Are you a current Michigan-based car shopper? A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/2 for details.
I seem to recall a discussion about extended warranty. I can't find the posts, but does anyone have any experience with the BMW extended warranty ? What does it generally cost, how many miles/years does it cover, and is it worth it ? I declined extended warranty on our Acura because of past experience and reliability reports on Honda/Acura. Plus often extended warranties do not cover everything. I know BMW has a pretty decent track record on reliability, but I'm concerned with expensive repairs after the normal warranty runs out.
I don't want to sound like a pinhead and I'm not going to convince you to change your options, but I wanted a new car specifically for some of the options you left off.
My wife has a Volvo V70 which I usually have to beg to drive, but only for another month or so :-) The heated seats are great! Yeah, the leather is cold when you get in, but they're toasty before the heater kicks in which is nice. I may not feel them through a heavy coat, but I definitely feel them through my pants!
I love the climate control on the Volvo. No fiddling around here. I like the way that all three knobs (two temp, one vent selector) are pointed to 9:00 most of the time. In my old car ('95 626), I have to adjust the heat every day at about the same point in my commute and again a few miles later if I don't hit the right point on the selector. I think all $20k+ cars should have auto climate control.
I also got the moon roof, xenons and HK, but it's all personal preference. I skipped the leather and power seats as you did. I should be getting mine a month or so ahead of yours. It should be a great spring!
-Murray
p.s. Congrats Brave! I'm glad the Pats won so that guy who held Faulk on the fumble return didn't feel like a chump for the rest of his life!
hgeyer: It seems the 30 day road insurance on the ED is provided by bmwusa 'cos in canada you have to buy your own insurance (on top of the ED MSRP... per a customer rep. at bmwcanada )
If my memory served right, when you place your ED order, you will have to specify the pick up date and drop off date, not a period, though your dealer should find out the first available date for you before you confirm yours.
However, you can change the pick up date. I contacted the ED office regarding changing mine 'cause I thought I could not take that time off as I planned. The changeable date range would be at least one month LATER than the car's production completion date (normally same as or close to your financing pay off date) AND EARLIER than the originally planned 30th insurance expiration date (the ED office made it sound difficult to change the registration in Germany). Not sure if they would extend the 30 day coverage.
From all I read, Chicago is not a favorable area for bargains. Page "Galvin in Chicago" at bimmer.org. He seemed have a good deal in Chicago.
My girlfriend and I were talking about where & when we should go on vacation this year. She suggested Europe. I suggested the fall (conveniently a few months before the lease is up on my Saab) so maybe I could save a few bucks on a new BMW for myself and enjoy the car on the roads as they were made to be driven on.
When you lease an ED car, do the miles you accumulate in Europe count towards your lease miles?
Even if they do, the car is sitting at the port or on a boat for about 2 months (does this sound right?) and I'd be paying 3 months worth of lease payments, but only have 1 week's worth of miles which works for me.
Do you guys think I'd get killed on a price of fyling into Munich and flying out of somewhere else (France or Italy)?
Thanks!
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD, 2025 Toyota Camry SE AWD
book it through travelocity or something like that... it's amazing how much cheaper you can get a "non-connecting" flight when you build it yourself... i was shocked...
I know its been posted a few times on this board, but how long in advance do you need to order the car before your pickup date? And 1st payment (on a lease) is due 30 days before pickup? Thanks again for your help.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD, 2025 Toyota Camry SE AWD
I just wanted to thank those who tried to help me see the light on this whole contact patch issue. While I don't consider myself to be a genius, I'm not usually a dolt, either. But in this case, I'm gonna have to just smile knowingly and keep my yap shut.
I'll just file this one under "things I know to be true, but can't quite get a grasp of" right there between Big Foot and Easter Bunny... ;-)
Did anyone else happen to see that the 330i dominated in yet another Car & Driver sports sedan comparison (Feb. '02)? I believe the order was the following: 1) 330i, 2)Audi A4 3.0, 3) Lexus IS300, 4) Cadillac XTS, 5) Jaguar X-Type, 6) Saab 9-3 Viggen, 7) Lincoln LS. Although I haven't driven most of the others, with the exception of the Cadillac that's probably the same order I'd instinctively put them in. Would have been nice to see the Acura TL-S with manual in there, but maybe they haven't gotten their test ride from Acura yet. Ultimately, I think Acura needs to make it a rear driver to have a chance to unseat BMW, though. I thought the most interesting thing about the comparison was the huge margin the 330i took the others to task in the 0-60 test. A full half-second faster than the next fastest car! The only low (relatively speaking, of course) score the Bimmer got was on "Features and Amenities", mostly because the one C&D was testing seemed to be outfitted rather haphazardly, in my opinion. I can't remember exactly how it was optioned, but if you get the magazine and check it out, I'm sure you'll agree it was a rather funky and wasteful way to assemble it (apologies to anyone who might have assembled it as such on this board). Anyway, even though I'm sure we'd all agree we don't need the Barney Hug from C&D, it's nice seeing our selection in Ultimate Driving Machines seconded by one of the finer auto mags.
As to the moonroof, I think the decision also has a lot to do with where you live. Being a lifetime resident of California (north and south), I can't imagine not having a sunroof (if I don't have a convertible, that is). I would also imagine my opinion might be very different if I lived in a less paradise-like environ. And I take issue with the poster that said that the sunroof doesn't let air in. Unless you've got some extraordinary scoop on your roof, the increase in air flow should be quite noticeable, especially if you also crack a rear window an inch or so.
As to the Pats victory yesterday, sorry to rain on your parade, Braveheart, but they didn't even deserve to be in the game. They lost to the Raiders a few weeks ago and everyone but one misguided official knows it, including the Pats (just ask Tom Brady whether he fumbled or not). I'm sure Colorado's still celebrating their "win" against Missouri (I think) years ago on the "5th Down" which led to their being named co-National Champ (another travesty, but that's a whole other gripe), but ultimately it should go down as a hollow victory. I will, however, hand it to the Pats for making the most of a horrendous call in their favor, but I still think the win's tainted nonetheless. But if I were you, I'd ignore my bitter rhetoric as the ramblings of an angry Raiders fan. I'm sure all of the greater New England area couldn't care less right now.
The big thing I like about them isn't the air flowing in, but escaping from it. It does wonders to cool your car down, after sitting in the sun for a while.
...The Raiders inability to stop the Pats after the "alledged" bad call and scoring fewer points than the Pats were the reasons that the Raiders went home for the winter! As Bill Parcells said, "You are what you are." And the Pats are Super Bowl champions. It is far from a hollow victory. Live with it. Of course, this is from the ramblings of a long suffering (read: no championships since team inception....'till now)Pats fan!
Priceless moment: Did anyone notice the look on Tom Brady's face when it was pointed out that as MVP he received that horrendous monstrosity, the Cadillac Escalade EXT? I believe that after seeing it he said he would dontate it to the team and keep his Dodge Ram...that CTS is no beauty queen, either. Just MHO, of course.
PATS!!!
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
First of all, the rule wasn't interpreted correctly. Brady had two hands on the ball when Woodson stripped it, which makes it a fumble. In addition, the role of the replay official is to see if there is clear and convincing evidence to overturn a call made on the field, not to search out obscure rules in the rulebook and retroactively apply them to a call he made just seconds earlier. Bad rule, bad call, and improper use of discretion in reviewing the call on the field. Interestingly, in a poll conducted by ESPN, more than 75% of people polled agreed that 1) the rule sucks, and 2) that it was a bad call on top of that. And given the amount of hatred the rest of the world has for the Raiders, that 75% number is very telling. Even Tom Brady thought he fumbled when asked, but who's he to argue with an official, right? If the play stands as called on the field, the Raiders take a knee a couple times, game over. End of story.
With that said, congratulations to all you long-suffering Pats and Boston fans. At least I have the Lakers to keep me warm, and it was about time that true die-hard fans like y'all in the Boston area had something to celebrate. But, naturally, you have to understand why I take some amount of issue with it.
Raiders were robbed. Bad interpretation of rule. Film conclusively shows Brady was not trying to pass and he had two hands on ball.
Notice what Brady and rest of Patriots do after the initial fumble call. NO ONE protested. They walked off meekly and dejected 'cause they KNEW it was a fumble! Nuff said!!!
Q: "Do you guys think I'd get killed on a price of fyling into Munich and flying out of somewhere else (France or Italy)?"
A: Not necessarily. It can be considered as a round trip even though you have a break in your journey as long as you can keep the originating point same as the final point which in your case JFK or LGA. I did LA-Paris combined with Milan-LA and LA-Geneva combined with London-LA before and the prices were around pure round trips. The key thing is to keep it within one airline or one airline alliance. Depending on your returning city, you'd probably find a better deal on Air France if Paris; British Airways if London; and Lufthansa (#1 presense in MUC) if other German cities. Also try Orbitz, onetravel, qixo, which give good fares in addition to the airline sites.
I'd avoid Italy as a drop point as your car will be DRIVEN back (not shipped) to Munich to be shipped back to US.
Q: "how long in advance do you need to order the car before your pickup date? And 1st payment (on a lease) is due 30 days before pickup? "
A: Theoritically one month in advance, but practically, you need give few days extra for your order to be accepted in the ED office and loan processing if you financing. The 1st payment is normally in the mail around the day you departing for Munich! So due around your pick up date.
The car is a BMW Nazca C2. Built in the early '90's. The only data I've been able to dig up so far is that it cost $1,000,000, was powered by a V12, top speed = 185mph, and 0-60 took 4.2secs.
It is BMW Nazca C2 from 1993. I think it was designed by Italdesign using BMW/Alpina v12. It is a concept car, but actually runs with the said power train. Go to google.com and search for "bmw nazca" for more info and picture. there are 2 or 3 variations.
Q: "Do you guys think I'd get killed on a price of flying into Munich and flying out of somewhere else (France or Italy)?"
An open-jaw flight will typically run you a bit more, but it can be worth it if it improves the quality of your itinerary.
Frommer is reporting that flights are quite cheap right now and that the typical April/May price seasonal increases are significantly "softer" than in the past, so the early summer season appears to be a very good value right now.
The prices for the summer seem to be still on track as normal...my wife priced some tickets a week or two ago and -- don't quote me on this -- I believe that NYC-Munich was running around $1K round trip, with open jaw to either Frankfort or Zurich running around $200 more.
BTW, if you're thinking about Italy, make sure that you have proper title & insurance coverage in Switzerland, if you're going to cut through there to get there: they're not part of the EU, and if I read the ED correctly last summer, you're not covered (I didn't think about checking for Liechtenstein :-)
I actually just mentioned France & Italy as some examples. We won't be going to too many places because we'll only be able to go for a week.
I also emailed Steve at Eurobuyers and he told me that ED leasing is not a good deal and that it is better for those who finance or pay cash. Why is that? I know I'll be paying for the car for the 1st 3 months and only using it for the week in Europe, but other than that I can't see the downside. Please enlighten me!
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD, 2025 Toyota Camry SE AWD
cover you (insurance wise) in Switzerland, yet that is one of BMW's drop off locations. Are you sure???, I was under the impression that the Eastern European countries were the only ones off limits.
I was house-hunting today and one of the homeowners had a 540 6-spd in her garage. I started talking about BMW's with her on my way out and she said that she bought it ED from Steve Diamond at eurobuyers.com for $2,000 over Euro invoice. That is some serious savings, especially for a fully-loaded one!!! There is no doubt in my mind that I will be doing ED on my next BMW. Ironically, her software biz went belly up just months after she bought the house in July of last year and now BOTH the house and car are for sale. I'm tempted to offer her a package deal for both )
p.s. I don't recall Tom Brady holding the ball with both hands when he lost control of it. It did seem to me that he faked the pass and decided to hold on to the ball, though - you can only have an incomplete if you're trying to pass, right? I was surprised (albeit very relieved!!) by the ruling but the real question is: how did that call change the game? I believe it is very likely the Patriots would have still won the game anyhow. And demolishing the Steelers on their home turf and then the Rams yesterday is more than enough to qualify them as champions - there's no taint here, that's talent and they deserve to be champions!! As that Feb'02 C&D comparo said it, "When the smoke cleared, there was one clear winner. Live with it!!"
With the insurance provided by BMW, you can travel to ANY European country. If you are leasing through BMW Financial, you may not travel to the former Eastern Block.
One thing that I did with my lease to compensate for the 60ish days of non-use was to write it with a lower mileage requirement (32,000 over three years). It made up for the 2,000-3,000 miles that wasn't going to put on the car, and my residual % was 2% higher - yielding a lower payment of $20/month (Present value ~ $700 for you financial types - about one and 1/2 months' lease payment).
Brave, Please sir might I have another piece of humble pie sir?? There I said it!! I should have known as soon as I posted the Ram's would win that I was in trouble!!
For simplicity, let's assume you're buying a 30K car, that the lease payment is $500/mo and that you could finance it at 6% a year. If you are paying cash or financing, it doesn't matter how much money you put down - just assume that the opportunity cost of your money is 6%. 6% of $30,000 is $1,800 a year, or $450 for three months. For the same 3-month period, your lease payments would be $1,500 (3*500), or $1,050 more than what you'd pay if you were paying cash or financing. You might argue that the car you get in 3 months is already depreciated but I would not agree with that - if you buy a new car that has been sitting on the dealer's lot for three months, would you consider it to be a 3-month old car? You're still buying a brand-new car.
p.s. Most lease payments are higher than $500, so the higher the lease payment, the less advantageous leasing is for those who decide to go the ED route.
Let's assume that the call went the way it should and the Raiders got the ball. If I'm not mistaken, they would have had the ball in NE territory, with less than 2 minutes on the clock and NE with no timeouts. (please let me know if my memory's lacking here. The bitterness and rage might very well have eroded those memory cells). With no 2-minute warning to stop the clock, a few kneel-downs ends it. How would the Pats have pulled off a win under those circumstances? I mean, sure they've pulled off some magical things this post-season, but I don't think stopping time is among them.
Also, you should definitely include the 540 6-speed as a package deal. That is one sweet ride and next on my list of dream machines. If you can get it for a song, make your move. Hell, luck's definitely been on your side lately, right?
You were right when you said that the game would be over by halftime, though ) Great game - it was clear by halftime that we'd be making history - either the Rams would have to overcome the biggest halftime deficit ever or the Patriots would win with the youngest quarterback ever. I thought about bugging you at the halftime but I was a little superstitious to do it and it retrospect, I'm glad I did not say anything )
ds2k1 - "Do you feel lucky today, punk?" I do, I do - it takes some luck to win. But there was no luck involved against the Steelers or the Rams!! Have another scotch - it may dull the pain after a few shots ) I don't have to drink to feel better tonight - watching the local news is good enough. I wish I could bid for that 540 6-spd but unfortunately, I cannot afford both the house AND the 540 (
Well, the rule may suck, but it is in the books, and the ref was correct to apply it as he did. You can't selectively apply rules as they would affect gameflow and enhance justice.
Contact patch redux : remember, a square with twice the area is not twice as wide and long.
What would you recommend for a mid-30's sports fanatic who feels screwed by the system and has found himself thoroughly disillusioned with professional sports? Macallan, or something more along the lines of Johnnie Walker? Please keep in mind that flavor takes a back seat to the beverage's ability to dull the pain right now.
You know what? The rule sucks, the way it was applied sucks, but whatever. The Pats won, they beat the Steelers and pulled off an almost miraculous win against the Rams. Good for them. Even if the Raiders had won that game, I'm sure they wouldn't have duplicated the feat of the Pats. Even if they had, like Al Davis needs more money or a bigger ego? I'm sure everything worked out for the best. And given the year's most notarious news event, how could a team other than the Patriots win? With that in mind, the Raiders as Superbowl champs sounds almost blasphemous. So please, recommend a good scotch for me and I'll toast one with you. Here's to Cinderella stories and 6th-round draft picks!
By the way, does anyone have any idea how reliable the current M3 is? (had to have something on-topic here)
I realize its a bit premature as I haven't been able to test-drive a 330i with SP but my question is whether the SP noticeably affects the ride comfort on rough urban roads I am a potentially new owner of a BMW. I do not have to worry about snow in my area and don't have many/hills either. Like the other features of the SP but have not felt the tighter suspension yet. Am going for the PP and also request advice on whether the HK audio upgrade is recommended. Thanks for any help.
Have no fear, the SP on the 330i only stiffens the ride a little, if at all. The reason is that all E46 sedans with the 3.0 liter engine have the "Sport Suspension" as standard equipment, the only additional impact the SP makes is the width and type if tire. My guess is that the stiffer sidewall of the performance tires (SP) will impart a slightly stiffer ride when compared to the All Season rubber that is standard equipment on the 330i.
I want to know. If anyone went straight from the airport to the Freimann Delivery Center. Did you take a taxi or the train and subway? If you took the train and subway, how long did it take?
I am still trying to find out if anyone had installed items(i.e. CD changer) on their ED car while in Europe and it made through to their dealer upon pick up in the States. I don't know if I am willing to take the gamble. I seen on one site where a guy changed the the woodset to Birch but I don't know if it showed up on his paperwork.
I took the train from the airport to BMW. It was a good experience and ever since riding on a German train, I swore that I'd never look at a Chicago "El" train again.
If you're travelling with more that a suitcase, I wouldn't recommend the train. It took me 50 minutes - you take an S-Bahn (faster, more comfortable commuter train) from the airport to downtown (approx. 30 minutes).
Once downtown, you transfer at the Marienplatz station to the U-Bahn (underground train) which you take to Freimann (approx. 15 minutes).
Once at the Friemann stop, the ED center is approx. 200 yards from the train station.
The train ticket cost me 5 euro ($4.50 approx) for a family pass good anywhere in Munich for up to 5 people for 24 hours. A cab ride will cost about $25.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about the CD changer disappearing in-transit. Harms handles all of the ED shipping and I can't imagine that they want complaints over missing items.
Thanks Shipo. Very helpful. Any thoughts on the HK audio upgrade? I didn't notice much difference in the dealership but other postings seem to suggest the standard system is pretty lame and the optional system is worth it. I realize that it is somewhat subjective and depends on personal taste.
I did the reverse way from my hotel to the airport (my hotel was on the same subway as Friemann). You would take S8 from the airport to Marinplatz (40 min or so) and then transfer on to U6 Grouching bound to the ED center (sorry about misspelling, no map on hand). It is 4 more stops from my hotel, so I'd say it would take about an hour. The underground costs 8 Euro vs about 50 Euro by taxi. And it is always on time and you do not have to fight traffic in a taxi.
I think you'd probably be safe as long as the drop off center puts your installed items on the shipping list. They did even for my ED free floor mats and stock audio systems (dunno why but they did). Personally I would not install any high value stuff considering so many places to go thru before reaching your dealer.
I am looking to buy a 5 speed manual 330i with Sport Package & Xenon lights but do NOT want any of the Premium Package (PP) items (sunroof, leather, wood trim, auto dim mirror, auto off headlights, lumbar & rain sensing wipers). My concern is resale. Edmunds lists the resale difference (3 years old with 45K miles) only $1K less than if it had the PP. This is good since I would not have shelled out the $2,800 for the PP option anyway.
Here are my questions:
1) How much harder do you think it will be to sell this non-PP car? 2) Do you really think it will resale at $1,000 less than if it had the PP option?
Just got my 2002 titanium silver 330i with PP last week. Everything is perfect, ... well except the STEPTRONIC transmission.
If you are like me, like to change gear to N whenever I have a chance (e.g., at the traffic light, on the troll gate , ete..) Unlike my other cars, when the car is stop or moving at a slow speed, I could not shift back to D unless I press on the brake paddle first. I saw this a hazard, especially when I am on a stop and go traffic, my car is moving steadily slowly forward, I have my gear at N, when the front car start moving, I could not change the D to go forward!!!!!, I have to put a brake and pray that the back car have his eye on the road and not kiss into my rear.
Anyone know if they could electronically change is at the dealer?
The U-bahn posts got me thinking, is BMW close to the Munich convention center? I recall a very large factory essentially across the street and the Freimann station sounds about right.
I know this is off topic, but I definitely think some clarification is in order regarding Brady's incomplete pass in the playoff game against the Raiders.
The "tuck rule" states that before it can be ruled a fumble the passer needs to have the ball tucked back close to his body. Although Brady did have both hands on the ball at the time he lost possession of it, the replays clearly showed his arms were still extended and he was hit BEFORE he had a chance to tuck it. Therefore, the officials made the correct call.
In all likelihood, this rule will be changed at the NFL winter meetings.
It's so ironic you (whom I assuming are a Raiders fan) bring this up. This may have been a little before your time, but in 1978, Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler intentionally fumbled the ball forward near the end of their game with the Chargers. It was eventually recovered in the end zone by Raiders' tight end Dave Casper, and the Raiders won as a direct result. The ruling made at the time was the correct one, only because there was not a rule to address that specific situation. Now, of course, because of that very play, the rules prohibit that. The rule now is, "a fumble can only be recovered for positive yardage by the player who actually loses the ball. If it is fumbled forward, the ball returns to the point of the fumble."
Although I'm not really a Patriot fan, you've got to give them, and especially Tom Brady, their due. They truly deserve to be Super Bowl champions. Let's not forget, that in a driving snowstorm against the Raiders, Brady was 8 for 8 and 9 for 9 on two scoring drives late in the game, and that in the Super Bowl, he got them in position in the closing seconds to have the winning field goal kicked. Talking about money players, how about that Adam Vinatieri? The winning field goad against the Raiders in deplorable conditions, and the Super Bowl winner under all that pressure? Don't tell me they didn't deserve to win it!
[BMW won't apparently] cover you (insurance wise) in Switzerland, yet that is one of BMW's drop off locations. Are you sure???
No, I'm not sure. I had looked at ED this summer with an eye to going to Switzerland (CH) and the subject had somehow come up. At the time, the word supposedly was that CH was not covered by the standard BMW insurance. At that time, I also don't recall any Switzerland drop-off locations (because we were looking for one).
My point is simply to check into this if you might be heading into CH. If there's now a CH drop-off point, I'd say that the policy has changed (for the better) and the issue resolved, but you never know...
To the guy who's worried about the premium package...Don't worry about resale value in 3 years, buy the car for yourself, not someone else 3 years from now. If you're that concerned, then lease the car.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD, 2025 Toyota Camry SE AWD
The only convention center near BMW is the Olympic Park facility. This is across the street from BMW's headquarters and museum, but approx. 5 miles from the ED delivery center in Freimann. There are no major convention centers near Freimann.
ds2k1 - Both Macallan 18 and Johnnie Walker black label are on my Top 10 most favorite list, with the black label maybe even in Top 3. I think nothing beats the black label in its price range. The red label is OK but not nearly as smoky as the black label and its aftertaste has a hint of wine... I'd love to try the blue label but I've never had a chance to... hopefully I'll get one for my birthday this year. Have you tried the gold label? I don't think I've even seen one...BTW, think about how happy your significant other would be if you could intercept that incomplete sports fanatic energy and convert it into your love life ;o)
tuckrule1 - Thank you!!!
I'd also like to say "Thank you" to Valentine for bailing me out this morning. The V-1 paid for itself right there. Again. I only wish that the A4 had the vertical body motions control of a 3-series under heavy braking )
Is it true that General Motors manufactures the Steptronic? If so, what is it that makes the automatic OK (meaning reliable. I have a leased 2001 325i with a five speed that I'm thinking about trading for a 2002 automatic, but the GM thing makes me nervous. Any experiences out there I should know about?
Comments
Best Regards,
Shipo
I don't want to sound like a pinhead and I'm not going to convince you to change your options, but I wanted a new car specifically for some of the options you left off.
My wife has a Volvo V70 which I usually have to beg to drive, but only for another month or so :-) The heated seats are great! Yeah, the leather is cold when you get in, but they're toasty before the heater kicks in which is nice. I may not feel them through a heavy coat, but I definitely feel them through my pants!
I love the climate control on the Volvo. No fiddling around here. I like the way that all three knobs (two temp, one vent selector) are pointed to 9:00 most of the time. In my old car ('95 626), I have to adjust the heat every day at about the same point in my commute and again a few miles later if I don't hit the right point on the selector. I think all $20k+ cars should have auto climate control.
I also got the moon roof, xenons and HK, but it's all personal preference. I skipped the leather and power seats as you did. I should be getting mine a month or so ahead of yours. It should be a great spring!
-Murray
p.s. Congrats Brave! I'm glad the Pats won so that guy who held Faulk on the fumble return didn't feel like a chump for the rest of his life!
It seems the 30 day road insurance on the ED is provided by bmwusa 'cos in canada you have to buy your own insurance (on top of the ED MSRP... per a customer rep. at bmwcanada )
However, you can change the pick up date. I contacted the ED office regarding changing mine 'cause I thought I could not take that time off as I planned. The changeable date range would be at least one month LATER than the car's production completion date (normally same as or close to your financing pay off date) AND EARLIER than the originally planned 30th insurance expiration date (the ED office made it sound difficult to change the registration in Germany). Not sure if they would extend the 30 day coverage.
From all I read, Chicago is not a favorable area for bargains. Page "Galvin in Chicago" at bimmer.org. He seemed have a good deal in Chicago.
When you lease an ED car, do the miles you accumulate in Europe count towards your lease miles?
Even if they do, the car is sitting at the port or on a boat for about 2 months (does this sound right?) and I'd be paying 3 months worth of lease payments, but only have 1 week's worth of miles which works for me.
Do you guys think I'd get killed on a price of fyling into Munich and flying out of somewhere else (France or Italy)?
Thanks!
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD, 2025 Toyota Camry SE AWD
something i picked up...
book it through travelocity or something like that... it's amazing how much cheaper you can get a "non-connecting" flight when you build it yourself... i was shocked...
worth a shot, anyway...
-Chris
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD, 2025 Toyota Camry SE AWD
I'll just file this one under "things I know to be true, but can't quite get a grasp of" right there between Big Foot and Easter Bunny... ;-)
As to the moonroof, I think the decision also has a lot to do with where you live. Being a lifetime resident of California (north and south), I can't imagine not having a sunroof (if I don't have a convertible, that is). I would also imagine my opinion might be very different if I lived in a less paradise-like environ. And I take issue with the poster that said that the sunroof doesn't let air in. Unless you've got some extraordinary scoop on your roof, the increase in air flow should be quite noticeable, especially if you also crack a rear window an inch or so.
As to the Pats victory yesterday, sorry to rain on your parade, Braveheart, but they didn't even deserve to be in the game. They lost to the Raiders a few weeks ago and everyone but one misguided official knows it, including the Pats (just ask Tom Brady whether he fumbled or not). I'm sure Colorado's still celebrating their "win" against Missouri (I think) years ago on the "5th Down" which led to their being named co-National Champ (another travesty, but that's a whole other gripe), but ultimately it should go down as a hollow victory. I will, however, hand it to the Pats for making the most of a horrendous call in their favor, but I still think the win's tainted nonetheless. But if I were you, I'd ignore my bitter rhetoric as the ramblings of an angry Raiders fan. I'm sure all of the greater New England area couldn't care less right now.
As Bill Parcells said, "You are what you are." And the Pats are Super Bowl champions. It is far from a hollow victory. Live with it. Of course, this is from the ramblings of a long suffering (read: no championships since team inception....'till now)Pats fan!
Priceless moment: Did anyone notice the look on Tom Brady's face when it was pointed out that as MVP he received that horrendous monstrosity, the Cadillac Escalade EXT? I believe that after seeing it he said he would dontate it to the team and keep his Dodge Ram...that CTS is no beauty queen, either. Just MHO, of course.
PATS!!!
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
EVENTUALLY i'll find a website on it...
-Chris
ps. comparing the 5th down to what is legitimately the rule is sour grapes... the rule may be lousy... but it was interpreted correctly...
With that said, congratulations to all you long-suffering Pats and Boston fans. At least I have the Lakers to keep me warm, and it was about time that true die-hard fans like y'all in the Boston area had something to celebrate. But, naturally, you have to understand why I take some amount of issue with it.
Work warning; nothing obscene, but may be offensive to some
http://community.webshots.com/photo/14173664/4434385EadWniVhmC
Notice what Brady and rest of Patriots do after the initial fumble call. NO ONE protested. They walked off meekly and dejected 'cause they KNEW it was a fumble! Nuff said!!!
A: Not necessarily. It can be considered as a round trip even though you have a break in your journey as long as you can keep the originating point same as the final point which in your case JFK or LGA. I did LA-Paris combined with Milan-LA and LA-Geneva combined with London-LA before and the prices were around pure round trips. The key thing is to keep it within one airline or one airline alliance. Depending on your returning city, you'd probably find a better deal on Air France if Paris; British Airways if London; and Lufthansa (#1 presense in MUC) if other German cities. Also try Orbitz, onetravel, qixo, which give good fares in addition to the airline sites.
I'd avoid Italy as a drop point as your car will be DRIVEN back (not shipped) to Munich to be shipped back to US.
Q: "how long in advance do you need to order the car before your pickup date? And 1st payment (on a lease) is due 30 days before pickup? "
A: Theoritically one month in advance, but practically, you need give few days extra for your order to be accepted in the ED office and loan processing if you financing. The 1st payment is normally in the mail around the day you departing for Munich! So due around your pick up date.
An open-jaw flight will typically run you a bit more, but it can be worth it if it improves the quality of your itinerary.
Frommer is reporting that flights are quite cheap right now and that the typical April/May price seasonal increases are significantly "softer" than in the past, so the early summer season appears to be a very good value right now.
The prices for the summer seem to be still on track as normal...my wife priced some tickets a week or two ago and -- don't quote me on this -- I believe that NYC-Munich was running around $1K round trip, with open jaw to either Frankfort or Zurich running around $200 more.
BTW, if you're thinking about Italy, make sure that you have proper title & insurance coverage in Switzerland, if you're going to cut through there to get there: they're not part of the EU, and if I read the ED correctly last summer, you're not covered (I didn't think about checking for Liechtenstein :-)
-hh
I also emailed Steve at Eurobuyers and he told me that ED leasing is not a good deal and that it is better for those who finance or pay cash. Why is that? I know I'll be paying for the car for the 1st 3 months and only using it for the week in Europe, but other than that I can't see the downside. Please enlighten me!
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD, 2025 Toyota Camry SE AWD
p.s. I don't recall Tom Brady holding the ball with both hands when he lost control of it. It did seem to me that he faked the pass and decided to hold on to the ball, though - you can only have an incomplete if you're trying to pass, right? I was surprised (albeit very relieved!!) by the ruling but the real question is: how did that call change the game? I believe it is very likely the Patriots would have still won the game anyhow. And demolishing the Steelers on their home turf and then the Rams yesterday is more than enough to qualify them as champions - there's no taint here, that's talent and they deserve to be champions!! As that Feb'02 C&D comparo said it, "When the smoke cleared, there was one clear winner. Live with it!!"
One thing that I did with my lease to compensate for the 60ish days of non-use was to write it with a lower mileage requirement (32,000 over three years). It made up for the 2,000-3,000 miles that wasn't going to put on the car, and my residual % was 2% higher - yielding a lower payment of $20/month (Present value ~ $700 for you financial types - about one and 1/2 months' lease payment).
Please sir might I have another piece of humble pie sir??
There I said it!!
I should have known as soon as I posted the Ram's would win that I was in trouble!!
p.s. Most lease payments are higher than $500, so the higher the lease payment, the less advantageous leasing is for those who decide to go the ED route.
Let's assume that the call went the way it should and the Raiders got the ball. If I'm not mistaken, they would have had the ball in NE territory, with less than 2 minutes on the clock and NE with no timeouts. (please let me know if my memory's lacking here. The bitterness and rage might very well have eroded those memory cells). With no 2-minute warning to stop the clock, a few kneel-downs ends it. How would the Pats have pulled off a win under those circumstances? I mean, sure they've pulled off some magical things this post-season, but I don't think stopping time is among them.
Also, you should definitely include the 540 6-speed as a package deal. That is one sweet ride and next on my list of dream machines. If you can get it for a song, make your move. Hell, luck's definitely been on your side lately, right?
ds2k1 - "Do you feel lucky today, punk?" I do, I do - it takes some luck to win. But there was no luck involved against the Steelers or the Rams!! Have another scotch - it may dull the pain after a few shots
Contact patch redux : remember, a square with twice the area is not twice as wide and long.
dave
You know what? The rule sucks, the way it was applied sucks, but whatever. The Pats won, they beat the Steelers and pulled off an almost miraculous win against the Rams. Good for them. Even if the Raiders had won that game, I'm sure they wouldn't have duplicated the feat of the Pats. Even if they had, like Al Davis needs more money or a bigger ego? I'm sure everything worked out for the best. And given the year's most notarious news event, how could a team other than the Patriots win? With that in mind, the Raiders as Superbowl champs sounds almost blasphemous. So please, recommend a good scotch for me and I'll toast one with you. Here's to Cinderella stories and 6th-round draft picks!
By the way, does anyone have any idea how reliable the current M3 is? (had to have something on-topic here)
But remember no more reference to age!!!!
Brave are in the sfbayarea?
thanks, ron
Hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I am still trying to find out if anyone had installed items(i.e. CD changer) on their ED car while in Europe and it made through to their dealer upon pick up in the States. I don't know if I am willing to take the gamble. I seen on one site where a guy changed the the woodset to Birch but I don't know if it showed up on his paperwork.
If you're travelling with more that a suitcase, I wouldn't recommend the train. It took me 50 minutes - you take an S-Bahn (faster, more comfortable commuter train) from the airport to downtown (approx. 30 minutes).
Once downtown, you transfer at the Marienplatz station to the U-Bahn (underground train) which you take to Freimann (approx. 15 minutes).
Once at the Friemann stop, the ED center is approx. 200 yards from the train station.
The train ticket cost me 5 euro ($4.50 approx) for a family pass good anywhere in Munich for up to 5 people for 24 hours. A cab ride will cost about $25.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about the CD changer disappearing in-transit. Harms handles all of the ED shipping and I can't imagine that they want complaints over missing items.
Regards
sjb
I think you'd probably be safe as long as the drop off center puts your installed items on the shipping list. They did even for my ED free floor mats and stock audio systems (dunno why but they did). Personally I would not install any high value stuff considering so many places to go thru before reaching your dealer.
I believe the 330 comes with the upgrade anyway so you don't need to pay more for the option.
-Murray
Here are my questions:
1) How much harder do you think it will be to sell this non-PP car?
2) Do you really think it will resale at $1,000 less than if it had the PP option?
If you are like me, like to change gear to N whenever I have a chance (e.g., at the traffic light, on the troll gate , ete..) Unlike my other cars, when the car is stop or moving at a slow speed, I could not shift back to D unless I press on the brake paddle first. I saw this a hazard, especially when I am on a stop and go traffic, my car is moving steadily slowly forward, I have my gear at N, when the front car start moving, I could not change the D to go forward!!!!!, I have to put a brake and pray that the back car have his eye on the road and not kiss into my rear.
Anyone know if they could electronically change is at the dealer?
-Chris
I know this is off topic, but I definitely think some clarification is in order regarding Brady's incomplete pass in the playoff game against the Raiders.
The "tuck rule" states that before it can be ruled a fumble the passer needs to have the ball tucked back close to his body. Although Brady did have both hands on the ball at the time he lost possession of it, the replays clearly showed his arms were still extended and he was hit BEFORE he had a chance to tuck it. Therefore, the officials made the correct call.
In all likelihood, this rule will be changed at the NFL winter meetings.
It's so ironic you (whom I assuming are a Raiders fan) bring this up. This may have been a little before your time, but in 1978, Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler intentionally fumbled the ball forward near the end of their game with the Chargers. It was eventually recovered in the end zone by Raiders' tight end Dave Casper, and the Raiders won as a direct result. The ruling made at the time was the correct one, only because there was not a rule to address that specific situation. Now, of course, because of that very play, the rules prohibit that. The rule now is, "a fumble can only be recovered for positive yardage by the player who actually loses the ball. If it is fumbled forward, the ball returns to the point of the fumble."
Although I'm not really a Patriot fan, you've got to give them, and especially Tom Brady, their due. They truly deserve to be Super Bowl champions. Let's not forget, that in a driving snowstorm against the Raiders, Brady was 8 for 8 and 9 for 9 on two scoring drives late in the game, and that in the Super Bowl, he got them in position in the closing seconds to have the winning field goal kicked. Talking about money players, how about that Adam Vinatieri? The winning field goad against the Raiders in deplorable conditions, and the Super Bowl winner under all that pressure? Don't tell me they didn't deserve to win it!
'
No, I'm not sure. I had looked at ED this summer with an eye to going to Switzerland (CH) and the subject had somehow come up. At the time, the word supposedly was that CH was not covered by the standard BMW insurance. At that time, I also don't recall any Switzerland drop-off locations (because we were looking for one).
My point is simply to check into this if you might be heading into CH. If there's now a CH drop-off point, I'd say that the policy has changed (for the better) and the issue resolved, but you never know...
-hh
To the guy who's worried about the premium package...Don't worry about resale value in 3 years, buy the car for yourself, not someone else 3 years from now. If you're that concerned, then lease the car.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD, 2025 Toyota Camry SE AWD
tuckrule1 - Thank you!!!
I'd also like to say "Thank you" to Valentine for bailing me out this morning. The V-1 paid for itself right there. Again. I only wish that the A4 had the vertical body motions control of a 3-series under heavy braking