mailnride

This is for all of you lurkers who are still in the market, just wanted to pass along a hot deal:

I was all ready to buy a new CL-S when my 528i lease expired at the end of Jan. I had considered the BMW 325, but what I really wanted was the 330i, but couldn't afford it. One reason was that BMW's leases were outrageous, .0040 (9.6%) interest rate money factors across the board, and full MSRP pricing. The CL-S was a little more reasonable, lower sticker, discounts on top of that, and .0035 money factors.

Suddenly, in January, local dealer, Camelback BMW in Phoenix starts running ads that say "New Prices, New Rates", so I called them up again (I had been in previously). Here's a summary:

330i Sedans: .0027 MF, $1900 off MSRP
330 & 325 Coupes: .0035 MF, $1000 off MSRP
325 Sedans: .0031 MF, $1000 off MSRP.
330 & 325 convertibles: (What, Are you kidding? Still no deals on these)

+ Free Mats + Free Tint + Free 1-day driving school with the new M3 in March.

On tops of that, the residual on the 330i Sedans is .64 (36 mo, 12k/yr), which is one of the highest (best) out there. I couldn't believe my ears, frankly. The .0027 translates to a 6.48% lease rate, down from 9.6 just a month ago. That's just amazing, about a $100 a month difference in the payments! Should I thank Greenspan? It can't be all due to him. They must have a lot of the sedans.

For purchases, it's 5.9% financing on 3-series.

Anyways, I'm the proud new owner (lessee) of a 330i Sedan as of last night.

I'm in for 36 mos, $1000 down, and $499 a month for a 330i, Auto, Premium Package, (leather, wood, sunroof, etc.), and Harmon Kardon Premium sound system (white, sand leather). I got him to come down $200 more when he tried to apply a $725 acq. fee, but these were my final numbers, including $525 bank fee. Tax would be extra.

The 330 and the Acura are both great cars, although this 330 stickered at over $10k above the CL-s, the lease payments were only about $40-50 a month higher than comparable CL-S leases (they were $150+ above under the old Money Factors). If I had not been able to get into the 330 at this price point, I would have gone with the CL-S. They're both great cars. I loved the power, price, and equipment of the CL-S, didn't like the FWD and thought the BMW looked a tad better.

If it had been for purchase, the CL-S would have won hands down, but in the world of leases, purchase price and sticker price ain't everything. At my Audi dealer, they're leasing A6's for less than A4's even though the A6's cost $6,000 - 10,000 more

So that's how my rankings came out:

1. 330i
2. CL-S
3. 325i
4. A4 - 2.8
5. A6 - 2.8

Good luck to all in your purchases.

GoldTypeS_RENAMED

WOW... congratulations. Sounds like a smokin' deal for sure. I'm glad to hear that BMW is needing to lower their prices to a more respectable level to get some business... cuz like you said... at $150/mo more it's a no-brainer to go with a CL-S!

YuppieCL

cool deal dude!
see, i like bimmer owners like that. they actually look at the facts and stuff before making a decision and not only looking for the bmw name.
good luck and post some pics later.

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YuppieCL
'90 Accord LX
'01 3.2CL Type S
#6487, Satin Silver, Navi, Spoiler, Comptech springs, 35% Llumar window tint, Full nose mask

MikeS 18

You failed to mention where the Audi S4 came in on your chart. I was torn between the S4 and the CL-S.

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MikeS 18 - '01 CL-S #22,299 Black/Parchment with Nav, Spoiler, door guards, wood trim kit, fender guards, PIAA 19169 & Platinum 9005, V1 w/remote, trunk tray, winter mats, Salt Coat Finish by Mass DOT, only 2 scratched rims

gto2050

Wow... not being a math genius.. what did you end up paying a month for your 330? Where do you live? Geography can make a huge difference. For instance Audi is almost a non factor in the southern west. In NJ I leased an A6 for almost $200 less than an A4. I still want an A4 but the only way to economically get one is to purchase it outright. They wanted over $600 a month to lease an A4!

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01 CL-S NightHawk Black/Ebony Bowling Ball Interior

2000MaximaSE

damnit damnit damnit damnit damnit im paying over 500 a month for my maxima because its on bad credit with high interest. I hate to think what kind of cars i could drive for over 500 a month. this beamer is one of them... damnit.... Live and learn i guess

Adam

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2000 Maxima SE

mailnride

You just need to be a reading genius. The monthly is in my post, about $500, with $1000 Cap Cost Red.

mailnride

It really didn't come in anywhere, I got as far as asking about it, and the dealer got those Prowler/M3/M5/s2000 "rare-car markup" dollar signs in his eyes and I knew I wouldn't be getting any kind of a deal on it. Plus, I needed automatic and I thought the A4/S4 felt smaller inside than I cared for. The interior reminded me of my Integra, size-wise. I loved the car's character and Quattro's road feel. The 3-series seats go back as far as they do on the 5-series, I'm 6'3", that's a real need for me. If' you're not a big-un like me, the A4's a steal. I'd buy it now before they uglify it next year. That's part of why they have so many A6's. Here's an idea: Let's make all of our cars look like the one model we build that no one wants!!!

2001-2 prediction: Good deals for blind people on A4's this time next year.