Woodstock

Anyone (in the US) done the European Delivery thing? Looks kinda fun, but not sure of the $$.

mrbelk

Not sure I understand what you're asking. There is a pretty significant savings on doing ED versus regular US delivery. I was able to get 5% over the ED invoice price on a 545. That works out to a savings of approximately $6500 over the US MSRP price.

There are some potential drawbacks, though, such as having to finalize the financial part of the transaction 30 days before going over to Germany to pick up the vehicle, and then potentially having to make payments on the car for as many as 3 months before you even get it back here.

I was able to get a very good airfare deal through Lufthansa with their new route opening from Charlotte to Munich (non-stop). My airfare for me and my wife is $532 total. I used Priceline to get hotels in Munich for the beginning and ending of our trip for $76/night at the Munich Marriott.

For me, it's a no-brainer. It will be torture, however, waiting for the redelivery. Hopefully, being in Atlanta and very close to the Southeastern port of entry, I won't have to wait much more than 4-5 weeks to get the car back.

Having said all this, I have never actually done ED on a car. My in-laws did it on a Benz that they used during a 2-month European Vacation, and my BMW salesman has done it twice (on a 745i and a 540i, at the same time, I think), and they all said the process was totally painless and very well managed. I will certainly post my personal experience once I actually do it (Apr. 29 ED).

Good luck with your decision,
-MrB

RichReg

mr belk;

If you don't mind me asking, how in God's name did you manage such a low airfare from a major airline like Lufthansa? Is that round-trip? 'Cause $532 for two sounds almost unbelievable!

I personally wanted to go next year and get the 2005 model as I usually visit Europe once a year, but recently I've been paying around $650-$700 round trip at best! And thats usually to go to Italy, not Germany, which I believe is slightly farther to fly to from the U.S.

Anyway, good luck on your trip!

R.R.

mrbelk

Rich,

Lufthansa is opening a new route from Charlotte, NC to Munich on March 26. They had a very short-term introductory sale that closed on Dec 15 for $199 round trip from charlotte to munich (the total worked out to about $265 including all the bogus taxes), and you had to travel sometime between March 26 and May 24.

My wife got a TravelZoo.com fare alert the day before we put in our ED order. It basically made the decision for us. Since we live in Atlanta, and have friends in Charlotte, making the 3 1/2 hour drive up there isn't really too much of an inconvenience.

By way of comparison, the cheapest flight on Expedia from Atlanta to Munich was $775 per person on Delta. We saved about $1000 on the airfare alone. I think that we'll be able to fly, sleep, and eat for less than we would have flown had this sale not come along at the perfect time.

-MrB

RichReg

I see......you got very lucky. I'll have to remember the Priceline idea for a hotel when the time comes. I guess its like they say, sometimes timing is everything.

You are definitely correct about the short wait for the car to return. My 323Ci only took 4 weeks to get back to New Jersey, and that was 3 1/2 years ago. Although you can never be sure about the travel time of a boat across the ocean, I get the feeling that they've dramatically improved their E.D. turnaround time over the years.

Thanks for the info.
R.R.