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Comments
I believe the entire system is not portable, however, the hard drive can be inserted to any phatnoise system. Kind of like a 3 1/2" disk.
-nobee
-nobee
http://www.phatnoise.com/products/systemoverview/index.php
The only possible stumbling block for me is the music management software. If I would have to re-rip my entire CD collection using their proprietary software, I'd have to wait until someone hacks around that limitation.
Now if they can only get Mercedes compatibility working.
As for connecting to your car stereo, I'm thinking there must be some way to plug a line level input into the BMW audio system. Obviously, the Phat Noise system does.
Bottom line, for $800 I'll change my CD's manually and get better sound.
-Murray
Best Regards,
Shipo
Off the highway, the Nokians were extremely noisy on the compacted chunks of ice/slush, but were easy to control.
My only mishap was when I stopped at a light and the front wheels went into a rut. I couldn't get rolling again and had to back up a couple of inches.
That's it. I'm extremely glad I had them on my car as there's no way I could have made it back home with my all seasons.
I will be there for 4-days by myself.Kids are in school and the wife does not want to fly.
Do they give you directions/instructions to the pick-up facility?
Can you turn the car in on the weekend?
Where would you drive too if you only had one overnight stay?Salzburg,Vienna,Zurich,Black forest?
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
According to the BMW delivery planner, I must order the car by 4/4 for pickup on 5/30. I will use the car 8 days and then drop it off on 6/8. Then I must wait until 8/2 to pick up the car at my dealer.
Here are my questions. I do not want to sound petty over a few dollars, but I want to see if the ED program really is such a cost savings as is advertised.
I understand that for ED, the car must be paid for one month in advance. Presumably that means the lease will start around 4/30. This means that except for the 8 days I'll have the car in Germany, I will be just dreaming about the car and paying the monthly lease payments for 3+ months. Assuming that the monthly lease cost is around $600/month (with all the above options, and tax, license, doc fees, etc.), I would be paying $1,800 without the use of the car.
In addition, by the time I pick up the car in August, It would be 4 months since my inital order date, and the car had depreciated by 3 months from the time I started with the lease payments, without me even being able to use it. Plus, by the time I get the car from my dealer in August, the 2003's are just around the corner and therefore, I probably could get a better deal on a model year-end 2002 than I could have back in January. And of course in August, my "new" 2002 BMW 330i will be 1 model year old in just a few months.
On the other hand,the additional cost benefit is of course, that while in Europe, I would not have to rent a car (a savings of maybe $400 for the week).
Does the above analogy make sense or am I missing something about the benefits and costs of the ED program? If I am correct, then, is there really any substantial benefit to ED?
Thanks for your responses
European Delivery does not make sense if you are going to lease.Why lease a car when you cant use it for three months;however, it makes perfect sense if you plan to purchase.I will be saving $3,500 on my purchase which essentially goes or stays in my pocket.
No, you cannot turn the car in on the weekend.
I suggest you call for the directions. It wasn't easy for us to find it. We almost missed our drop-off time. It closes at 4 on Friday.
I'am leasing and doing ED. First I am saving $2380 BMW ED discount, then I am getting $1400.00 over ED invoice, then the floor mats are free ($80.00 value), and no Maco Fee which in california is about ($400-500). so Almost 3k in savings. I got free miles so all I have to do is pay for hotel and food. Yes, you have to pay an extra month if you lease and do ED [1st month (prior to pick up), 2nd month (when you are driving the car in Europe)and 3rd month (the wait)], but you'd still have to pay two month if you were financing and doing ED. BTW, my payments are 2k down $450.00 a month for a 2002 330i PP,SP,Heated Seats,Metallic and Bi-xenons. I will most probably brake out even at the end, but I will have seen and driven through Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Boy, that just sounds beautiful.
Go to my ED cross reference post by clicking here:
postoak Dec 13, 2001 4:04pm
and read platypus' description of his trip. You might get some more ideas. Plus, I think he recommends one or two places to stay in Munich.
hgeyer Dec 12, 2001 5:11pm
Yes, I know if you rent a car in Germany and take it into certain other countries your theft insurance is void, but he doesn't seem to be saying that.
My decision matrix is a little convoluted at this point, my lease on my 1999 328i is expiring in April, where I will have two options; 1) Dispose of the 328i (peddle it or turn it in) and get another car, or 2) Re-lease it for another year (certainly an option) and delay the new car thing until 2003.
What makes me hesitant to Re-Lease my 328i is that I very well might NEED the extra space sometime next year, and the 2003 5-Series is not as pleasing to my eye as the 2002 530i. As I see it, this is my last chance for several years to drive a BMW larger than my 328i, and still be small enough to be fun (and have a stick shift).
So, do I keep the 328i, or do I replace it with a 330i or a 530i next spring? If I keep the 328i, do I then replace it with a 2003 330i or 2003 530i (if there is such a thing), or maybe an Audi A6 2.7t? I am kinda partial to the current BMW lineup as far as looks goes, not to mention the RWD aspect of these cars, the Audi has a great interior, a cool engine (I have always been fond of blown engines {the kind without a belt that is}), a 6-Speed, and lose the exterior styling that I am fond of, not to mention the RWD of the BMW.
Time is starting to run out and I am nowhere nearer a decision than I was 6 months ago. I will keep y’all posted.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Thanks, Chuck
ED seems like it will make sense regardless of lease or finance, you will still pay for the time the car is not used, but depending on the dealer that you use, the price can and will come down. There is only one dealer in TX that I know of that will come within $1500 to $2000 of invoice and I cannot remember the name.
Price for me was the difference of getting what I want. My wife is still mad that I did not get a 525i, but at 32, I can wait. My wife will probably buy a 525i, especially since she can learn from my purchasing mistakes. I will be getting a Blk on Blk 325i. I have not received my date but it will be in March. I go home(UK) every other year and always in March. The weather is tolerable. Jan/Feb never, I live in TX.
There is theft insurance on the ED but it will only cover 90% of cost, you are left holding the 10%. I don't think the theft insurance covers going into Eastern Europe. Rental cars are the same.
Like ubrsf mentioned about the savings, there are many. You don't have to pay for floor mats, first aid kit and triangle. Can also get accessories cheaper. Deal with a dealer that will give you less than MSRP. For me, I will end up paying the price of US invoice, with for me is great on an almost loaded 325i(no SP the roads are too bad in Houston, no heated seats and no rear airbags) In my case, I don't pay for room, board or food just a plane ticket, ferry ticket and overpriced gas. Not bad for a bloody Brit with too much West Indian blood. ED is a good even if just to drive the Autobahn. Don't drive in Paris, if you like your car.
Anybody going there around the time and interested in meeting up?
BTW, are you a Stendhal fan?
- Cheaper. Period. regardless of bargaining.
- Free floor mats.
- Other ED freebies.
- No MACO.
- Drive in Europe, esp autobahn!
- Factory tour.
- Euro license plate.
- Esp good for those with tons of free air miles and hotel points like me :->
Cons:
- Longer wait.
- pay 2+ months for a car you can only drive in ED for days.
- Limited financing options if not paying cash due to the advance payment (lien holder issue).
Add on, folks.
Pen,yes these three months of waiting are killing me.
Postoak,great write-up on your experience!
Bing330i,not sure what a Stendahl is???please forgive.....My trip is actually planned in the second week of February,hopefully you can share some details when you return.
JPCBeardon.....Did not realize the car needed to be returned by 4:00 Friday.Certainly changes my travel plans although I expect to have a great time regardless.
Even at 3 months of lease payments without use of the car (one month prior to delivery and then wait up to two months after European drop-off), at $450/month (per ubrsf), that is only $1,350. But the cost savings can be up to $3,000 (per ubrsf), not to mention the tax savings of leasing the car vs buying (if you lease the car through your business all expenses are deductible as a business expense, while if you buy, only a portion each year is tax deductible by your business). bing330i lists some good pro's (except let me add that for the BMW driving experience in Europe, you can always rent one - I did, plus max speed in a new BMW is limited to 80 MPH first 1,200 miles, while in a rental, its pedal to the metal on the autobaun - I've done over 120 MPH in a rented 3-series)
ubrsf:
Good luck on ED. I am leaning towards going with the ED program. Driving in Europe with a BMW is awesome. I did it (drove about 3,500 miles in 3 weeks in Europe a few years ago). I see from your post that I over-estimated the monthly lease cost. Did you lease your car from a California dealership? If so, can I get the name of the dealership?
I've been living here in germany for over two years now and just love the traveling. Last month it was snowing like crazy in Austria, so be careful out there with your new BMW! If you're a history buff, I would definitely recommend Hitler's eagles nest and perhaps a drive down to Chimese. If you have some time, Salzburg and Innsbruck are two beautiful places. Be careful driving your BMW into Italy, however. BMW's are preyed upon by the local thieves. I believe even the car rental companies will not let you rent a bmw or a mercedes and let you drive it down to Italy. Let me know when you're coming over, perhaps I can show you around Germany.
-nobee
pen101 - the car has nothing to do with my job, so I get no leasing tax benefit. I agree that for those who do, that is an important "pro".
bing330i - an important pro for those who are making a vacation of this is the savings on a rental vehicle. I priced this out last summer and I was going to be paying $1600 for the European equivalent of a Contour - I forget what they call it "Monteo"? I could get by with a smaller vehicle, but I wouldn't, so that is a pure $1600 savings for me.
One thing that must be factored in, if you don't place the order with your local dealer, is that you're going to have to pay $250-300 dollars to the "delivered to" dealer plus (if you're purchasing) title and licensing fees and state tax. So this is about $2500 "up-front" money you'll need. I think I'm right on this, I need to go check platypus' posts again.
"ENGINE AND DIFFERENTIAL
The first 1,200 miles (2,000 km): Attempt to constantly vary both vehicle and engine speed during these initial miles while remembering to avoid engine speeds in excess of 4,500 rpm and/or vehicle speeds of over 100 mph (160 km/h):
Always obey all official speed limits.
Refrain from using full throttle and avoid pressing the accelerator beyond the kickdown point.
After the initial 1,200 miles (2,000 km) you can gradually increase both engine and vehicle speeds."
good luck.
-Chris
Now, let's say that ED prices are $2,000 lower on average for the 3-series. Here are some expenses to consider:
$600 - plane ticket to Frankfurt
$200 - getting from Frankfurt to Munich and back
$200 - hotel and food for one night
$100 - other (this could easily be a lot more)
-------
$1,100
That's 1,100 + 525 = 1,625 for those buying and 1,100 + 1,650 = 2,750 for those leasing.
Most dealers' ED discount is not nearly as attractive as their regular discount (in my case ED was discounted by $500 less than U.S. delivery). Even if you go ED through Joern Essner in Passport BMW in MD (admittedly the best guy for the job), you'd still have to pay $250-500 to have your car trucked to your local dealership. In the end, you could easily end up paying as much or even more through ED. The program makes more sense when more of the following conditions are met:
- You are buying
- You have a lot of frequent flyer miles to use OR you will be in Europe anyhow
- You have the time (two days minimum) to do it
- You can time your schedule with the ED pickup schedule
The program is designed for you and your family to share something special and bring back a memorable experience for the same price or just a little more than what you'd end up paying if you took U.S. delivery. For me it would be a torture to drive a great car that's not broken in on the autobahn or in the twisties. However, if the net savings were substantial (at least $1,000 over what I'd be paying in the U.S.), I'd find a way to fly over for a weekend or I'd time the ED pickup schedule with my next vacation in Europe.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Email me if you want further details or contact information.
2,500 discount
- 1,100 2 months lease
- 200 getting from Frankfurt to Munich and back
- 200 hotel and food for one night
- 100 other
--------
900 net savings over DD, or 1,400 for the 530 under the above assumptions. Am I missing anything?
-nobee
If I end up doing the ED thing solo, I would just stay with a friend of mine in Neuffen (a couple of hours from Munich), however, I am sure that we would spend any money not spent on Hotels on food and beer. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
But those are German hot dogs. Much better than the ones we consume here in the States.
Of course, I AM doing all the other things you list, so ED is a GREAT deal for me.
I'm sure you could easily spend $200 for a room in Munich, but in general, I think accomodation over there is cheaper than here. I would imagine $75 would be closer to what I'll spend. But that's a small point.
Oh, and I just WISH my round trip airfare in June was $600. We'll be spending more like $3,000 for 2 tickets.