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

It is all a numbers and marketing game.

It is definitely game, and with much of the old-guard having moved on, current-day BMW is increasingly playing more dirty.

There are corporations - both large and small - that you trust, and there are corporations - again both large and small - that you don't. There is some fluidity to the scale no doubt, and entities can move up or down it depending on perceived business ethics. On my personal instrument of measure - which may differ from yours or the next guys - BMW has been been headed the wrong way.

As someone already wisely pointed out, as a consumer we vote with our wallet. Come next purchase, there will be some contemplation.

[MRV99]

Originally Posted by sandjam

I looked at the Carrara T, it’s only 7 and 2 special, which are extra. Which shows it’s the same way, it’s by model, not line, just like bmw.

The m has all those basic colors , just not in shades you may like

I think it’s wrong to call something shady, that makes it sound illegal or immoral. It’s not. Plus Porsche cost a lot more so you are still paying for it . Maybe even more actually when you compare similar options between an M and comparible model Porsche.

Sorry just don’t see it as shady.

Haha you picked the only 911 with limited colors. Every other one has a much larger palet

[Sassicaia]

I find the current offering of standard colours for the F8x to actually be pretty good. You have a grey, black and white which probably covers 80% of all choices. You have 3 M specific colours that pic a blue, yellow and red spectrum.

Some people like Yas better then SMB, and if SMB was standard some people would pay 5K for Yas. Its purely subjective and I for one thing the program is really great.

As for spending 5K on a paint you like I personally feel that price is reasonable and in line with other aesthetic changes people make to their cars i.e. wheels.

I paid the 5k premium to get SMB and frankly I appreciate it every day, and its one of my favorite things about the car.

[48Laws]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

As someone already wisely pointed out, as a consumer we vote with our wallet. Come next purchase, there will be some contemplation.

That’s romanticizing the consumer experience. The consumer votes with emotion not their wallet. That’s why BMW named the program, ‘ BMW Individual’, it conjures up human emotion of trying to be a wee bit better and/or different than your peers by simply upgrading your color on a ubiquitous, common BMW. If i drove my Yaz to work then switched to Atlantis Blue a month later...I’d bet 99.9% of folks wouldn’t notice the color change. Gimmicks to fleece the paying customer.

[JibSTir13]

Originally Posted by 48Laws

That’s romanticizing the consumer experience. The consumer votes with emotion not their wallet. That’s why BMW named the program, ‘ BMW Individual’, it conjures up human emotion of trying to be a wee bit better and/or different than your peers by simply upgrading your color on a ubiquitous, common BMW. If i drove my Yaz to work then switched to Atlantis Blue a month later...I’d bet 99.9% of folks wouldn’t notice the color change. Gimmicks to fleece the paying customer.

Totally agree...most people would not notice.

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by 48Laws

That’s romanticizing the consumer experience. The consumer votes with emotion not their wallet.

Sure emotions play a role - they naturally factor into the decision making process. This isn't an either/or, mutually exclusive situation. At the end of the day, you either see the value or not, and feel comfortable forking over the money or not. Trust, however, is absolutely a part of the process as well.

[48Laws]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

Sure emotions play a role - they naturally factor into the decision making process. This isn't an either/or, mutually exclusive situation. At the end of the day, you either see the value or not, and feel comfortable forking over the money or not. Trust, however, is absolutely a part of the process as well.

Agreed. For me, the carbon brakes, which I did not get, was a struggle between an emotional response, and an economical...logical response even though I could afford it. I intitially thought the carbon brakes looked better and was ready to add that $8k option but being that the F80 wasn't my first M, I decided against it. I think what saved me, both emotionally and economically, if you will, was my research about their pros/cons. The upsell for ALL products is always emotional first for the consumer. I cannot think of one product I can buy that isn't part of a tiered business model...from fast food to watches.

[Poiseuille]

Not sure I know what "shady" means in the car bidnizz, all I know is that when I ordered mine I was really pissed that I couldn't get space gray.

[silvergray545]

The F8x generation has the worst color options out of all the M3 generations ever. So I understand why there are so many individual cars out there. But I also would never spend $5k more on a car just because of an individual color. That's absurd.

[sandjam]

Originally Posted by JibSTir13

Totally agree...most people would not notice.

This is the piece I don’t get. It’s not for other people! It’s for the owner. Who cares what other people notice.

[48Laws]

Originally Posted by sandjam

This is the piece I don’t get. It’s not for other people! It’s for the owner. Who cares what other people notice.

That wasn't the point. The differences in colors seems so trivial to warrant the price.

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

When I bought my E46 M3 in 2001, the then ///M exclusive Carbon Black I got was a no cost option.

It is all a numbers and marketing game. I wonder how many true stripper M3/4 with white paint and zero options for the advertised MSRP were actually sold.

White: 0$
Basic colours: $550
Generic individual colors: $1950
Other individual colours: $5000+
*Quoting US prices

The 3 M exclusive colours are no cost options in the UK just like CB was.

[JibSTir13]

Originally Posted by 48Laws

That wasn't the point. The differences in colors seems so trivial to warrant the price.

Exactly.

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

When you think of it, anything other than white is extra $ on an M3/4.

Not in the UK.

[sandjam]

Originally Posted by JibSTir13

Exactly.

You think 5000 is a lot when you are buying a 70000 car and getting it customized in a color for what you personally like? Wow. People are never satisfied.

[domino_z]

The sham is a lot of these great colours used to be stock brochure colours back in the e36 days

[48Laws]

Originally Posted by sandjam

You think 5000 is a lot when you are buying a 70000 car and getting it customized in a color for what you personally like? Wow. People are never satisfied.

Ok. That’s 7%. What if you bought a house for $700,000 and it could be painted with an optional $49,000 paint scheme? That’s 7%. Still a good deal? Hyperbole yes! But it might put money in perspective for you. And, i might add, you’ll never recoup that 7% on the M.

[JibSTir13]

Originally Posted by sandjam

You think 5000 is a lot when you are buying a 70000 car and getting it customized in a color for what you personally like? Wow. People are never satisfied.

Yes, I do.

I also think $5k is a lot for the Comp pack, but got it because I wanted it. Just because I opted for it doesn't mean I don't think it is a lot of money.

[Draper]

Originally Posted by silvergray545

The E9x generation has the worst color options out of all the M3 generations ever. So I understand why there are so many individual cars out there. But I also would never spend $5k more on a car just because of an individual color. That's absurd.

Fixed that for you.