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Posted by JEM on October 16, 2000 at 03:44:23:
In Reply to: Anyone out there use the European Delivery program posted by Buster on October 15, 2000 at 17:26:04:
(posted from: tombstone.milleredp.com (205.178.110.164))
First time poster, so this is probably a repeat. Has anyone taken advantage of the European Delivery program. Care to list Pros, Cons, Overall experience?
ThanksPros:
- Euro Delivery MSRP is ~7% below dealer-lot MSRP on everything but M3/M5s.
- You get to order the car, rather than taking what the dealer's got on their lot or can find in inventory elsewhere if it's a hard-to-find model e.g. 540i where all the dealers have ordered their yearly allocation up front.
- You get a really nice car to drive around while you're on vacation - and depending on where you go you may get to run it out to the speed limiter for prolonged periods.
- Or you may get to drive Paris during rush hour - hint, get the nav computer, it'll save your life, or at least your marriage.
- Depending on how long your trip is, and where you live, you may not owe sales/use tax to your state once the vehicle is delivered.
- You may always have little reminders your car was a Euro Delivery car - the first-aid kit, a Swiss or Austrian freeway-toll vignette on your windshield, etc.
Cons:
- Doesn't work on the Z3/M Roadster/M Coupe or the X5 as these are built (for the US market, at least) in South Carolina.
- Significant time lag. Three months from order to German pickup, another 6-8 weeks after you drop it off until you get it Stateside. You have paid for or are paying on a car you can't drive.
- There may be financing/leasing complications.
- You'll be worrying about which hotels have garages and parking lots when you book your accommodations.
- If you believe in the American way of driving - that is, you believe your body will decompose if you exceed 70mph, you think your car is three feet wider than it is, you use mirrors only for combing hair and think signaling lane changes is for pussies, you will either be scared stiff or some deeply offended German will break your nose.
- Or you may get to drive Paris during rush hour - hint, get the nav computer, it'll save your life, or at least your marriage.
- You may always have little reminders your car was a Euro Delivery car - the holes in the front bumper from the required front license plate bracket.
Would I do it again? Yearly, if possible.
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