We're thinking of upgrading our 530 to an M5 and was thinking about going through European Delivery. Apparently, they let you drive it on the Autobahn and stuff if you fly out there, and shipping is free. Also, the price is lower, roughly 8% I think. Anyone gone this route?

 

Last May my wife and I did it with her 3 series convertible. I had done Porsches before that. The delivery was effortless, and of course it's fun to drive there. BMW provides insurance for free. As I recall, however, M5s are not part of the program for the discount. Also, expect to be without your car for at least a month as it takes that long to ship it. I've been to Germany numerous times, so it you decide to do it, let me know and I'll be happy to give you some of my experiences/tips. It's a great country and a lot of fun. Driving on the autobahn will spoil you for life.

 

I just did a European delivery. As the previous poster mentioned, there is no discount on M cars through Euro delevery. Not sure why, but that's just how it is. And lately, it's been taking more than a month( about 6-7 weeks) for the car to be redelivered to the US. My car took almost 9 weeks!!! From the time you put your order in to the time you get the car in the U.S. is about 5 months. Could be longer or shorter by a month or so. Since there's no discount for M's ...you're paying full price, and waiting extra long. But that maybe worth it to be able to drive on the autobahn and anywhere else in Europe that you choose. The Autobahn experience is amazing...makes you realize how behind the US is in terms of engineering and craftsmanship. If you want more info, PM me. Here's a link to more info as well: http://www.bimmerfest.com/wiki/index...opean_Delivery

 

Ive thought about it - on a 335i - and taking my Father along for the ride as he would LOVE that sorta thing.

Is there any reason NOT to other than the wait???

 

Other than the wait..there is absolutely no reason not to do it. It's an experience of a lifetime. It's 100% worth it IMO. Between experiencing the German culture and driving on the best roads in the world...you really can't go wrong. Just do it!

 

raza,

where did u drop it off in Munich? that is long time to get the car since you have to pay it off 30 days before you pick it up in munich. almost like 3 car payments and no car. :-(

Also, could the delay be due to summer vacation for the Europeans? when did u get your car?

Raja

 

Hmmmmm...the plot thickens (Greg, are you reading this!? LOLOL)

 

Raja, my timeline went like this:

Feb 28th - Ordered the car for European delivery
May 12th - Signed paperwork, made downpayment and first months payment
May 31st - Picked car up in Munich Germany
June 3rd - Dropped car off at shipping company (Harms GMBH) in Munich
June 25th - Boat reached New York Port
July 27th - Car released from US customs - 33 days in customs!
Aug 2nd - Picked car up at dealer - expedited by BMW because of customs hold

So it took a total of 5 months from order to US pickup. That's the whole catch with doing a Euro delivery.

As far as payment, you make the first months payment 2 weeks before picking up in Munich. But BMW makes the second months payment for you because of the intransit shipping time. if it takes longer than a month to redeliver ( 2 months for me), you make the 3rd month payment with no car. That's the risk you take. Summer vacation doesn't effect redelivery time, the program has become more popular, so there's more volume being done. Also, customs is being more stringent with checking incoming cargo bacause of terror threats and what not. Hope that helps!

 

Oh the M cars aren't discounted? It makes no sense then, since the only reason we were considering it was to cover the cost of the trip with the money saved.

 

i did european delivery on my 750i and spent A LOT of time before, during and after on the european delivery forum:

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

my writeup is here:

http://camel.ethereal.net/~jkb/ed

there should be no question about doing it or not. simply do!

 

so get a 550i with sport pkg. the money you'll save on the car and on the price difference with M5 will let you have a super nice european vacation (think Four Seasons hotel stays )

 

33 days at VPC (Vehicle Processing Center) is very unusual. my guess there was some damage to your car which required some work to fix it:
http://www.autospies.com/news/Did-yo...-factory-1348/

my delivery took about 7 weeks, but i am on west coast (+2 weeks extra vs. east coast) and the car missed a ship in bremerhaven by a day, so it had to wait for a week for a ship. spent about 3 days in VPC and was able to track the car down to the minute it arrived at the dealer.

there are some hardcore people on ED forum who track the ship as it sails through the sea and via the panama canal

 

I have ED planned for my 335i coupe in December. Can't wait!!!

 

I was one of those hardcore people that tracked the ship as it crossed the atlantic . I couldn't help myself!

 

You might couple a Spartanburg M delivery with an M5 day at the BMW Performance Center and a tour of the Zentrum and the factory if they are open for tours when you go. I just did that without buying a car and it was worth the $1000. I think you can get it free with the purchase of a new car.