Why I picked a dealership 2,355 miles from home

DETROIT -- Six franchised BMW dealerships are within a reasonable drive from my home in Michigan.

But I chose to lease my next car from a store 2,355 miles from my front door.

No slight against the stores in my region. They are well-rated on digital portals such as DealerRater and Yelp. And, as someone who has had two BMWs in the past, I've had fine sales and service experiences from three of these local dealerships.

So what gives?

Here's how an Internet-savvy salesman won my business.

While browsing the 2addicts.com message forum last winter for info on the 2-series convertible, a message thread called "POST YOUR DEALS" caught my eye. Actual customers posted every aspect of their transactions: sticker price, negotiated price, incentives, residuals, etc.

Then I noticed that one of users posted information on BMW's monthly incentives, financing programs, lease residual percentages for 10,000, 12,000 and 15,000 miles, and the base money factor -- the interest rate -- for leases.

"Wait," I said. "Is a dealership employee posting this?" Turns out it was. An employee at Steve Thomas BMW in Camarillo, Calif., was active on the forum. A photo icon on the user's profile reads, "No matter what state you live in, we can sell to you!" The post had the salesman's name, email address and phone number.

Never had I seen this much information made free for consumption. Sure, monthly incentives and financing are easy enough to find online, making it easy for people who finance to calculate a monthly payment. But for leasing customers such as myself -- and for customers in the lease-driven luxury market -- residual and money factor figures are also needed to figure out your payment. In my experience, those numbers are shrouded in mystery, at least until you ask a dealership salesperson directly for them.

Having all the numbers allowed me to run scenarios through Edmunds' online lease calculator before setting foot in any dealership. For the first time as a car customer, I felt empowered.

Once I was ready to explore leasing via BMW's European Delivery program, in March I went to bimmerdavid.com -- the site for Steve Thomas BMW Internet Sales Director David Aviles. The site says, "The deal is so good it may knock you on your rear bumper."

Skeptical of this claim, I configured the 2 series I wanted and submitted the configuration on his site. I explained I wouldn't be taking delivery in the U.S. until December, when my current car's lease ends.

Very quickly, I got a response from Aviles with the car's sticker price, a very attractive sale price, the base money factor, residual percentage for 15,000 miles, out-of-pocket cost and monthly payment with Michigan sales tax included.

I had not been expecting him to respond that quickly, especially because I wouldn't be completing the deal for months. We exchanged a few more emails on some of the finer details.

I didn't get blown off because I wasn't a sales commission today. Plus, I was quoted lease based on a real sales price, not sticker. That stuck with me.

I visited two local stores (which I won't name) to give a local business a chance. I purposely did not disclose that I had an online quote in hand from an out-of-state dealership.

In spring, I test drove the 2 series at one store. The salesman didn't seem to be quite so eager to deal with me when I said I would be getting the car at year end. I was quoted a lease at sticker price.

Deal breaker.

In summer, I test drove the car at another dealership. After the drive, a friendly sales manager came out and chatted me up. At this point, I was determined to do the European Delivery program, and I told him in no uncertain terms that I wanted to do it.

So, of course: "Do you want to take home the car today?" Didn't bother to ask me whether the car I test drove was configured the way I wanted, and disregarded the fact that I wanted the European Delivery experience.

I get it. There's a car on the lot, and it needs to be sold. But that's the dealership's need, not my need.

Deal breaker.

But truth be told, I had already made up my mind.

In this highly competitive marketplace, it's tough to stand out. Aviles has built a cottage industry on Bimmerpost, parent site of 2addicts, with posters commending his level of service. (He also has his share of critics. Just about every salesperson and dealership does.)

While a fair, hassle-free deal was great, the most important aspect of the deal: The salesman built a long-term relationship with me -- and consequently trust -- instead of treating me like a potential short-term sales conquest.

I can't speak for every customer, but I don't shop for cars -- I shop for a dealership that's going to be nakedly transparent and respect my time and needs. I suspect other customers feel the same.

After I posted about my European Delivery and transaction experience on 2addicts, I received a reply from another poster: "I live in Detroit as well, and have leased from David 3 times now. Absolutely painless process every time."

Can't buy that kind of reputation.