My E92 M3 late March ED report

[ImStig]

With Auriga Leader arrived at port on 5/13, I think it's better late than never to share our fantasy European delivery experience where we took delivery of an amazing IB E92 M3 a bright, sunny morning on 3/23. This forum had also been tremendously helpful in the planning of our trip.

Our itinerary spans 13 days, and logged about 1,400 miles on the car.

Day 1: Arrival at Munich in the morning, tour Marienplatz in the afternoon
Day 2: Munich visit (Deutsches Museum, Alte Pinakothek, Schloss Nymphenburg)
Day 3: Delivery in the morning, BMW Museum, Salzburg, back to Munich at night
Day 4: Castle tours at Schwangu (Hohenschwangau) & Neuschwanstein, drive to Stuttgart
Day 5: Porsche Museum, Mercedez-Benz Museum, Rothenburg ob de Tauber
Day 6: Rothenburg ob de Tauber, Wurzburg Residenz, arriving at Frankfurt
Day 7: Rhine Valley drive to Koblenz, stop at Burg Eltz, a lap at Nurburgring, arriving at Koln
Day 8: Koln Cathedral, Bonn, drive to Amsterdam
Day 9: Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank's House
Day 10: Drive to Brussels
Day 11: Drive to Paris, drop off vehicle at TT Transit at CDG
Day 12: Paris tour
Day 13: Flight back

ED details:
The delivery experience was amazing! We arrived at 7:20am in the morning, before the doors to the BMW Welt was opened. We met a gentleman at the gate, and it turns out he was from LA, taking delivery of a gorgeous Space Gray E90 M3. Before we went inside the door, however, we were surprised when a car with cameo arrived at the Welt, dropping off a BMW employee! From the look of it, it was the F30 prototype. We pointed the camera at the car, and even more surprisingly, the driver made a notion to us to not take the picture! I wasn't quick enough, and didn't take a pic, as I was also pretty far. It was a fun experience none the less.

The Welt at 7:30am is (and understandably) not crowded =) After getting through the front gate and mentioned that we have a delivery appointment at 9:30, we were shown to the elevator taking us to the VIP lounge.

When we first came out of the elevator, we were greeted and usher to a table where we finished paper work, and presented with insurance, registration,and other people. The process was absolutely impeccable and pleasant. We also receive vouchers for the BMW Welt gift shop, and the restaurant (which was stellar). As a customer who took delivery, we also get a keychain with personalized engraving.

The VIP lounge is as luxurious and comfortable as it can be - there were pretzels, and even veal sausages. As we were the first set of clients to take delivery for the day, the lounge started out pretty empty. Free WIFI is also available in the lounge, which enabled us to immediately post some pictures for our friends to view. As more folks came in, we were met with another ED person from US. Most interestingly, he is also from Seattle, but his appointment was later in the day. At about 9:15am, our names appear on the board in the waiting area at the top of "stairway to heaven."

Our deliver specialist, Alex, arrived at 9:30, and the delivery process begins with the commencement of lights, and car rotating on the platform that Alex activated. We took a long time at the stairs taking picture, and Alex was as patient as he was cordial. We finally made it to the platform, where a BMW Welt photographer first took a picture of the car with us. After that, Alex helped me become more acquainted with the various systems and functions in the M3. With that completely, I took 2 (yes, 2) parade laps. I haven't driven a manual car in 5-6 years, and having spectators across from the delivery watching (and waving) is both exhilarating and nerve-wrecking. Thankfully, I didn't stall, and we drove out of the door. Immediately, we turn the car over to the valet, and continue to see the Welt, lunch at the Welt restaurant, and the museum.






Other highlights:
Munich - Hofbrauhaus is a must visit for sure. We stayed near Haupftbahnhof (central station), and that was actually very convenient for food and grocery shopping. It was also very close to Marienplatz.




Castles - They were absolutely breathtaking!







Porsche/MB Museums - while the collection were great at both museums, MB museum also arrange their collection into a cohesive tour with historical context






Rothenburg ob de Tauber - this is a medevial town on the Romantic Road that must be visited. There is history everywhere in this town, and we had the pleasure to participate on the "Nightwatchman's tour."

Nurburgring - While I set the slowest lap time in Nurburgring history, it was the most incredible driving experience. Note that the entrance to Ring is actually about 2km away from the main complex/visitor center.

German countryside - we originally set our navigation unit to "Efficient Routing," and it guided us through main small German country towns. The drive and small country towns were absolutely delightful to drive through.


Hotels:
Maritim Hotel in Munich - while the location is a little sketchy, it's proximity to the central station made our travels very easy.

Dropoff:
TT Transit drop off in Paris is very convenient. They will shuttle you back to the RER station at CDG.

Overall impression:
Late March is an interesting time for ED. The weather was pretty nice (mid to high 50s in the day), and we were blessed with many sunny days. If I were to redo it, I think mid-April would be even better. Attractions have longer hours, and the day time is longer. Interestingly, in Amsterdam, it's dark about 9pm at end of March. Tulips, though, are in their infancy, so Keukankof was not as colorful yet. Also, temperature should be even warmer in April, and there would still be not many crowds. While I hope to keep this car for a while, I hope I will get to experience European delivery again soon!

[GOLFFRR]

awesome! glad you had a great trip! your car should be back in your hands here pretty soon i bet you can't wait

[ImStig]

Thanks! Definitely excited, since the car was unloaded from Auriga Leader that was docked yesterday! btw, in your experience, how long does it take to clear customs for ED cars at port? Is 7 days a good rule of thumb?

Originally Posted by GOLFFRR

awesome! glad you had a great trip! your car should be back in your hands here pretty soon i bet you can't wait