The purpose of this thread is to get your opinion, my fellow Z car brothers, on a potential new car purchase. Before I get to the details, I think it's important to provide some background.
My wife and I recently relocated back to Germany due to my military commitment. My 370Z isn't due to arrive for another month, but we bought a one owner, well-maintained, and inexpensive BMW E39 540i to get us around. I'm in the twilight of my career so we've spent the last few years paying off debt and investing on rental properties. So far so good. In fact, we planned on selling the 370Z while in Germany, as well as liquidating most of our assets prior to my retirement, to make our transition into the civilian life a bit smoother and put a lot more cash in our pockets when I begin my second career. The bottom line is, the last thing we wanted was a new car payment.
However, while headed out to grab some lunch, we decided to stop by one of the many military car dealerships in the area. Big mistake. To make a long story short, I am now seriously considering purchasing a new BMW. The dealership has a program similar to the BMW select program in the US, but their OTD prices are between 10% to 15% less. For reference, the salesman and I built and priced the car of my choice. The prices below reflect the US prices:
- 2016 BMW M4 ($65,700)
- Tanzanite Blue Metallic ($1,950)
- 19" allow wheels ($1,200)
- Black extended Merino leather ($950)
- Enhance USB and Bluetooth integration ($350)
- Aluminum blade interior ($0)
- Manual transmission ($0)
* Destination and handling ($995)
Total = $71,145
The dealership priced the exact same car between $62,000 and $63,000. Their program is essentially a 2-year lease with an option to buy or sell. They would, however, guarantee to value the car for $48,500 after 2 years--provided it doesn't accumulate 24,000 miles. Monthly payments for the first two years are around $650 at 2.99% from a pre-selected credit union. After 2 years, I could either sell the car to pay-off the balloon payment; seek financing for $48,500 to keep it; or return it, get another BMW, and start the process all over again. Basically, I have the option to lease a 2016 BMW M4 for $650 a month for two years, and buy it for $48,500 afterwards.
The dealership provides a great program for one to get into an M car. I never envisioned my retirement car to be an M4, and it won't be. If I do end up getting the M4, I'll eventually sell it for something less common and get a late generation Porsche 911 Carrera S (possibly a 991) or an older, entry-level Ferrari in the similar price range (maybe a 360 Modena). I do understand that the Porsche and Ferrari will cost considerably more than what the M4 will be worth.
So what do you think?
