New BMWs v The Competition
Discussion
Fancy a change from BMW 3 series but from looking around ,sitting in New Jaguars ,thinking Alfa etc. However it is amazing how much discounts, contributions etc BMW give a customer equivelant cars in other marques re PCPs etc are so much more expensive a lot more in fact.
We have to thank BMW for the opportunities I guess
I had an Alfa Giulia Veloce from March to May, ended up rejecting it - now in a 440i GC.
The Alfa was a beautiful car; it felt like a sports car to drive, even with "only" 276bhp. Unfortunately Alfa just aren't set up to support anything approaching a premium car. I won't go into my horror story and others I've been told by the dealer I dealt with, but I couldn't recommend buying an Alfa incase you ever need to claim on the warranty. Amazing car, absolutely atrocious manufacturer.
The BMW costs me marginally more per month and is significantly more car than the Alfa, RRP is around £12k more too ... From my experience and from shopping around for a replacement for the Alfa I found that BMW offered by far the best deals in comparison to Jag / Merc / Lexus etc.
The Alfa was a beautiful car; it felt like a sports car to drive, even with "only" 276bhp. Unfortunately Alfa just aren't set up to support anything approaching a premium car. I won't go into my horror story and others I've been told by the dealer I dealt with, but I couldn't recommend buying an Alfa incase you ever need to claim on the warranty. Amazing car, absolutely atrocious manufacturer.
The BMW costs me marginally more per month and is significantly more car than the Alfa, RRP is around £12k more too ... From my experience and from shopping around for a replacement for the Alfa I found that BMW offered by far the best deals in comparison to Jag / Merc / Lexus etc.
stuart_83 said:
I had an Alfa Giulia Veloce from March to May, ended up rejecting it - now in a 440i GC.
The Alfa was a beautiful car; it felt like a sports car to drive, even with "only" 276bhp. Unfortunately Alfa just aren't set up to support anything approaching a premium car. I won't go into my horror story and others I've been told by the dealer I dealt with, but I couldn't recommend buying an Alfa incase you ever need to claim on the warranty. Amazing car, absolutely atrocious manufacturer.
The BMW costs me marginally more per month and is significantly more car than the Alfa, RRP is around £12k more too ... From my experience and from shopping around for a replacement for the Alfa I found that BMW offered by far the best deals in comparison to Jag / Merc / Lexus etc.
Suspect it's not the manufacturer TBH, dealers are franchised and most Alfa dealers are added onto Fiat dealers who are legendary at crap service..I know my wife has driven Fiats for nearly 25 years now, though in Scotland all Fiat dealers are Arnies so will be sThe Alfa was a beautiful car; it felt like a sports car to drive, even with "only" 276bhp. Unfortunately Alfa just aren't set up to support anything approaching a premium car. I won't go into my horror story and others I've been told by the dealer I dealt with, but I couldn't recommend buying an Alfa incase you ever need to claim on the warranty. Amazing car, absolutely atrocious manufacturer.
The BMW costs me marginally more per month and is significantly more car than the Alfa, RRP is around £12k more too ... From my experience and from shopping around for a replacement for the Alfa I found that BMW offered by far the best deals in comparison to Jag / Merc / Lexus etc.
te no matter what franchise they have. Alfa need to hive off the dealerships to franchises that know how to treat customers well. Would love one but current RS6 and S8 out of warranty means I can use local trusted mechanicsninepoint2 said:
Suspect it's not the manufacturer TBH, dealers are franchised and most Alfa dealers are added onto Fiat dealers who are legendary at crap service..I know my wife has driven Fiats for nearly 25 years now, though in Scotland all Fiat dealers are Arnies so will be ste no matter what franchise they have. Alfa need to hive off the dealerships to franchises that know how to treat customers well. Would love one but current RS6 and S8 out of warranty means I can use local trusted mechanics
This time it was unfortunately ... Lots of failings and refusing to believe there's any chance the customer could be right, or deserved to actually have use of their new car ... Or have a suitable courtesy car ... Or be kept up to date ... te no matter what franchise they have. Alfa need to hive off the dealerships to franchises that know how to treat customers well. Would love one but current RS6 and S8 out of warranty means I can use local trusted mechanicsAlso refused to continue any warranty work on it when they found out I was rejecting it. That was an instruction from AR Italy as part of the "Teseo" (warranty) case ... And the Alfa Romeo UK technical team lied on their technical report which was sent to the finance company in an attempt to stop the rejection, which was disproved by records I asked for from their warranty system.
Don't even get me started on Alfa UK customer services and FCA finance.
Trust me, you do not want to give these people your hard earned money.
The dealers were brilliant to be fair, this was all 100% Alfa UK / Italy at fault.
Had significantly better service so far from BMW, and from anecdotal evidence from a good friend / colleague who's had new BMWs for years I'll hopefully get treated a little better if I do encounter any issues.
stuart_83 said:
This time it was unfortunately ... Lots of failings and refusing to believe there's any chance the customer could be right, or deserved to actually have use of their new car ... Or have a suitable courtesy car ... Or be kept up to date ...
Also refused to continue any warranty work on it when they found out I was rejecting it. That was an instruction from AR Italy as part of the "Teseo" (warranty) case ... And the Alfa Romeo UK technical team lied on their technical report which was sent to the finance company in an attempt to stop the rejection, which was disproved by records I asked for from their warranty system.
Don't even get me started on Alfa UK customer services and FCA finance.
Trust me, you do not want to give these people your hard earned money.
The dealers were brilliant to be fair, this was all 100% Alfa UK / Italy at fault.
Had significantly better service so far from BMW, and from anecdotal evidence from a good friend / colleague who's had new BMWs for years I'll hopefully get treated a little better if I do encounter any issues.
Ah OK does sound like you have had a bit of a nightmare experience, real shame that ownership of an obviously great car is tarnished by such poor customer service, though I have heard similar horror stories from owners of cars from some of the more established "pemium brands" too, however I'm glad you are happy in the BMW now thoughAlso refused to continue any warranty work on it when they found out I was rejecting it. That was an instruction from AR Italy as part of the "Teseo" (warranty) case ... And the Alfa Romeo UK technical team lied on their technical report which was sent to the finance company in an attempt to stop the rejection, which was disproved by records I asked for from their warranty system.
Don't even get me started on Alfa UK customer services and FCA finance.
Trust me, you do not want to give these people your hard earned money.
The dealers were brilliant to be fair, this was all 100% Alfa UK / Italy at fault.
Had significantly better service so far from BMW, and from anecdotal evidence from a good friend / colleague who's had new BMWs for years I'll hopefully get treated a little better if I do encounter any issues.
Probs loads of discounts around because the 3 and 4 are getting long in the tooth and shortly due to be replaced.
You don’t say what engine you’re looking at, my
Money would be going in a new Volvo S60.
The current range of bmw are so gopping, too many swag lines and that stupid pushed down nose. At least they’ve fitted LED indicators to the LCI
You don’t say what engine you’re looking at, my
Money would be going in a new Volvo S60.
The current range of bmw are so gopping, too many swag lines and that stupid pushed down nose. At least they’ve fitted LED indicators to the LCI
Nickbrapp said:
Probs loads of discounts around because the 3 and 4 are getting long in the tooth and shortly due to be replaced.
You don’t say what engine you’re looking at, my
Money would be going in a new Volvo S60.
The current range of bmw are so gopping, too many swag lines and that stupid pushed down nose. At least they’ve fitted LED indicators to the LCI
Hi Dont think the 4 is being replaced for a good while , correct me if Im wrong mind. The deal you can get from TRLat Berrys and will be matched from other Dealerships for the 440i and 435d GC are so much cheaper than other Marque equivalents its crazyYou don’t say what engine you’re looking at, my
Money would be going in a new Volvo S60.
The current range of bmw are so gopping, too many swag lines and that stupid pushed down nose. At least they’ve fitted LED indicators to the LCI
Yep have thought about a Volvo as well .....
The 4 GC is a hell of a lot of car for the deals they've had on. Roughly £12k off split between BMW deposit contribution and dealer discount, plus 0% APR.
Carbon black is a beautiful colour, I can highly recommend it, especially with the ivory leather interior.
I've only got the M Sport Plus pack and reversing camera - the only other options I'd have wanted really is the digital cockpit. It's not as good as Audi's offerings, but makes the interior even smarter.
Loving the car so far - really tempted by the MPPSK but I just can't justify the cost and the insurance hike for it!
Carbon black is a beautiful colour, I can highly recommend it, especially with the ivory leather interior.
I've only got the M Sport Plus pack and reversing camera - the only other options I'd have wanted really is the digital cockpit. It's not as good as Audi's offerings, but makes the interior even smarter.
Loving the car so far - really tempted by the MPPSK but I just can't justify the cost and the insurance hike for it!
stuart_83 said:
The 4 GC is a hell of a lot of car for the deals they've had on. Roughly £12k off split between BMW deposit contribution and dealer discount, plus 0% APR.
Carbon black is a beautiful colour, I can highly recommend it, especially with the ivory leather interior.
I've only got the M Sport Plus pack and reversing camera - the only other options I'd have wanted really is the digital cockpit. It's not as good as Audi's offerings, but makes the interior even smarter.
Loving the car so far - really tempted by the MPPSK but I just can't justify the cost and the insurance hike for it!
Hello Stuart ,yep the 4 GC is my preferred but Petrol or Diesel is the issue with the hate verses my mileage . Having read this it doesnt excite at all https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/volvo/s60 I mean my 330d can do 0-62 in 5,6 and if I want do a journey up the M1 to Leeds and gives me 60mpg ,yep seriously (middle lane carnage Carbon black is a beautiful colour, I can highly recommend it, especially with the ivory leather interior.
I've only got the M Sport Plus pack and reversing camera - the only other options I'd have wanted really is the digital cockpit. It's not as good as Audi's offerings, but makes the interior even smarter.
Loving the car so far - really tempted by the MPPSK but I just can't justify the cost and the insurance hike for it!
) 50mpg all day long on long tripsStuart have you been on a long motorway run in your 440i what sort of MPG are you getting please
smashy said:
Hello Stuart ,yep the 4 GC is my preferred but Petrol or Diesel is the issue with the hate verses my mileage . Having read this it doesnt excite at all https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/volvo/s60 I mean my 330d can do 0-62 in 5,6 and if I want do a journey up the M1 to Leeds and gives me 60mpg ,yep seriously (middle lane carnage ) 50mpg all day long on long trips
Stuart have you been on a long motorway run in your 440i what sort of MPG are you getting please
I've not done any really long trips yet, only covered around 800 miles, but I've seen above 40mpg a fair number of times. I do about 15k/yr so it was on the borderline of petrol / diesel, so decided that since all the other costs were the same (monthly payments, tax, insurance) I may as well go for the petrol! ) 50mpg all day long on long tripsStuart have you been on a long motorway run in your 440i what sort of MPG are you getting please
Nothing at all wrong with a 430d or 435d, though I think the 435d mpg might be closer to the 440i than the 430d!
I'm seeing about 32mpg combined at the moment, which is exceptional for a 3.0T petrol, it'd be slightly better if I didn't have to commute into Birmingham :-(
40 plus thats good Stuart ,one thing that really bugs me though with these.In sport I just cannot handle,pun intended the heavy weighted steering ,I find it horrible,wish you could mix and match...and yes id go 440i or 330d a 335d has the xdrive which hits mpg so you may as well go 440i in that instance.
Have a look at the Audi as well...
Whilst I don't like the brand image that much, recently swapped my 530d for a A4 3.0 Avant with a colleague for a week and was blown away.
Build quality was better, tech better, refinement better and diesel was just as silky smooth. I'll seriously be looking at one when changing in November rather than blindly ordering another BMW as I have done too many times before.
Whilst I don't like the brand image that much, recently swapped my 530d for a A4 3.0 Avant with a colleague for a week and was blown away.
Build quality was better, tech better, refinement better and diesel was just as silky smooth. I'll seriously be looking at one when changing in November rather than blindly ordering another BMW as I have done too many times before.
smashy said:
Nickbrapp said:
Probs loads of discounts around because the 3 and 4 are getting long in the tooth and shortly due to be replaced.
You don’t say what engine you’re looking at, my
Money would be going in a new Volvo S60.
The current range of bmw are so gopping, too many swag lines and that stupid pushed down nose. At least they’ve fitted LED indicators to the LCI
Hi Dont think the 4 is being replaced for a good while , correct me if Im wrong mind. The deal you can get from TRLat Berrys and will be matched from other Dealerships for the 440i and 435d GC are so much cheaper than other Marque equivalents its crazyYou don’t say what engine you’re looking at, my
Money would be going in a new Volvo S60.
The current range of bmw are so gopping, too many swag lines and that stupid pushed down nose. At least they’ve fitted LED indicators to the LCI
Yep have thought about a Volvo as well .....
So whilst the new 4 Series won't launch for probably 18 months, it will soon be seen as the "old model", and values will take a bit of a bashing but the good news is the deals will be better to keep the volumes going.
Is it a good time to buy a 4? Yes, but make sure you drive a very hard bargain....
smashy said:
In sport I just cannot handle,pun intended the heavy weighted steering ,I find it horrible,wish you could mix and match.
Same here. It's great on the go, but trying to manouvre the car from standstill in sport is a bit of a task! Reminds me of my first car, an E reg Polo, before the days of power steering :-) Just a shame BMW won't let to tailor the driving mode, even my previous car let me do it, and that was a 2016 Octavia VRS.As others have said, have a look at the Audi. Really nice cars, and the interiors are a step up IMO. I borrowed one for a week while the Octavia was in for some work, and although I didn't like it at first I soon grew to really like it. I'd avoid the FWD models as they'll be boring as hell, but you can't go wrong with a nicely spec'd up 4/5 series 3.0 quattro. The only problem is the PCP deals ... When I enquired back in March when first buying the Alfa, then in May when I needed a replacement car, Audi were giving about £4k off list @ 5.9% APR.
This meant that I'm now paying less for my 440i than I would have done for a 2.0 TDI 190bhp FWD A5 sportback.
If the deals were comparable who knows what I would've bought?!
smashy said:
Just walked into Berrys Heathrow TRL territory parked my 3 year old bmw 3 series at the front ....walked around the showroom in my suit...not one person came up to me.To see what I was doing there , what brought me in today.Well thats them out the equation
Try Alex Zawadzki at Sytner Coventry.I did my deal entirely over the phone, and he completely blew every other dealership out of the water without me having to negotiate etc.
No nonsense, no back and forth, just the best price to start with.
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