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Re: BMW Sale (archive)
[ Follow Ups ] [ 5-series (E39) Message Board ] [ Msg. Board FAQ ]
Posted by Stuff on March 19, 2000 at 11:58:49:

In Reply to: BMW Sale posted by Ivan on March 19, 2000 at 04:09:46:

: Hi,

: I have been reading the boards and there have been lots of negative comments to a BMW buyout by Ford(If the rumour is true). But if we really lok at it, it may turn out to be a good thing after all.

: Well for starters,

: 1) We will have cheaper parts. (Yeah! Finally)

I doubt it. Even if they they have shared parts with other Ford cars, as soon as they label it "BMW" with a BMW logo on it this will command a higher price. Hey, our stock factory cd changers are nothing more than Alpines with a $400 BMW logo attached to it.

: 2) BMW quality will improve. Surprised??? Yes, under Ford's control Jaguar has actually improved in the quality department and is now ranked even higher than BMW for quality. Use this URL to find the article. (hope it is still there)
: URL : www.whatcar.co.uk

Again, doubt it. In Jaguar's case they suffered more from QC than even Yugo did (well, maybe not that much but...). They had no where to go but up after Ford bought them. I'm sure the first thing Ford did was fire all their electrical engineers.

: 3) BMW will be slighlty cheaper??? Perhaps but I don't think so.

Maybe, but not because of a buyout, but to keep in line with MB/Lexus/Jaguars if there is any price cutting. Historically there is never any price-cutting on the high-end though. After MB bought Chrysler I didn't see any substantial price drops.

: 4) As for image being diluted, I think its all in the mind.

Agreed. Again look at MB and Chrysler. Any image dilution probably occurred for the first month. MB made sure they they were both separate entities. When looking at a MB I've forgotten that this is a Chrysler.

: Thats all folks. Please feel free to share your views.

: Thanks

Ford buying BMW wouldn't necessarity be a bad thing, as long as they kept the two separate like Jaguar. Jaguar seems to share a lot of the underpinnings with Ford, but when it comes to the interior, it's pure Jaguar. BMW could be the same. And who knows...we may even get real cupholders!

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