DFW_CK

You are 100% wrong; please do your research before posting definitive statements such as this. Payments are waived while the car is in transit. To all others, regarding pricing; typically ED prices are 13% less than MSRP. That is what mine was. You can negotiate off invoice price ($500 over invoice is the starting offer) as the car does not come out of the dealers allocation. Plus, leasing on a European Delivery is a huge benefit as the capitalized cost is based off the US MSRP which means the actual value of the car depreciation is lower than it would be if it was based off your European Delivery MSRP.

FlightNurse

You need to put a * here, on some models ED's come out of Dealer Allocations. usually M cars. In fact starting in 2017 you wont be able to do an ED on some models right at the start of production. Also starting Jan 2016, the discounted rate for ED is going to 5%.

HouFly

I've been considering doing this as well. this TR just gave me some more motivation to line up my ducks, do more research and start reading a lot more to make this dream come true.

AAerSTL

Makes sense, I know the i8 is in fairly high demand and the Leipzig plant is having trouble keeping up the demand. The i3 MCV (Mega City Vehicle) was intended to be used in urban environments and even integrated into other transport modes like bike share, buses/subway/etc, and likely Uber. The iDrive Nav system was somehow planned to be integrated with real time transit schedules, I think BART was going to be among the first agencies. BMW also has a car share program called DriveNow in Germany, and it is also being tested in the Bay Area. This was all planned in the 2010-11 time frame, and BMW has found most buyers are suburban dwellers who also have access other vehicles in the household (I am in this camp).

There is one standalone BMW i showroom at Stevens Creek BMW in the Bay Area. It is on my shortlist next time I am out that way, but kind of hard to go visit a car dealer when I am away.

http://www.bmwblog.com/2015/06/02/fi...in-california/

I had mixed feelings going into but my lease was up on my Nissan LEAF SL and wanted to try something different. I was also going to go for the MB B-Class but lack of fast charge option (DC ChaDeMo or AC Combo) and quotes I obtained weren't nearly as enticing. I'm about $50 below that mark on a 24 month/10k lease (including taxes) and also had acquisition fee rolled in and dealer "made" first payment.

As for the car itself, the driving experience is certainly elevated compared to the LEAF and more Tesla like. The tech is neat but not really unique to the i3, I don't use the self parking feature as I have had close calls and drivers on other EV forums and FB groups have reported scrapped wheel frames and even flat tires using the system. The i3 tires are very small, thin, and narrow, and there are many reports of flats. So far I have had zero problems at 4k miles all urban/suburban driving but I am hoping the tread is in line with BMWs guidelines when I return it.

As for everything else, the mobile technology and apps are quite good. I don't like the iDrive system (standard nav isn't much different I am told), and it is quirky that there is no AM radio or CD player but its not as if I ever really listen to AM programming when I have Sirius, HD Radio, integrated hard drive, Bluetooth audio, etc. I have gotten used to the "suicide"/coach doors and four passenger capacity. The rear seat is reasonably spacious for short to medium haul suburban journey.

Also: maybe not a consideration for PHX, but BMW doesn't have a heated steering wheel which is standard on the LEAF. In fairness it isn't even an option on Tesla either. But it does go along way to maximize range since wearing both a coat and activating the steering wheel heater is sufficient for me even into depths of winter. Blasting heat/AC can be upto a 40-50% range penalty, but through minor concessions, pre-conditioning and careful planning this can be avoided.

Here's the thread I started last year on the topic. There is at least one other FTer who is an i3 driver and weighed in:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/omni/1636441-bmw-i3.html

If you or anyone else have any further questions feel free to PM.


^

AAerSTL

I also wanted to respond specifically to this. Yes the i3 style is a departure from all other BMW models but I don't know how you can say its "plain". Between the carbon fiber structure which enables fewer pillars they've been able to maximize space in configuring the interior. There is also no drive shaft, so you could lay something flat across the front row of seats.

There are several interior trims and lots of commentary on various forums online, but I like the mid-tier Giga eucalyptus wood and Olive leaf tanned leather with cloth combo. There's also a full leather option on the Tera (top of the line) and recycled cloth "Sensatec" sustainable sourced material in the Mega (base model)

This details the different interior configurations:

http://www.bmwblog.com/2014/10/26/di...orld-packages/

In all seriousness you should do an extended test drive (72 hours) and see how you like it. I wasn't eligible but does BMW financial do owner loyalty rebates and other incentives for loyal buyers?

coplatsat

If it takes 4-6 weeks for the car to be shipped back to your dealership but the deal must close before you leave and you have a trade in, what do you drive between the deal closing and the delivery of the car. Do they let you lease back your trade in? Do they give you a loaner? Do you have to rent a car for a few months (expensive)? Or does this not work with a trade in.

I understand you could just not trade in the car and sell it when the new car is delivered, but then you would incur a few thousand dollars in extra sales tax (one advantage in Texas of trading in your car is that they only tax you on the sales tax of the net value: new car sales price minus trade in amount).

What did you do?

Thank you for your replies-I am considering the ED for my next BMW purchase.

Ty Vil

It's handled on a case by case basis (I'm a BMW Client Advisor and setup a fair amount of Euro Deliveries.) Most ED buyers are not first time leasee's so it's just the process of timing lease maturity to arrival of the new car.

FlightNurse

Currently the i3 isn't my style, when BMW does a all elec 3 series then I'll look into one.



Normally you sign all paperwork roughly 10 days before picking up the car. In regards to trade in's, if you are trading in another BMW, I have read that BMWFS will allow you to keep your current car until your new car arrived at the dealership, normally you set this all up so the wait for delivery and the end of your current lease is a week or two. You don't walk in a week before your lease expires...

Yeah, what he says.

FlightNurse

So the big day has arrived, once again BMW gives you the option of free transportation from the Airport to your hotel or to The Welt. I paid for the transportation from our hotel to The Welt, again using SXIT and they didn't let us down, Our driver arrived at 9am, loaded the 2015 BMW 535d GT and off we went.

When we arrived at The Welt, we were greeting by a BMW Representative who checked our luggage in, our luggage will be turned to us when we get car. Then we headed off to the Premium lounge to wait. We did all of the paperwork the day before, so for today was just a time to kickback and enjoy the lounge, however, the lounge was warm, boarding on hot. The Germans don't like using the AC like Americans do. I would put the lounge on the same level as an airline lounge, nice seating, quite, and a nice food spread, like the airline lounges, depending on the time of day, the food changes a little. I had a small bite. When we arrived in the lounge I asked if they could give me some lead time when the car was going to come out of the elevator as I wanted to capture this, but the could not. Once I finished my snack, I went to the "decK" and watched the cars come out of the elevator, I was able to see ours but my iPhone decided not to capture the video I wanted. It's sort of like the birth of your car. But was able to get a photo of it right before the elevator doors and as it was coming out.

BMW is very good about educating you about your car, there are three video monitors where you meet your product specialist, when your name is on the top of the list then the product specialist is waiting for you, ours was Wolfgang. Once you meet, you are escorted down "the stairway to heaven" this leads you down to the floor were your car is waiting for you, seeing the car for the first time up close is something, and I have to say, our was stunning, Imperial Blue Metallic with Oyster interior (sort of a off white.) BTW our GT was the first 2016 328iGT to be delivered at The Welt (this according to our product specialist.)

Wolfgang went over all the features of the car, and there is a lot of them as the car is fully loaded, he even programmed the navigation for our trip from Munich to Fussen. I have to say, the man knew what he was talking about, the routes and sites we saw, were incredible. Once we were done with the presentation, our luggage was delivered and we packed the car. When you leave The Welt showroom, you do the honorary lap around in your car and down the ramp, these two big doors open, and out you go and off on your vacation.

Now, even though our car is a US car, we still have to follow European rules, one is, if you are stopped on the side of the road and need repairs you have to have safety vest on, BMW provides you with these vest for free, they all give you a free key ring, that can be engraved if you like.

The design of The Welt is of motion, it's suppose to look like a tornado as it has a circular design to it.


The sign out front of The Welt



Driver and myself being dropped off at The Welt



BMW headquarter and museum (the salad bowl looking building) and the walk way from The Welt to factory, HQ and Museum.



Inside The Welt



On the "deck" overlooking the delivery area and display



This is panoramic view from the deck, you can see "the stairway to heaven"



So here is a short video on how the car brought the floor.



So it was time for our car to arrive.



Being driven off the Elevator



So it was time to go see our car for the very first time, and I have to say, it was stunning, the color combo is excellent. This was taken from "The Stairway to Heaven."



Short video of the car as it turns on the showroom. All cars from North America get a special plate when you go a ED, they are called Zoll plates, as all plates end in a Z.



Front view



Interior front



Interior rear, the GT has a 3" longer wheelbase then a standard 3 series, and the rear passengers get that 3 inches.



By now you can tell the GT is a hatchback



When adding the sport package you get the red stitching on the sport steering wheel.



One nice feature is you can change the miles driven from US miles to European KM, was very helpful having it KM while in Europe since the Nav was in KM. Once the car is redelivered the Nav will be in US miles.



Wolfgang loaded us up after spending an hour and half going over things with us, and off we went, we did our one lap of the showroom (I used my gopro camera for this lap, and still need to edit the video, but at the end of this travel report I'll have the finished video posted.)



After our lap, and the doors opened up we are off on our adventure in Europe in our brand new 2016 BMW 328i GT.

anjeo

How does compensation work from the BMW Client Advisor side of an ED delivery? Is it a flat or gross ? Does it count towards your unit bonus ( spin ) ? Do you get any participation ( plus or minus ) on the back end? ( F & I ). Can any Advisor place the order or are there a select group dedicated to this channel ? - I'm curious as to how the Advisor is treated on these transactions to know if they are more or less interested than an in-store transaction - Thanks

jspira

What the CA makes is dependent on the amount of the sale. It counts as a sale. I suppose the back end participation depends on dealer policy.

Any CA can put in a factory delivery order but you would really one someone who has expertise in doing this. As I've written in numerous articles, buying a car typically doesn't involve one's passport (BMW gets a copy) and air travel so having someone who knows what he is doing - especially if there's a small glitch at some point.

jlemon

Great stuff, FlightNurse! And your report concerning the BMW Welt brought back some fond memories with regard to our M4 delivery experience in Munich just over a year ago. I think we had the same person assisting us (unless there are two Wolfgangs in this capacity at the Welt) and he was excellent.

FlightNurse

First off any CA can do a ED, compensation is a good question, according to our CA, he only made $75 on our deal. Dealers make money every which way they can, they jack up the money factor (APR), increase fee's, or not really give you a great deal like the CA says he is giving. But if you are knowledgeable about what the current money factor is from BMWFS, and know what the fee's are suppose to be, and can negotiate a great deal then the CA wont make much money. Some CA's like doing ED's and others not too much, since the CA's do not get paid until all paperwork is signed before you leave for Europe. So a from the time the CA places an order to the time you sign the paperwork can be months, the CA doesn't get paid..

A great forum to go to is www.bimmerfest.com LOTS of information there on the in's and out of negotiation a great deal on a new BMW to great places to see while on your ED.

I agree our CA stated he had done a "couple" of ED's but I wasn't too sure as he was giving me information that was wrong, and right before we left, he opened up and said our ED was his second one, and he doesn't like doing them..

Thanks, I can't wait for our next one which will be in 2 years, this time it's for me.

offerendum

My dog would like your white seats

farbster

I second Bimmerfest as a terrific resource. Enjoy your new car!