Xoutpost.com - View Single Post - Do NOT buy with Military Sales or from Kolon Motors (Korea)

jimf15e · #1 09-03-2008, 09:27 AM

I'm currently stationed in Korea and in the horrendous process of trying to finish our purchase of a 2008 X5 through BMW's military sales program. Long story short, do NOT try to buy a BMW through this program and DEFINITELY not from Kolon Motors, the Korean dealership for BMW military sales unless you enjoy lies, half-truths, slimy salesmen and lots of lost time and money. Kolon has branches in Seoul (Yongsan) and Songtan (Osan AB) and were more than happy to hold on to our full payment of nearly $60k for no reason, significantly delaying delivery of our paid in full vehicle. If you're not familiar with the military sales program, it allows military members serving overseas to buy BMWs and Minis at a pretty decent discount. However, even that gets watered down by 0.9% financing and other deals. I won't get into pricing details here. Anyway, I ordered a 2008 X5 3.0si in May 2008, specifying a late July production so I could (hopefully) pick up the car when I returned to the states in September. Everything went fine - gave our 10% deposit, got informed a VIN was assigned and production was starting, etc.

That's when everything went down the crapper. The military sales program requires you to pay in full once a VIN is assigned (should have been my first sign of questionable business practices). I had 10 days to get all our financing in order and have checks Fed Ex'd from the US to Korea. I paid ON TIME! So what does Kolon do with our money? They SAT on it for nearly 5 weeks. They complained about the 'slow' Korean banking system. Never once did they tell me ahead of time that they'd hold on to our money for that long. I guarantee it sat in their stupid bank making interest for them. Every day I called asking where our money was. BMW NA was also asking where the funds were - they hadn't received it yet. Kolon, of course, knew nothing. I was freaking out thinking I had nearly $60k stolen from us.

Finally Kolon tells me the money was wired. Now BMW NA is telling me it's a 7-10 business day process to 'approve the wire transfer and release the vehicle.' WTF? Aren't wire transfers supposed to be instant?? Hence the name?? So our car has been sitting on a lot in South Carolina for 6 weeks now. And a hurricane is on the way - can't wait to see what that does. All because Kolon Motors STOLE our money for 5 weeks and now BMW NA can't figure out how to type a couple of commands into a keyboard. The funny part is the line from BMW NA's email regarding pick up procedures: "You must pick up your vehicle from the dealership within 6 weeks of production" Or what? What if it's not at the dealership because the Korean sales office is a bunch of thieves and BMW NA is a bunch of incompetent morons? Hopefully they'll sell the car so I can get our money back.

And to top it off our E90 330i is going in to the shop for the 5th time in 2 months. Steering wheel lock fixed via new progman update, visit #1. New progman from visit #1 broke TCU (bluetooth, BMW Assist, etc) and needed to be replaced, visit #2. Needed to replace windshield but shop broke new windshield before installing so nothing done, visit #3. (WIndshield replaced by Safelite - required 2 visits, let's call them #3a and #3b). Passenger window won't go up but no motor in stock and no loaner car available, visit #4. Driver's door not unlocking so taking car back to replace window motor as well as fix door lock, visit #5. I'm riding a friggin' Schwinn to work when I get home.

Korea - The Land of the Not Quite Right. BMW - A shadow of their former glory.

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