Daniels BMW
Sparkling paint and shiny chrome, a plush luxury interior, an impressive sound system, and that all-too-familiar feeling of acceleration that soon turns to exhilaration… Daniels BMW knows this feeling well. As one of the older BMW dealers in the United States, these guys have been around long enough to understand the emotion that goes into buying and owning a car. It’s become their promise to exceed customers’ expectations by providing quality craftsmanship and superior customer service in every interaction.
The dealership has called the Lehigh Valley home since 1974, and many of the employees have been working there just as long.
“The thing that amazes me most about our staff is that, more than half of the people had been working here for over 20 years,” says General Manager Bill Stoeckel. “There is very little turnover here.”
Daniels BMW carries a rich history in the Allentown area.
The family-owned dealership began on Tilghman Street in Allentown together with Daniels Cadillac, owned by Gary Daniels. Seven years ago, Daniels BMW moved to its current location on Crackersport Road, and five years ago the Cadillac division was sold. Still somewhat of a hidden gem in the Lehigh Valley, MINI of Allentown came to join Daniels BMW in 2010.
“MINI is a fun car, selling at a great price,” Stoeckel says, quoting base models at $22,000. “We’ve been so pleased with the response from the community and the people coming over. We’ve gotten a terrific public response to having MINI here. It’s great on gas; the base model gets 37 miles to the gallon. Most of our customers tell us driving the car is like driving an adult sized go-cart with all the safety features, bells, and whistles.”
Besides the selection of MINIs, Daniels BMW offers a wide array of gleaming new cars, as well as a selection of certified pre-owned BMWs and MINIs, and other makes as well. Right now the dealership is having a tough time keeping any of the brand new BMW X3 or X5 models on the lot.
We can’t get enough of them,” says Stoeckel, of the sold out SUVs. (At press time, he was expecting a new 650 convertible in time for summer.) “The 3 series and Z4 are also available in convertibles.
Stoeckel adds that the nationwide trend in most popular car colors starts with silver, and then goes to white, black, and shades of gray. BMW vehicles come with an extensive list of special features, with some of the most exciting being the ability to download your music directly to your car (rather than carrying around CDs), and the BMW xDrive. Available to most BMWs, not just SUVs, the xDrive is a tremendous safety feature that transfers the power to the vehicle’s wheels that have traction, basically any of the wheels that aren’t spinning.
Daniels BMW is the distinguished winner of BMW’s Center of Excellence Award for 12 of the past 14 years in which the honor has been offered. The award grades dealerships on an extensive list of criteria related to sales, service, and parts, such as customer satisfaction (the largest metric), business performance, commitment to the franchise, investment in facilities, people training, and more.
“That award goes to less than 10% of the dealers in the United States,” says Bill Stoeckel. “This store has won that award 12 times, which is more than any other dealer in the U.S. We like to say we are the most celebrated BMW dealership in the United States.”
In addition to winning many awards, Daniels is one of the most automated BMW dealers. The facility features high-tech equipment that includes automatic, computerized carousels for parts and tires as well as an automated filing system. Daniels BMW maintains a green focus, recycling used oil filters and oil to help protect the environment. The dealership also has a BMW Certified Collision Center, which is one of only two in the entire state of Pennsylvania. In terms of philanthropy, the company supports Embrace Your Dreams, Equi-librium, Kids Peace, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, the David M. Petzold Memorial Golf Tournament and several other charities and local fundraisers.
Daniels BMW and MINI of Allentown host a number of special events throughout the year for their customers, including Customer Appreciation Day, an X3 driving event for BMW customers, and a Rock the Rivals event where customers can drive competing cars in the same class, to name just a few.
“Our customers are the reason we’re here,” Stoeckel says. “We come to work every day to help people with their transportation needs from the time they buy their shiny new cars to the times they come in to get them serviced. When you come to work, it’s not uncommon to see employees high fiving each other. It doesn’t get much better.”
“Pride of Place” celebrates businesses that have been serving the Lehigh Valley for at least 25 years.
Daniels BMW
4600 Crackersport Road
Allentown, PA 18104-9553
(610) 820-2950
danielsbmw.com
