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#21
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On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 08:16:37 GMT, E Brown > wrote:
>On Fri, 12 Aug 2005 18:57:32 -0400, Choder > >wrote: >> The year is 2005 and this information >>should really be on the web in this day and time. If they can invest >>the time to write all the marketing spiel, they should make the >>warranty information public without having to listen to a sales dog >>and pony show or in-person visit to the dealer. Unless they have >>something to hide. > > Does *any* company have its warranty information on the net? Is it >only BMW that has something to hide? > Emanuel Nissan does. The entire unabridged booklet online in .pdf format. I would not have bought my current car if they did not. |
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#22
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On Fri, 12 Aug 2005 22:31:59 -0400, "joe_tide" >
wrote: >I'm with you Keith. I buy the car, not the warranty. Maybe some folks have money to burn. I make a decent living and can afford nice things but I'm not independently wealthy, and I would be a lot poorer at this stage in life if I did not buy large ticket items based on total cost of ownership. |
#23
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Choder wrote: > I was thinking of buying one of these things, but I wanted to > investigate the extended warranty since german cars aren't really > known for their reliability. I dont want to own a money pit. As several posters have pointed out, in the US the first 4yr/50k is covered by a bumper to bumper warranty and scheduled maintenance. You shouldn't have to spend on anything other than gas and tires. I must be one of those with bad luck because I've had several things go wrong - fuel sending units were replace twice, ignition coils had to be replaced, warped rotors needed replacing, and there were 3 or 4 bulb failures. The only thing that I paid the dealer for was an alignment because I had a steering vibration problem. After 50k, for the original owner, BMW has started selling an extended _service_ warranty which covers scheduled maintenance including stuff like brakes and rotors. The dealer should have more information about this plan and what it will cost for the new cars. It covers the car to 6yr/100k. BMW also sells an extended warranty valid for 6yr/100k, but it's not as comprehensive as the original warranty - there is quite a long list of exclusions, e.g. stereo is not covered under this. At the time I bought the warranty, the dealer didn't have too much information on it, but I bought it anyway. BMW then sent me an information packet on this and I had 30 days to cancel and get a refund. (I'm not sure if this is because it's a California law, but I did have the option to cancel.) As far as I'm concerned, the pleasure of driving a BMW (even when compared to Acura, Lexus, Infiniti which I test drove at the time I bought the car) far outweighs the pain. If I had to choose again, I'd still pick the BMW. Anoop |
#24
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"Choder" > wrote in message news > > I hear you brother but please understand 2 hrs = roughly $400 of > billable time for me, $400 your net? Probably not (maybe). Given the correct circumstances, we can bill thousands of dollars per hour at work (with only 3 or 4 guys working). It doesn't mean I value my time at a grand per hour. I bet you could phone a salesman at a local BMW dealership and get the goods on the phone. If you explain you're interested but don't have the time to come by, they should give you as much attention on the phone as in person. Conversely, you can spend several minutes writing messages to this group explaining how you're very busy and how you're unhappy with the fact that BMW doesn't list their extended waranty info on their website. BMW may encourage you to come by so that you can have someone who is familiar with their (apparently comprehensive) waranty program take you through it, answer any questions, and clarify anything you find questionable. I find that as you're willing to pay more for a product, the better and more personal the service becomes. Regards, Robin |
#25
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As I mentioned before - call the dealer and have them mail you the warranty
booklet. "Choder" > wrote in message ... > On Fri, 12 Aug 2005 22:31:59 -0400, "joe_tide" > > wrote: > >>I'm with you Keith. I buy the car, not the warranty. > > Maybe some folks have money to burn. I make a decent living and can > afford nice things but I'm not independently wealthy, and I would be a > lot poorer at this stage in life if I did not buy large ticket items > based on total cost of ownership. > |
#26
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On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 19:14:27 -0400, "Robin S." >
wrote: > >"Choder" > wrote in message >news >> >> I hear you brother but please understand 2 hrs = roughly $400 of >> billable time for me, > >$400 your net? Probably not (maybe). Given the correct circumstances, we can >bill thousands of dollars per hour at work (with only 3 or 4 guys working). >It doesn't mean I value my time at a grand per hour. Yes, I was figuring $400 as my bottom line cost. > >I bet you could phone a salesman at a local BMW dealership and get the goods >on the phone. If you explain you're interested but don't have the time to >come by, they should give you as much attention on the phone as in person. I already stated I don't WANT the goods by phone. I want something tangible that I can hold someone accountable for. You think some verbal statement from a car salesman over the phone holds anyone accountable? >Conversely, you can spend several minutes writing messages to this group >explaining how you're very busy and how you're unhappy with the fact that >BMW doesn't list their extended waranty info on their website. But I can do that in quick 1 or 2 minute intervals, while I am on my PC, waiting for a background task to complete. No lost work time at all. If BMW is willing to send someone to my office to present warranty information to me, and doesnt mind being put on pause every few minutes or so while I am working, then I will likely buy the damn car. But I doubt that will happen. >BMW may encourage you to come by so that you can have someone who is >familiar with their (apparently comprehensive) waranty program take you >through it, answer any questions, and clarify anything you find >questionable. I find that as you're willing to pay more for a product, the >better and more personal the service becomes. I find that a horribly inefficient process and an insult to their clients time. We live in a day and age where a simple FAQ on their website could answer 90% of people's questions. Human intervention should only be required in the other 10% of cases. Otherwise, it means they are paying sales or support people unnecessary wages and passing it on to us in the sales price of the car. |
#27
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On Sat, 13 Aug 2005 20:35:35 -0400, "joe_tide" >
wrote: >As I mentioned before - call the dealer and have them mail you the warranty >booklet. Quite possibly the most reasonable suggestion in this thread yet. I went to dinner with my gf this evening and asked her to swing by the BMW dealer so I can see the 325 in person. Very nice looking car. I thought it would be a little bigger than it was, but it was nice looking nonetheless. I told her she can just get me one for my birthday and the whole reliability / money pit issue would go away for me. She didn't seem amused. Some of the posts here with regard to reliability experiences have been encouraging. Ultimately though, I would like to see the Lexus IS before making a decision. |
#28
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I know I have broken the rules by removing the rest of the post but it was
getting too much. I can't believe you are asking about warranty before sitting in/seeing/driving the car. What happens if the nice man at BMW sends you the warranty details, and you like the terms but then go and look at the car drive it and decide you don't like it. If your response is you have already driven it then maybe you should have asked about the warranty during the test drive. A BMW will cost more than a Nissan! It may also cost moreto run than a Nissan! It MAy also develop more problems than a Nissan! BUT it will always be a better more enjoyable car to drive than a Nissan!!! IF your decision is based purely on logic and running costs of the vehicle the nyou should buy a Toyota Prius If like 80% of us decisions such as this are based on emotion then the BMW will always win |
#29
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On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 02:31:56 +0000 (UTC), "Scott" <scott251170not
@hotmail.com> wrote: >I know I have broken the rules by removing the rest of the post but it was >getting too much. Then maybe you have an anger management problem. Tried prozac? > >I can't believe you are asking about warranty before sitting >in/seeing/driving the car. What a moronic thing to say. Sitting in, seeing and driving the car is of no value to me at all if it falls apart in 10k miles. >What happens if the nice man at BMW sends you the warranty details, and you >like the terms but then go and look at the car drive it and decide you don't >like it. That's fine. It could happen. I dont understand your question here. There are a lot of other things that could get in the way of the deal happening. But I've already said that I place a huge emphasis on reliability and I don't like the fact that BMW is being elusive about their warranty information. >If your response is you have already driven it then maybe you should have >asked about the warranty during the test drive. You're just not paying attention. I already said I am not going near the dealership until I have a copy of the warranty details. >A BMW will cost more than a Nissan! It may also cost moreto run than a >Nissan! Not necessarily. Maybe a fully equipped BMW will cost more than a fully equipped Nissan, but BMW is well known for overcharging for options. Besides I only mentioned Nissan because they put their warranty information online. Infiniti has their warranty as a downloadable PDF file as well. If you are going to start making comparisons, you should compare BMW to Infiniti. >It MAy also develop more problems than a Nissan! Why? Inferior engineering? If this is the case, tell me exactly why I should buy an inferior car? >BUT it will always be a better more enjoyable car to drive than a Nissan!!! Again, use your brain for a second and draw a fair comparison here. Infiniti is Nissans direct competitor for BMW. The G5 is a formidable opponent to the 3 series. >IF your decision is based purely on logic and running costs of the vehicle >the nyou should buy a Toyota Prius You are once again jumping to conclusions. Did you get far in school? I never said my decision is based "purely on logic and running costs". Obviously if I am looking at BMW, I am interested in a certain amount of performance/overall driving pleasure, but anyone with intelligence is also looking for value. I myself work in engineering, and for the most part I can tell you that well engineered machinery usually does not make its warranty a secret or require you to tolerate a sales pitch to get the information. >If like 80% of us decisions such as this are based on emotion then the BMW >will always win After some of the responses I've seen here, I am beginning to think that a good 20% of BMW owners have more dollars than sense, are enamoured by the BMW brand name (possibly due to a case of arrested development left over from the 80s'), and more and more I'm thinking that Lexus, Infiniti or Acura will be a better car for someone who wants both performance and value. |
#30
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"Choder" > wrote
>>I can't believe you are asking about warranty before sitting >>in/seeing/driving the car. > > What a moronic thing to say. Sitting in, seeing and driving the car > is of no value to me at all if it falls apart in 10k miles. It may be of no value to *you*, but it's of value to others. If your attitude was widespread, noone would ever buy a Ferrari, for instance. > After some of the responses I've seen here, I am beginning to think > that a good 20% of BMW owners have more dollars than sense, are > enamoured by the BMW brand name (possibly due to a case of arrested > development left over from the 80s'), and more and more I'm thinking > that Lexus, Infiniti or Acura will be a better car for someone who > wants both performance and value. I've driven BMW's since 1978. They've been no more trouble, IMO, than any other of the cars I've owned. Less than our Isuzu Trooper, certainly less than our '91 Plymouth Voyager - crap engine, crap transmission, crap interior parts. We now own two BMWs, 3 Toyotas and a Porsche. The Toyotas are just as expensive to have work done on them as the BMWs. But they're not nearly as fun to drive. Of course, one is a truck and they're never as much fun... You're specifically looking at a 2006 325. My opinion is don't buy it. BMW - along with virtually every other manufacturer - has a history of teething problems with new models. The '92 E36 3 series had problems. The 1st year of the E46 did, too (although fewer.) the original X5 had problems. The new 325i has a *brand new* engine. It's a new body. It's the first time idrive has been in a 3-series. A prescription for trouble. Wait a year, or buy something else. OTOH, you might not have any problems at all; lots of BMW drivers don't. Floyd |
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