[jdcolombo]

My wife and I ordered a custom-built X5 - and it really is custom. We got BMWNA to agree to paint it in Ruby Black (a BMW Individual color not otherwise available in the U.S. on the X5). Yes, we had to pay for the privilege, but I was surprised that the company even considered it, let alone agreed to it.

So . . . I think BMW will eventually loosen the strings on US custom orders once the numbers go up and customers get used to this "new" way of buying cars.

I've noticed that our local dealership (which is a relatively small dealer) doesn't carry much inventory any more. Instead, they have one 3-series car in each available exterior color to show, and one "demo" of the 1, 5, Z4 and X5 series to let potential customers drive (no, they didn't have a Ruby Black anything, though the BMW Individual program is available in the US on the 7-series). That works fine for me; we drove a diesel, decided we liked it, and now our really-custom X5 35d is in production (went to status 151 today).

I could imagine a future in which there are regional "demo" centers. BMW would stock one of each exterior color in each series, along with drivetrain and interior variations (so for example, one 3-series car in each exterior color, with varying interiors, some with Nav, some without, at least one with a manual in both the 328 and 335, and one 335d; ditto for the 1's, 5's, X's, 6's and 7's). You find the color and drivetrain combo you like from this demo center, then go back to your dealer of choice, order what you want, negotiate the final price and it shows up 4 weeks later. I think that is a system that would work over time.

John C.