[mtnyeti12]

To those who've done it, is the savings worth the extra effort of purchasing ticket's, hotel costs etc... Also how complicated is the drop off process at the port?

[KL2DC]

You can find 2006 BMW pricing (MSRP and Confidential Wholesale Pricing) at this site

A good ED deal is $750-$1000 over ED wholesale price.... as ED cars are not taken from dealer's allocation, they are likely to be more flexible on the pricing...so be firm

ED is all inclusive...included re-delivery, shipping, insurance and road tax in Europe etc ... everything is done for you. All you need to do is get yourself to Munich, enjoy the car and drop it off at the listed authorized drop-off points and wait for re-delivery back in the US. The only downside is the double waiting...

[JSpira]

Originally Posted by mtnyeti12

To those who've done it, is the savings worth the extra effort of purchasing ticket's, hotel costs etc... Also how complicated is the drop off process at the port?

Read my article in the March issue of the Roundel

Also read postings on the Euro. Delivery format at Bimmerfest.

[hotsand5]

I did it and yes, the wait sucks...but I think it is worth it. This is going to be an experience that you will never forget. I'm not sure if the deal is still good, but BMW had a deal where if you buy a plane ticket from Lufthansa airlines, you get the second ticket free, but have to pay taxes and fees on it. I was able to get a ticket for 850.00 on thanksgiving day and the second came out to about $225.00 (that is the taxes, etc....I know). Then get somebody to go w/ you and split the costs--then about 500.00 a ticket p/person. I stayed at the Marriot hotel in Munich for a day, that was $150.00 a night, but I had relatives in Stuttgart and Duisburg, so we didn't have to pay for any more hotels or food. Be prepared to pay over $100.00 for a tank of gas though! If you want to use the restrooms in the gas stations, you must pay $0.50, but it is the cleanliest that you have ever seen. Be sure to buy windshield fluid in a convenient store or somewhere other than the gas stations off of the autobahns, where I paid over $7.00 for a QUART of washer fluid (although, it might have been concentrated...I couldn't read the German). In the end, it is still a vacation, and you will spend money, but I think that with the $2,500 that you are saving (which it was when I was buying my car) + the E/D experience...it is well worth it, and I will do it again when I buy my next BMW. I doubt that you are going to be able to deal too much with the price of your car when you do E/D because many dealers do not want to deal with the extra hassle with it in the first place, and they get less commission. The drop off was very easy; however, you need to take a taxi to the BMW center to pick it up...about a 25 min ride and $40.00 and one back to the airport when you drop off the car (in a different location also about 25-35 min away). I had the navigation and bought the Europe disc (165.00) before I came...that was a life saver! I hope this helps you make up your mind...either way, you'll love your new e90!

[KL2DC]

yeah I second hotsand5....if your intention is purely to save money, this would only work if you have frequent flyer miles to redeem and if you drop off the car immediately after delivery in Munich...and try to catch a flight back on the same day. This, of course, is also contingent on whether you received a great ED deal...

[Ghunger]

From what I've been seeing lately you can get pretty similar deals with respect to their invoice cost on ordered or ED cars from most dealers so the savings isn't as big as say when the car still commanded close to MSRP. So as other have said, it's probably not the best if you're just looking to save money. I havn't even left yet and I can already see that the total trip cost will easily exceed my savings. However, I doubt the experience can be matched buying a car any other way. I've read a ton of ED trip stories and I can't think of one who didn't love the experience and I for one can't wait to go.

[KL2DC]

Ghunger:...yeah I think there is only (on average) a $1,500 spread (if you're lucky) between an average ED deal and a good regular deal (e.g. $500 over). For the really big ED deals, need to move up the scale to e65/66 levels...

Don't forget there is some economic costs to all the extra waiting, as well.

I dream of doing ED one day *sigh* Congrats and Good Luck with yours...

[mtnyeti12]

After reading these and other recommendations it sounds like the way to go, if only for the experience. How long did you have to wait from the time you ordered to the time you could fly over and pick it up? I think that's going to be the deciding factor in my case.

[Ghunger]

Standard wait between ordering and going to Munich is 3 months. With that you can be almost assured of getting your chosen date to pick up. The longer you wait the more production slots will be full and it will be harder to get the car built in time. There are ways the dealer can shorten times if you have a "common" spec car also.

As for the price, it really depends on where you're buying the car. Every area has different supply and demand, different numbers of dealers competing etc. You really just need to do pricing for your area to get a better idea of the price differences.

If you're really interested, read Jspira's article and also go do a bunch of research on bimmerfest's ED forum, it will answer almost any question you might have.

[selm]

Do it! It is just awesome!

This is what I tell people about the savings:

If you have interest in going to Europe, and potentially were going to go there anyway, then consider the trip expense a sunk cost. I pretty much go to Europe every year, so it was a no brainer. Also, take into account the nominal fee of not needing a rental car and the potential savings of get an unallocated car.

If you have no interest in vacationing in Europe, then it is a lot of time and hassle to save 2500 dollars. Yes there are those people who say that they can get airfair cheap and stay only one or two nights and they make out financially, but was it really worth the flying time? I think not, but others may not agree.

[stressdoc]

If you can deal with the plane ride it's a no-brainer. You get minimum 2500 off. Find a cheap ticket (hard to do for summer...). If you like to drive fast, it is heaven. The drop-off is super easy (at least at Munich Harms, can't speak for the other drop-offs...). No hassle at all.

[BiggieJ]

just do it. you wont regret it. by far the best car buying experience, EVER. i did my ed during winter so the plane ticket prices were pretty cheap 500 round trip from LA. give or take a few dollars. hotles arent bar either. around 50 a night in muich. if you want to save money then people have actually flown in and left the same day. i suggest to stay as long as you can hell id even pay extra for the experience.

i paid 38700 for 330 w. zpp, zsp, nav, pdc, and comfor access.

[hotsand5]

ghunger...when are you supposed to pick up your car?

[Ghunger]

Originally Posted by hotsand5

ghunger...when are you supposed to pick up your car?

Heh, you must have sigs turned off. April 25th.

[CALIF65GM]

No need for me to chime in as I think the others have covered it pretty well.