European Delivery Questions

[ejm3]

I was poking around the BMW website regarding their European Delivery program.
Anyone done it?
Looks like you can save about $3k on a 135 convertible. Also seems that includes transport, insurance, customs, etc.

What are the costs I would have to pick up? Where do they drop it off? Do you work it through your local dealer?

Essentially if I could save enough to cover the trip I would be happy.

[Dackelone]

I think these pdf's might help you learn more.

This website also has a lot of info on ED (european delivery) program.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...play.php?f=281

Yes, you order(and pay) for your BMW at a US dealer... then pickup your car in Munich at BMW's Welt. Drive teh car for up to two weeks. Then BMW pays to ship the car back to the states.

[ejm3]

These links are good, thanks.

Are there any other "hidden" costs you encounter alond the way, other than airfare & hotel in Germany?

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by ejm3

These links are good, thanks.

Are there any other "hidden" costs you encounter alond the way, other than airfare & hotel in Germany?

Well... gas costs you $10 a gallon over here. But its worth it. Very little to no speed limits. At least here in Bavaria.

You end up saving (around) $4K up front... but you will spend close to that when your all done(with your trip over here). In the end you will have one hell a great time over here and a nice story to look back on. It really is a "must do" IMO. Some people only come for a weekend or a few days. Some come and drive lots. You can make the experience all your own. BMW also gives you a voucher for one free airplane ticket from Lufthansa when you buy one RT ticket. Most people say they can find better deals on airfare though.

[HT1000]

What an experience ED can be.

[Dackelone]

This might give you some ideas of what to do once you get over here...


Dackel's European Delivery Museum Guide

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=494657

[ejm3]

Can you negotiate pricing on ED?

I have enough miles to get both of us to Germany so that's not a problem. Really I would have hotel & food. I probably wouldn't stay all two weeks. I also wouldn't drive the car all that much over there. My one experience on the autobahn was a Friday afternoon in the summer and we sat in traffic just like here. Besides, Germany has a very efficient public transportation system ;-)

I have been to Munich and it's great.

[JimD]

You aren't limited to Germany, of course. There are drop off points all over Europe. The alps, in summer time, have the nicest pictures. I still kick myself for not doing ED in 2009 on my 128i vert. The threads on bimmerfest are great and you will get all kinds of help.

I do not see reports on hidden expenses. If you have the miles, that would be the biggest expense. You need transportation from the airport - there is one guy everybody raves about - and as you stated, hotels and food. And you can take public transportation to the Welt but I gather it requires multiple transfers so it would be a hassle if you don't pack real light.

There are also travel firms you can find by googling European driving vacations that will plan a trip for you and get the hotels. 2009 was a tough year for me so I was really limited on time and energy but if I'd found one of these websites I would have probably done it. There are also BMW trips which are undoubtedly very nice but are also pricey.

Jim

[BallisticRedRaider]

Yes you can negotiate the ED price. You will have to find a dealer that will work with you though because some stick strictly to the pricing on the BMW website. To calculate ED pricing, take the base price and multiply by .86 Then multiply all options by .93 That will give you the ED invoice price of the car.

$500 over ED invoice is pretty standard. There is a ton of info on ED over at Bimmerfest. Link below:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=25

[CincyOne]

It was a great experience. Picked up our 135 in September of 2009 and then took redelivery at the Performance center in Spartanburg. Yes you can negociate the price with your local dealer or work with some of the dealers around the country that specialized in Euro delivery by mail. Also try this site:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=25

Their wiki should answer a lot of questions. We did the miles tickets, also.

[BallisticRedRaider]

CincyOne and I think a like. Bimmerfest ED section is fantastic!

[ejm3]

How does the ED actually save anyone any money? If the import fees (taxes, customs, etc) less for a regular person than for the manufacturer?

CJ when you say "take the base price and multiply by .86 Then multiply all options by .93 That will give you the ED invoice price of the car." you mean multiply the US MSRP times those factors?

Also, with ED are you still subject to the $875 destination charge?

[fondeezy]

I just came back from an ED in September. There are no hidden fees, you can negotiate on ED price (I went down 3K for paying cash and negotiation). The "free ticket" isn't really a full ticket. It's about 500 dollars off after you pay associated fees. The car is a north american car delayed export to the US. BMW handles all fees and taxes that might be charged. The only thing you might have to pay there is if you need a highway permit in Austria (along with the safety vest). If you are going to buy the car anyways, there is no reason to not do an ED since you get the car plus a German vacation for the same, or less, amount. It was an amazing experience.

[ejm3]

I was thinking that it doesn't make sense NOT to do ED.
If I estimate ED invoice as 7% off US invoice I figure I would save about $2700 on the 135 convertible. The that would pay for the trip assuming I use miles to buy the airline tickets. If I don't have to pay the $875 delivery charge then it gets that much better. Do you remmeber if you paid that or not?

[m_thompson]

You still need to pay the delivery charge, but you don't pay the MACO/training charge.

[fondeezy]

You will save a little more than $2700. Really, when it comes down to it, your vacation is paid for with the savings on the car. If you decide to only go for a weekend or 4 days, you will more than likely end up still paying out less than picking the car up in the US. It really is an amazing program and BMW treats you wit the highest respect and accommodations from when you arrive at the Welt to when you leave. It is a amazing experience. I will do another ED when I decide to get another car hands down.

[ejm3]

Can you take advantage of ED if you lease the car instead of buying it?

[Tom303]

Yes.

[daixloxbmw]

I have done ED twice: on my previous 2008 335i Coupe and my current 2011 135i Coupe and I would highly recommend it.

I saved about $6k and $5k respectively on these two cars ($600 over ED Invoice price compared to MSRP). I'm sure on regular US Delivery cars, you can probably negotiate down from MSRP a bit but probably not too much. Anyway, the money saved on the purchase of the car, easily paid for the 10+ day vacation all over Europe. In these two ED trips, I spent time in 8 countries, drove on the Autobahn, Autostrada, Nurburgring, Alps, Black Forest, Romantic Road, etc. I would highly recommend this to anyone and will be glad to answer any questions I can.

I do have a question myself though, what is the savings like for M cars? With ED, do you still pay a few hundred over ED Invoice or do you pay much more due to "market adjustment". Especially with limited production cars like the 1M, can you still get a good deal via ED? If anyone has done ED with an M car, I would like to hear about your experience.

Thanks,
B

[fondeezy]

I spoke to my dealer rep. about doing an M3 ED and he told me they would not do an ED price on M cars. I don't know if that holds true for other dealers, but at least for mine it does. You can only negotiate down from US MSRP from my understanding. Obviously before my Dad does his M3 ED he will call and ask around to verify.

[ejm3]

I calculated my $3k savings by taking US invoice +$500 as an esitmated US purchase price.
Then I took US invoice less 7% for ED invoice. Then added $500 to it for my ED price.

So basically at the end of the day the savings I calculated was 7% off invoice.

If I took full MSRP as US price and took 7%off invoice +$500 my savings would appear to be more. But I don't want to fool myself. Even Edmunds & KBB show actual price paid a decent amount below MSRP.

[Sinister Crayon]

Originally Posted by fondeezy

I spoke to my dealer rep. about doing an M3 ED and he told me they would not do an ED price on M cars. I don't know if that holds true for other dealers, but at least for mine it does. You can only negotiate down from US MSRP from my understanding. Obviously before my Dad does his M3 ED he will call and ask around to verify.

Your dealer's full of crap. The only M that they won't budge on is the 1 Series M... an M3 you can negotiate exactly the same as all the others. Hit up some of the good known ED sales guys (like Irv Robinson, Adrian Avila etc) and they can hook you up for $500-$1000 over ED Invoice for an M car.

Dunno where the current M5 stands if that's what floats your boat... I will admit that M's do tend to be tough to negotiate in the first model year, but remember also that the E92 M3 is in its LAST iteration and there's no idea when the next M3 will be out.