[PIEZON]

Hey Guys, I'm really curious what it would be like selling BMWs and how to break into it. From my perspective it seems like a lot of fun. I love the brand and style! Also curious about the time if income potential. Thanks in advance!

[plymjack]

No idea of the US market but over here in UK in Plymouth we have a local non OEM BMW secondhand dealer - has been at it for 20 years or more so must be a good option. Also the is a market to buy the larger engined older models in Ireland and bring them to Uk as tax is cheaper. good luck

[city1991]

Lot of work. People (salesmen) get fired very quickly if they don't meet their sales number.

[Tjalle]

Selling BMW:s - as a dealer or salesperson?

Becoming a dealer without prior experience - and a lot of money - is a nogo.

Becoming a salesperson is a possibility - but beware:
-long hours
-selling is an art - some have it - some don`t.

BMW has been top dog for many years, but there are signs that Audi, and above all, MB will take over.

[Andy_o]

Originally Posted by plymjack

No idea of the US market but over here in UK in Plymouth we have a local non OEM BMW secondhand dealer - has been at it for 20 years or more so must be a good option. Also the is a market to buy the larger engined older models in Ireland and bring them to Uk as tax is cheaper. good luck

Really ?

I spend an awful lot of time in Ireland ..

Large engined cars, not just BMW's are very rare due to the repressive tax regime both on initial purchase and annual road tax, which on pre 2008 cars is punitive on engine size, with anything over 2.0 costing well into 4 figures.

Most BMW's are 316/318 or 520

There is a healthy market in exporting cars from the UK to IRL, in fact I have exported about a dozen for family members in IRL... But can't say I have ever seen it the other way around

[Andy_o]

Originally Posted by plymjack

No idea of the US market but over here in UK in Plymouth we have a local non OEM BMW secondhand dealer - has been at it for 20 years or more so must be a good option. Also the is a market to buy the larger engined older models in Ireland and bring them to Uk as tax is cheaper. good luck

Really ?

I spend an awful lot of time in Ireland ..

Large engined cars, not just BMW's are very rare due to the repressive tax regime both on initial purchase and annual road tax, which on pre 2008 cars is punitive on engine size, with anything over 2.0 costing well into 4 figures.

Most BMW's are 316/318 or 520

There is a healthy market in exporting cars from the UK to IRL, in fact I have exported about a dozen for family members in IRL... But can't say I have ever seen it the other way around

[plymjack]

Originally Posted by Andy_o

Really ?

I spend an awful lot of time in Ireland ..

Large engined cars, not just BMW's are very rare due to the repressive tax regime both on initial purchase and annual road tax, which on pre 2008 cars is punitive on engine size, with anything over 2.0 costing well into 4 figures.

Most BMW's are 316/318 or 520

There is a healthy market in exporting cars from the UK to IRL, in fact I have exported about a dozen for family members in IRL... But can't say I have ever seen it the other way around

According to 2 guys locally they are getting older large engined cars from Ireland where they can reclaim the tax on export? and they are cheap to buy there because of the high road tax - one is driving round in a 520 that he purchased for £3k (about half book value).

[Jordster]

If you mean working as a salesperson, it's pretty crappy work unless you have the right personality. Can you live with the pressure that you won't make any money (and might not even remain employed) if you can't meet difficult targets? Are you OK with telling customers whatever they want to hear to close sales? You'd think detailed knowledge of the cars would be an asset, but experience tells me that people with less product knowledge usually sell BETTER because they stick with what customers want to hear and don't go into long-winded explanations that just leave the customer thinking...

If you mean opening a new car dealership, you'd better have about $30-40m between cash on hand and available credit. Figure $5m to get the physical dealership setup and the rest to buy or borrow inventory. Finally, you need a territory, and BMW dealerships are already very prevalent around the USA. This is probably not what you meant.

If you mean opening a used-car dealership that specializes in BMWs, that could work. You would have to be a mechanic, though, with BMW training. The only way you can really profit off of used cars is to buy them at auction, knowing that you will likely have to fix each and every one. If you can't do the repairs yourself, you won't make any money, at least not enough to stay in business.

(Source: My wife is a lawyer, her boss does work for car dealerships, I listen intently to their conversations sometimes...)

[PIEZON]

Originally Posted by Jordster

If you mean working as a salesperson, it's pretty crappy work unless you have the right personality. Can you live with the pressure that you won't make any money (and might not even remain employed) if you can't meet difficult targets? Are you OK with telling customers whatever they want to hear to close sales? You'd think detailed knowledge of the cars would be an asset, but experience tells me that people with less product knowledge usually sell BETTER because they stick with what customers want to hear and don't go into long-winded explanations that just leave the customer thinking...

If you mean opening a new car dealership, you'd better have about $30-40m between cash on hand and available credit. Figure $5m to get the physical dealership setup and the rest to buy or borrow inventory. Finally, you need a territory, and BMW dealerships are already very prevalent around the USA. This is probably not what you meant.

If you mean opening a used-car dealership that specializes in BMWs, that could work. You would have to be a mechanic, though, with BMW training. The only way you can really profit off of used cars is to buy them at auction, knowing that you will likely have to fix each and every one. If you can't do the repairs yourself, you won't make any money, at least not enough to stay in business.

(Source: My wife is a lawyer, her boss does work for car dealerships, I listen intently to their conversations sometimes...)

Great insights! Thank you! Yes more curious about selling new ones as a sales person. Seems like fun from the outside.

[double_j]

Originally Posted by PIEZON

Great insights! Thank you! Yes more curious about selling new ones as a sales person. Seems like fun from the outside.

Keep in mind that your enjoyment for the brand doesn't mean you'll be a good salesman or enjoy the work.

People who actually thrive in sales can and will sell anything whether they care about the product or not (hence the reason there are so many BMW sales people who know nothing about the cars).

If you're really passionate about a brand, you might want to think about trying to get into a marketing role at BMW instead.

[PIEZON]

Originally Posted by double_j

Keep in mind that your enjoyment for the brand doesn't mean you'll be a good salesman or enjoy the work.

People who actually thrive in sales can and will sell anything whether they care about the product or not (hence the reason there are so many BMW sales people who know nothing about the cars).

If you're really passionate about a brand, you might want to think about trying to get into a marketing role at BMW instead.

Good points! Yes I purchased 4 in my life so far and all times I always felt I would have been a more passionate and knowledgeable salesperson. But then again as we mentioned earlier too much knowledge may be counterproductive.

[atomic]

My nephew was a new Mercedes salesman for six months. Worked six days a week 10 hour days. Hated the pressure. He said no one made money until you had been there 3 years and started getting repeat business.

[PIEZON]

Originally Posted by atomic

My nephew was a new Mercedes salesman for six months. Worked six days a week 10 hour days. Hated the pressure. He said no one made money until you had been there 3 years and started getting repeat business.

Wow! Thank you for the insight! There is always a price to pay!