[stratstrummer]

There is a lot of info on the BMWusa.com website... But some things are still unclear... Here are some of the questions I have.

Why is ED so much cheaper?
MUST the buyer go to Europe and do any physical delivery or is that just something that is the buyer's choice?
MUST a buyer deliver the car by a certain time after he takes it from the factory?
How long is the delivery time in most cases?
Is it possible to get a car with specs that Europeans get at their price such as Shnitzer rims or kits?

[YV1]

Originally Posted by stratstrummer

There is a lot of info on the BMWusa.com website... But some things are still unclear... Here are some of the questions I have.

Why is ED so much cheaper?
MUST the buyer go to Europe and do any physical delivery or is that just something that is the buyer's choice?
MUST a buyer deliver the car by a certain time after he takes it from the factory?
How long is the delivery time in most cases?
Is it possible to get a car with specs that Europeans get at their price such as Shnitzer rims or kits?

Why so cheap? They want you to go to Europe and spend money there. I think BMW get some money from the EU for doing this, same as all other European auto manufacters.
Yes you have to go to Munich and pick up your car.
You can drive your car in Europe for 14 days. More than 14 days you have to pay extra for insurance. No more than 6 months. If you lease the car is 3 month, but I'm not 100 % sure on this.
How long....? If you order the car 6 to 8 weeks
It must be a USA version car. No Shnitzer from factory.

[CALIF65GM]

Esteller answered all of your questions, but if you're on the East Coast US re-delivery will be about 4-5 weeks after you drop it off in Europe.

I recommend that you visit bimmerfest.com. There's a whole ED Forum there which is very informative and many ED veterans who done ED multiple times.

[stratstrummer]

Originally Posted by CALIF65GM

Esteller answered all of your questions, but if you're on the East Coast US re-delivery will be about 4-5 weeks after you drop it off in Europe.

I recommend that you visit bimmerfest.com. There's a whole ED Forum there which is very informative and many ED veterans who done ED multiple times.

Thanks for the answers. Here are a couple more:

Five weeks from drop off, but how long is the entire process from the moment I order it from the dealership? If it is 5 weeks from drop off, how come people are saying 3 months? What is the average REAL wait? Is it realistic to assume it will be only 5 weeks? And also, if it is really 5 weeks, it's almost the same as US delivery plus the time spent in Europe, isn't it?

[stratstrummer]

One more question.... Sorry for so many.
But I saw on the BMW website, they have tours that you can purchase. You are also allowed to go and find your own deals, right? You don't have to buy one of BMW's travel packages I am assuming.

[YV1]

About the waiting time, your dealer has the best answer. It depends on the time of the year, sales, which car etc. I won't be less than 30 days no more than 60 days. After you drop off your car should be 2 to 4 weeks to have it back in the USA. All these periods of time are only references, it could be shorter in some cases in should be longer in others. If you choose ED you get a very good deal but you have to deal with all this process.
BMW offers also depend on the time of the year. I bet for summer time is hard to get a good deal. I guess during winter and fall you can find cheap ticket and hotel. You don't have to do any BMW pre set tour; you can do whatever you want in Europe after you pick up your car.

[sarafil]

Originally Posted by esteller

Why so cheap? They want you to go to Europe and spend money there. I think BMW get some money from the EU for doing this, same as all other European auto manufacters.

This is not even close to the reason. I've heard various people try to justify it with stories like this, but you really can't understand it unless you work for BMWNA or a BMW dealer.

Why is it so cheap? The car doesn't come out of the dealer's allocation. They don't get certain benefits that they otherwise would get on cars that are in their allocation. Therefore, it costs BMWNA less money to sell these cars, and they pass that cost along to the consumer.

Without going into further detail, it's all because of the "Added Value" program.

[YV1]

Originally Posted by sarafil

This is not even close to the reason. I've heard various people try to justify it with stories like this, but you really can't understand it unless you work for BMWNA or a BMW dealer.

Why is it so cheap? The car doesn't come out of the dealer's allocation. They don't get certain benefits that they otherwise would get on cars that are in their allocation. Therefore, it costs BMWNA less money to sell these cars, and they pass that cost along to the consumer.

Without going into further detail, it's all because of the "Added Value" program.

I dont get it. How will it cost less to BMW to have your car clean and ready in Europe. Then you will use it for a 14 days, return it in Spain for example. They have to ship the car back to Germany, ship it back to America, make it ready for delivery again at your delaer. It is dificult for me to understand how it is cheaper than send the car directly to the dealer in first place.

[lxapilot118]

I was told it was because you don't pay the import fees since the car is no longer "new" after being registered in Germany.l

[Ghunger]

There's a decent amount of information here if you use the search, but over at bimmerfest.com they have a very extensive European Delivery forum. I can almost guarantee that all your questions will be answered there in at least one post, and probably multiple times.

[sarafil]

Originally Posted by esteller

I dont get it. How will it cost less to BMW to have your car clean and ready in Europe. Then you will use it for a 14 days, return it in Spain for example. They have to ship the car back to Germany, ship it back to America, make it ready for delivery again at your delaer. It is dificult for me to understand how it is cheaper than send the car directly to the dealer in first place.

There is a marginal cost associated with having to prepare the car for delivery in Europe and make arrangements to ship it back. It does cost more to do this than it would for conventional delivery, but that cost is minor. It also costs less to ship a car to a dealer next to the VPC vs. one 200 miles away, or less to ship a car to NJ than to CA, but they charge the same $695 destination fee. BMW doesn't pass every cost along directly to the customer... many costs are averaged out before they are passed to the customer.

My point was all about why the cars cost less. I'm in the business and I see all the numbers. There is a clear (and significant) cost savings to BMWNA to sell a car via the ED program vs. sending that car through the normal allocation system. This is what makes an ED car cheaper. Also, cars that come out of a dealer's allocation for ED (low volume models) do not have an ED discount for this same reason... BMWNA does not have that cost savings in this case.

[sarafil]

Originally Posted by lxapilot118

I was told it was because you don't pay the import fees since the car is no longer "new" after being registered in Germany.l

Another myth.

[YV1]

Why does BMW offer ED and they don't offer USA delivery for the X5 and Z4 or South Africa Deleivery for the E90?
I'm doing Performance Center Delevery, Why BMW doesn't offer any discount on this case. They aren't sending the car through the normal allocation system? I'm buying a E90 but what if I where buying a Z4.
Actually I don't know 100% sure why they give you a discount with ED, but Im sure that if you take the ED they want you to go to Europe.

[sarafil]

Originally Posted by esteller

Why does BMW offer ED and they don't offer USA delivery for the X5 and Z4 or South Africa Deleivery for the E90?
I'm doing Performance Center Delevery, Why BMW doesn't offer any discount on this case. They aren't sending the car through the normal allocation system? I'm buying a E90 but what if I where buying a Z4.
Actually I don't know 100% sure why they give you a discount with ED, but Im sure that if you take the ED they want you to go to Europe.

A Performance Center delivery DOES come out of a dealer's allocation, so BMW doesn't save. They still have to make good on their "agreement" with the dealer.

[stratstrummer]

Can you negotiate ED pricing with internet dealer?

[stratstrummer]

I can do this with ED pricing?

For example I see the following pricing for invoice ED:

330xi

$32585 base
$775 Cold weather pkg
$2000 premium pkg
$455 comfort access
$1820 navi
= $37635
If I ask for $38635
is that reasonable?

Just so I have a calc of my ideal 325i price it would be:
$26150 base
$455 comfort access
$1820 navi
$2640 premium pkg
$730 xenons

$31795
Asking $32795 (wow!)

[YV1]

Yes I think is possible. But you should add 650 destination charge + taxes and also plane ticket + hotel, etc in Europe.
I think ED is an awesome deal. I didn't do it because I can take a week for vacations during the next 6 month.
My initial plan was to do ED, get $2500 off the prices, and buy tickets with my credit card miles. Then spend just two nights in Munich and come back home. I wouldn't cost me much. I would get the big discount plus a nice trip to Munich.
Finally I didn’t go with ED because small little problem like they don't do it over weekends, black out dates to buy tickets with credit card miles, etc.

[CALIF65GM]

Like Sarafil said don't do it to save money because often the cost of the trip will end up exceeding the costs. Do if for the adventure and after you've done an ED then you'll really appreciate the whole experience.

My trip with expenses and gifts ended up costing about $500 more than what I saved on the cost of the car. I even used miles for my tickets, so it would have been even more if I had to pay for my plane tickets.

[ck3]

After taxes, I saved about $5k out of which I spent about $4k for a week-long trip to Munich with my son. The $4k covered airfare for both of us, hotel, food, and other incidental expenses. Bottomline: saved a little money AND had a wonderful trip to remember! The only negative in my opinion is the longer wait time. It's been 4 months since I placed my order and I am hoping to pick up my car this week. Still, it's only a small price to pay for the experience, in my opinion.