Positive experience at Sarnia Fine Cars

[chenx15]

i had a good experience with parkview bmw. their manager there is excellent. Oscar was the sales person and was really helpful. the business manager monique can be a bit of a snub do. everyone else were good to me.

[M3 vert]

Originally Posted by enfield

Because of Harry Enfield....

[M3 vert]

Originally Posted by chenx15

i had a good experience with parkview bmw. their manager there is excellent. Oscar was the sales person and was really helpful. the business manager monique can be a bit of a snub do. everyone else were good to me.

No way

hes still there, he was my sales guy in T&C when I bought my 745Li back in the day, great guy

I heard he moved to parkview, from jason his manager a while ago but didnt know hes still there.

He is an awesome guy, very educated, and professional

[hevyjam]

Hey guys, I'm not yet an M3 owner but hopefully soon will be. I can't imagine buying new (especially here in Canada) but certainly can imagine myself in an 08 or 09 when the time comes. The savings would be too much to deny if I could find the right car. Which leads to my question stemming from the above topic. There are many good dealerships out there and probably just as many bad ones too but what about buying from across the line when our dollar is near par? I've seen a ton of 08's for $50-55k and under 20k miles! I understand the complications that could arise with warrenties, etc but if you're saving over $20,000 - that should be about 4 years of warrenty work and a few mods to boot IMO. I just want to make a purchase where I can get the best bang for the buck and if it's a big ticket item like an M there is a whole lot to consider when you look at both sides of the boarder. Any thoughts?

[GoonerM3]

Originally Posted by hevyjam

Hey guys, I'm not yet an M3 owner but hopefully soon will be. I can't imagine buying new (especially here in Canada) but certainly can imagine myself in an 08 or 09 when the time comes. The savings would be too much to deny if I could find the right car. Which leads to my question stemming from the above topic. There are many good dealerships out there and probably just as many bad ones too but what about buying from across the line when our dollar is near par? I've seen a ton of 08's for $50-55k and under 20k miles! I understand the complications that could arise with warrenties, etc but if you're saving over $20,000 - that should be about 4 years of warrenty work and a few mods to boot IMO. I just want to make a purchase where I can get the best bang for the buck and if it's a big ticket item like an M there is a whole lot to consider when you look at both sides of the boarder. Any thoughts?

I've actually done quite a bit of research lately on purchasing across the border and it is very enticing. You'll have to pay you're provinces sales tax (obviously) on top of a 6.1% customs fee. As far as I've been able to tell no modifications need to be done on the e9x m3's but I could be wrong (ask a dealership). You need a recall clearance letter and the car has to be paid in full for it to be imported.

[M3 vert]

Originally Posted by hevyjam

Hey guys, I'm not yet an M3 owner but hopefully soon will be. I can't imagine buying new (especially here in Canada) but certainly can imagine myself in an 08 or 09 when the time comes. The savings would be too much to deny if I could find the right car. Which leads to my question stemming from the above topic. There are many good dealerships out there and probably just as many bad ones too but what about buying from across the line when our dollar is near par? I've seen a ton of 08's for $50-55k and under 20k miles! I understand the complications that could arise with warrenties, etc but if you're saving over $20,000 - that should be about 4 years of warrenty work and a few mods to boot IMO. I just want to make a purchase where I can get the best bang for the buck and if it's a big ticket item like an M there is a whole lot to consider when you look at both sides of the boarder. Any thoughts?

+ 1

Also you have to take into account, the resale value, on average US cars are worth QUITE less then canadian spec cars
(Anywhere from a couple of grand to >$10K depending on model vert,coupe,sedan).

Extended warranty programs will soon be released according to my sources in BMW Canada. Those will NOT be applicable on US imported cars, and viceversa, on US cars imported to Canada there will be no extended coverage either from BMW NA!

If the M is something you planning on keeping with you till it dies, then by all means consider it

You have to understand the $20,000 savings can only be realized after you take into account the following:
1. import fee 6.1%
2. taxes 13%
3. maintenance plans 4yrs/50K Miles + Extended Maintenance 6yrs/160KM
(not applicable on US cars, unless you haggle a US dealer every time you need a measly oil change )
4. extended warranty coverage
(As mentioned earlier, not applicable on imported US BMW's)
5. No Certified Series
(So no extended warranty and maintenance to 6yrs/160KM)
6. No lease/finance Programs
(All YOUR cash tied into a depreciating asset, but lets face it if you have the means of cutting a cheque for $55K, then whats another $20K , finance that amount through BMW Canada/Local Bank and buy canadian)
7. recall letters cost (a few 100 dollars, no biggie)
8. Canadian Dealers will not really bend over and satisfy your every concern if issues arise with your M3 (and they do from time to time!!!)
( A member has already went through this at a Toronto Dealer with his transmission, that had to be bailed out by one of us, via BMW Canada)

and most importantly RESALE value

8. Unless you plan on taking this with you to your grave, your resale on a US M3 when the time comes with no WARRANTY/Maintenance Plan will be peanuts

Hey if after taking into account all these 8 factors you are still saving money, go for it, and let me know too, maybe I'll buy a E90 4 door

[CATCH_M3]

Originally Posted by M3 vert

Also you have to take into account, the resale value, on average US cars are worth QUITE less then canadian spec cars
(Anywhere from a couple of grand to >$10K depending on model vert,coupe,sedan).

You have to understand the $20,000 savings can only be realized after you take into account the following:

Hey if after taking into account all these 8 factors you are still saving money, go for it, and let me know too, maybe I'll buy a E90 4 door

+1, in the end the savings didn't justify the hassle for me personally. Can you elaborate on the extended service (& warranty).. Maybe start a thread for it? I looked into it when I thought about buying new, but the dealer was being murky with the details.. When buying new someone once told me these extended plans should be purchased within 1 yr/20k km of purchase? Others have told me that it doesn't make much difference in price as long as purchased within the original warranty period of the car.. Still more dealers have been trying to sell aftermarket warranties? Needless to say I am CONFUSED.

[graider]

Originally Posted by CATCH_M3

+1, in the end the savings didn't justify the hassle for me personally. Can you elaborate on the extended service (& warranty).. Maybe start a thread for it? I looked into it when I thought about buying new, but the dealer was being murky with the details.. When buying new someone once told me these extended plans should be purchased within 1 yr/20k km of purchase? Others have told me that it doesn't make much difference in price as long as purchased within the original warranty period of the car.. Still more dealers have been trying to sell aftermarket warranties? Needless to say I am CONFUSED.

agree. I did the same calculation when I bought my e46 m3. no way you would save much after all the fees, conversion, 13% tax, 6.1% duty, travel/food cost.

If you buy from a private person in canada, the saving doesn't even exist. I bought mine from a private and I pay 8% tax. no other fee whatsoever. After all done, the saving came out to be 2k if I bought the same car from the US. Consider the resale value when you sell your car, hassle, lost time from work ( can cost you 2-3k easily for a week worth of work), HAIR LOSS (big one to me), lol, etc....not worth it at all.

now if you are spending for car in the 100k range such as porsche gt3, then yes the saving can be around 15-20k easily.

I think the main appeal of buying car in the US is more selection for rare car such as the gt3, but the actual saving is not so much if you really consider all factors.

[hevyjam]

Hi Guys, I'm not an M owner yet but hopefully will be soon. I really can not justify (with my wage) to own my current sportscar (G37s) that my wife drives and a new generation M3 which I've dreamed about for years. So if, and when, it comes time to make my puchase I'd probably buy a used '08. Here's my question: How do you feel about buying from across the line when our dollar is near par? It seems to me that the savings after everything is still very significant. This would only happen if I found the right car at the right price and had the car looked at mechanically very carefully. I haven't looked at warrenty complications but with the savings it would most likely be a moot point. What are your thoughts? Thanks for your input!

[CATCH_M3]

I would wait for an 08 CPO to come at a price you like..
There are alot of advantages to owning a Canadian car in Canada, as they are still relatively new. There was a used car-lot selling a US M3 in Canada for around $60,000 CAD.. So it was already Canadian imported and ready + still with significant savings; similar price to if you did all your own work to get it in. I still paid a bit more for a Canadian one, it was worth it to me. you can go CPO for around $65k for an 08 M3; at least when i was shopping.

[graider]

Originally Posted by CATCH_M3

I would wait for an 08 CPO to come at a price you like..
There are alot of advantages to owning a Canadian car in Canada, as they are still relatively new. There was a used car-lot selling a US M3 in Canada for around $60,000 CAD.. So it was already Canadian imported and ready + still with significant savings; similar price to if you did all your own work to get it in. I still paid a bit more for a Canadian one, it was worth it to me. you can go CPO for around $65k for an 08 M3; at least when i was shopping.

true. 5k saving for a 60k car is not worth the trouble IMO.

[Mark's M]

Wow, I'm surprised at some of the Budd's comments. I ordered the new M3 from them last week (through Ken Tyzio who's a great guy, known him for 20 years or so) but have been dealing with them for service on the 135 and our Mini's for the past couple of years. I find their service great, so does my wife, they treat us extremely well and they've made the M3 buying experience a pleasure particularly with their new car mgr John O'Neil on board. I bought 3 cars through him while he was with Performance BMW and am glad he made the move to Budd's. The dealership's a wonderful place to visit, relax in and just hang around while waiting for service. And on the buying end, EVERY TIME I called Ken up trying to decide between a DCT or MT equiped car, he'd throw me a set of keys and say "you decide". My test drives were on my own btw...and no time limits. I like that. And finally, when I was leaving the dealership after signing my life away last week, Daryll Budd stopped me and said very genuinely "Mark, if there are ever any concerns, you know where my office is". I like that too.

Just my experiences FWIW.

[hevyjam]

Great replies! Thanks for your input. In the end it will be a choice that was influenced by in part your experiences. I appreciate your time.