My 2011 E90 M3 ED from start to finish...lots of pics

[RCGM3]

Let me start by saying my ED trip by far was the BEST vacation I’ve ever had and will only be matched by another ED trip.

I had dreamed about the E90 M3 sedan since I first saw the Top Gear episode were it was compared to the C63 AMG and the RS4, but wasn’t until I saw the Top Gear guys driving the Stelvio pass that I seriously considered the ED option. I had never been to Europe before so I wanted to make the most of it. I started planning this trip about 2 years ago with following goals in mind.

1. Drive as many alpine passes as possible
2. Get to know at least 1 major city during the trip (Paris was the selected destination)
3. Get a taste for the Autobahn
4. Drive the Nurburgring Nordschlihe
5. Cost of the M3 + travel expenses less than equally configured M3 US MSRP

I was able to achieve all of my goals but one...

In order to drive alpine passes I had to choose a delivery date no sooner than mid to late May. I ordered the car in early February and was able to get my preferred delivery date...May 25, 2011. If you are planning to buy a BMW with ED don’t loose your time negotiating with your local dealer...just contact David Aviles. He can take orders from any state and you will only pay $500 over ED invoice price, hassle free, no need to negotiate. The process is very simple and only involves a few short email communications, signing a few documents and mailing them back to David. He is always available to answer any questions you may have. Just to throw some numbers out there, he quoted me the car for $4000 less than my local dealer which added up to almost $10k under US MSRP. Your car will be registered in your state, you will pay taxes only at the state were the car is registered...it was a no brainer...

For those out there that wonder if non-US citizen or non-permanent resident can do ED...the answer is YES. I am on a H1B visa and had no problems whatsoever. The only “extra” hassle was having to drive 5 hours to the closest German consulate to get my visa.

I booked my flight and hotels as soon as my delivery date was confirmed. I spent a total of $7K on my trip (airfare, hotels, food, gas, and attractions) so goal number 5 was achieved with no problems. I got a hell of a car and the trip of a life time for $3K under US MSRP price of E90 M3 AW, 6MT, ZCP, ZP2, ZCV, moonroof and enhanced premium sound.

The trip was planned as follows. Munich arrival the day before delivery, munich departure the day after delivery towards the swiss alps. Spent the night at St Moritz and continue our trip with next planned stop at Bern. Next stop was Paris for a 3 night stay. then back to Germany to the Nurburgring for one night and then off to Frankfurt to drop off the car. FYI, don’t bother planning your trip at the BMW routes website because the Navigation system loaded on the car is an older version which is not compatible with BMW routes. Here is my planned route in Google Maps....




It was a long and painful wait but well worth it. We arrived at Munich on May 24th and stayed at the Best Western Apart Hotel. It was located between the city center (Marienplatz) and the Welt so it was a good choice. the room was small but comfortable and clean. That night we went to Marienplatz for dinner....






Woke up the next morning at 6:30 and took the metro to the Welt.



Delivery was originally scheduled for 12:30 so we decided to go early to have enough time to visit the Museum and take the factory tour before the delivery. We checked in and were taken to the lounge to sign some papers. There we signed up for the next factory tour in English which was at 11 am. The tour actually takes a couple of hours and my delivery was scheduled at 12:30. They asked if I would prefer to move up my delivery to 8:30 am so I could enjoy the factory tour....a no brainer to me....I was just 15 minutes away of my delivery. I grabbed something to eat at the lounge and prepared for the moment I had been waiting for over 2 years.




Here is the first time I was able to lay eyes on my new car...



The delivery process was not as detailed as I expected (I had never owned a BMW before) but all basic information was provided with special attention on the navigation system. I guess there was limited time since they had to move my delivery time with very short notice. Here are some pictures of the delivery...













After delivery, took the classic “victory lap”, drove down the ramp into the valet parking area were they took my car away from me....painful to watch. We then finished up walking around the Welt were we saw a BMW 1 M and then off to the museum....











It was now time for the factory tour...sorry but no pictures were allowed. I highly recommend you take the tour if you can. It’s amazing to get to know how they build those cars. They build about 900 cars per day, all customized ordered and they only build 2 identical cars per year...at least that’s what our guide told us.

It was now time to drive my car on the streets of Munich for the first time and decided to head towards Dachau concentration camp...the first Nazi concentration camp which opened in 1933...it was about 20-30 minutes from the Welt and totally worth the trip...











The next morning headed towards the alps on our way to St Moritz. It was about a 5 hour drive of amazing roads and spectacular scenery...







St Moritz during the spring time is like a ghost town with very few restaurants open but it was actually nice spend time in this quiet small town between the mountains...



After breakfast we hit the road with Bern as our next destination. Another five hours on the road going up and down the Swiss alps. At one point if started to snow and there was a very dense fog...







Goal number 1 achieved. I drove through a total of 5 alpine passes. I can’t imagine a better way to break in the car...

Next stop was Paris. The scenery on our way to Paris is not as impressive as the alps but still enjoyable. The 6 hour drive on the motorway wasn’t nearly as fun as the alpine roads. Driving in Paris was the most stressful situation I encountered during my trip. Even the parking spaces on the hotel were very small and tight. I used the car only to drive to Versailles the next morning and then just left the car parked at the hotel. There are just way too many things to see in 3 days but I think we got the most of it...














Next stop was the Nurburgring...I had looked up the Nurburgring schedule at http://nurburgring.org.uk/calendar.php and verified the track would be open on May 31st before even requesting my delivery dates. Despite all the planning the track was closed for Turistfahrten and was schedule to open back on June 9th. There was nothing I could do about. I took me a few days to recover from that. That was the only goal I couldn’t achieve during my trip despite all the time I spent planning it, and perhaps the most important one for me. The next morning there was Porsche track event at the ring so at leas I was able to see some cars on the track, but still not good enough...










Final destination was Frankfurt. We drove through some German twisty roads were I pushed the M3 a little bit, and hit Autobahn on the final stretch but there was some traffic so could not go over 120 mph (goal 3 completed). The car is amazing, the engine noise, the grunt , the handling....everything is just intoxicating and you never get enough of it.



We checked in at the hotel and went to drop off the car. It was hard to say goodbye...





We dropped the car on June 1st, was loaded on the Elektra on June 14th and is now somewhere in the North Atlantic with a scheduled arrival at Brunswick, GA on July 2nd. I then need to wait for the car to clear customs before David Aviles can schedule my PCD. The wait for the car has been just horrible...the worst part is not knowing when your car will be re-delivered, but no matter how painful the wait is, the ED experience was just the best experience of my life. The issue at the Nurburgring just gives me the excuse I needed to start planning my next ED trip...the Nurburgring is definitely on my bucket list.

I’ll keep you posted on my PCD experience.

[gblansten]

Another great write up. Congrats.

[Crazy Bimmer]

Living the dream!

[MDSKIER]

Keep them coming. Great pictures with a nice adventure to go along with it.

[AM150]

Great writeup. My ED e92 is also on the elektra. Maybe we will PCD together.

[datbimmerdoe]

congrats!! thx 4 sharing ur experience

[Krozi]

European Delivery really is one of the coolest things ever.

[DiavelM3]

Fantastic! Congrats on the ED and new M3... That looked like so much fun

[2K7]

what an adventure! thanks for sharing

[FVM3]

Im noob about ED , you gotta pay to mail the car back right? and how much it gonna cost

[RCGM3]

Originally Posted by christopherchenm

Im noob about ED , you gotta pay to mail the car back right? and how much it gonna cost

Nope, you don't pay anything to ship the car back to the US. Is included in the ED program as well as 14 days of insurance. You can read more about it at www.bmwusa.com or at http://www.bmweco.com/#!delivery-options

[bobbyd1961]

Originally Posted by gblansten

Another great write up. Congrats.

looks like a nice time good looking couple

[chris s]

great writeup...thanks for sharing!

[Technic]

[Michaeljh2000]

Wow...amazing! You have me seriously considering a ED for my next M.

[Kiemyster]

your last picture is full of win. you should frame it, thats a man in love. I know how you feel bro, EXCELLENT CHOICE!

AWE90M3ZCP is truly the best combo one could ever pick. I commend you on your excellent taste in motor vehicles.

[speedfan]

a couple questions please.
The car's GPS works fine? do you have to pay for the maps or anything like that?
& Do you get the insurance while driving around in EU? How does that work?

[VictorH]

Originally Posted by speedfan

a couple questions please.
The car's GPS works fine? do you have to pay for the maps or anything like that?
& Do you get the insurance while driving around in EU? How does that work?

I've done a very similar trip and to answer your questions.
Yes, GPS works great though in Italy I had nav tell me to make a left turn where there was no road or tell you to go the wrong way onto a one way, but overall it works fine and is really handy.
Insurance is provided for 2 weeks no charge but extra can be purchased, I seem to remember in 2 week increments. It's all handled very professionally and is great. I scratched my wheels in a tiny underground garage but they were fixed or replaced (I can't tell) and all the details are all taken care of.

Nice write up BTW.

[Seattle S65B40]

Congrats! Looks like you had an awesome trip. BTW, you look like you could be related to Eli and Peyton Manning!

[HeartMD]

Great write up and AMAZING pics. Looks like you both had an amazing time and got some great site seeing. Congrats on your new ride its gorgeous.

[speedfan]

Originally Posted by VictorH

I've done a very similar trip and to answer your questions.
Yes, GPS works great though in Italy I had nav tell me to make a left turn where there was no road or tell you to go the wrong way onto a one way, but overall it works fine and is really handy.
Insurance is provided for 2 weeks no charge but extra can be purchased, I seem to remember in 2 week increments. It's all handled very professionally and is great. I scratched my wheels in a tiny underground garage but they were fixed or replaced (I can't tell) and all the details are all taken care of.

Nice write up BTW.

Thanks Victor.

[chmura]

Beautiful pics and congrats!

I cannot wait for my first ED this coming September!