Third round

Back in mid December '08 we decided to take another look at the BMW, since the 09s were in! We went to the local BMW dealer in Hartford, CT. After reading some disappointing reviews I didn't have high hopes when we arrived. It turned out I was right. The customer service was sub-par, car inventory was limited and we left the dealership with a bad vibe. The sales guy knew some facts about the car, but I got the feeling he was just doing his job, in fact didn't even drive a BMW (I guess he mentioned Porsche) and on top of this his communication skills were lacking.

We managed, however, to test drive the 328xi sedan and the 335xi coupe. We liked the sedan, it felt like a grown-up kind of car. And then there was a coupe. Great car for two people, wide doors, comfortable seats, awesome looking swooping roof line. It was much more hip and fun. We fell in love, my wife just nodded with a smile. I knew I was going to get it.

Then, on the New Year's eve I took a friend of mine, for a kind of peer review, and we test drove a BMW x-Series in the fresh, powdery, unplowed snow, and the combination of ABS, DSC and TC was magnificent. After about 20 minutes behind a wheel combined, we left with a great feel for the electronics in the vehicle in the snow. It felt playful and controllable. Predictable and safe. And I got an OK from my friend, he liked how it handled, praised tight turns and great grip.

We went back in and asked for a quote. I told I want to lease a 335xi coupe, with European Delivery, Premium, Sport and Cold Weather packages and some other little perks. The monthly payment came just shy of $1000. Way too much for me. I do not know how he arrived with that price, but in my opinion it was outrageous. I asked if there is any haggling possible, which met a firm "No" so I thanked politely and we were on our way. I haven't spoke with them since...

I guess, I appreciate Bimmerfest's philosophy, when it comes to choosing a dealer: try your local first, then try one of the board's sponsor. This is what I did and I am really satisfied.

Approved!

Hehehe, I am so excited now.

On Saturday we learned that we got approved for a lease on a new 328xi with a delivery date of 4/18/2009.

On 1/12 I contacted Alex Dytko from BMW of Peabody, one of the sponsors of Bimmerfest. I have to admit, it was a slam dunk. After having such bad experience with the other guys, I didn't have high hopes, but Alex turned out to be very responsive, attentive to details and just plain down-to-earth guy. After exchanging couple emails and a few phone calls, we decided to go and check the place ourselves.

After about 1.5 hour drive we arrived at BMW of Peabody. Alex met us in the lobby, but he was with some other couple. We were invited to a beautiful waiting room with a flat screen TV and an unlimited supply of Coke and coffee. Then, Alex came and met us, we went to the parking lot, picked the color (Beige on Crimson Red) and returned to finish paperwork. We got our passports xeroxed and we filled out some paperwork, Credit Applications and such.

A week passes by with a few emails exchanged and couple documents scanned and emailed (BIG plus while working with a Internet/email/Blackberry addicted CA) and just last Saturday, I got an email you see above. We were on town, coming back from a dinner with friends and I decided to check my email. My heart skipped a bit, when I saw it. My wife smiled when she saw it, but we didn't spill the beans and we kept our mouths shut until the end of the night. Great news! Thanks Alex.