Straightline

Last week, some info was posted on www.m3post.com that claimed to reveal pricing and specs on the upcoming 2008 BMW M3. This seemed a little premature since I'm guessing we'll be lucky to get the M3 by next spring at the earliest. With that in mind I sent the info over to our BMW data specialist to see what he thought of the information. He pores over dealer order guides from BMW all year, so if there was anything fishy about these specs he would know.

His response was skeptical as he found several suspect entries, but he also noted a few instances of legitimacy so we can't rule out the information entirely. We'll all know for sure in a matter of months who's right, but until then check out his response and decide for yourself.

Ed,

I looked it over closely and found the following instances of suspect information:

1. None of that “Major Standard Equipment” information ever shows up in the pricing documents.
2. BMW models in the U.S. don't use P-metric tires.
3. BMWNA pricing refers to the MSRP as “Suggested Retail Price,” and invoice is referred to as “Confidential Wholesale Price.”
4. BMWNA pricing always lists the option codes, not only for the packages, but for all options except metallic paint.
5. BMWNA pricing is on a PDF file that looks like a spreadsheet.

The parts that are on this list and are typical of BMWNA pricing are as follows:

1. The margin between MSRP and invoice is in the ballpark for BMW models sold in the US.
2. The pricing does list the vehicle MSRP on the spreadsheet next to the words “Base Price U.S.A. Port of Entry.”