European Delivery

[jpikej]

any dealers that you would recommend for ordering a european delivery vehicle.

[kbsilver]

Remember you are likely to have your ED car serviced the purchasing dealer. That is probably a more important factor. For the purchase itself, should be no different than doing a normal delivery from the dealer or off the lot. If a dealer tends to give a better discount for normal delivery, they probably will give a better discount for ED as well.

[afadeev]

Remember you are likely to have your ED car serviced the purchasing dealer. That is probably a more important factor. For the purchase itself, should be no different than doing a normal delivery from the dealer or off the lot. If a dealer tends to give a better discount for normal delivery, they probably will give a better discount for ED as well.

First of all, you can take your car to ANY dealer for warranty service. No correlation should be expected between the purchase and service experiences.

ED cars do NOT come out of dealer's allotment, so the bargaining and mark-up expectations will have NOTHING in common with the experience of buying a car off the lot.

Do your homework on invoice price, call local dealers, as well as not so local. Make sure that the person on the other end of the conversation has placed a few ED orders before (otherwise things will go off the rails fast). That may, or may not, include anyone at your local dealership.

Expect to pay $500-1000 over ED invoice, plus registration mark-ups.

For more info, look here:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6033
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=25

a

[kbsilver]

First of all, you can take your car to ANY dealer for warranty service. No correlation should be expected between the purchase and service experiences.

Technically this it true, but I have always felt you get treated a little better if you obtain service where you purchased. Also I would not go hundreds of miles away to a dealer just to save a few $hundred on a $50,000 car. But that's just me. Also is nice if we give our business to dealers that support the club.

[davidmcintyre]

First of all, you can take your car to ANY dealer for warranty service. No correlation should be expected between the purchase and service experiences.

You know this is nonsense, right? Try buying your new BMW at some remote dealer to get a great price and then see how your local service experience ends up. It not be as nice. It is still the practice for dealers' loaner car policies to be radically different when the car is bought at the dealer vs elsewhere.

Even if the dealer does give you a loaner for your elsewhere-purchased BMW, it's going to be a 1994 Neon instead of the standard cheap testdrive BMW.

[colin]

Does anybody have any European Delivery experiences they'd like to share? I'm seriously considering this for next time around. Is it worthwhile financially, or is it fun just for the heck of it?

[kbsilver]

While I've never done the delivery, I have run the numbers. The savings will essentially cover the cost of the trip to Germany for two. So if a free vacation to Europe sounds interesting to you, then it's worth it! If you can get there on frequent flier mileage and hotel points, then definitely worth it. Think it amounts to about 8% savings on the base car.

[RonG]

The base invoice price is 7% less for Munich tourist delivery than for US delivery. Base price only--option and package prices are NOT reduced by choosing ED. As with any sale, your negotiation skills and relationship with the dealer will determine what you pay between invoice and MSRP.

On a 3 Series, for example, the ED savings is around $2,000-4,000, depending on the model. Whether that covers a week-long trip for two (with meals, incidentals and fuel) depends on your frugality and ability to score deals on airfares and hotels. Even if it's not a "free" trip, think of it as a fun, package deal: A new car plus a vacation, all with a nice baked-in discount.

Another approach: Roll the ED savings back into the vehicle options. In my case, I would have vacationed in Europe with or without the car, so the ED savings covered most of the Individual package cost.

Either way: If you're considering it, do it! It was immensely fun and I will definitely do it again when the time comes.

Oh, and about that benzin budget: Eight days, ~1200 mi, ~$400 in fuel. (YMMV ... of course.)

[afadeev]

First of all, you can take your car to ANY dealer for warranty service. No correlation should be expected between the purchase and service experiences.

You know this is nonsense, right?

Certainly.
Disseminating nonsense is my primary motivation for sharing personal experiences on this board.

Try buying your new BMW at some remote dealer to get a great price and then see how your local service experience ends up. It not be as nice. It is still the practice for dealers' loaner car policies to be radically different when the car is bought at the dealer vs elsewhere.

Even if the dealer does give you a loaner for your elsewhere-purchased BMW, it's going to be a 1994 Neon instead of the standard cheap testdrive BMW.

BTDT.
Mostly because I moved around the country a lot over the past 10-15 years, less so for the dealer shopping reasons.

Getting loaners is a crap shoot based on availability at both BMW and MINI dealers.
Sometimes you can reserve a loaner when you call for an appointment, at other dealers you can not.
Sometimes dealers give loaners only if you bought a car from them, other times to everyone based on availability.
Sometimes the loaners are BMWs/MINIs, other times it is whatever rental car agency operates out of a given dealership.
Sometimes you get your car washed after service, other times you don't.
Sometimes the dealer techs know what they are doing, other times they are just part swapping hoping to get lucky.
Regardless of where you bought the car.

These days, BMW USA dealer service rating questionnaire is the primary motivator for what you get out of the service department. Dealer gets nicked on BMW USA monthly kick-backs if the average of YOUR ratings of THEIR service comes below a certain silly-high mark (forgot what it's called).
Regardless of where you bought the car.

YMMV,
a

[davidmcintyre]

Getting loaners is a crap shoot based on availability at both BMW and MINI dealers.

The key is to buy an Audi. You always get a current model year Audi (usually a base model A4, but sometimes better) no matter where your car was bought at Audi. They actually understand this. I don't know why. (You also get a back seat that an adult can use, but that's another story.)

This is one of the many reasons why I just bought my 4th new Audi in a row for my wife. I know, I'm bitter.

[RealM3E30]

The key is to buy an Audi. You always get a current model year Audi (usually a base model A4, but sometimes better) no matter where your car was bought at Audi. They actually understand this. I don't know why. (You also get a back seat that an adult can use, but that's another story.)

This is one of the many reasons why I just bought my 4th new Audi in a row for my wife. I know, I'm bitter.[/quote]

If you are bitter Dave, keep it to yourself, we all would of bought Audi's if we liked them, some do not, that is why I don't have one and never will. Bash BMW on tha Audi sites .....

[RonG]

any dealers that you would recommend for ordering a european delivery vehicle.

It occurs to me that none of us have actually answered the OP's question.

@jpikej, tell us where you are located and we can recommend one of our nearby sponsors. I understand JMK BMW (central NJ) and Circle BMW (shore) are both good choices for Euro delivery. I am not sure which of the northern NJ dealers excels in that regard.

(Oh and about Audi loaners: A buddy of mine has an A4 and his service loaners have been a crap shoot--the worst was when they tried to send him off in a commercial van. It depends on the dealer, not the brand.)

[JRLNJ]

Ihave taken European delivery twice: in 1997 through Wide World BMW in Nanuet, NY; and in 2007, through Tenafly BMW, with saleswoman Rikki Shamen.
Rikki made the process easier than most regular dealer deliveries. The prices were spelled out clearly, as soon as I picked the model (335i coupe) and the options I wanted.
Just as the earlier comments stated, the factory discount is usually a bit less than 7%. You also receive two weeks free insurance (with Zero deductible for damages), vouchers for a free meal at the cafe in the delivery center; and free drop off at centers throughout most of Europe.

All this is in addition to whatever discount you can negotiate with your Dealer here in the US. Driving in Europe is great! I had a blast on the autobahns, autostradas, and even in traffic in Rome, watching Italian drivers jumping out of their cars to insult each other. If you have the opportunity, don't pass this up.

[jpikej]

any dealers that you would recommend for ordering a european delivery vehicle.

It occurs to me that none of us have actually answered the OP's question.

@jpikej, tell us where you are located and we can recommend one of our nearby sponsors. I understand JMK BMW (central NJ) and Circle BMW (shore) are both good choices for Euro delivery. I am not sure which of the northern NJ dealers excels in that regard.

(Oh and about Audi loaners: A buddy of mine has an A4 and his service loaners have been a crap shoot--the worst was when they tried to send him off in a commercial van. It depends on the dealer, not the brand.)

I am located in central NJ and was looking for dealers that have had experience with ED. Thanks all for your responses.