Hi - I'm long time (1M5, 5x 5 series, 3x 3 series, 1 X3) BMW owner. I put a lot of miles on so I lease. My 2013 535i lease is up in a little less than a year so I'm considering what the next car is. Might be a 535i, a 535d, or a 640i Gran Coupe - they're just so freaking gorgeous. And I am considering European Delivery. I have stupid first time euro delivery questions: 1) What sets the price? Do I negotiate my best price with a dealer in the U.S. and then it is 7% off that? Or is it tied to the exchange rate (which is moving in a very favorable direction right now.) 2) How do I specify options on a 2016 car when they're not published yet? 3) Can I work it so that I still have the present 535 to drive until the new car actually gets delivered to the U.S., or do I need to turn it in before I leave for Europe? 4) What else should I know to get the best deal? Thanks in advance
I was hoping someone who's done euro delivery would pipe in - but, here's my guesses - I think you negotiate your best price for the car purchase, & then opt for euro delivery. You'd have to quiz others on if mentioning euro delivery ahead of time negatively affects your bargaining position. You'd have to ask a dealer about specifications for upcoming models - maybe a dealer has insight on vehicles before BMW has them up on their website, but I'd tend to think it would mostly be coordinated, although I wouldn't know. It would seem illogical for BMW to setup it's dealers & sales personnel to not be briefed on upcoming vehicles & options ahead of publishing to the general public, website or otherwise. In any case, a good dealer sales rep. should be able to guide you there. As for turning in your current car, dealer should be able to answer that too - would seem silly to me that anyplace would ask for your car in advance of receiving delivery of your new one. I haven't bought a lot of new cars; to negotiate your best price, I'd say research, research, research. I recall something about consumer reports offering new car pricing reports for members, so you'd have an idea of the what pricing might be negotiated. Walking in the door & ordering a new car a-la carte, my guess is you're not likely to get a whole lot of price concession, the dealer is more motivated to move something off the lot. You can see what kind of prices are showing up for comparable cars on autotrader, ebay, & the BMW website - however, if you're the first one inquiring about a brand-new or just-out model, you'll find fewer of those comparables. Search some of the other BMW forums which might have more specifics on Euro Delivery - there have been Roundel articles in the past, I don't think there's a searchable index (too bad), so I don't know if there's a simple way to dig those up. Google "BMW European Delivery" Check bimmerforums.com, bimmerfest.com, bimmerpost.com Hope that helps!
Hi, This is generally how it works, though you could google BMW European delivery and find some other forums have specifics, including pricing. There is a European Delivery MSRP, which generally is about 7% lower than US MSRP. You can try to negotiate a deal on that price but your luck will vary with your market and dealer competition. Try to find the European Delivery "invoice" and negotiate up from that. As for keeping your present car until the European Delivery arrives in the US, that depends on your financial arrangement. You must pay for the Euro Delivery car before you go to Europe to take delivery. I think dealers don't get 2016 specs until a month or so before the cars go into production. Enjoy your trip to Europe. Oh, depending on where you live, you might want to have your European Delivery car delivered to you at the Performance Center in South Carolina, giving you a little of the US factory delivery treatment. Otherwise the car goes to the dealer where you made your deal. John
Thanks. I live in CA. Looks like the car would be $7K off MSRP but I never pay MSRP, so it would save me about $5K - a cost that would easily be eaten up by my wife and I traveling to Europe. Probably not worth the hassle. 2016 6 series prices should be out this week, and HOPEFULLY there will be some good incentives form BMW. The car carries a nearly $20K premium over a 5 series - which is a lot to pay for a 5 Series with a pretty face and a few more standard features. For that reason they're not moving al that well and my sales guy is optimistic BMW will do something about it through incentives as they often do. Until then its right brain (640iGC vs left brain 535d) and I don't know which side is gonna win.
We did a European Delivery in 2012 on a 535 xDrive and hope to repeat that next year. I found the Bimmerfest.com European Delivery forum incredibly helpful. Everything from pricing to pick-up in Munich to delivery in USA. Once you go down that road you'll have a lot of questions and an incredible experience if you choose to drive the car in Europe. However if your goal is to get a car at the lowest price, then bear in mind BMW will also allow you to take delivery of your car in Munich and for an additional 50Euro (2012 fee), they will take the car off your hands and complete the shipping process for you. You wouldn't even have driven the car. There are those, for their own reasons, who do this. They fly to Munich, sign for the car and then fly home, wait the allotted time and then pick the car up at a local dealer. Net reduction off MSRP is the BMW savings less airfare. Good luck whatever way you go.
Hi Greg, I'm an experienced BMW European Delivery Program fan, and just to respond to your first statement, remember, no questions are stupid. It's good to ask questions...you learn more! I did the BMW European Delivery Program 10 years ago, and will do it again...maybe this year...anyone interested in joining me, please let me know. I was very fortunate to have had the "best BMW ED Agent" at that time (who unfortunately moved away and I haven't found him yet), who shared with me many great insights and details about the program. In addition, he also gave me the added discount, hence a total of $4000.00 savings on the price of my 2005 325ci, which I'm still driving, as it has only 80,000 miles (and has been driven regularly), and is in excellent condition. I'm more than happy to share with you what my experience was, as it was AMAZING!!! I understand of course, that things may have changed, though I've pretty much have kept myself updated. Is it possible to connect by phone vs. a forum? Please let me know. Thank you! Heidi
Maybe you'll get a reply from Greg here, but years-old threads tend to, uh, stay that way. My guess would be if it's not showing on the BMWUSA website, it's not available; might be worth a visit or call to a dealer and see if their system shows anything any different. I was curious what's still available in manuals, which this C&D article details, except, oddly, for the M3, which the BMW site shows the option for a manual too: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/g20734564/manual-transmission-cars/ 230i Coupe M240i Coupe M240i Convertible M2 M3 430i 440i 440ix M4 M4 Convertible M6 Gran Coupe So, M3 & M6 are the last BMW sedans with a manual, all else are 2-dr's, coupes or the 2 'verts. As far as I know, European Delivery is just that, an option to take delivery of your U.S.-spec car at home base for the experience of it and opportunity to enjoy one's new ride on the continent for a bit. Even the BMW.de home site configurator doesn't show any 5's with manual transmissions now, so I'm guessing the most recent 5er that could be had would be model year '13 550i or 535i, or '16 M5, in which case you have either the twin-scroll turbo 300hp N55, or the more-powerful but unfortunate twin-turbo V8 and it's risk of engine problems, oil leaks, etc. due to heat-soak from the turbos apparently-proving-all-too-often-to-be-very-problematic location in the V between the two cylinder banks. Maybe the thing to do would be get a low mileage M5 and de-turbo it for longevity's sake..... hmm. Or, get an M3 and console one's self with the thought they're about the same dimensions as an E34....
Thank you, Garrison, for the ED information and the good ideas for buying a replacement amnual for my 2011 '5' which, now, has 188k miles. My car drinks one quart every 500 miles AND, now, 'sipping' coolant almost as often. I received $40.00 from the Gang Settlement without an itemization as my car starting its drinking habit at 71k miles as documented from an extended servie warranty request at that time. I was hoping I would settle with BMWNA paying 70% of the engine replacement costs which is the listed in one of the charts in the settlement papers. I spoke with one of the BMW-owners settlement attorneys and with over 120k miles the manufacturer is not responcible for any settlement amount, let alone what I received. So, for those who drive a lot, I drive about 28k to 30k miles per year, we are the ones most likely to suffer from the engine malady sooner, yet we receive the least compensation out of the settlement. I know that I brought up another topic, but you recommendation for other cars and their alterations were beneficial and it showed your interest in the marque and expertise. Your comments on the Gang Settlement for my situation would be appreciated.
