Buying a car for delivery in Germany

It's been some years ago, but we've done this twice with absolutely no problems. Both times we picked up the vehicles in Stuttgart (Mercedes Benz and VW).
I can't advise you about saving money on your trip--that depends on where you will be going and for how many days.
On the first occasion, we brought the car back with us on the SS. United States. (Those were the days!) The second car, the VW, we sold in Germany before returning home.
There are certainly no problems driving your own car in Europe. Do you mean as opposed to driving a rental car?
The BMW European delivery system would not still be in existence if folks were having trouble with it. Just make sure you get all the details right.

Yes, I've done this, but from Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart-Sindelfingen. I have no idea if it will save you any money, since I don't know what it would cost to ship the car. But in my case, the tax discount from being a US citizen was significant. Quite simply, I would not have been able to afford the same model of car if I bought it in the US and paid the sales tax.

The actual experience probably varies with the manufacturer. I went with a friend to pick up his Porsche from a factory in Leipzig, and the whole thing felt, to me, what it must have been like to fall into a Cold War-era Honey Pot Trap. We were treated to a delicious meal and multimedia experience, served by exceptionally attractive Frauleinen. As the non-driver, my champagne glass was refilled several times. The "trap" of course, was to sell the buyer that this is only his first Porsche, and for the guest, it was a seduction to join the family. Almost worked until I did the math and thought it over with a more sober head. For Mercedes-Benz, it wasn't quite so chique. They offered an "exclusive factory tour", but I couldn't get to Stuttgart early enough in the day to take advantage. You wait in a lounge while they prepare your car for delivery. Decent food considering that it's complimentary, but nothing like what Porsche provided. Then, a door opens, and your car comes rolling out into the delivery hall. A representative walks you through the important operational details, then the car is yours to drive away... upon which I promptly hit one of Stuttgart's infamous Staus.

I assume that you want to drive the car in Germany after picking it up. I'm sure there's a way to do it, but I don't know how it would work for a tourist. By providing the invoice to the Kreis auto registration office, I was able to obtain the registration paperwork and plates in advanced. When I reported to the factory for pick-up, they attached the plates and I could drive the car directly out of the delivery hall. I could do this because I'm legally registered with a municipality in Germany. This wouldn't be an option for you, so inquire with BMW if there's a way to provide temporary registration (you're certainly not the first to do this, so there has to be a procedure). Once you get around this issue, I'm sure you'll have no trouble driving the car in Europe.

I looked into doing this about 8 years ago. The way it was explained to me, you are actually making the purchase through your local BMW dealer. You are able to buy the car at a discount, and you can specify how you want it equipped. You aren't forced into buying the 'packaged' upgrades that dealers order, so you aren't stuck with options you don't want to pay for. Shipping shouldn't cost any more than what you pay purchasing in the U.S. You can choose from a list of places to ship it from. They also pay for your insurance while you are driving around Europe. I believe they cover it for 2 weeks, and you can pay for additional time. At the time I considered it, BMW did not pay for airfare. I have a friend who bought a Volvo doing the European delivery a few years ago. Volvo paid the airfare for him and a companion.

I had a friend that went through the BMW European Delivery Program on a 325i Bimmer.

BMW has a handy program with all the details attended to. But the price is dictated by the ordering dealer, usually in your home town. And we know that BMW dealers (and other luxury brand dealers) are not known for selling cars at bargain basement prices. All I say is negotiate with your dealer for your best deal.

BMW will treat you to a very good day when you pickup your vehicle.

I was looking to do a European delivery, and I found the Volvo European Program to be far superior to BMW and Mercedes' programs in every way. But I ended up buying another brand car. After investigating their plan, it sure makes me want to go to Scandinavia.

Thanks for the information. BMW claims that you can save 8% over buying the same car for US delivery because it is imported as a used vehicle, so it is under a different taxing rate. I am just wanting to get some information together before I actually talk with a dealer. I haven't investigated the other brands because I'm most interested in a BMW. It sounds like a fun experience, and we are planning to go to Germany anyway.

That sounds reasonable that it's a used car.

But the BMW dealer could also be a little more reasonable in price than their normal "go for the throat" price. Chances are this sale won't go against his "vehicle allocation" from BMW as it'll be coming through another department.

I have read reports on various sites where people claim to have saved several thousand dollars over buying a car on the lot. I do know that the MSRP for European delivery is really cheaper, and some dealers will then give more discount. I also read that BMW has an arrangement for 2 airline tickets for the price of one with Lufthansa. I'm limiting my research to Germany because that's where we have our next trip planned anyway. One downside is certainly the time factor. You have to make the deal about 3 months ahead of scheduled delivery. Then it takes about 2 to 3 months to get the car in the US. So the time without the car is about 6 months. Meanwhile, you own that car or are making the payments on it. You actually pay for the car or start the payments before it's even built. Am I talking myself out of doing this? I let you know.

Surely you don't start payments until you have delivery?

Go to the Bimmerfest.com website and research under the European delivery forum. https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=25

There is tons of information. A savvy BMW buyer can get a car $1500 or less over European Invoice price. Typically, depending on the price and model, you can save 5-7% on the price of the car. We have done it and it was a great experience. Another benefit is you exactly the car you want with the options you want. Plus going 150 mph on the Autobahn is a blast. There are no problems shipping it home as it is shipped to your local dealer where you ordered the car. Hope that helps.

just about all the information you need is in the link above this post, and if you have more questions that site has a forum. The big problem you face is that your local dealer may not be familiar with the program, which means they may not offer you a good deal or you may have snags in the paperwork they need to fill out. The 1st question you should ask is how many european-delivery deals they have done.

Figure you'll save 7% of US the price of the car (except for a few models in high demand which come out of dealer allocation; again, that link has the details). It is easy to get a car (except for those models) for $1K over European delivery invoice; you can find invoice numbers on the web. If you can't find dealers in your area to work with you on these terms (which some people on the forum report) then there are dealers on the forum above that will handle it for you, or perhaps you go with one in a larger city somewhere in TX. There are different stories about why BMW discounts the cars, but the truth is nobody knows.

You don't ship the car home. When I explain the program to friends the easiest way is to say that it is just like ordering a car from your local BMW dealer, except you happen to drive the car in Europe and drop it off at one of a dozen or so locations.

If you get a car with navigation then there are no problems driving. They will load it with the local maps, then reload it with US maps when it is delivered stateside. Spend a few minutes brushing up on traffic signs, and keep out of the left lane on highways except to pass. I would strongly recommend getting to Europe a few days prior to pickup in order to get over the jetlag before you jump behind the wheels of a car.

One other thing - hopefully you are a member of the BMW car club. If so you will get a $500-$1000 rebate on the purchase of a BMW, whether thru the ED program or just from your local dealer's lot. You need to be a member for 1 year prior to the date of purchase.

We've done ED twice and agree with those who say that once you've bought a BMW that way you'd never buy it any other. Really the only regret is not having more time to enjoy the car; my vacation time is unfortunately limited.

Thank you for all the good information. I'm going to contact the dealer in Plano if the one in Lubbock doesn't participate. Thanks for the info about the BMW club. I am a member, joined a few weeks ago. This is probably for the summer of 2015, so that could come in handy. I'm not concerned about actually driving over there. We spent a month with a car in England, then 2 weeks in France last summer. I've driven in Germany before as well as Austria and Switzerland and a few other places. Germany is the easiest of all. I have a Garmin I'll take because it is better than what comes in the cars. I have one in both my cars, but the Garmin is far superior. I turn on both, and the Garmin does better every time, and my cars are new models. I have looked at the website but haven't had time to really study it out.
Thank you for taking the time to write. It is very useful to hear from people who have actually done this.
Thomas

Two other things I thought I'd add. The ED program (and the BMW CCA rebate) are also available if you lease instead of buy. 1st car we bought, 2nd is a lease. Second, its worth finding out when they switch production over since you mentioned a summer pickup. Sometimes delaying pickup a couple of weeks will let you get the next year model.

We will be taking delivery of our second BMW in Munich this July. We leased our last one in 2011 for three years. It was a fantastic experience! We chose a BMW dealer an hour away from our town because they have a salesperson who does many ED every year. It's worth finding someone with experience. My advice is to be sure to spend some time in the BMW VIP lounge. I was ready to move on in! The food/drink (free), special treatment, and atmosphere was really amazing. You can visit the lounge prior to your pick-up day. We're picking our car up on a Tuesday partly so we can visit the lounge on Monday as well! Definitely take the tour and visit the museum. My husband is the car person but I can wholeheartedly say that I loved the experience. It's really neat to drive your car all over Europe, wait a several weeks, and drive the same car in the US. Something oddly appealing about that. We loved driving in Europe. The only problem was slowing down the speed back home. Once you start reading bimmerfest pages, you'll probably read more little hints like bringing your own safety vests can save a few $. It's a law in Germany (all of Europe?) to carry safety vests (mesh yellow things) for all passengers. We also brought music on a data stick for the car. Little things... Let me know if you have any other questions.