Chuck W.

Well, it is not a 993 but it will work well for my retirement travels with my wife.

After doing all my homework, I figured I could save $4500 doing an European Delivery (ED) over a local delivery. The ED is very easy and they ship it to the dealer where you bought it. No additional cost. You actually save an extra $600 because they don't charge you for some BS training and advertising cost.

So, I decided to fly in for the specific purpose of doing an ED to save some money. I flew out on Friday morning and back in on Monday evening. I shopped hard for a good deal on a flight and got a round trip from Los Angeles to Munich for $986. Hotel, food and such was another $300ish. So, for my efforts and a weekend I saved $3000 plus.

But, there were other benefits. My brother and his wife live in Switzerland and met me in Munich for the weekend.

We got to BMW delivery center (the Welt) and checked in early. My pick up was scheduled for Saturday, December 3 at 5:10 with a check in time of 3:40. We gave ourselves enough time to tour the BMW museum and enjoy the food and drink in the premium lounge prior to the pick up.

The actual delivery was great. The BMW agent who introduced us to the car was very well versed in the car and the various options that I had ordered. There was no question that he could not answer and pointed out features I wasn't aware of.

At the time of check in they give you and the guest in your party a card that allows you to enjoy the Welt, the museum and the tour. You also get a key chain in the gift shop and they will engrave it for you. I memorized it with the date of the ED.

The hotel we were staying at had a small garage and crammed the cars in there. Not a good place to park a new 535I! We asked to leave the car at the Welt's underground parking for both nights. They said it would not be a problem and gave us tickets for both nights. He also recommended parking on the second level as it is pretty empty.

Once we drove the car out of the Welt and into the parking structure there was only one thing to do…... wax it!

On Sunday we took a drive to the Neuschwanstein Castle just outside Munich, The castle is the basis for the Disneyland castle. Round trip it was only about 150 miles but gave us a chance to get a taste of the car. The active cruise control is amazing.

We did the factory tour on Monday from 11:30 to 1:30 and I did a dash on the S Bahn to the airport for a 3:45 flight back to Los Angeles. We had dropped off the car that morning at the Munich Airport drop off site knowing time would be an issue. The check in was flawless.

So, I saved money on a new BMW, got to see Munich for the weekend including a Christmas celebration in the city center, a factory tour, the experience of picking up a car at the Welt, the BMW museum, a drive to Neuschwanstein Castle and got to see my brother and sister-in-law. I can't seem to see a down side!

The car should be here in 8 weeks.

I did great on the purchase price too;

US MSRP Sticker, $71,775; Invoice $66,150
ED MSRP Sticker $68,120; Invoice $62,585

Minus $1,730 Nav credit (I did get navigation), $1000 Loyalty, $1000 Manufacture Holiday Rebate, $1000 BMWCC; $4730 in total discounts.

I bought the car for $500 over ED invoice. So I will be;

$13,425 under US Sticker; $7,800 below US invoice and $4,230 under ED invoice.

Out the door after California tax/license and doc fees will be $64,189.44.

My car;

2012 535I;
Alpine White
NASW Black Nappa
Anthracite Trim
ZCW Cold Weather Package
ZLS Luxury Seating Package
ZMP M Sport Package
ZPP Premium Package
ZPS Premium Sound Package
ZTP Technology Package
2TB Sports Auto Trans
610 Heads-up Display
5DF Active Cruise Control

On the way to the museum we spotted the car;



My brother & I and the new addition;



Some car photos;





Wax on….. wax off;







Neuschwanstein Castle;




Christmas celebration in the city center. That is the Munich City Hall…... Too cool;



The drop off;




BMW Card for the Welt;




Key Chain;



Too cool…... The Welt on the Nav;

boman993

Cool story. The new 5 with sports-pack M bumpers in white is pure sex. Can't
believe you waxed it by hand at the factory..super cool!

ShdwFx

Very cool story and great pics! Sounds like a great excuse to hop over to Munich.

Benton

Did you fly over with wax in your suitcase!? That's when you know you are a car nut. Great story, and the car looks great in white.

993Dave

Way to go, Chuck! My dad lived in Munich for a few years when I was in my teens and at my car-craziest. I loved going to visit during the summers, drooling over the cars we couldn't get here. I was there for his own European Delivery (325e), but the event was much less posh then than what you enjoyed. We immediately headed for the Alps for a memorable trip after picking up the car. Munich is a great city; I need to get back there someday.

1pcarnut

That's fun story! Got to see the castle and do the Porsche factory tour four years ago. It's a great experience.

tanger

Super cool. I have been lusting after the new Panny GTS, and was looking into ED options with Porsche. What sucks is that unlike BMW where you get a SAVINGS, Porsche actually makes you PAY for the experience. It is probably cheaper to rent a Porsche over there (depending on how long you stay and how much you drive, obviously).

Not saying the cost for Porsche ED is not worthwhile, just a different approach than the other European automakers.

Juha G

That's a cool story! It is the ultimate way of taking delivery of your car.
I've done it twice; with my '05 M3 and the wifes 325xi in '06.
On both occasions I had the car for four weeks and spent that time driving around Europe and Finland. I even went to the Nurburgring....
The F10 is a very nice car, I think we will need to upgrade the 535 sometime in the near future...

dcdude

Pardon me if I don't see a downside to any part of this?

Seems like the only way to buy a new BMW. And you get to bypass the SoCal "dealer experience"? Done and done!

Juha G

Actually, you also get the US dealer experience...

mjsporsche

Chuck,

Seems like it was a great trip with a great car making it a great experience.

I mentioned in one of your earlier threads on your getting a new 5 series, I am a huge fan of BMWs and the lease on my wife's 2010 535xi (a must for us Northeast Rennlisters) is up in June 2012. Toying with the idea of getting a new one or just buying it at the end of the lease.

Having ED as another benefit seems real nice.

You were thinking about a 550? The 535 is a great choice with plenty of power. And there have been some issues with the 550 rear diffs.

Best of luck with the BMW.

Mark

JPP

Well, you can't beat that with a stick. Nice Job Chuck and the car is stunning. LOVE the color, love the new trunk/tailight design, outstanding :-)

Chuck W.

Thanks. Actually, my brother brought it with him!

Yeah. I am not sure why BMW mades their EDs so cost effective for the consumer.

Mark, do an ED on the new 5 series. I had an E60. The new F10s are a vast improvement.

No, you still get that pleasure too. However, there are so many BMW dealers in the Los Angeles area (22!) it is pretty easy to get a decent deal. $500 over ED invoice was a good deal.

csertich

Looks great Chuck. Great way to buy a car. Congratulations.
chuck

Ish993

Chuck great story, beautiful ride.......I wish you the best of fortune with it !!
My wife has a 3 series with the Msport package and I love it, your 5 looks great