FrankW

not really because my dad import all the German straight from Germany. Only the Caddys were from some dealership in LA area.

my brother did get his car for a little over invoice. i was able to get 2000 dollars off the window sticker for my previous 328ci. all our other cars were bought at window sticker, no more, no less, we've ask the dealers for a lot of freebies though.

the only unpleasant buy was the minivan. when my family first got here in 96 we just need something to get us around, so we bought that POS minivan for 30k. It was fully loaded of course, but it is still a POS.

eyuan23

Wow, importing them from Germany can get pretty expensive .

I got the 328i about 2-3k under sticker so around 36k. It was during the time when 330's were just being introduced so all the 328's needed to be cleared out. My mom later bought her X5 3.0 from the same dealer/dealership (Assael BMW). And we always ask for freebies .

I got my C32 about 2 yrs later for around 52-53k with only headlamp washer/Xenon, no COMAND.

It seems like all the American cars my family has bought (from a Ford Aerostar to the "Cheap" Cherokee) has been mediocre to crappy deals. The car dealers act as if they are doing us a favor. From that point on, we never bought American again

The only POS left in the family is the Toyota Sienna. A lot of room, very comfy, but I can't stand vans :p. Maybe the A-class will change my views

FrankW

Actually importing MB, Audi, and BMW from Germany to Taiwan is cheaper than importing through MBUSA because in Germany every car is different, unlike in the US market we have those pkgs limiting our options.

i got my 328ci from Shelly BMW in Buena Park. It is right by HOI where i later got my C32.

Went to Assael and New Century BMW before i went to Shelly. From what i can tell you, Assael and NC's attitude are some of the worst i have seen. They treated us like we don't know anything about cars, and think that what ever the price they say, we'll buy their car. My dad and i almost had a fight with one of Assael's manager because of their attitudes. Assael and NC both ask for 3000 over the window, and some other paint protection crap when i was ordering the 328CI. That is why i went to Shelly BMW instead.

Funny thing is that after i got my C32 in April, me and my dad went to New Century again, but this time we were asking for the M5 (for my brother), before we even open our mouth, we were asked to move my car because they said it was blocking the exit (there was no parking space, so i parked in front of a used 7er that was on a ramp, and out of the way where cars come in for service). Just when i'm done moving my car, my dad came out shaking his head. In the car he told me that they are still asking for 7000 over the window even if you order the car. If it was me in there asking, i would've told them to screw themself for that kind of price.

Shelly is selling the M5 at window sticker, and it is even negotiable.


btw, how old are you again?

eyuan23

From our experiences with Assael, there weren't any real issues except from the service dept. It took them forever to fix things (because of the sheer number of customers). But overall it wasn't that bad. Our dealer was great. No problems negotiating. I'll remember to check out Shelly in the future.

As far as choosing a MB dealership, we just chose the closest one (Penske) and the service was excellent. Much better than Assael. Plus I was looking to buy a C32 without having to order it and wait. They only had 1 C32 at the time but it was exactly the color I wanted, white . I really didn't care about the options so after sleeping on it for a night, we bought it the next day .

A good deal for an M5 should be at or around MSRP. They seem to hold there value pretty well but it's known that CA has some inflated prices . This may help out even though it's a little old:

http://www.bmwm5.com/vbulletin/showt...threadid=17138

Good luck to your brother. Don't forget to race him after he gets it

I'm 23. I remember you were 20-21 correct? I graduated from college last year and now just working all the time

FrankW

If you do ever go to Shelly BMW remember to ask for Charles Paz. He is a really nice guy. Tell him the one who crashed his Topaz Blue 328CI send you, he'll know who i am.

my bro is going to decide when he sees the next 5-series, which will be in the showroom in eight months or so. If he doesn't like the way the next 5 looks, he will definitely get the M5. If we will able to find one.

btw i'm turning 20 next month. Where did you graduated from? UCI?

eyuan23

hehe thnx for the tip

From the chopped photos of the new 5-series I've been seeing online, I really haven't been that impressed with it so far. If it's going to be a mini-7-series then I really don't think I'll like it. The new E60 M5 (V-10??) should be out by late '03. I'm thinking that there will be a long waitlist, like the new CLK/E-class, once the 5 series is introduced. On top of that, prices will be jacked higher during the craze I would assume. If that's the case, then a E39 M5 would be a great choice. Although it may be more difficult finding a brand new one.

Cool. So you go to school? I graduated from UCSD. I work about 10 min from campus in San Diego. I go home (Upland) every once in awhile on the weekends. The drive is long but my car makes it very fun

FrankW

i go to UCR. a couple of my friends is at UCSD.

I think that the E60 will look much like the 7 in the front, but the rear is going to be similar to the current E39. The thing that get my bro interested is that the rumur about the turbo 3.0 liter inline 6, which could make as much as 340 hps. If that is infact true, it will have a lot of performance even compare to the current M5 (not as good, but you know what i mean).

The DEALER MARK-UP for every New BMW is unavoidable. Heck, even the W209 CLK320 has the $5k mark-up, if you don't want to wait.

FrankW

<---So, what do you guys think? just like the smilie the C32 first looks friendly, but it can turn into a monster.

Accord

That avatar perfectly describes the C32!

It can run like a bat out of hell if you want it to .

Ice 9

Excellent expression of the "True" C32 AMG, Enuff said

DL_AMG

I like it.

mikE55

Cool. But I miss Crayon shin-chan shaking his butt.

eyuan23

Nice avatar . It's too bad the general public doesn't recognize the C32. It's elegance definitely makes it a sleeper .

FrankW

anyone thought about having the clear part of their tail light "smoked" to the dark color like those on the E55?

I parked next to a E55 in school the other day, and i thought that the smoked tail light look much more special than our clear.

Mach430

I think the clear with silvervision bulbs looks perfect. The bulbs make it a true clear, unlike it is stock with the orange reflecting behind it.

dfc

The orange does take some aethetics away from the rear of C32. I was trying to find a red bulb that can fit into the socket. It's not the regular 7506 or 7507 bulbs. The knobs on the base is not perfectly aligned. You guys have any inputs on that?

FrankW

i don't like making the turn signal white...isn't that illegal anyway.

dfc

Yep, I hate the what's so called hyper white effect on the rear signal lamps. Those stupid people (mostly Asians) who thinks they tuned-up their car by swaping a pair of bulbs are simply ridiculous. What's even worse, some times the bulbs differ in color, and you'd see like 5 variations of lighting from the exterior. I was browsing through some ricers' website dedicated to their cars, and most of them claimed having a set of clear signal bulubs and hyper white interior dome lights as tune-ups. One word, "GHETTO".

After all that said, Frank, I wanted a pair of RED bulbs. Just to match the overall red tail. And no, I won't be putting a sticker of the manufacturer of the bulb on my window or fender.

FrankW

what i like is the "smoked" effect on the clear part of the tail light. like those on the E55

ViKTORiOUS

So basically you are saying mostly Asian people are stupid, to me that sounds a tad bit racist not to metion biased. think before you say things like that pertaining to a certain race, to some people what you said can be highly offensive.

HigHal320

dfc why don't you show us how good you are in modding your car? putting red bulbs in your rear brake light assembly and stay amber in front?? WOW!! how not ridiculous haha.

FrankW

remember he is from China, part of asia. so basically he's ratting on himself too.

I do find "Those stupid people (mostly Asians)" to be a little offensing

dfc

Well, actually I am Asian myself. I am not stereotyping asians being stupid, there are stupid people in every race; that's not my point. It is the fact that about 80% of the time when I saw a wickedly modded car, it's an asian sitting inside of it. Like many Asian kids of which I have encountered before, they have little clue about modifying cars. They thought adding some bulbs front and back, plus a few breather enhancements on their 1.8's can put the world into shame.

Regardless of race, I respect those who say they fix up their cars by THEMSELVES. They put effort and work into something they enjoy doing. However, what do you see at your local performance shops? Bunch of kids (no, not only asians) leaving their bills and cars there, and have them tuned by the shop. They left the car there w/o knowing jack about performance tunning; and they come back still knowing jack ****. I never said I am good at fixing up my car; and I know what I can and can't do w/ my machine. For the things I can do, I do them ALL by myself. For the ones I am not yet capable of doing, that's why I come to this forum and learn from other enthusiasts.

Yeah, I plan to chang the back bulb to RED, that's the norm. (audi's, chrysler's, and many other car makers have entirely red taillamps.) But what about the STUPID hyperwhite or blue tint bulbs on the tail? GHETTO!

Mach430

Back to the silvervision bulbs for a minute... They look clear, but blink amber. This way you get the best of both worlds; great looks with normal functionality.

IanPooley

Good morning gentlemen,

I think that the "smoked" lights will be offered with the facelift ("MOPF") of the W203 for all models (not only 32 AMG).

GreetzzzZZzzzz