TORONTO Buyers Beware of Price Fixing!!!

[Surge]

If you are planning to buy or lease an i3 in the GTA, stop and consider this.

Do NOT accept a deal at MSRP (list price).

Do NOT believe dealers when they tell you the "market here is different than in the US".

I used to work at a dealership, and at 3 auto makers, and I can tell you it's utter BS.

BMW North America supplies cars for both countries. Canadian REx cars are specced the same idiotic way as in the US- with their reduced size gas tanks and inability to turn the gas motor on or off manually.

Cars are SITTING on the lots UNSOLD. Yet the 3 dealers in Toronto who can sell the i brand are stubbornly refusing to discount.

US offers are currently at $2000 off, on a BEV. And that's from head office, before dealer discounts. There are reports of over $4000 off on this forum.

Solution-
We band together and go to one dealer and demand a discount.
PM me if interested. I already have 2 people.

I'd rather you save $4K than give it to a greedy dealer that barely calls you back and hardly knows anything about the car.

 

[cove3]

Wait for the VW e-Golf to go on sale in November. It's 8,000 MSRP cheaper, has more extra features, and most of the 7 comparison reviews I've read favor it over the i3. You can use it as a bargaining chip. If you don't need the Rex feature, test drive it, see how it compares and consider buying it.

Ron

 

[jelloslug]

The e-golf is just as another compliance car that will sell in the hundreds in California.

 

[cove3]

How do you know? A clue is the 7 comparison reviews favoring the e-Golf. Another clue is the pool of 30 million past and current Golf owners to draw on. Still another clue is the redesigned 2015 gas version is selling out. If e-Golf were it's own stock. I'd be long as I suspect it will outsell the i3, more like 10's of thousands than hundreds. Anyway, isn't the i3 a compliance car?

It's not like I'm not a BMW fan. I've had a 2002, 2800CS, 3.0CS and my two current cars 528e and 525i. I wrote a Roundel article on restoring the 3.0CS. I really wanted to like the i3. But after a test drive and comparing it to the e-Golf specs, price, and the 7 comparison reviews, I'm going with the e-Golf, especially as I don't want a Rex option. My wife didn't like the quirky look, the interior, that you couldn't see the hood, and the lack of cargo space. She absolutely refused to go back and look at it again so that's that.

But I respect that it has a loyal following, and I do admire the innovative aluminum frame/carbon body approach.

Ron

 

[WoodlandHills]

How do you know? If the 7 comparison reviews are any clue, that won't be the case. Anyway, isn't the i3 a compliance car?

Ron

It is compliant, but it is NOT a compliance car. They have sold far too many units in far too many places.

 

[cove3]

If that's the definition, then until we get some e-Golf numbers, we won't know if it's a compliance car or a compliant car

Ron

 

[noxon]

It is compliant, and its capabilities have been strongly influenced by CARB.

IMO, it's not fair to call anything a compliance car if it's sold and serviced in markets where there is no compliance requirement, the price is fair, the car's functionality is not compromised (lousy EV conversion) and the supply is not artificially constrained.

BMW is pretty clear about actually wanting to sell the i3. The only other brands trying to move EV's right now are Nissan and Tesla.

I'd be surprised to see the Golf EV sold outside of CARB states. I hope I'm wrong, but I haven't seen any statement from VW regarding where they intend to sell it. Regardless, the e-Golf outselling the i3 doesn't make the i3 a compliance car. BMW's typically cost more and sell less than VW.

 

[Surge]

Interesting comments about the Golf, but can we move back to the topic of this thread?

I would like to collect a list of Toronto area buyers so we can get ourselves a discount - just like most dealers offer in the US.

Thanks

 

[cove3]

The subject of your thread was how to negotiate a better i3 price than MSRP. One way indeed might be to band together, but that's going to be very difficult to coordinate....timing, distance, etc. I would want to go with my close by dealer and not a pool which might require going to another dealer for service. Also, the dealers have learned not to let themselves get played off against each other.

But even if you could do it, you could do even better. Gee....we don't know. We drove the VW e-Golf. It's $8,000 less, rides as well, same range, has 2 full rear doors with electric windows, more cargo space etc etc Can't you do better?

If you find yourself alone, you can also do this, but you can negotiate only if you're armed with facts

Ron

 

[Surge]

Ron,

Changing car models is a different equation altogether.
I would personally never cross shop a Golf with an i3. Never.
I could argue that a Toyota Yaris has the same room and is so much less expensive that even factoring the fuel cost will cost less than a E-Golf.

The point of this thread is to coordinate buying and force dealers to reduce i3 pricing in the GTA.
Logistics are not an issue. Toronto has 3 i dealers, for a population that is the 3rd largest in the US/Canada. Only LA and NYC metro areas are larger.

Trust me- I used to work for a dealer- if 10 people come in and place orders on one day, one of the 3 dealers will discount!

 

[Cappanda3]

I work for BMW in Southern California. What you're describing, I have never before seen, especially on a model that is readily available. Don't go in person, email these dealers' internet sales departments. They have to give you innovations credit at the very least. Call BMW NA and complain if they don't since that is public information. Don't see how they would refuse since Canada is apart of "North America", unless I'm mistaken and Canada gets different rebates. However I am pretty sure they share the same rebates and incentives.

 

[Surge]

You're right. I am trying that now.

This is collusion and price fixing by definition. A sales rep told me as much - he works at one of the 3 i dealers in Toronto and said he'd love to discount the i3 since it is not selling that well, but that the 3 dealers have agreed not to discount the cars!