Military Sales Help

[JEllis]

For those that have done Military sales. When does the final payment have to be made? Does the car still fall under the BMW 4 year service plan?

I have an April allocation (est.) for pickup at San Diego BMW. I didnt quite understand if I am paying for the car through San Diego BMW when I pick my M3 up. Or am I paying Pentagon Car Sales sometime before pickup?

Jason

[Davo2003]

Originally Posted by JEllis

For those that have done Military sales. When does the final payment have to be made? Does the car still fall under the BMW 4 year service plan?

I have an April allocation (est.) for pickup at San Diego BMW. I didnt quite understand if I am paying for the car through San Diego BMW when I pick my M3 up. Or am I paying Pentagon Car Sales sometime before pickup?

Jason

Pentagon rep should have answered those questions early on. Are you paying cash or financing? Assuming you are financing part, you should obtain loan pre-approval around mid-February. Pre-approvals are good for 90 days. You will have to forward a cashier's check payable to BMW NA once a VIN is assigned to your vehicle or you will lose it. They are pretty anal about that so be ready to FedEx a cashier's check to BMW NA within a couple days of VIN assign. Once your vehicle arrives at the dealer you will not be able to take delivery until you get proof of insurance and get down to the courthouse and pay vehicle tax and registration. Be sure you get the proper papers from BMW NA or the tax authority won't accept it and you will have to get on the phone with BMW NA or some sales rep and straighten that out which will take time. You don't pay Pentagon anything other than the initial deposit to hold your place in line and hold the car. Pentagon will forward your deposit to BMW NA and you will have to forward the remainder....tax and registration will be paid by you just prior to delivery at the courthouse in your city. Hope that helps.

[guardodoc]

The check for payment goes to Pentagon Car Sales, not BMWUSA. I have bought two cars from Pentagon (An 04 and an06).
They will describe exactly how to do it in an e-mail to you. It must be a cashiers check. Payment will be in full. I was a little nervous about doing it. But everything went smoothly
The local dealer here will do a courtesy delivery. That is coordinated by Terry Brennan at BMWNA in New Jesey. The local dealer gets a small stipend to do it. I've been told that it just about covers their costs to prep the car. They don't make a profit, but do it to establish good will.
The dealer will probably take the MSRP sticker off of your car as it shows the military MSRP which is much lower than the other cars on the lot. Any other questions I'd be happy to answer. I think you will be glad you went this route in the end. I understand the anxiety about dealing with a distant entity by phone and e-mail.

[JEllis]

I am also a little worried about how the dealer will handle my car when it arrives. It will no doubt be one of the first M3's in the area and I dont want everyone and there mom crawling around in it. Or anyone thinking they can take it for a quick spin. My plan is to pick the car up as soon as possible. I guess I will have to get all my ducks in row as soon as things like my VIN start coming in.

Jason

[guardodoc]

JEllis, When mine were delivered the dealer called me and I saw it before they unwrapped it. I has plastic coverings and they do a complete checklist for preparation. The warranty is the same exact as if you've bought it in the States. Registration at the DMV is slightly different since the title will list you as the "distributor" They may inspect it to make sure it is U.S. spec. Don't worry. It is.
You will pay the registration and California use tax directly to the DMV.
If you can register it in a state with no sales tax then do so. Sometimes as military you can use your home of record.

[JEllis]

I will probably register the car in Michigan since it is my state of residence and they only have plates on the back. No ugly front plates for me!

Jason

[Davo2003]

I bought through Superior in 06 and my transaction went as described. I also dealt with Terry. So Pentagon may handle things differently than Superior...after reading the posts that seems apparent. My advice to you is to get to the dealer where you will take delivery and latch onto a sales person who seems friendly, helpful, and honest. Tell them your situation, for example if you will be in town or not when the car arrives. How to contact you etc. I did this and it worked perfectly. I am using the same sales person for this delivery. The first time around he did a great job so I "tipped" him a couple hundred dollars, so this time he was all smiles and ready to take care of me. For the M I will give him more cash and keep him happy, that way no worries about extra test drives or people messing with your car. When I took delivery there was never any talk about an inspection by anybody, you just have to have the correct documents to pay the taxes and register with the State you are in.

[Davo2003]

Originally Posted by guardodoc

The check for payment goes to Pentagon Car Sales, not BMWUSA. I have bought two cars from Pentagon (An 04 and an06).
They will describe exactly how to do it in an e-mail to you. It must be a cashiers check. Payment will be in full. I was a little nervous about doing it. But everything went smoothly
The local dealer here will do a courtesy delivery. That is coordinated by Terry Brennan at BMWNA in New Jesey. The local dealer gets a small stipend to do it. I've been told that it just about covers their costs to prep the car. They don't make a profit, but do it to establish good will.
The dealer will probably take the MSRP sticker off of your car as it shows the military MSRP which is much lower than the other cars on the lot. Any other questions I'd be happy to answer. I think you will be glad you went this route in the end. I understand the anxiety about dealing with a distant entity by phone and e-mail.

If you bought in 04 and 06 WTF you doing driving a 1987 325?

[guardodoc]

Davo, Waiting for my M3. I'll get the second year run because I had so many problems with my first year 645ci. Unfortunately my 2006 650i was bought back by BMW for recurrent i-drive problems and other software issues.
I'm enjoying the 325 in the mean time. I bought one for 2K to fill the gap while I'm waiting.
You gettin' one?

[Davo2003]

Originally Posted by guardodoc

Davo, Waiting for my M3. I'll get the second year run because I had so many problems with my first year 645ci. Unfortunately my 2006 650i was bought back by BMW for recurrent i-drive problems and other software issues.
I'm enjoying the 325 in the mean time. I bought one for 2K to fill the gap while I'm waiting.
You gettin' one?

Ya, I have my deposit in. I'm number six in line. I may opt to wait for the second year run myself...not sure yet. I'm debating several options. One is if they change the taillights on the 335i sedan, and the M3 price comes in too high for what it is with options, I will either go with the 335i sedan, or maybe a Cayman S...it all comes down to bang for the buck and what other stuff I can spend my money on. We will see.

[NavNurs]

Davo- Who are you dealing with at Superior? How do you know where you are in line? When did you place your deposit?

Angela seems quite helpful though has yet to tell me where I am in line. My guess is this isn't static and will change once pricing comes out. I wonder what their allotment will be and how this will compare to dealers in So Cal.

[Davo2003]

Originally Posted by NavNurs

Davo- Who are you dealing with at Superior? How do you know where you are in line? When did you place your deposit?

Angela seems quite helpful though has yet to tell me where I am in line. My guess is this isn't static and will change once pricing comes out. I wonder what their allotment will be and how this will compare to dealers in So Cal.

I put my deposit in about 8 weeks ago I think. She said I was 6th. I am sure though some people drop orders or change their minds on when they want delivery, especially when dealing with deployed personnel, so that may be why she doesn't quote "place" in line now. Yes, she has been great to deal with, I am anxiously waiting for more info. not really a peep though since placing the deposit. My guess is little info will be forthcoming until November...just a guess, hope I am wrong though.

[NavNurs]

I guess that makes me somewhere 1-5!

What branch are you in and where are you deployed? I am, perhaps obviously, in the Navy and was in Fallujah last year. Things seemed to be getting better very, very slowly while I was there. Is this still the case?

[Boostedg35]

im in Iraq right now and i plan to use this program also. I will be here for at least a year so i plan to use the miltary deployed program and the ED together to knock off the delivery fee by takin leave in germany and driving it to the shipping dock myself.. then my father will pick it up at the port in baltimore or jersey. I might extend and wait for second year also. Im so happy that there is a program like this for us!

[NavNurs]

Boosted, you may want to ask that exact question of your dealer. When I did, they said ED either wasn't an option, or it wouldn't save any $$. If I come accross the old email I shall send it along.

[Boostedg35]

I did ask and confirmed that i can forego the 2,000 shipping and dest and pay like 600 or something for the option of taking it to the dock myself..

[NavNurs]

Hmmmmm, perhaps a 2K discount on a trip to Germany is worth the leave. I guess I shall have to investigate a bit. Thanks for the information!

[Davo2003]

Hold the phone, are you saying I can do Euro delivery PLUS get the MIL discount? I will pick mine up in Germany if that is the case!

[JEllis]

I think you can but the problem for me is that the 2K in shipping to the US is not much more expensive than a round trip ticket to Germany. Plus, I am not sure what travel expenses BMW will cover if any. Maybe lodging I guess but if not then it might actually be cheaper to just have it shipped.

Jason

[NavNurs]

I found 650 round trip San Diego to Munich. Apparently there is also a 500 Euro ($670) preparation charge to get the car ready to drive. It seems the question is do you want to see Munich. If so, you can apply the ~$1300 or so you save on the car to the cost of the trip. My only worry would be one of discipline. Would I be able to control myself and adhere to the break in period on the Autobahn?

[JEllis]

I am not sure I agree with the break in period theory anymore.

After reading numerous articles I am torn. Some say flog it from the beginning which sets the seals and makes for a more robust engine in the long term. I have also read that when a Bimmer rolls off the assembly line it gets immediatly flogged on a dyno type device before getting on a trailer. But, there are plenty of arguements to go soft at first too....

Jason

[NavNurs]

Jason-
This may be a better place for my question. Have you any real information from Terry? Angela at Superior hasn't heard anything as of the last time I sent an email. Thanks!
-Kurtt