BMW launches car subscription service that starts at $2000 per month

[midian182]

If you like to regularly switch luxury vehicles and don’t care about actually owning a car, here’s some good news: BMW has joined the list of automakers offering a vehicle subscription service. Using a mobile app, customers can swap between BMWs as often as they like. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t come cheap.

A pilot of the new service, called Access, is being launched in Nashville, Tennessee, this week. It will be available in two tiers: the $2000 per month ‘Legend,’ and the $3700 per month ‘M.’

Opting for Legend lets members choose from the M2, the 4 Series and 5 Series sedans, and the X5 SUV, along with all their hybrid versions. Those willing to spend $3700 for the “highly emotional and exhilarating” M tier will get access to the M4, M5, or M6 convertibles, along with the X5M and X6M SUVs, though BMW’s 7-series vehicles aren’t included.

While the service’s prices seem pretty eye-watering, they do include insurance, maintenance, and roadside assistance. Plus, once a user requests a vehicle via the Android or iOS app, it will be delivered by a concierge to their location at the desired time, freshly fueled and fully detailed. Best of all, there is no limit on how often you can switch vehicles each month.

Bloomberg notes that $3700 is nearly three times the cost of the monthly lease payments on a 2018 M5 sedan in the Nashville area, though this does require a total upfront payment of $5,724, and it doesn’t include insurance and maintenance.

With Access, BMW is joining other vehicle manufacturers in offering a subscription service. Porsche’s 'Passport' program ranges from $2000 to $3000 per month, while Cadillac's 'Book' is a straight $1500 per month.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/74028-bmw-launches-car-subscription-service-starts-2000-month.html

 

[Theinsanegamer]

You know what they say, a fool and his money.

At $2k a month, that is 24K a year. two years of saving could let you buy a CPO BMW. That you then own. and dont have to make monthly rent payments on.

Hell, 48K after two years of saving could buy you one of a variety of great cars. Cars that dont need extensive, expensive german maintenance. Genesis, lexus, lincoln, cadillac, ece. Or you could happily buy a brand new crossover/SUV/sedan from any major brand and have thousands left over.

But I guess this is the new millennial thing, waste tons of money on the same product just so you dont have to own it. I will never understand my generation..

 

[ForgottenLegion]

You know what they say, a fool and his money.

At $2k a month, that is 24K a year. two years of saving could let you buy a CPO BMW. That you then own. and dont have to make monthly rent payments on.

Hell, 48K after two years of saving could buy you one of a variety of great cars. Cars that dont need extensive, expensive german maintenance. Genesis, lexus, lincoln, cadillac, ece. Or you could happily buy a brand new crossover/SUV/sedan from any major brand and have thousands left over.

But I guess this is the new millennial thing, waste tons of money on the same product just so you dont have to own it. I will never understand my generation..

This is the generation of buying things you can't afford.
Gone are the days of saving up for something you want/need.

 

[davislane1]

This is targeted at very high earners who have the money to burn, not millenials who want what they can't afford (the 3x lease cost should give that away). If you're a rich guy who wants the latest model every year and drives a different type (SUV, sports car, etc.) seasonally, this is cheaper. The math doesn't work out for anyone else.

 

[pawel04]

Haven't quite made up my mind yet but I find it somewhat concerning were moving to a world where we actually 'physically' own less and less and more and more things are becoming xx as a service. Games are moving to being redeemable online through keys, music/movie streaming, blockchain with currency (arguable if this is the future or not) and now this.

 

[wiyosaya]

This is targeted at very high earners who have the money to burn, not millenials who want what they can't afford (the 3x lease cost should give that away). If you're a rich guy who wants the latest model he thinks will give him the best status symbol every year and drives a different type (SUV, sports car, etc.) of status symbol seasonally, this is cheaper. The math doesn't work out for anyone else.

Fixed that for you!

You know what they say, a fool and his money.

At $2k a month, that is 24K a year. two years of saving could let you buy a CPO BMW. That you then own. and dont have to make monthly rent payments on.

Hell, 48K after two years of saving could buy you one of a variety of great cars. Cars that dont need extensive, expensive german maintenance. Genesis, lexus, lincoln, cadillac, ece. Or you could happily buy a brand new crossover/SUV/sedan from any major brand and have thousands left over.

But I guess this is the new millennial thing, waste tons of money on the same product just so you dont have to own it. I will never understand my generation..

Got that right. BMW is well-known for being hard to repair - not because it cannot be done, but from putting things in dumb locations where you have to take many other parts off before you can get to what you need to repair. Their repair histories according to Consumer Reports are terrible for the cost. Yet people who have owned only BMW probably think that is normal for all vehicles. Even if I had that kind of money, or even buying one used, I would never do so because of the repair histories.

 

[Uncle Al]

For a salesman or anyone that constantly drives, this is a very good deal, especially the coverage for maintenance and insurance; otherwise it's a rich man's toy. Now, if FORD would come out with the same thing for under 750 a month it could be manageable, especially for those that only need a pick up truck a few times a month, etc, etc but I have my doubts that Ford will go that route ..... but you just never know!

 

[Draconian]

...though BMW's 7-series vehicles aren't included.

Welp, that's a deal breaker for me.

 

[captaincranky]

For a salesman or anyone that constantly drives, this is a very good deal, especially the coverage for maintenance and insurance; otherwise it's a rich man's toy. Now, if FORD would come out with the same thing for under 750 a month it could be manageable, especially for those that only need a pick up truck a few times a month, etc, etc but I have my doubts that Ford will go that route ..... but you just never know!

C'mon Unc, you know there will be a sh!tload of paperwork and aggravation each time you decide to change vehicles.

If someone is that well heeled, common sense tells us ii they need a truck, they'll go rent one, along with some fool to drive it for them.

 

[mailpup]

If someone is that well heeled, common sense tells us ii they need a truck, they'll go rent one, along with some fool to drive it for them.

And if they aren't well heeled, they can always buy a less expensive used truck for said occasional use.

 

[captaincranky]

And if they aren't well heeled, they can always buy a less expensive used truck for said occasional use.

Or, take the trailer trash approach, and buy a brand new truck for yourself as a primary vehicle. (No money down).

Just make sure you don't piss off Carrie Underwood whilst yur drivin' one o' them thar hopped up Beemers.

 

[FPSChris]

Never fill up again, just swap your car when the tank is low.
Go out every night and hoon it.

 

[Nocturne]

You know what they say, a fool and his money.

At $2k a month, that is 24K a year. two years of saving could let you buy a CPO BMW. That you then own. and dont have to make monthly rent payments on.

Hell, 48K after two years of saving could buy you one of a variety of great cars. Cars that dont need extensive, expensive german maintenance. Genesis, lexus, lincoln, cadillac, ece. Or you could happily buy a brand new crossover/SUV/sedan from any major brand and have thousands left over.

But I guess this is the new millennial thing, waste tons of money on the same product just so you dont have to own it. I will never understand my generation..

This includes insurance, and I can't remember what my 3 series in 2006 cost me +insurance a month. So that does reduce the overhead a bit. For people making 250000 a year this is pretty much perfect, especially near a city where the roads are complete garbage with all 4 seasons, during the summer M series, during the winter SUV or AWD versions with the winter pack. The greatest part about this is the fact the wear and tear never really sets in as you can simply keep trading cars, and NO real maintenance costs, that alone for a Mercedes or BMW can rack you more than $200-1k a month.

 

[erickmendes]

Never fill up again, just swap your car when the tank is low.
Go out every night and hoon it.

Thought the same here...

On a side note... Vehicle as a Service: When it get autonomous, it would make even more sense. Why own an autonomous vehicle if it can do other things while I'm at job/sleeping/whatever? The next big step for the car industry is not building an actual smart autonomous car, is changing itself from being only an automaker into a transportation service industry.

 

[sac39507]

While kids are starving somewhere in some ghetto

 

[captaincranky]

While kids are starving somewhere in some ghetto

I vote for sending them condoms, instead of more Food Stamps. That way, with smaller families, the available food wouldn't have to be split so many ways.

 

[sac39507]

I vote for sending them condoms, instead of more Food Stamps. That way, with smaller families, the available food wouldn't have to be split so many ways.

good idea. I'll take some as those things aren't cheap

 

[captaincranky]

good idea. I'll take some as those things aren't cheap

It's possible you might have to wait until the Democrats are back in power.

 

[sac39507]

It's possible you might have to wait until the Democrats are back in power.

It's ok. I'll buy my own. Don't want to give the socialists work to do.

 

[Peter Farkas]

...though BMW's 7-series vehicles aren't included.

Welp, that's a deal breaker for me.

LoL