[BeeEm]

I have placed an order earlier this month for an automatic AW/BW/Terra E90 330i (my fourth BMW 3 series), with essentially equivalent options to US spec sports package (Xenons, sports seats, sunroof, 162s, Logic 7, cd changer, rear PDC, climate comfort screen, sun glazing, bluetooth, comfort access, rear sun blind, no sports suspension, no i-Drive).

In South Africa, this will cost me approx. R425k, equivalent to US $64k. From this forum, this appears substantially higher than similarly configured E90 330i in US, despite South Africa supplying similar models to US market from the Rosslyn plant. Why such pricing discrepancies?

[E90Fleet]

1) USA buys 10 times the BMW's we do in a month, so they get a nice discount

2)BMW USA's fixed costs are spread over MANY MANY more cars

3) They dont get a conprehensive Motorplan like we do ( costs us tens of thousands

4) Engine and Transmission are high cost components and are fully imported with us paying quite a lot of VAT and Customs duty for the, USA doesnt pay as much

5) BMW SA sells enough cars at the high price ( our waiting lists are very long ) so why drop the price

[E90Fleet]

Can somee please show howmuch a base 330i is in the USA

AND

Show what State, Federal and Gas Guzzeler tax needs to be paid if any

[BeeEm]

Thanks for interesting reply. Yes, I didn't think of Motorplan, which would distort pricing substantially.

Out of curiosity, are volumes to UK and Australia much higher than SA too?

[puck724]

E90Fleet-

Where would one find these numbers? i looked through my paperworkr and couldnt find state or federal taxes.

What's the comprehensive motorplan?

[BeeEm]

Originally Posted by puck724

What's the comprehensive motorplan?

For 100,000Kms/5 years, drivers pay for fuel and tyres, BMW pays for the rest of maintenance costs.

[puck724]

That sounds like the full maintenence plan that we have in the states. i think tis 5yr/60,000miles also have the option of upgrading to 6yr/100,000miles

[BeeEm]

Originally Posted by puck724

That sounds like the full maintenence plan that we have in the states. i think tis 5yr/60,000miles also have the option of upgrading to 6yr/100,000miles

puck724, so you are saying this maintenance plan is included in the normal purchase price then?

[ON325i]

we have a 80, 000km 4 years plan now with all maintenance included

[David328M-Sport]

Originally Posted by BeeEm

Out of curiosity, are volumes to UK and Australia much higher than SA too?

just discussing this topic with my wife today that bmw australia will sell about 12,000 cars + or - a bit for the year, about say 8% of the US volume, maybe even less.

our government's import tarrifs, taxes, duties and other greedy money grabbing scams on bmws create a price that is about twice that of a US equivalent car.

now if you have a business as i do and a good accountant like mine to take care of financial matters all legal........

i paid AUD$96,000 which is about US$76,000. ouch!

i do get a few things as standard that the US doesnt but there's still a huge difference.

[wac77]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

Can some please show how much a base 330i is in the USA

AND

Show what State, Federal and Gas Guzzler tax needs to be paid if any

The base 330i is $37295.

One configured approx as described by BeeEm (I added Sport Package, Premium Package, Comfort Access, Park Distance Control, sunshades, and CD changer) is $43155

Prices include 4yrs/50Kmiles maintenance.

You can easily negotiate a discount with the dealer of about 5%. I would say that the above optioned car can be bought for $41000.

There are no Federal or Gas Guzzler Taxes.

The State/City Sales Tax varies. A few States have no Tax. Most have between 5% and 9%. Using a 7.25% average, the total price goes from $41000 to about $44000.

That would be it, other than registration and insurance. Because of US low import duties (2.5%) and no VAT, as well as large volumes and a very competitive market, we enjoy some of the lowest prices in the world for BMWs.

[yujini]

In Korea, it starts out with the 4 cyliner 320i (no diesel 3s)
320i starts out at $46,000 including tax
320cp which is the one with i-drive and extras, $49,500 w/ tax
6 cyliner 325i starts at about $61,000 (includes i-drive)
and last 330i starts around $86,000
You can rarely see a 330 running around in Korea.
Saw it once since it came out in Korea in April

I got a 320cp which costs a bit more than a fully equiped 330 in the US.
but yes, it includes the 5 year 100,000km warranty.
The engine is still under the 3 year 60,000km warranty though.

If i wanted power, i could've gotten those hyundai tiburons and tuned it up to beat an M3 by a big margin lol.

[NPinUK]

PEOPLE KEEP ON TALKING ABOUT PRICE OF CARS IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, WELL WHY DON'T YOU GO ON TO WWW.BMW.COM AND GO ON THE COUNTRY LINKS. IT BASICALLY TELLS YOU EVERY THING YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM A-Z. YOU CAN EVEN BUILD YOUR OWN BMW, YOU CAN NOT GET ANY MORE SIMPLE THAN THAT!!!

[mishenka]

THANK YOU NPinUK ! WE HEAR YOU !

[gtaste]

Also, warranty is probably 2 years not covering maintenance.. be glad and have fun..

[ZenDriver]

What is the taxation like in SA?

The US gets a discount because we aren't socialists...

:: Ducks ::

[BeeEm]

Originally Posted by ZenDriver

What is the taxation like in SA?
:: Ducks ::

Price includes 14% VAT.

Also included in the price, as mentioned before, is the motorplan maintenance plan, as well as roadside assistance plan which provides accomodation and car-hire benefits in the event of breakdowns.

[puck724]

Originally Posted by BeeEm

puck724, so you are saying this maintenance plan is included in the normal purchase price then?

BeeEm-

thats what im sayin. its full maintenace and you dont have to pay anything extra unless you decide to upgrade.

[stressdoc]

A lot of the discrepancies involve currency fluctuations. When a Euro was .9 USDollar, a BMW was relatively expensive in the USA. Now that the ratio is 1.2, a BMW is a bargain here. Car companies learned that readjusting prices based on currency fluctuations was bad news, and now hedge. The other big factor is national protectionism and different tax schedules. Many countries emphasize taxes based on what you buy rather than income or property.

[ZenDriver]

its full maintenace and you dont have to pay anything extra

I don't know if this is still the case, but there was a time when you could actually order a car WITHOUT full maintenance. It was only about $700 off.

You can also buy bodies in white from PTG.

[puck724]

im sure others can probably clarify some things.

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by puck724

That sounds like the full maintenence plan that we have in the states. i think tis 5yr/60,000miles also have the option of upgrading to 6yr/100,000miles

Our Motorplan is more than just a Maintenance plan

Yes, it includes all oil, brake pads,brake discs, filters, bulbs, spark plugs and all other service costs

But if after 4,5 years your cd-changer dies, its replaced free, or if you shock absorbers are worn out after 80,000Km they are replaced free.
Your speaker blows after 4 years, replaced free. Your expansion tank blows after 4.9 years, replaced free


Anything that wears out or breaks (not due to accident ) is replaced or fixed for free for 5 years or 100,000Km, and this can be extended to 7 years or 200,000Km