how much did your european delivery trip cost you?

[tlp]

Originally Posted by Nautik

Isn't Lufthansa offering a 2 for 1 discount on plane tickets available to ED customers? Or did that actually expire?

I explored that scenario when I was preparing for my ED. It ended up being the same price or slightly cheaper when I booked directly at the Lufthansa website.

[Nautik]

Originally Posted by Technic

That's a Jedi mind trick... the total price of that "2 for 1" offer is always the same or even slightly more than two plain tickets in another airline. So the actual savings are around $0...

The only benefits of booking thru Lufthansa are that there are no flight changes fees (in case your production date/pickup delivery date changes) and that you pay the tickets 30 days prior to the actual flight date.

I checked their website and they are offering a round trip ticket from Dulles to Munich for 1100... that is about the same I was finding with kayak. But maybe if you want their 2 for 1 you can only do it by paying a "special price" ticket from Lufthansa... lol

[jeeter]

Originally Posted by Nautik

I checked their website and they are offering a round trip ticket from Dulles to Munich for 1100... that is about the same I was finding with kayak. But maybe if you want their 2 for 1 you can only do it by paying a "special price" ticket from Lufthansa... lol

When I was pricing a month ago, it was over $2k each for a non-stop from ORD to MUC. It actually came down a little is about $1700 each now for a non-stop. If you are traveling in low season, the Lufthansa 2 for 1 is not the way to go but in high season, it can be the cheapest way to fly. I'm flying out June 17th and back on June 30th, non-stop from ORD to MUC and I couldn't find any non-stop tickets less than ~$1700 each. That's $3400.00 ($1000 more than I am paying) and those tickets are non-refunable, not transferable. For a small fee I change the name of either of the Luftansa tickets and for a little more I could also change dates. Also, if you wanted to fly open-jaw, Luftansa would probably be the best bet.

jeeter

[bigjae1976]

My plan is to spend about 7 days there and drive about 1500 miles. I'm planning in spending about $3500 which includes the 1200 mile break in service.

Gas is the biggest expense. If I didn't want to hit the 'ring so bad, I could easily come in around $1500.

Originally Posted by ADV.1 Matt

I didn't know it discounted the price when you did ED... seems like a no brainer!

Usually but I don't think ED will work if you can't do without a car for awhile. I believe if you trade in, you have to surrender your trade in when you sign the contract. So you have to wait for the car to be built, go to Europe, and then wait another 8-10 weeks for it to be redelivered in the US.

Yes, its a no brainer if you can do without for awhile or you have a 2nd or 3rd car.

[Technic]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

Usually but I don't think ED will work if you can't do without a car for awhile. I believe if you trade in, you have to surrender your trade in when you sign the contract. So you have to wait for the car to be built, go to Europe, and then wait another 8-10 weeks for it to be redelivered in the US.

Yes, its a no brainer if you can do without for awhile or you have a 2nd or 3rd car, or a bicycle.

Fixed.

I sold my car in March and my ED is expected to be in mid/late September so in the meantime I'm riding my bike to work (6 miles a day) and rent a car for errands once a week.

Riding the bike this much has been the best thing that I have ever done to my health since I left the Army 11 years ago. Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, body fat... you name it, all improved in the last 6 weeks. And saving around $1000 a month is no joke... although Individual will get most of it.

[mkoesel]

That's awesome Technic. I am jealous, actually - wish I lived that close to my job. I live too far from work currently for biking on a daily basis to be practical. I think between that factor and things like kids and other commitments, for many of us a car for daily is necessary.

Originally Posted by Technic

I sold my car in March and my ED is expected to be in mid/late September so in the meantime I'm riding my bike to work (6 miles a day) and rent a car for errands once a week.

Riding the bike this much has been the best thing that I have ever done to my health since I left the Army 11 years ago. Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, body fat... you name it, all improved in the last 6 weeks. And saving around $1000 a month is no joke... although Individual will get most of it.

[cmk227]

Well I stayed 18 days and it cost me approx. $15K. Airfare for three people. (Wife & son) was about $2100.

3 X Airfare: $2100
Car Rental: $240 (We had a car for two days prior to pickup)
Hotels: $5,100 (also including car parking)
Fuel: $1,500 (Average about 15 mpg, purchased 102 Octane while in Euro. )
Food: $3,800 (average)
Entertainment: $2,400 (castles, tours, shopping wife. , etc.)
Permit: $125

Also invoice on ED is $49,995 (coupe) so it a bit more than 7% saving. I plan on going back next year again but we are budgeting approx. $10K for about a month in a half. The main saving will be on hotels. We found that we can rent for $65 euro per night while in Germany (Motel One) http://www.motel-one.com/uk/index.html and in Italy we are renting a corporate rental for approx. $1,800 euro for a month.

We also discovered that we can slash our food by half buy shopping in local deli while we stay in Italy. I expect entertainment to be a bit lower.

If you go by yourself than you can do this trip with under $5K. Most of the expense is that rooms are based on the number of ocupants and it starts adding up quick.

[Technic]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

That's awesome Technic. I am jealous, actually - wish I lived that close to my job. I live too far from work currently for biking on a daily basis to be practical. I think between that factor and things like kids and other commitments, for many of us a car for daily is necessary.

Of course, I can do this just because I have no kids and live close to work. Otherwise I would be buying this M3 at my local dealer... unfortunately.

But you know, I have discovered that I can really "survive" without a car... and that's something that I thought that it was going to be way harder than what it ended up being.

[BMRLVR]

Originally Posted by Technic

And saving around $1000 a month is no joke... although Individual will get most of it.

What are your specs on the new car???? Did you go all out with Individual stuff????

[BKMK5]

For 2 people it cost us $3k for round trip airfare from NYC-Munich, hotel(Munich Marriott), food, gas (2x @ 80Euro), see the castles. It was a great trip, but the best part was getting a fully loaded M3 for less than 60K(US msrp is 72,050 i think).

[Technic]

Originally Posted by BMRLVR

What are your specs on the new car???? Did you go all out with Individual stuff????

No need to go all out, everything and anything that Individual offers is really expensive...

All my Individual extras went into the Rust Brown interior and still some details have not been finalized.

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by BKMK5

For 2 people it cost us $3k for round trip airfare from NYC-Munich, hotel(Munich Marriott), food, gas (2x @ 80Euro), see the castles. It was a great trip, but the best part was getting a fully loaded M3 for less than 60K(US msrp is 72,050 i think).

dealer is telling me its about $4k...

[BlkITR01]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

dealer is telling me its about $4k...

No offense, but unless you're purchasing a base M3 with no options you should find another dealer. The general rule is 500 to 1000 over ED invoice including options. The money I saved easily paid for the vacation. Just don't go crazy.

If you have the vacation time and ability to wait for redelivery I don't see why anyone wouldn't do ED.

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

We don't count the money for something like this .... the memories are unforgettable

Just Do It

best advice I can give

Oh and have a bratwurs and some nice strudel don't forget to visit the Hofbröuhause

[BKMK5]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

dealer is telling me its about $4k...

I apologize I looked at the bill and it was $60,825(including the $1.5K holiday credit) - $500(Net:$60,325) from BMWCCA for the car i have in my signature. Pretty awesome no? The Germany trip was icing on the cake. If the dealer doesnt want to meet between 500-1000 over ED invoice you tell them you can get it from a board sponsor for $500 and they will/should meet it. GL.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by Technic

Fixed.

I sold my car in March and my ED is expected to be in mid/late September so in the meantime I'm riding my bike to work (6 miles a day) and rent a car for errands once a week.

Riding the bike this much has been the best thing that I have ever done to my health since I left the Army 11 years ago. Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, body fat... you name it, all improved in the last 6 weeks. And saving around $1000 a month is no joke... although Individual will get most of it.

...good catch.

[karussell]

airfare, fuel costs, and euro exchange rate are biggest factors. all of which aren't very favorable right now. i would say for best bang for the buck, pick up your car in September. still nice weather without the higher costs. All of europe is on vacation in August which is typically the most busy and expensive time to visit.

also, germany is having its summer early this year. many of the old school germans think summer will be over in late may and probably have steady rain rest of summer! these guys unfortunately are not wrong on weather most of the time. another factor to consider. maybe better to pick the car up and plan on a trip south to italy, southern france, or spain.

[Jones]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

dealer is telling me its about $4k...

My E93 M3 was almost exactly $10k off of US MSRP. Your CA is probably quoting you ED MSRP vs US MSRP but there's absolutely no reason at all to pay anywhere near even ED MSRP. ED Invoice plus $500-$750 is about right.

For the OP: Lots you can do in Europe with $10k. On my two ED's I've averaged about $5k per trip. That's for two adults and taking advantage of hotel and airline points to reduce costs a bit. We certainly didn't scrimp but didn't stay in 5 Star hotels every night besides, the B&B's can be lots of fun and I have yet to stay at one I regreted.

Gas does suck at about $10/gallon. Can get pricy for someone driving an M3. I did almost 800 miles on the last trip and spent about $440 in gas. There are some tips that really help keep costs down. When looking for hotels make sure they offer free parking. Plenty of places do but lots will stick you for over $20/day for parking.

Also, learn to use the public transportation systems. No need to try to drive around or find parking in places like Munich when you can just leave your car at the hotel and use the U/S-Bahn to go everywhere you want. Ticketing can be a little complicated but things like multi-day partner passes can make it all pretty cheap.

If you plan on visiting lots of castles, museums and palaces then go to the info center and get a discount pass that covers most of them at one lower price.

Last, you can take advantage of the big ED discount and pocket almost all of the savings even if the idea is a bit insane. Buy a discount (or use FF mileage) airfare and just fly into Munich, take the train to the Welt, take delivery and pay them a small fee and you don't even have to drive your car out of the building. Jump back on the U-Bahn back to the airport and fly out. Lots of seat time in an airliner and you get little joy out of the time in Europe but you'll never get a new BMW cheaper. There are many people who have done this.

[status38]

Just booked my airfare out of Boston for mid September and the Lufthansa 2 for 1 was a little cheaper than Orbitz/Hotwire etc. $1888.36 for the 2 for 1 tix and $1090.18 for a 3rd wheel.

I definitely suggest giving them a call and at least getting a quote. Also as already mentioned you don't actually have to pay till 30 days before your delivery. If you find something cheaper by then just cancel!

I prefer to spend more money on food, beer, sight seeing and gas vs plush hotels, since we typically spend very little time in the hotel. Maybe I'm just cheap though!

My first ED I think the total was something like $4k or so. This time around, all in, I'm expecting something like 6k-10k. We are doing much much more this time around though, including a trip to the 'Ring!

[roastbeef]

Originally Posted by Jones

My E93 M3 was almost exactly $10k off of US MSRP. Your CA is probably quoting you ED MSRP vs US MSRP but there's absolutely no reason at all to pay anywhere near even ED MSRP. ED Invoice plus $500-$750 is about right.

the dealer i went to was telling me that the price they get the cars for is not much over the price you see when you "build" a car online at the bmw website. i'm configuring my m3 to about $74,000.

how are you guys getting a $74,000 car for about $60k? and then bkmk5 got less than $60k with euro delivery? am i misinterpreting some text somewhere?

[conradb]

Almost $6k for 2 weeks. Germany (Munich, Frankfurt, Nurburgring), Austria (Vienna and relatives south of there), and Italy (Rome).

Thing is, it cost us an extra $700+ because we screwed up our flight out of Frankfurt airport on Ryan Air. We went to the WRONG AIRPORT! :[ We were in a rush and bought Al Italia tickets. It sucked big time, but the g/f was super bummed about not being able to go to Rome. I couldn't say no to that sad puppy face. :/

[Technic]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

the dealer i went to was telling me that the price they get the cars for is not much over the price you see when you "build" a car online at the bmw website. i'm configuring my m3 to about $74,000.

how are you guys getting a $74,000 car for about $60k? and then bkmk5 got less than $60k with euro delivery? am i misinterpreting some text somewhere?

Take the USA M3 MSRP -including options but excluding GGT and destination- and multiply that amount by .855; that will be the approximate ED invoice price.

For example, E93 M3 MSRP is $67,550, times .855 equals $57755, some $9495 discount. In comparison, January of 2010 (the latest pricing that I got for ED invoice) the actual ED invoice price for the E93 M3 was $57,365 on a MSRP of $67,050.