BMW European Delivery

jb_shin · May 2005

plus savings on (breathtakingly expensive) European auto rental

I used to rent from Europcar and Sixt, both of which are usually less expensive than those we are more familiar with in the states. Both of them will offer very attractive weekly deals, and some of them are housed right inside the BMW/MB dealer and you drive off one of their cars on the lot.

Europcar once gave me a SLK230 with 4 miles on the clock at Frankfurt airport and I just about saw the top speed on that thing on my way to Ramstein. That was fun!

There is a hotel chain (more of franchise) called Romantic Hotels (www.romantikhotels.com) and they are more Inns than Hotels, but are usually very well maintained and run by families who own the hotels. You can usually find them in smaller towns, but if they are on the way, they are priced much better than big name chains.

timoth31 · June 2005

The next question I have is whether anyone has had experience with the Munich ED dropoff. Specifically, once you drop off the car, is it easy to find a taxi or bus? Or is there a U-bahn station nearby?

Thanks again for all the answers to previous questions.

Tim

shipo · June 2005

Is it easy to find a taxi? If what you mean is, "Can you walk out to the curb and flag one down?" Nope, not a chance. However, the folks there will be more than happy to call you a cab. We asked the folks at Harms to call when we first walked into the office and the taxi was there by the time the paperwork was completed.

As for the S-Bahn/U-Bahn, if I remember correctly, the closest stop is a bit of a hike and while I cannot remember specifics, I'm thinking that it is the better part of a couple of miles.

Best Regards,
Shipo

drspence · June 2005

Can anyone direct me to a source listing ED invoice prices for the '06 3 series?

Also, do all/most dealers offer European Delivery or is there a list to select from? I live in the midwest, and didn't know if this was limited to US 'port' or coastal cities.

Thanks in advance,

drspence

shipo · June 2005

The invoice of the car itself is the only thing that changes between ED and Domestic. As such, all options have the same MSRP and invoice regardless of where the car is delivered (ED or Domestic).

Model --- US MSRP --- US Invoice --- ED MSRP --- ED Invoice
325i ------- $30,300 ------- $27,755 ------ $28,180 ------- $25,645
330i ------- $36,300 ------- $33,215 ------ $33,760 ------- $30,720

All you need to do us to use the Edmunds pricing guide (or any other pricing guide for that matter), figure out the invoice price of the car you want, subtract the difference between the "US Invoice" and the "ED Invoice", add back in some dealer profit (typically $1,000 to $1,500), and you have your target price.

As for the dealers. Some have no clue at all about ED. Others stick to the ED MSRP saying, "You should be happy with the ED discount, you don't need any more." Still other dealers, typically ones that move a lot of ED cars, will give you an "ED Invoice Plus" deal. In this case, it's just a matter of shopping.

In 1999 I leased a 328i from Prestige in Ramsey, NJ. I started shopping in late 2001 for my next car, and as I had been given a very fair price on the 328i (which I ordered in the fall of 1998, meaning that the car was VERY new to the U.S.), I gave Prestige the first shot at leasing me a new 530i via the ED program. No deal, I was told to be happy with the ED discount. I then went to Park Avenue, all of 8 miles down the same road, and cut a $1,500 deal in about 10 minutes.

Best Regards,
Shipo

drspence · June 2005

Thanks! I appreciate the insights...

drspence

drspence · June 2005

Oh, and 2 other items while I'm thinking about them...

1.) In negotiating a lease deal, I assume the ED MSRP is used in calculating residuals; and the same money factor as in a domestic MSRP deal?

2.) My thinking is that one offset in the large price savings on a ED deal (in particular a lease) is that you sign, take delivery, and begin payments on the lease, but have to wait 6 weeks or so until it arrives at your dealership. So technically in calculating price savings over domestic delivery you would want to take this into consideration, correct?

kyfdx · June 2005

US MSRP is used in calculating residuals.. which makes sense, as the car will be worth the same amount at end of lease term, whether you took delivery in Europe, or not..

The ED money factor is .0003 higher.. This is offset by BMWFS waiving your second payment...

One other factor you might take into account... By being without your car for six weeks, you may be putting 2000 less miles on it, over the term of the lease, than you normally would.. For some people, this is all the difference required to drop down to a 30K or 36K mile lease vs. 45K..

regards,
kyfdx

307web · June 2005

That makes no sense.
If you are saving 2000 miles by not driving the car for 6 weeks the car is on the ship, there is no way you should be looking at 30,000 mile 3 year leases.
If you would have driven 2000 miles during that 6 weeks, that means you would have driven over 17K miles each year.
You will be driving 150 weeks instead of 156 weeks during a 3 year period. Not a huge difference to be making dramatic changes to your expected mileage at the end of the term. It is also easy to pick up a few unexpected here and there miles over a 3 year term.

kyfdx · June 2005

Six weeks without the car.. you'll drive less miles..

If your needs are in-between the mileage limits, you might be better off taking the lower mileage limit, save the money on the monthly payment, and pay the extra mileage charges at lease end... taking into account, that you'll have fewer miles than you would otherwise. You may come out ahead..

Unless, of course... you think you'll drive more miles with the car on a ship for six weeks..

drspence · June 2005

One of my concerns regarding the ED process is that you do a great job of negotiating a price, say $1000 over ED invoice, but in the 2-4 months you wait until going to pick your car up, lease residuals and money factor move against you. Do you have to wait to negotiate the lease portion of the deal until close to delivery (1-2 weeks) or can you lock that in at the time you agree upon a price?

nyccarguy · June 2005

I believe you can lock in lease rates 60 days in advance.

kyfdx · June 2005

Example:

You go in tomorrow and do a deal for ED.. They lock your rate until 60 days from the expiration of the current program (which I assume is June 30th). This gives you until August 31st with the current rates..

Since you have to make the first payment 15 days before delivery, you will have no problem, even if your delivery rolls over into the first couple of weeks of September..

If the lease numbers improve between now and when you make your first payment, you can use either the current numbers, or the program in effect at the time you finalize the paperwork.

regards,
kyfdx

drspence · June 2005

Thanks, I appreciate the insights...

bigpapaluke · June 2005

Hi Shipo,

Is there also a discrepency between US Invoice and ED Invoice for the various packages BMW offers (specifically for the new 3-series such as the Sport Package, Premium package, etc)? Or is the difference strictly in the base price of the car? After much deliberation, I may ultimately decide to make a vacation out of purchasing the vehcile, and since I haven't been to Europe (especially after taking 4 years of German in high school) maybe now's the time to treat the Mrs and myself.

Thanks,
Luke

shipo · June 2005

You got it. All prices (except the base car) for both MSRP and Invoice are the same regardless of how the car is procured.

Gee, your first trip to Europe and driving a BMW no less. Not too shabby. My first trip was via bicycle, and my second was via a 1985 Fiat Uno Diesel that sported maybe 36 HP. I didn't get to drive a BMW in Europe until something like 1996, and even then it was only a 318i (which got dusted by a Chrysler Caravan on the Autobahn).

Best Regards,
Shipo

bmq · June 2005

What is the timeline when you get a vehicle through ED?

i.e., lets assume that I order one today...approx how long before it is ready for pickup in Munich? and how long after I drop it off in Europe can I expect to see it at my dealer (Texas)?

Does it matter if its a 3 Series or a 5 Series (I have not yet decided between the two)?

Also, what sort of window do they give for Munich delivery?...I am assuming that they give a range of dates that you can pick your car up?...is it a week?...a month?

Thanks for your help

bigpapaluke · June 2005

Thank you sir. I've recycled through enough cars at my age where I finally know what I want, and since there is a cool European program that can go along with it, I thought "Why not?". Plus the fact that the Mrs has been begging for a vacation to Europe since we've been married but a couple of job changes and relocations have prevented that from happening. So in this case, we both win. Still a ways off from actually doing it, but at least it's nice to know there's an option.

Thanks again,
Luke

selm · June 2005

Thanks for everyone's postings - you all made me an informed buyer! Yesterday I placed my order for a 325i w/ ZSP as the only option. Now I only got about $500 off of ED MSRP, but I still really like the payment. (Actually, it was $1000 off, but they marked up the acquisition fee, and a touch on the mf - so it netted to $500). I tried doing the $1500 over ED invoice, but I just reached a point where I wanted the car and didn't care about a few dollars a month on a 3 year lease. I pick it up in early September and will let you all know about the trip when I return.

530ir1150r · June 2005

Absolute minimum, I am not sure.

Payment arrangements are made two weeks before delivery. Theoretically then if you are paying cash and the vehicle you want is available in Europe, two weeks.

Realistically, you need a VIN number to borrow or lease. Add 6-8 weeks. Therefore, plan at least 3 months ahead and time should not be a problem on most BMWs. Allotments will be an issue on popular models. When the 6 Series Coupes were introduced the dealer I use was 6 months out on their allotments.

Instead of ordering today and determining delivery, decide when you want to go to Europe and order for that delivery date. Our car was ready a month ahead of delivery.

ger3sf · June 2005

Your dealer will contact BMWNA to confirm the next available date, and if your desired date is far enough in advance, it shouldn't be a problem in locking it up. And, you're obligated to pick up the car on that day (not the day before, or the day or week after).

Last year, I wanted to pick up my car on the Friday before Memorial Day. I contacted a few ED-knowledgeable dealers during the last week in March 2004. The dealer confirmed the date and I placed my order on 3/31. I recall the dealer saying I took the last ED slot for that day (5/28). Next time, I will order earlier to ensure no problems in getting the ED date I want.

I dropped off the car in Munich on 6/12, and it was redelivered (in nothern CA) on 7/24. Redelivery to a TX dealer may be a tad quicker as the boat won't have to sail through the Panama Canal, and assuming no delays at the VPC.

bmq · June 2005

I am one of those unfortunate to live in a large metro area with only two BMW dealers (Dallas area). This lack of competition leads to the dealers not willing to negotiate very much off the ED MSRP.

Here is my questions: If I find a dealer on the East Coast or California willing to cut me a deal (ED invoice + $1200/$1500), and order through him, can I then have the car shipped to one of the Dallas dealers? Or will they only ship the car to the dealer where the order was placed?

Thanks for the help.

shipo · June 2005

Remote ED buying is certainly possible and I've heard of three different methods of achieving final U.S. delivery:

1) Buy a plane ticket (or other form of one-way transportation) to the selling dealer and drive it home
2) Pay a shipping charge for a third party to deliver the car. I heard that one guy paid $600 to have his NYC area selling dealer ship him his car to Chicago. Hmmm, kind of expensive to Dallas.
3) I've heard of a single case where my (former) Sales Associate at Park Avenue BMW in New Jersey managed to figure out how to piggyback a car on the BMW transport system from the VPC directly to the local Denver area dealership, where the buyer simply arrived and took possession, much to the chagrin of the dealership that wouldn't budge on price.

In your case, I've heard that dealers in Shreveport, Austin and maybe San Antonio are far more willing to deal than the folks in Dallas, however, I've never heard any reports about any ED deals through them. Were I in your shoes, I'd cast my net that far and see what you get. If that comes up empty, cast it further. Hopefully you can find a dealer within 500 miles which would make the logistics a hell of a lot easier than shipping your car from Maryland or New Jersey.

Good luck and let us know how you fare.

Best Regards,
Shipo

kyfdx · June 2005

Only two dealers in the DFW area?

I thought everything was bigger in Texas..

nyccarguy · June 2005

yeah, the profit margins.

kyfdx · June 2005

Nah.. I looked.. within 50 mile radius, there are four..

Ft Worth, Richardson, Dallas and Arlington..

Now, I know some people think 15 miles is non-local, but it isn't like you have to drive two hours to expand your search..

Of course, some of those could be owned by the same dealer..

regards,
kyfdx

erickpl · June 2005

the D/FW dealers and go to OKC, Tulsa, or Austin. I have not heard much good about either D/FW or Houston dealers. But that is just second hand.

You have Crown in Tulsa, BMW of Austin in, well, Austin.

-Paul

shipo · June 2005

Sorry, I have to differ with you on that one. I did ED on my 530i three years ago, and I've communicated with any number of buyers, dealers and BMW employees over the last seven years, and the fact is that ED Invoice and US Invoice are identical for all order codes except the actual car. Period, full stop, the end.

Best Regards,
Shipo

goun · June 2005

"They lock your rate until 60 days from the expiration of the current program "
So you can not close a ED lease deal now (June) for deliver in late October if you are willing to wait that long?

kyfdx · June 2005

Chances are.. you can't close any deal for delivery in late October.. You would be subject to price increases, plus any change in finance rates..

If you are taking delivery in October, the earliest you could lock rates would be in August..

regards,
kyfdx

nirvanaor · June 2005

My earlier posting was removed from the forum (probably because I posted a link from another forum ) which had the US Invoice prices and the Ed invoice prices on all the options for 2006.

The Invoice prices of the US options and the ED options are different .I was able to get the ED prices for the options two years ago.

I got a lot out of this and other forums and felt that I should help out other people the same way as others helped me out a while back when I was looking for a car.

And although I dont have years of experience in dealing with dealers/buyers but did have one which I am passing on to the members .And by the way there is always something new I learn everyday .
Take Care

shipo · June 2005

I checked the link you sent, and what I saw matched exactly between U.S. prices (MSRP and Invoice) and ED prices (MSRP and Invoice) for the options. What did I miss?

Best Regards,
Shipo

bmw650 · July 2005

I am considering European Delivery in October and plan to tour Europe in my new BMW (approx. 1 week). I am looking for suggestions as far as itineraries and/or tour packages thay you may have already experienced - good and bad.

sailinfo · July 2005

Looking for a dealer suggestion for the EU delivery. I'm in the DFW area but would be willing to go futher out past TX or Oklahoma if there is a dealer anybody recommends that is willing to deal, so far local to Texas is just EU pricing and thats it.

Thanks,

hammerwerfer · July 2005

If you are thinking of driving the Nordschleife whilst on your ED holiday, by all means do so. Although I am a somewhat biased local myself, I cannot fathom any driving enthusiast missing out on an opportunity to drive at least a few laps in his or her new BMW.

Get in touch if you would like a bit of guidence.

saigonboi21 · July 2005

hi im looking to purchase or order an 06 330i this week. I got this Bimmer invoice from BimmerFest. According to the sheet, Base Price Diplomatic US Port of Entry cost for a 330i is $31,380 + ZPP ($2200) + SMG Transmission ($1425)= $35005. So is this how much im paying (plus taxes of course)??? So it comes out around $38500? or is there an addition $1000-$1500 for dealer profit?? or is there room for negotiation? I dont really understand this whole ED thing. Please clarify this for me. Thank You!

kyfdx · July 2005

....is for diplomats...

Look for the ED price..

The invoice is what the dealer pays.... MSRP is what they are asking.. You have to negotiate a price inbetween... just like on any other car..

saigonboi21 · July 2005

so i look under the "Confidential Wholesale Price" sheet???

saigonboi21 · July 2005

can anyone here tell me how much it would cost me to fly to Munich and back? maybe spend a week there also. thanks

shipo · July 2005

As far as airfare goes, from where in the U.S. and when are you going to go?

A couple of sample airfares for 13-Sep through 20-Sep:
BOS-MUC: $687
EWR-MUC: $581
ATL-MUC: $767
DFW-MUC: $801
LAX-MUC: $741
ORD-MUC: $692
DTW-MUC: $871

As for spending a week there, geez, how about anywhere between several hundred dollars to thousands. I think that my wife and I spent less than $2,000, not including her shopping spree in Paris. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

saigonboi21 · July 2005

i thought about it- 325i + ZPP+ auto+ Logic7 +xenon+ power rear sunshade= $37,750 or so. I can get the same thing with ED for about $34,040. If you add the cost of the trip it would be another $1200-1600 (to say the least for a week there). I guess the only good thing is that you also get the trip. But then i would have to wait about 2 months for my car. hmmm...is it even worth it?

cdnpinhead · July 2005

"I guess the only good thing is that you also get the trip. ...is it even worth it?"

If you have to ask, the answer is probably no.

I've been fortunate enough to have spent 9-10 days in Germany at company expense on several occasions, and found it comfortable and interesting enough to go back and spend quite a bit of my own money to take my wife over for a holiday.

One person's opinion -- yeah, it's worth it. But I love to travel, and I realize many don't.

officecubed · July 2005

Based upon the prices you are mentioning, you are saving almost ten percent with ED. That's a lot more savings than the 7% they quote (just on the vehicle, no options). How did you get such a big difference? That would seem to be a tremendous deal.

vanalder · July 2005

One 'saves' a fair amount over the BMW quoted 7%, in that I negotiated here
based on ED invoice price for the car, and US invoice (they were the same) for
the options. Then add the shipping charge, and I went to pick up the plates, so
no fee for this 'service'. Thus, the 'out the door price' was known early in the
game. I simply added the amount quoted over the 'true' cost, and we had a
deal. Luckily, it was at the dealer closest to home.

Some of the dealers I contacted did try to pull the 7% thing, but...
All of the contact was via internet or fax in the rare case they did not seem to have
a web address. I simply said, "This is what I believe to be the invoice cost". What
amount will you accept over this number?

In that I was going to Europe anyway, this was a nice way to pick up a real
saving. Pickup is a breeze (particularly if you happen to be able to muddle along
in the language AND your wife is totally fluent).

My only caveat is that this was in 2001. Things may have changed, but from
reading this board, it does not sound that way.

Good luck on your decision. Daan

saigonboi21 · July 2005

hmm... i added up the costs and everything for a 325i and it came out $34,040. So now im wondering about the fees. I guess I pay taxes here since i live here? Is that right? Somebody mentioned that he saved even more on ED due to the savings on taxes. i wasnt sure what he meant by that. Can someone clear that up for me pleasE? THanks

all i need is to is the OTD price if my car is $34,040. Thanks again

vanalder · July 2005

In my case - and, remember, this was in '01 - there were NO 'fees' paid by me to the dealer other than his 'add-on' of $ 1,500. This specific amount is what we settled on for my transaction. Others report to have settled for less - usually no lower than $ 1000, but...

I did save the sales (use) tax on the $ 1,500 over the 'cost', as the BMW paperwork reported the price as paid to be only the invoice cost of the car. There have been some songs-and-dances re ways to escape sales tax. I've not followed up on them, as it did not sound attainable after I talked to the Dept of Motor Vehicles and the Florida Tax authorities.

Again, enjoy the trip and remember, one does not have to limit the 'vacation'
to Germany. We, for example, dropped the wagon off in Paris. With my feelings
about the French today, I'd not do that if choosing another BMW.

Daan

shipo · July 2005

My 530i had an MSRP of something north of $48,700, my negotiated price for the car via the ED program was right bang on about $43,000, resulting in over a $5,700 savings. In New Jersey (where I leased that car) sales tax is paid on the price difference between the negotiated price and the residual price (which was ~$28,700), meaning that I paid something around $860 for sales tax instead of $1,200 that I would have had to pay if I had leased my car for MSRP. To my way of thinking, the ED program saved me $340 in sales tax (and another hundred or so on the now extinct Luxury Tax).

Best Regards,
Shipo

saigonboi21 · July 2005

i've decided that i will go ahead with ED. Can you tell me how long it would take from the date of order to the date of pickup??

vanalder · July 2005

My ED was in mid-2001, so anything specific I'd tell you might be very inaccurate.

Don't remember if you mentioned where you live; this will, of course, make some
difference.

I do seem to remember that a few sort of 'took over' a slot that a dealer already
had.

Sorry I can't be of help on this specific part of your decision process. Perhaps you
could look back in one of these BMW boards to see how the current sales are going in the US. If not so startling, then this make shorten the time. Also, where
you drop it off in Europe makes a difference. Seems to me that BMW closed
down for model changeover in the summer. This may no longer be true, as people do talk about '06 models now.

Daan

officecubed · July 2005

I think I am going to go ahead with ED as well. How much do you think you saved over buying it in the US? I'm guestimating that I'll end up saving about 2K on the domestic deal I made for a 330 w/sport, premium, sirius, rear shade. The domestic deal was for $1,500 off the MSRP.

How do we buy plane tickets (I think BMW has some sort of 2 for 1 deal with Luftansa). Does someone from BMW help you with travel arrangements, or are you on your own to show up on the appointed date?

BMW European Delivery

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