In case you missed my previous articles, I am actually writing a series of posts about the BMW European Delivery. The 19-days trip that Paul has taken, it’s one of the best I have ever read and it gives a lot of useful details for anyone planning on going to Europe to pick up their BMW or, just to take a trip there. Lots of resources can be found in his articles and I thought I would share them with you.

In the first post about his BMW European Delivery, you can find some good information on how to pre-plan your trip. Next, Paul takes us through his first day in his European Delivery trip. In today’s article, you can read about his experience on picking up the car from the ED Center in Munich.

The flight was scheduled to arrive at 9:25AM, but pulled into the gate about 20 minutes late. Baggage pick up, Passport control and custom was swift and easy. We had learned on Bimmerfest about Rolf Raffelsieper and his well known airport pick-ups. Since Rolf was already booked for Friday morning, he had arranged for his colleague Peter to pick us up. As promised, Peter awaited us with a small BMW European Delivery sign, and helped us with our bags to his 3 series station wagon parked outside.

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I am almost positive that the BMW European Delivery Program will be available for the BMW Z4 models as well. In a recent announcement, BMW informed us that will be shifting the production of the next generation BMW Z4 back to BMW’s Regensburg plant in Germany instead of the current Z4’s production base in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The Spartanburg factory will become an SUV plant, where all the X models will be manufactured, including the next generation BMW X3 and the new BMW crossover X6. Currently, the plant in South Carolina is the home for the BMW X5 and X3 models. (more…)

I have put together a list of websites that are going to help you planning your BMW European Delivery. I’m sure there are others websites as well, but these seem to be very popular and they have helped a lot of people. If you think I’m missing anything, feel free to leave a comment and I will add them to the list.

1. Lease Calculator

This is the first step in your purchase and this one of the best lease calculators I have seen so far. It is extremely accurate and you can always cross reference with the numbers you are received from your dealer.

2. www.tripadvisor.com

A website with hotel reviews from around the globe and the nice part is that the reviews were given by actual visitors that have stayed in them.

3. http://www.globalfreeloaders.com

For the adventurous, this website allows you to register and then find other friendly travellers all over the world that will offer you to stay at their home free of charge, if you also offer your home for fellow travelers, it is basically an exchange program. (more…)

We’re getting closer, there are about 60 days left until the new BMW delivery center, BMW Welt, will open its doors. The Welt will serve customers from Europe as well as people across the ocean. The BMW European Delivery cars will be also be accommodated at the new center and we’re a little sad to see that the old Freeman pick-up center will no longer be accessible to us.

The new BMW Welt is an amazing piece of art and it was designed by Coop Himmelblau, an austrian arhitecture company. Take a look at these new pictures and tell me if this is not one of the most amazing buildings you have seen.

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So, you decided that you would like to do a BMW European Delivery, you have spent countless hours researching and deciding what car you’re going to purchase, you have also made all the arrangements, pick-up date, flight plans, hotel reservations, itinerary. Before the beginning of the trip, you have purchased european maps, looked for ways to deal with your jet lag, so everything seems pretty much in order, right? Well, not really, have you done any research on how to protect yourself and your belongings while driving your BMW and visiting the european cities? I thought so, I know I didn’t when I picked up my BMW 750, and I have almost fell in the trap of some european “scam innovators”.

But don’t worry, I’m here to save the day, or to save you. This is not a complete list but it will give you an idea and from here, you can protect yourself. By the way, I love Europe and the people there, so this is not a cheap shot at the european population nor the european countries, every country has their “unique” elements so we can’t judge everyone based on small group.

1. First thing, it’s important to be aware of the tried-and-true ploys that petty thieves use . . . and how to evade them. A common scheme in Italy is the “street fight” where one little boy pretends to beat up another. When the victim approaches you in tears, asking for money so he can get home to safety, you pull out your wallet — and the kids snatch it and race off. NEVER take your wallet out in that case and you should never walk around with your wallet just hanging out of your pants or around your neck.
2. The second popular con scheme will be the “messy spill” .One thief spills, squirts, or throws something on you — in Rome, it might be trash, in Madrid mustard — while an accomplice distracts you by helping clean it off, which causes enough of a commotion for a third thief to grab your belongings.
Bottom line, just walk away and clean up yourself, don’t accept any Kleenex or anybody else to try to clean up your clothes, and very important, DO NOT put your bags down in the street. (more…)

Following Paul’s itinerary, here is his first day from his BMW European Delivery Trip.

“In spite of the excellent pre-planning, including Paul’s newfound neurotic desire to “test pack” several days before the trip to make sure everything would fit into a single rolling carry-on, there was still a bit of last minute running around, looking for a particular missing paperback, while the taxi idled in front of the house. Fortunately, Friday morning traffic was light and despite our cabbie’s unfamiliarity with local roads (even with a nav system suctioned to his windshield, he still managed to miss the well signed on-ramp to the 101 freeway!), we made it in plenty of time. (more…)

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article on the BMW European Delivery with some observations and tips from Paul, who has just completed his amazing journey. As I have mentioned in that article, I was going to post his amazing 19 day trip throughought Europe and to show some of the beautiful pictures he has taken. So today, I have decided to start with the first episode, a pre-sequel to his trip. You can learn a lot of valuable things from this pre-planned BMW European Delivery, and maybe it will help you in the future when you decided to “try” one yourself. Here is what Paul had to say:

This trip initially grew out of the idea of buying a new car in Europe, which grew out of the conclusion of the lease on Annette’s current car – a Chrysler Crossfire. The Crossfire had been lots of fun, but we’d chosen to go with a lease since we weren’t sure if a two-seater (and new model) would still hold its allure after 3 years. Having seen an ad for the new 3 series coupe, in October of 2006, I was driving along El Camino Real in San Mateo and stopped by Peter Pan BMW to check it out.

I saw a gorgeous graphite coupe with RED leather interior and aluminum trim and announced “I found your next car” to Annette when I got home. In the end (after a fair amount of debate), this wasn’t the color combination we went with, but the car itself stuck. Neither of us had owned a BMW before, but this new coupe’s graceful lines – and the 300hp turbo-charged engine – told us that the time had come. With a little research online, I learned about BMW’s European Delivery program and the idea was hatched to pick up the car in Munich and take a European vacation with the new wheels. (more…)

NY Times has published an interesting and informative article on the BMW Welt that is due to open its doors in October. Starting in October, customers in Germany will be able to buy their cars through a dealer and, for a fee, pick them up at BMW Welt, an ultramodern showroom in Munich that will include a gallery of BMW’s model range.

“Strolling through BMW Welt, with its cyclone-shaped entrance and billowing, cloudlike facade, it is easy to forget why the carmaker built this more than $250 million palace: to hand over cars to customers.

Starting in October, about 170 vehicles a day will be delivered to the cathedral-like showroom at BMW Welt (BMW World, in English). Rather than picking up a new car at a local dealership, drivers who pay a little extra for the privilege come here to receive delivery of their vehicles, finding them bathed in a spotlight and rotating on a turntable.

Even in a country famous for its worship of the automobile, rarely has so elegant a form been harnessed to so mundane a function. Our dealers are like local churches, while BMW Welt is St. Peter’s Cathedral, said Michael Ganal, BMW’s director of marketing. (more…)

Exciting news my dear readers. A few weeks ago, I was approached by a news company to setup an interview on the BMW European Delivery Program. They have requested one of my customers to be present and share his/hers delivery story. It happens that one of my customers from Chicago had an interesting experience last year, so I have decided to ask him to join me. Here is the story, in case you haven’t read it on my blog before.

I was told by the news producer that the story will air on multiple local channels throughout the country, but I could not get any particular dates. To my surprise, last night I have received an email from Julia, a member of bimmerforums.com and a producer for ABC7 L.A and she gave me the good news. Thanks again Julia, it made my night and I’m excited to see how it came out.

So, tonight at 11pm PST, on ABC7 Los Angeles, the story will air. Please come back here and tell me what you think of it, unfortunatley I would probably see it after some of you have already seen it .

This is has to be the best and the most detailed BMW European Delivery story I have ever read. Paul, a member of bimmerfest, went to Europe with this wife to pick up his Montego blue, BMW 335i coupe on a 19-day vacation. In this article, I am only going to post some advices and observations that Paul shared with us. In my next articles, I will post Paul’s BMW European Delivery trip starting with day 1 through day 19. As they traveled, he kept a journal with details about his trip. According to Paul,

ugh (warning!) it contains a level of detail that goes beyond most bimmerfest trip journals. Since it served as both a trip journal and a blog for family and friends, there’s a lot of chronicling of exactly what was eaten and other trivia that may bore the average reader but will serve as mnemonic triggers for my wife and me. If you want day-to-days (and then some), that’s where to find it.

Now, let me go back to the original topic and share with you the 10 things they discovered in their trip: (more…)

I can not describe how happy I am every time I receive a story about an European Delivery experience. Reading other people stories and even more important, looking at the amazing pictures they have taken in Europe, it makes me jealous every time.

In the past year, I have received some wonderful stories on the BMW European Delivery and I have shared them with you, here and here for example, but this last story, it’s just amazing. The pictures that he and his fiancee have taken in Paris, London, Zurich or Munich are just beautiful and they tell more than a thousand words.

I’m going to let him tell you the story with his own words.

There is no way I could ever recreate the events that took place during our European Delivery. Pictures are worth WAY more than the thousand words many say they are.

Our European Delivery started in Kansas City and headed to Philadelphia, stopping in Nashville to change planes. We then flew to London, and spent 2 days there, and walked it at least 2 times over. Lots of sights to see, and plenty of history there. It was, however, VERY expensive.

We flew to Munich after staying in London, and went directly to pick up an alpine white E92 335i. We tooled around Munich for 3 days, and had a ball. Olympia park and the BMW museum were first on the list, then Marienplatz, and some touring of the city.We then headed to Paris, through Zurich, and ended up getting lost thanks to TomTom. (more…)

For all of you that are planning your BMW European Delivery vacation, here are some driving rules and regulations in Germany. Most of the rules are very different from the ones we have here in the US, so please read it and get familiar with the European driving style.

The minimum age of a driver is 17 years. Children must be at least 12 years of age to sit in the front seat (unless the seat is equipped with a child restraint). Children under 12 years of age and seated in the rear of the vehicle must be in a child seat if such a seat is fitted. The use of seat belts is compulsory for front- and rear-seat passengers. The legal blood alcohol limit is 50 mg. (more…)

Here is another BMW European Delivery story from one of my clients. Amazing trip, amazing pictures and a gorgeous BMW 335i. “It’s been about a month since I dropped off my new 335i Arctic White coupe in Madrid, and what a trip it was! I decided to treat myself to a First Class experience on Lufthansa both ways using award miles, and our trip took us, over 10 days, from Munich to Ingolstadt (to see the amazing Audi Forum, sorry guys), to Innsbruck, down to Parma, Italy, over the Italian Mediterranean coast, to Monaco, Marseilles, Nice, St. Tropez, Barcelona, Valencia then finally, Madrid.

Total driving time: 43 hours, 26 mins
Total driving distance: 1,938 miles
Average speed: 47.1 mph
Top speed: 143 mph Gas economy: 21.5 miles per gallon.

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This website made by the BMW North America and BMW Performance Driving School is hilarious. Whoever came up with this idea, was a genius I guess BMW wants to teach us the proper way of driving a bimmer. Check it out, it’s really funny: www.relearntodrive.com Roll the mouse over the thumbnails and click on each individual to see the videos Then if you click on “Undo the Damage”, it will take to the BMW Performance website.

Very smart advertising from BMWUSA. You can also check out my story on the BMW Driving School in Spartanburg, SC

For the past few weeks, a lot of people have emailed me and asked me one question: How did BMW European Delivery start?

I kept pointing them to this blog so they can read the story but I thought I would repost it again since it was first time posted in October last year. There are many different scenarios on how the BMW ED started but this particular one was very interesting and it actually came from one of the Bimmerfest.com members (yes, we don’t mind posting other website’s name or links). Please read this article and I encourage to post any questions ,that you might have, in the comments box below.

?I have concluded that the impetus for the European Delivery Programs (as we now know them)developed within West German economic planners that were desperately trying to come up with new ways to help West German economic recovery after WWII. Not only did West Germany needed to find new overseas clients for its re-emerging auto industry, but Germans needed to encourage international travel to the homeland. Of course, the principal purpose for the latter was reaping the financial benefits of tourism. Foreigners needed to know that West Germany was no longer ?bombed out? and in ruins.

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