If you pronounce BMW out loud your hear “Bee Em Double You”. As with many things we like and I guess dislike, we tend to give cars shorter and easier to pronounce names, kind of to bring them closer to you and make them your own. So owners all over the world started giving these shortened personal names to the cars “Bimmers”.
准备买车
前一阵毕业之后从波士顿搬到南加, 买车就提上了日程。波士顿公共交通便利城市又小，去哪儿都是要么地铁要么走路 – 然而到了南加就变成没车没腿了=。=
没车干嘛都不方便，加上最近疫情影响Uber和Lyft也没人跑了，迫切需要一台车。
After graduating from Boston, I moved to Southern California and buying a car was high on my agenda. In Boston, where public transportation is convenient and the city is small, getting around mostly involves taking the subway or walking. However, in Southern California, not having a car makes everything inconvenient, and with the recent impact of the pandemic, Uber and Lyft are also difficult to come by. Therefore, I urgently need a car.
选车
既然主要用途是代步，其实对车也没有什么特别高的要求：
- 要紧凑型轿车。之前开家里的XT5，大车对我这种菜鸡来说实在是太痛苦了..
- 动力不要太弱。不太想要一脚油门下去没反应的感觉..
- 开着舒服。这条很主观lol
- 必须要有Carplay/车道保持/变线辅助/Auto Hold
- 燃油经济性别太差
- 现车，不是现车不知道猴年能到..然而楼主还是踩坑了，后面解释
加上楼主准备lease(相当于长租)而不是买，所以只要前三年可靠性好就行。
楼主每月lease预算450以下，看了一圈大概可选的有这些：
- BMW 430i/330i
- MB CLA
- Audi A3/A4/A5
雷车IS350本来也想考虑，可惜看了下内饰实在丑，加上lease政策太不友好，几乎没有优惠，放弃…
Audi去看了一圈觉得A3太小，A4型号有四不想要lol，A5 sportback选配好之后超预算..放弃
CLA试驾了一下其实除了空间有点小(真的小..)之外别的感觉没什么问题。然而因为是新款所以基本没啥优惠，而且南加的dealer一圈看下来现车都是加装了一堆没用配置的高配车，超预算，放弃
BMW 430i也很不错，动力够，无框车门，科技配置基本都全。不过dealer库存普遍不多，而且即使是现在新款已经发布了，老款优惠也不太给力..库存车MSRP基本上50k以上..超预算+不想买一个优惠不大的老款，放弃
最后看了330i。 330i算是个保险之选吧..刚刚换代，动力不弱，科技配置足，现车充足配置选择丰富，之前试驾朋友的车感觉开起来也挺舒服。重点是虽然最近疫情折扣不如平时，然而还是不算很小！就它了！
Since my main use for the car is transportation, I don’t have any special requirements for it except for a few things:
- Compact car: I used to drive my family’s XT5, and it was too big for me.
- Decent power: I don’t want to step on the gas pedal and not get any response.
- Comfortable to drive: this is subjective.
- Must have Carplay/Lane Keeping/Blind Spot Detection/Auto Hold
- Decent fuel economy
I’m looking to lease a car for under $450 per month for the next three years, so the options I’ve looked into include:
- BMW 430i/330i
- Mercedes-Benz CLA
- Audi A3/A4/A5
I considered the Lexus IS350, but the interior was too ugly, and the lease policy was not favorable with almost no discounts, so I gave up on it.
After checking out the Audi, I found the A3 too small, the A4 model was four-wheel drive and out of my budget, and the A5 Sportback was over budget after adding all the options I wanted. I also test drove the CLA, and it was fine except for the limited space and lack of discounts due to being a new model.
The BMW 430i is a great option with decent power, frameless doors, and all the tech features I want. However, dealer inventory is generally low, and even with the new model released, the discounts for the old model are not very attractive. The inventory MSRP is generally over $50k, which is over my budget, so I gave up on it.
选配置
楼主的策略是先不管各家dealer的库存状况直接自己选好想要的配置，然后看哪家有最符合选择配置的库存。
加上楼主是要现车，所以外观上的客制化基本不想了..只能保证配置的情况下随缘看库存情况了
最理想是能有这些配置：
- 方便包。方便包只要加2350，但是包含了变道辅助，盲区预警，无钥匙进入，LED大灯，腰部支撑，停车距离辅助。简直必选
- 专业版动态驾驶舱。升级仪表盘到10寸电子屏幕，中控到12寸，iDrive到7.0(是的北美现在3系标配还是6.0..神操作)
- 哈曼卡顿音响
- 氛围灯。氛围灯才加250…但是情调max
- 电尾。超方便不解释..而且也只要加250
- 内饰最好是cognac(类似焦糖色)
然而最后搜了一圈库存，加装了哈曼卡顿音响的现车超级少…能谈下好折扣的就更少了..
有一台楼主想要的配置全都有，而且内饰也是cognac颜色的车。然而这个车还加装了一堆别的配置，几乎能选的全选上了，M套件也装上了，MSRP直接到59k…有这钱为啥我不买M340i=。=
最后楼主选了一台白外黑内，加装方便包+专业版驾驶舱+HK音响的。没氛围灯和电尾也忍了..
这个车MSRP 46070，最后谈下来价格42000。
最后lease谈了10k mileage/36个月, 0 down(0首付), Max MSDs(相当于3150刀可退押金), 2200 DAS(提车的时候要交的钱,包括各种税,手续费,第一个月租金), 一个月410+，算不亏不赚的价格吧
My strategy was to first select the desired configuration and then see which dealer had the most suitable inventory. Since I needed a car now, I didn’t care about customized appearance options…I could only choose based on the configuration and inventory.
The ideal configuration includes:
Convenience Package. It costs only $2,350 but includes lane change assistance, blind spot warning, keyless entry, LED headlights, lumbar support, and parking distance assistance. It’s simply a must-have.
Professional version dynamic cockpit. Upgrade the instrument panel to a 10-inch electronic screen, the central control to 12 inches, and iDrive to 7.0 (yes, the current 3 Series in North America still has 6.0 as standard…a strange operation).
Harman Kardon sound system.
Ambient lighting. It costs only $250…but it’s super cool.
Electric tailgate. Super convenient, no explanation needed…and it costs only $250.
The interior should preferably be cognac (similar to caramel color).
However, after searching for inventory, it was difficult to find a car that had all of the above configurations, and with a cognac interior and the Harman Kardon sound system. Moreover, the cars that had been equipped with the Harman Kardon sound system were in extremely short supply, and those with good discounts were even scarcer.
There was a car that had all the configurations that I wanted, with a cognac-colored interior. However, it had a bunch of other additional configurations, almost all of the options checked, and even the M package installed, bringing the MSRP up to $59k. If I had that much money, why wouldn’t I just buy an M340i =.=
In the end, I chose a white exterior with a black interior, equipped with the Convenience Package, Professional Driving Assistance Package, and Harman Kardon sound system. I had to forego the ambient lighting and power tailgate, but it was okay. The car’s MSRP was $46,070, but I negotiated it down to $42,000.
For the lease, I negotiated 10k mileage/36 months, 0 down payment, Max MSDs (equivalent to a $3150 refundable deposit), $2200 DAS (due at delivery, including various taxes, fees, and the first month’s rent), and a monthly payment of $410+. I think it’s a fair price, neither losing nor making money.
插曲
这个车当时在距离dealer只有20英里的港口屯着，算半个现车。楼主谈好就美滋滋回家等着了，本来觉得有7天10天肯定到了，然而等了三周车才到店里=。=
问了一下发现是因为新冠卡车司机拿失业补助不干活之后工资比工作高所以大面积罢工，人手不足排期大面积延长=。=
行吧..
The car was stationed at a port just 20 miles away from the dealer, which was considered almost in-stock. After negotiating and finalizing the deal, I happily went home to wait for the car. I thought it would arrive within 7-10 days, but it took three weeks for the car to finally arrive at the dealership. When I asked, I was told that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many truck drivers were receiving more money through unemployment benefits than working, causing a widespread strike and a shortage of manpower, leading to a significant delay in delivery. Well, what can you do?
外观
