BMW: Z4 Loaner Car Story

My inspection 1 this week was supposed to take 2 hours.
I decided to hang out at the BMW dealer and wait.

Wandering around the show room, I started a conversation
with some guy looking at a 330 similar to mine. His
pickup truck had died in front of the BMW dealer and he
managed to roll into the lot. He called his wife to
pick him up and decided to look at new cars while he
waited.....that's when I started chatting with him.

"This is cool", "this part of the car is great", "if you ever
buy one make sure you get this option"....the guy and I had
a great conversation. Then my salesman walked up and I
told him to get the keys to the car the guy and I were
looking at so I could show him how all 4 windows and the
moonroof open with the clicker (still one of my favorite
features). Then his wife showed up and the salesman
started talking to the two of them. I wandered back to
the service department (had been there about an hour) to
see how my car was doing...."Tom, we haven't even started
on it yet, can we give you a loaner car?" "Sure", I said,
"do you have a Z4?", I asked. "Well, yes, we do". I didn't
know they would loan a Z4 much less have one available.

Ten minutes later I'm driving out of the parking lot with
this brand new Z4, top down, 5 speed....slick car.

I saw my salesman and this couple with the dead
car outside on the lot looking a couple of 325's and 330's. I
waved good-bye.

Came back about 4 hours later after I called to find out
my car was done.

Drove back with the Z4 loaner, parked it outside the
showroom and went in to get my car back. The salesman saw
me....."Tom, you won't believe it....he bought a car, thank
you so much for your help, what can I do for you?" I
think the salesman was as stunned as I was of this strange
combination of events.

I thought for a minute....."Well, Orson, you see that Z4
sitting outside? How about getting me that car for an
entire weekend?"

"You got it", he said. "You pick any weekend, call me
on Thursday and I'll make sure it's here and available for
you to have all weekend...pick it up on Friday and bring
it back on Monday".

He looked me in the eye and said, "I'm serious, I'll get this
done".

So I'm thinking...hmmmmmm...Labor Day weekend (next weekend) with
the following Monday being a holiday, my weekend with the
Z4 will go through Tuesday.

I might just call him next week and take him up on his offer.

Before I left, I noticed that the dealership has a big conference
room where they keep sales figures on a dry-erase white-board (all
the different salesmen, their sales statistics...etc.). They use
it as an incentive for everyone to beat the other guy. So before
I left I went in and next to Orson's figures I wrote "Plus one sale
from Tom Allen". I figured that as a customer I couldn't get
into any trouble writing graffiti on their sales charts. I'm sure
they'll get a kick out of it during their next sales meeting.

......just an interesting story that I thought all of you might
enjoy.....and it's all true.....I sold my first BMW and I get
to drive an incredible toy all weekend.

Tom Allen
2002 330xi

Good work, Tom. Another BMW enthusiast joins our ranks. On that Z4
weekender, a cooler-not so durn hot-fall weekend is really nice to cruise
with the top down, especially on some great switchback-twisty roads!
Stan Chang
00 Z3 2.3
97 528i


"Tom Allen" <net> wrote in message
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