BMW Loaner cars...

"Alex B" (alexb420)
06/01/2014 at 18:38 • Filed to: None

I thought they only gave out X1's. But I was proved wrong when my neighbor came home with a loaner 528i while his 650i is in the shop. Do they give you a nicer loaner the more expensive your car is?

DISCUSSION (22)

drunkenup4 > Alex B
06/01/2014 at 18:43

they'll just give you whatever is in their inventory. I have a 6 year old 335i that I didn't even buy from them and the last time I went they gave me a 2013 528i. A base 5er is as good as it gets from BMW stealerships though, and it is typical for Audi dealers to have nicer loaners.

I've driven well equipped Q7's, 3.0T A6's when our Q5 went in, plus my local dealership loans an S4 to A8, S and RS owners.

AM3R > Alex B
06/01/2014 at 18:48

I think it really depends who the SA is. I bought my E90 328i from a Benz dealer but when I brought it in I was given a stripper model F30 335i.

Another time at another BMW dealership I didn't even get a loaner. Assholes.

AM3R > Alex B
06/01/2014 at 18:50

it all depends on the SA. I bought my E90 328i from a mercedes benz dealership and the BMW dealership once gave me an F30 335i for the afternoon. Another time at another dealership I wasn't even given a loaner.

Nibby > Alex B
06/01/2014 at 18:52

My dad once got a loaner GL from MB... so, it's just whatever they have available.

Squid > Alex B
06/01/2014 at 18:53

They just give you what ever they have. The BMW/MINI dealer also have a hertz on their lot that they use once they run out of the dealer loaners. My mom has gotten a base mini up to a countryman S as a loaner. My sister has an S 'vert and always gets stuck in the base cars and it makes me laugh. It is luck of the draw, but if you are nice you might be able to talk the person behind the counter into giving you a nicer car than the one you brought in for service.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > Alex B
06/01/2014 at 18:54

At the dealership I work at it depends on partially what is left to give out and partially what you drive.

We regularly loan out F10 535's and X5's. Lots of 328's and X1's too, some X3's.

Arben72 > Alex B
06/01/2014 at 19:01

I can request certain loaners if they have them in stock. Last time I asked for a diesel, I got a fully equipped x5 35d. Even when I wait for my car, usually they toss me the keys to any car I want for a "test drive". I once got the keys to a f10 m5 and a new Porsche cayman s for 2 hours before.

Alex B > AM3R
06/01/2014 at 19:09

At least you got a 335i though, you could've gotten a 328i...

davedave1111 > Alex B
06/01/2014 at 19:09

Definitely not, if you go to the kind of places my dad uses. He once got a metallic mint green Austin Maestro as a loaner. The top spec model with the talking dashboard. In 2009 or something.

Kinja'd!!!

Then again, it's always possible he was given a choice. He definitely thought it was funny - a legendarily awful car in absolutely mint (<20k miles) condition - so the mechanic he used might have offered it to customers with a sense of humour.

AM3R > Alex B
06/01/2014 at 19:11

yeah that dealership was great to me. The dealership closer to my house wouldn't even think about giving me a loaner because I didn't buy my car from them.

Alex B > AM3R
06/01/2014 at 19:24

I hate dealers like that. If they wanted you to buy your next BMW from them, they should be nice to you while you have your current one.

Alex B > davedave1111
06/01/2014 at 19:24

Haha, cool.

heliochrome85 > Alex B
06/01/2014 at 19:25

whats wrong with the 328i?

Alex B > heliochrome85
06/01/2014 at 19:35

nothing, but the dealer was nice to give him the bump up to the 335i.

AM3R > Alex B
06/01/2014 at 20:29

yeah they completely lost my business. They saw me looking at M3's as I was waiting and they said I should look into a 335i instead. What's that supposed to mean?

Anyways I've heard they've become a lot better recently. Apparently they have a ton of new SA's so I'll think about giving them another chance soon enough.

sellphones2493 > Alex B
06/01/2014 at 21:23

When my parents had BMW's, they would usually give my mom a 328, but my dad would get 335d's, 535's, and once even an X6.

When I take my car in for service in Connecticut, they give me my choice of Volvo's. I usually choose the XC90's because I am weirdly obsessed with them.

I just became eligable to rent from my local Maryland Volvo Dealer, but given my age (21), they only let me rent from their Toyota Division.

Now what would be an appropriate Toyota to give a 21 year-old?

Kinja'd!!!

A Sienna.

toyotaphile > Alex B
06/01/2014 at 22:27

My neighbors took their X5 in during a very busy week at the dealership for an extended service and were given...a brown Nissan Sentra

DipodomysDeserti > AM3R
06/01/2014 at 22:28

I bought a CPO 335d from a local dealership and they gave me a 2014 320i as a loaner. Nice car but I miss dat torque! My dad bought a brand new decked out M235i and they gave him a 2011 328i as a loaner when he was getting his windows tinted. Go figure.

cabarne4 > Alex B
06/01/2014 at 22:38

Friend of mine took his 190e into a Merc dealer once. Got a brand new (this was in about 2009) C-class as a loaner.

AM3R > DipodomysDeserti
06/01/2014 at 22:40

I love 335d's!

But yeah, maybe they thought you'd like the 320i because it's efficient like the diesel.

I'm actually surprised they'd give an E90 loaner out. That's weird, you'd think they've give a pretty nice car to an M235i owner, especially if he bought it from that dealership.

DipodomysDeserti > AM3R
06/02/2014 at 00:19

The fuel economy is alright, but the engine feels pretty gutless especially for a $33k+ car. The new power steering is also pretty lifeless. The E90s feel much sportier, and I wouldn't want to pay BMW money to get a heavy car with a four banger. The straight six is a much better engine. The straight six sequential turbo diesel is addicting.

AM3R > DipodomysDeserti
06/02/2014 at 14:48

Yeah I think when I want to get another bimmer to daily drive, I'll step up from my 328i to another E90, probably a 335i or maybe an M3 :D

With ESS announcing the N52 supercharger kit with a price of $4995, I'd love to buy an LCI E91 with a 6MT. It's just so hard to find though!