I got call from BMW on my previous purchase and EVERY service visit, no matter which dealership I visited and no matter how little the problem was.

I had even had calls that I missed or told them to call back because I was busy, each time they called back untill I completed the survey, reps were also nice about it, it wasnt too annoying like some other surveys you get.

Is there a chance your dealer is afraid of your remarks and put you on a do not call list or maybe a wrong phone number has been listed on your file?

Oh, one time I had an argument with an advisor and gave negative remarks on the review... guess what.... I got the call from him few days later and he begged me to come back and resolve all my issues.... It is VERY important for them to get 5's.
Another time dealer helped me with the loaner I never requested, so I tipped him, he insisted and gave me my money back and asked to give ratings of 5 on him.

carbuyingtips.com has a downloadable spreadsheet you can use for negotiations... it's called the buyer's offer spreadsheet on this page. You can plug in all the MSRP vs Invoice numbers and account for holdbacks/incentives, etc. Basically a nice view on the numbers you'll be negotiating with.

Further, this page indicates: Your Offer: 5% Over Dealer's Actual Cost - "that's 5% over dealer's cost, not over invoice price. They'll gladly take 5% profit, dealers survive on 3%. I've verified this with salesmen. Grocery stores earn 1-3% profit. This 5% profit pays dealer overhead and sales commissions."

Now let me present my real-world example:
spec'd out 3.0 with sport/tech/premium/etc.:
msrp = 58425
invoice = 51735
dealer's actual cost (holdbacks/incentives/bonuses): 50566 (assume 2%)

If I offered 5% above actual cost, that is only 53094... a whopping 5331 from MSRP... there's no way I'd get that based on the "5% offer" that site suggests. So... those who's negotiated successfully, what is your actual % over cost (or what did you offer over invoice)? It seems those who got something like $2k off are actually giving the dealer a 10%+ profit. (50566+10%=55622, which is already 2803 off msrp)

:popcorn:

Just curious, what is the best deal you have been offered? I would be shocked if anyone could get near 5K off a 3.0 not factoring in any trades.

the best deal i've been offered was $2500 off MSRP! two other dealers came close to matching but still off by a few bucks...

my 08 3.0si was specd out w/tech, prem pkg, rear climate pkg, ipod, running boards, comfort access, autotailgate, front & rear heated seats..

and i did have a trade-in and was given what i was asking for...

i'm pretty happy with this deal...:thumbup:

I would have though you could have done better?

Considering 08's are rolling on to dealer lots and are actually $900.00 cheaper and many are getting discounts of 2,000-2,500 off msrp. Plus at trade in time, you have a 1 year older vehicle.

I haven't. I've gone in for 2 test drives and made it clear to them I was very interested in the coming months (only because the SD is so far away). I plan on starting negotiations in December at this point. Just arming myself before the showdown. :D I have intentions of being fair, but it has to be for both sides. But 10%!?