Hi all I have been ringing all local dealers (Cambs) with a view to ordering the above from stock. However I’m being told they are now all factory order. Anyone who has a lead on any of the above currently in stock would be much appreciated. Manual or auto and colour not important kind regards michael
Hi Bigman. Like most (if not all) premium manufacturers, BMW tends to manufacture all its cars to order, not speculatively, so those that don’t have a customer are destined for showrooms or as demonstrators. As others have said, they will be reluctant to let these cars go to Motability customers, especially in the current climate as it will take them an age to get a replacement.
Given your flexibility you might strike lucky with a cancelled order but, again, private customers will get priority if it’s a car that can be sold easily. Dealers get a £230 handling fee for Motability orders but the order also counts towards dealership, group and manufacturer bonus schemes, which can be significant, which is why they will always want to place a new factory order. If the car already exists (and has therefore already counted towards their bonus targets) , a sale to Motability would be worth just the £230 to them, whereas a private sale would generate much more profit. It’s not impossible, so definitely worth asking around, but unlikely I would think. Also, any car you find is likely to have a number of optional extras which you will have to pay for, even if you don’t want them.
One advantage of a factory order (other than getting the exact spec and colour you would prefer) is that you should be able to get £500 off the AP and a discount (circa 15%) off any factory options. My local BMW dealer wasn’t advertising any Motability discounts but was more than happy to offer this when I asked.