BMW Bellevue, WA

JW28 · 11-12-2006, 02:22 PM

I ordered my car from Mark Harrington back in September, with an arrival set for sometime in the next week or so. So far, he has been great to work with and was very professional during negotiations. No BS and has not pushed any options. A couple of times, he actually said "don't get that, waste of money." That being said, I do agree that buying a car and servicing a car are 2 different things. This post makes me a bit nervous about using BMW of Bellevue's service department, although I haven't seen any glowing reviews of other Seattle-area BMW service departments.

TTG · 01-04-2007, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny3

I have had a 328i for the last 7 years that has been serviced there, seattle, and at my personal favorite, Strictly bmw of bellevue. There is always the chance thaty somebody is going to fuck something up. Its human error and unless you take an active role (like checking up on your car, meeting the actual person who is working on it) instead of just dropping it off and telling them to fix it.
And dealerships make more money off of maintenace than they do new car sales. I didnt buy my first bimmer from them and they never questioned it's origins. That sounds a little strange

+1 for Strictly BMW..... Very nice place......

Also, f'ing things up on a car and treating people like s-hit are two different things... Like you said one should double check everything after the service.

Lost Cosmonaut · 03-14-2007, 01:51 AM

Digging up an old thread, but I'm planning on buying a 335xi sedan via European Delivery soon and was thinking about going to BMW of Bellevue since my family has had good experience with them in the past. I see some of you talking about Alvin, he actually sent us on our test drive of the 335i totally no-questions-asked and completely pressure free. We were really impressed. (Totally the opposite of the Infiniti dealer in Kirkland when we went to test drive a G35 Sport

)

As far as service, BMW of Bellevue completely replaced the engine in my 1995 740iL for free even though it wasn't within the out-of-spec limit needed because of the Nikasil issue. They told us "Aw, it'll be good for another 20k miles!" and our response was "You don't buy a BMW to just get 20k miles out of it." They replaced the engine for free without another word.

YMMV for sure, huh?

We'll see how it goes when I go to negotiate on my new car

- LC

ATG · 03-14-2007, 11:19 AM

I've had a great experience ordering my 335i from BMW of Eugene. Sam Hill is a contact person there. Just FYI, albeit off topic ...

TTG · 03-14-2007, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lost Cosmonaut

Digging up an old thread, but I'm planning on buying a 335xi sedan via European Delivery soon and was thinking about going to BMW of Bellevue since my family has had good experience with them in the past. I see some of you talking about Alvin, he actually sent us on our test drive of the 335i totally no-questions-asked and completely pressure free. We were really impressed. (Totally the opposite of the Infiniti dealer in Kirkland when we went to test drive a G35 Sport

)

As far as service, BMW of Bellevue completely replaced the engine in my 1995 740iL for free even though it wasn't within the out-of-spec limit needed because of the Nikasil issue. They told us "Aw, it'll be good for another 20k miles!" and our response was "You don't buy a BMW to just get 20k miles out of it." They replaced the engine for free without another word.

YMMV for sure, huh?

We'll see how it goes when I go to negotiate on my new car

- LC

Most 7 series got their engines replaced during that time..... My parents 1997 got a new engine as well...

Since my above thread Matt (who is also on this board) contacted me from Bellevue and indicated that he would do $1K over ED invoice for the E93 that I am planning on ordering.... So please do share your expereince with us. I usually don't really care how I am treated as long as I am getting the car for the price I am willing to pay for it.... So all of those smiles & etc do not really mean much to me.... It is their job to put a smile on my face which is mostly accomplished by a very good price.....

Good luck with your car & let us know about your expereince.

Matto ELITE · 03-21-2007, 02:13 AM

i should just stick to threads like these...I'm getting slaughtered in my "Ask a CA anything" thread.

Probably wasn't a good idea to create that thread, just thought it was a good idea to help feel out the questions and concerns e90/e92 owners have.

I'd be willing to offer any gentlemen in this thread $1,000 over ED invoice, just as long as you get to me 2.5-3 months prior. I'm more an enthusiast than a salesperson, i can't stress it enough.

toofasttooslow · 05-18-2007, 03:59 PM

I know this is

but i'm really curious on how you are able to get 1k over ED invoice when all of your counterparts are offering less than 1k under MSRP? Are we talking 335 e93's or 328's?

ATG · 05-18-2007, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matto ELITE

i should just stick to threads like these...I'm getting slaughtered in my "Ask a CA anything" thread.

Probably wasn't a good idea to create that thread, just thought it was a good idea to help feel out the questions and concerns e90/e92 owners have.

I'd be willing to offer any gentlemen in this thread $1,000 over ED invoice, just as long as you get to me 2.5-3 months prior. I'm more an enthusiast than a salesperson, i can't stress it enough.

Will there be a dealer mark-up on the money factor rate or any other hidden fees?

scollins · 05-21-2007, 02:33 PM

I bought my E90 335i 6MT from Bellevue BMW, and it was a fine experience. Richard Hard was my primary CA, and Peter Liu also helped out.

I actually used the "Costco Auto Program" to buy the car. With floormats included, my price was almost exactly $1,000 below MSRP. Have others negotiated better deals in the rest of the country? Sure, I bet they have. But I felt it was a good deal, especially since the car on the lot was EXACTLY what I wanted (no compromises, not even on color.) Plus, I've now got a $50 coupon to use at the dealership from the Costco program. Yippee!! I'm being a little sarcastic there.....

I think my buying experience was pretty easy because I wasn't trading in a car, so that took a lot of negotiation time out of the equation. We got to the dealer at 6:30 PM so the wife could test drive a car, and we were driving home at 9:15 PM with all the paperwork done, and the car detailed and tank filled. It had been in their storage lot, and still had the transport protection on it!

I had been there earlier in the day for a test drive by myself, so I think the total time to buy the car was about 4 hours. Not too bad, since it always seems to take forever to buy cars these days.

I did pay too much for the "Tire and Wheel" coverage, as well as the Extended Maintenance, but no matter, money already spent. No sense in crying about it now. I haven't opted for an Extended "Warranty" service contract yet, but I may still get one at some point.

The only thing unknown now is the Service Department. I might find out about that very soon, as I'm coming up on 1,200 miles, and I want to change out the oil....

PeterLiu · 05-22-2007, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scollins

I bought my E90 335i 6MT from Bellevue BMW, and it was a fine experience. Richard Hard was my primary CA, and Peter Liu also helped out.

scollins, Congrats! Since Richard took over, I didn't get a chance to say thank you and you will love your E90!

Let Richard or myself know if there is any concern with the vehicle! As far as Service Department goes, ask for Ryan for your future services he will take good care of you.

Enjoy,

Peter

scollins · 05-23-2007, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterLiu

scollins, Congrats! Since Richard took over, I didn't get a chance to say thank you and you will love your E90!

Let Richard or myself know if there is any concern with the vehicle! As far as Service Department goes, ask for Ryan for your future services he will take good care of you.

Enjoy,

Peter

Thanks Peter. I do feel bad that I couldn't make our schedule work to fit your work days. But Tuesday was the only day where my schedule and the wife's schedule lined up enough to buy a car.

Since we bought the car on 5/8, I've been in NYC for 3 days, Sandpoint Idaho for 3 days, and now I'm in LA from 5/22 to 5/24, and the wife was in Cabo for 4 days last week! None of those days overlap either! The hard life working for a beer company!

Hard to be away from home with that fun car in the driveway. I did put 700 miles on it over the weekend with the trip to Sandpoint ID and back. I was a good boy though, and didn't push the car.......too hard!

I saw tons of state patrol guys "with customers" on that trip.

HPIA4v2 · 06-14-2007, 09:32 AM

I recommend David Ly very highly.
The guys is down to earth, very knowledgable(on priority options, VPC installed accesories etc), listen well and not very opiniated.

johnny420 · 09-24-2007, 09:38 PM

Has anyone dealt with Jim Turnage at BMW Bellevue? I did a test drive of a 328i the other day and he seemed like a good guy. Down to earth and no pressure.

The price he offered was $34,970 for a 6 MT 328i with Sport Pack, Montego Blue paint, Xenon headlights and leather seats, and nothing else.

Any opinions?

toofasttooslow · 09-24-2007, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnny420

Has anyone dealt with Jim Turnage at BMW Bellevue? I did a test drive of a 328i the other day and he seemed like a good guy. Down to earth and no pressure.

The price he offered was $34,970 for a 6 MT 328i with Sport Pack, Montego Blue paint, Xenon headlights and leather seats, and nothing else.

Any opinions?

I bought my 335i coupe from him. Really good guy.

douger · 10-15-2007, 10:10 PM

I purchased my car from Dave Skipworth. He was great to deal wtih and I would deal with him personally again. My only dissapointment is that the the finance person talked me into the tire warranty, which I found out later was the biggest rip off in the world (shame on me). When I told them later I wanted to "undo" that part of the transaction, they would not let me.

Matto ELITE · 10-30-2007, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by douger

I purchased my car from Dave Skipworth. He was great to deal wtih and I would deal with him personally again. My only dissapointment is that the the finance person talked me into the tire warranty, which I found out later was the biggest rip off in the world (shame on me). When I told them later I wanted to "undo" that part of the transaction, they would not let me.

How do you figure its rip off? I just had a wheel and tire assembly on my e92 get destroyed, and I wish i had tire and wheel warranty :sad0147: Considering that the warranty pretty much pays for one wheel and one runflat, I wish I would've rolled it into my lease...

TTG · 10-31-2007, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matto ELITE

How do you figure its rip off? I just had a wheel and tire assembly on my e92 get destroyed, and I wish i had tire and wheel warranty :sad0147: Considering that the warranty pretty much pays for one wheel and one runflat, I wish I would've rolled it into my lease...

Most of us have this coverage...... It costs $30.00 a year and is highly recomended. I am not quite sure the cost of tire / wheel warranty that BMW sells but last time I checked it was around $450.00 which still is not a bad deal...
AUTO CLUB TIRE & WHEEL WARRANTY

jmillet · 01-01-2008, 03:10 PM

I recently purchased a 2007 Z4 M Coupe and it took BMW Bellevue two tries to get it right. My Client Advisor, Matt Larson, was very knowledgeable and accommodating in the sales process to include the trade-in of my high mileage 2000 Z3 M Coupe. I drove home in a "new" 2007 Interlagos Blue Z4 M Coupe with a January 2007 build date and 303 miles on the clock. In the process of doing some detailing I noticed what appeared to be some paint imperfections. I took the car to a local body shop for a thorough inspection. This inspection uncovered over $3000 of poorly executed body repairs. Needless to say I was not a happy camper as well as being disappointed that BMW Bellevue failed to disclose the repaired damages. I immediately contacted Matt and met with the Sales Manager who acknowledged "minor" rock chip repairs had been made and offered to repaint the panels to my satisfaction. I respectfully declined his offered and asked for either return of my trade-in car or a new undamaged Z4 M Coupe.
The next day I returned the blue car and drove off in an Imola Red Z4 M Coupe with a June 2007 build date and 30 miles on the clock.
The story has a happy ending but it was a painful experience.
I trust BMW Bellevue was more forthcoming with the ultimate buyer of this vehicle regarding repaired damages.

TWiTCHY · 11-11-2008, 10:15 PM

If you need a service adviser, ask for Michael Edwards. Met him twice over the couple of weeks that we needed to bring in our E90 for service, and he seems like a great guy with a lot of energy, but not excessive!

No problems so far with the service department, but sales decided to rat us off when we were taking glances at some 1 series. We wanted a test drive, but they wouldn't give us one.

Guess we weren't wearing the correct attire

andytaro · 11-11-2008, 10:57 PM

That sounds like a typical Bellevue BMW sales dept.... How can they stay in business by treating customers like that?

barbados · 11-15-2008, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TWiTCHY

If you need a service adviser, ask for Michael Edwards. Met him twice over the couple of weeks that we needed to bring in our E90 for service, and he seems like a great guy with a lot of energy, but not excessive!

No problems so far with the service department, but sales decided to rat us off when we were taking glances at some 1 series. We wanted a test drive, but they wouldn't give us one.

Guess we weren't wearing the correct attire

Really? That's weird... I test drove 135is there twice a couple months ago and I'm pretty young (27) and wore very casual (read scrubby) clothes both times. They wouldn't even give me $2k off MSRP though, so I decided to just buy a used E92 private party instead.

I've had bad experiences with sales in the past though. I went there with a friend that was 22 years old that was interested in picking up a used 3-series. He asked the sales person that walked up about their financing because he was worried that he had no credit history, since he just used his debit card for everything up to that point. The woman told him to go look at Honda Civics or Accords instead! He works in tech and makes good money for his age, a used $25k 3-series was not out of reach. It was pretty rude... he ended up buying one at a Jag dealership.

F85_RN · 01-05-2009, 05:33 PM

I got my 09 335i few weeks ago from Fife, WA. I had 06 325i and traded it in for the new one. I love their parts, service and sales department. They are all really nice people and the price is very reasonable. When i got my 06 325i, they gave me 3k off the MSRP and when i bought a new 335i few weeks ago, they gave me 2k off their MSRP. Well i am in the military so i din't know if it matters. I talked to Kevin Lambert. He's really kool. If you wanna get a new car go talk to him. Just say Alex sent you there. He will treat you like HUMAN!!

11-12-2006, 02:22 PM	#45
JW28 Private 0 Rep 80 Posts Drives: E90 335i (soon) Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Seattle, WA iTrader: (0)	I ordered my car from Mark Harrington back in September, with an arrival set for sometime in the next week or so. So far, he has been great to work with and was very professional during negotiations. No BS and has not pushed any options. A couple of times, he actually said "don't get that, waste of money." That being said, I do agree that buying a car and servicing a car are 2 different things. This post makes me a bit nervous about using BMW of Bellevue's service department, although I haven't seen any glowing reviews of other Seattle-area BMW service departments. __________________ E90 335i \| 6MT \| Black Sapphire \| Black Dakota Leather w/ Burlwood \| Performance \| Sport \| Cold Weather \| Comfort Access \| Nav w/ iDrive \| PDC
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03-14-2007, 01:51 AM	#47
Lost Cosmonaut Private First Class 6 Rep 107 Posts Drives: 1995 BMW 740iL E38 Alpinweiß Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Washington State iTrader: (0)	Digging up an old thread, but I'm planning on buying a 335xi sedan via European Delivery soon and was thinking about going to BMW of Bellevue since my family has had good experience with them in the past. I see some of you talking about Alvin, he actually sent us on our test drive of the 335i totally no-questions-asked and completely pressure free. We were really impressed. (Totally the opposite of the Infiniti dealer in Kirkland when we went to test drive a G35 Sport ) As far as service, BMW of Bellevue completely replaced the engine in my 1995 740iL for free even though it wasn't within the out-of-spec limit needed because of the Nikasil issue. They told us "Aw, it'll be good for another 20k miles!" and our response was "You don't buy a BMW to just get 20k miles out of it." They replaced the engine for free without another word. YMMV for sure, huh? We'll see how it goes when I go to negotiate on my new car - LC __________________ Past: 2003 Subaru WRX (290hp), 2004 Subaru STi (350hp) Present: 2006 VW GLI DSG, 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser 4x4, 1995 BMW 740iL E38 Alpinweiß Near Future: 2007 BMW 335i Sport E90 Alpinweiß European Delivery
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03-14-2007, 11:19 AM	#48
ATG Major 68 Rep 1,058 Posts Drives: f30 328 xdrive, e90 335i gone Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Eastside iTrader: (0) Garage List 2013 BMW 328i xdrive [0.00] 2007 e90 335i [0.00]	I've had a great experience ordering my 335i from BMW of Eugene. Sam Hill is a contact person there. Just FYI, albeit off topic ...
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03-21-2007, 02:13 AM	#50
Matto ELITE BMW Client Advisor 8 Rep 98 Posts Drives: 2007 328ci Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bellevue iTrader: (0)	i should just stick to threads like these...I'm getting slaughtered in my "Ask a CA anything" thread. Probably wasn't a good idea to create that thread, just thought it was a good idea to help feel out the questions and concerns e90/e92 owners have. I'd be willing to offer any gentlemen in this thread $1,000 over ED invoice, just as long as you get to me 2.5-3 months prior. I'm more an enthusiast than a salesperson, i can't stress it enough.
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05-18-2007, 03:59 PM	#51
toofasttooslow Galactic Emperor 75 Rep 801 Posts Drives: Fast Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: WA iTrader: (3)	I know this is but i'm really curious on how you are able to get 1k over ED invoice when all of your counterparts are offering less than 1k under MSRP? Are we talking 335 e93's or 328's?
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05-21-2007, 02:33 PM	#53
scollins Bootleggin' 'n Gunrunnin' 137 Rep 2,372 Posts Drives: 2024 X3 M40i Join Date: May 2007 Location: Renton, WA iTrader: (3)	I bought my E90 335i 6MT from Bellevue BMW, and it was a fine experience. Richard Hard was my primary CA, and Peter Liu also helped out. I actually used the "Costco Auto Program" to buy the car. With floormats included, my price was almost exactly $1,000 below MSRP. Have others negotiated better deals in the rest of the country? Sure, I bet they have. But I felt it was a good deal, especially since the car on the lot was EXACTLY what I wanted (no compromises, not even on color.) Plus, I've now got a $50 coupon to use at the dealership from the Costco program. Yippee!! I'm being a little sarcastic there..... I think my buying experience was pretty easy because I wasn't trading in a car, so that took a lot of negotiation time out of the equation. We got to the dealer at 6:30 PM so the wife could test drive a car, and we were driving home at 9:15 PM with all the paperwork done, and the car detailed and tank filled. It had been in their storage lot, and still had the transport protection on it! I had been there earlier in the day for a test drive by myself, so I think the total time to buy the car was about 4 hours. Not too bad, since it always seems to take forever to buy cars these days. I did pay too much for the "Tire and Wheel" coverage, as well as the Extended Maintenance, but no matter, money already spent. No sense in crying about it now. I haven't opted for an Extended "Warranty" service contract yet, but I may still get one at some point. The only thing unknown now is the Service Department. I might find out about that very soon, as I'm coming up on 1,200 miles, and I want to change out the oil....
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06-14-2007, 09:32 AM	#56
HPIA4v2 Major 254 Rep 1,391 Posts Drives: F80, F86 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Washington iTrader: (3)	When it comes to CA I recommend David Ly very highly. The guys is down to earth, very knowledgable(on priority options, VPC installed accesories etc), listen well and not very opiniated. Last edited by HPIA4v2; 06-14-2007 at 09:33 AM.. Reason: Added title
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09-24-2007, 09:38 PM	#57
johnny420 Bimmer Shopper 0 Rep 7 Posts Drives: Acura TSX Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Federal Way, Washington iTrader: (0)	Has anyone dealt with Jim Turnage at BMW Bellevue? I did a test drive of a 328i the other day and he seemed like a good guy. Down to earth and no pressure. The price he offered was $34,970 for a 6 MT 328i with Sport Pack, Montego Blue paint, Xenon headlights and leather seats, and nothing else. Any opinions?
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10-15-2007, 10:10 PM	#59
douger Private First Class 11 Rep 139 Posts Drives: E90 328xi Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Seattle iTrader: (1)	I purchased my car from Dave Skipworth. He was great to deal wtih and I would deal with him personally again. My only dissapointment is that the the finance person talked me into the tire warranty, which I found out later was the biggest rip off in the world (shame on me). When I told them later I wanted to "undo" that part of the transaction, they would not let me.
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01-01-2008, 03:10 PM	#62
jmillet Captain 64 Rep 666 Posts Drives: 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6 SEL AWD Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Seattle, WA iTrader: (1) Garage List 2023 HYUNDAI IONIQ 6 [0.00]	Painful buying experience I recently purchased a 2007 Z4 M Coupe and it took BMW Bellevue two tries to get it right. My Client Advisor, Matt Larson, was very knowledgeable and accommodating in the sales process to include the trade-in of my high mileage 2000 Z3 M Coupe. I drove home in a "new" 2007 Interlagos Blue Z4 M Coupe with a January 2007 build date and 303 miles on the clock. In the process of doing some detailing I noticed what appeared to be some paint imperfections. I took the car to a local body shop for a thorough inspection. This inspection uncovered over $3000 of poorly executed body repairs. Needless to say I was not a happy camper as well as being disappointed that BMW Bellevue failed to disclose the repaired damages. I immediately contacted Matt and met with the Sales Manager who acknowledged "minor" rock chip repairs had been made and offered to repaint the panels to my satisfaction. I respectfully declined his offered and asked for either return of my trade-in car or a new undamaged Z4 M Coupe. The next day I returned the blue car and drove off in an Imola Red Z4 M Coupe with a June 2007 build date and 30 miles on the clock. The story has a happy ending but it was a painful experience. I trust BMW Bellevue was more forthcoming with the ultimate buyer of this vehicle regarding repaired damages. __________________ Jim Millet 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 6 SEL AWD Ultimate Red SOLD: 2007 BMW Z4 M Coupe Imola Red
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11-11-2008, 10:15 PM	#63
TWiTCHY Colonel 376 Rep 2,526 Posts Drives: '13 AW E92 M3 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: WA iTrader: (6)	If you need a service adviser, ask for Michael Edwards. Met him twice over the couple of weeks that we needed to bring in our E90 for service, and he seems like a great guy with a lot of energy, but not excessive! No problems so far with the service department, but sales decided to rat us off when we were taking glances at some 1 series. We wanted a test drive, but they wouldn't give us one. Guess we weren't wearing the correct attire
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11-11-2008, 10:57 PM	#64
andytaro Enlisted Member 8 Rep 48 Posts Drives: Graphite 2008 335i Sedan Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Sammamish, WA iTrader: (0)	That sounds like a typical Bellevue BMW sales dept.... How can they stay in business by treating customers like that?
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01-05-2009, 05:33 PM	#66
F85_RN Private First Class 57 Rep 199 Posts Drives: 2015 BMW X5M Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Seattle, WA iTrader: (0)	I got my 09 335i few weeks ago from Fife, WA. I had 06 325i and traded it in for the new one. I love their parts, service and sales department. They are all really nice people and the price is very reasonable. When i got my 06 325i, they gave me 3k off the MSRP and when i bought a new 335i few weeks ago, they gave me 2k off their MSRP. Well i am in the military so i din't know if it matters. I talked to Kevin Lambert. He's really kool. If you wanna get a new car go talk to him. Just say Alex sent you there. He will treat you like HUMAN!!
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