[bronco]

make travel plans?

I am still debating if I want to get a 335 or a C6 vette, but lets just assume that I decide to do ED.
Will I be able to schedule my ED to the exact day?

I will be traveling to Europe in July of next (2008) year, and wanted to find out, if I can stop @ Germany for 2 days --> pick up my 335 --> put it on the ship --> get on the plane, and leave for the rest of my vacation.

I guess, the real question here is --> How early in advance I have to order so I can buy my airplane tickets, and make sure that my BMW will be produced and ready for pick up?

For those of you that have done ED --> Is is too big of a challenge if I do the ED in 2 days, with my wife and my 17 month old baby?

It would be nice if I can save some money on the car with ED and only pay for 1 airplane ticket.

I know a lot of people will say that the ED is a whole experience, and I would proably need to spend some more time in Europe with the 335, but I really dont have time + I have a different vision of visiting Europe

Thanks!

[mid-corner fun]

Yes, you can request an exact pickup date, and given that your trip is far out in 08 there should be no problem. HOWEVER, you only book flights/hotels etc. right after you get your confirmation # and date/time from BMW's ED dept (Ed letter or through your CA).

I just came back from my ED trip, you can cram everything in a single day if you really want to, but you'll miss out the fun. Perfectly do-able though.

[hotrod2448]

Originally Posted by bronco

It would be nice if I can save some money on the car with ED and only pay for 1 airplane ticket.

To get the two for one you need to fly into Munich.

[bronco]

Originally Posted by hotrod2448

To get the two for one you need to fly into Munich.

Sorry, I had something else in mind.

For my trip in July, I will have to make a stop in Europe to catch a connecting flight. So, I wanted to say that why not stop in Germany and do my ED and carry on with my vacation

Thanks for the reply

[bronco]

Originally Posted by PeterM1

Yes, you can request an exact pickup date, and given that your trip is far out in 08 there should be no problem. HOWEVER, you only book flights/hotels etc. right after you get your confirmation # and date/time from BMW's ED dept (Ed letter or through your CA).

I just came back from my ED trip, you can cram everything in a single day if you really want to, but you'll miss out the fun. Perfectly do-able though.

Well, that is very good to know. When do I request the pick up date? Before I order, When I order, or Whenever I receive the conf #?

Thanks

[MPoWeRMAN]

you can request your pickup date when you place the order, and then your dealer will send in the request, and let you know within a few weeks at the most that the date has been accepted, you have to place a deposit, and then you will get a confirmation letter confirming the date, then you are set, its a great deal, and a great expierence, I did it this past January, and I will do it again

[JSpira]

To the OP:

For more info on how to proceed, please see
1.) my article on European Delivery
2.) my more recent set of articles on the opening of the BMW Welt and European Delivery
3.) the Bimmerfest European Delivery forum wiki

(You might want to hang around the Bimmerfest E.D. forum as well)

[JSpira]

By the way, since you are in Atlanta, you should see the area's European Delivery specialist, Adrian, at BMW of South Atlanta.

One thing that's important is having a CA who is very experienced in European Delivery. The second thing is having a CA who gives very fair prices.

Adrian qualifies on both counts.

[bronco]

Originally Posted by JSpira

By the way, since you are in Atlanta, you should see the area's European Delivery specialist, Adrian, at BMW of South Atlanta.

One thing that's important is having a CA who is very experienced in European Delivery. The second thing is having a CA who gives very fair prices.

Adrian qualifies on both counts.

Thanks for the advice and the links. I will definately check them out once my year-end projects finalize...and have some more time for my favorite cr forums

Thank s!

[2e9x's]

Your proposed plan is plausible but clearly challenging. I have done ED with very young children and they were awesome!

You can get a specific date. If you plan far enough in advance it should not be a problem. Best of luck and have a good trip!

[bronco]

Originally Posted by White05X3

Your proposed plan is plausible but clearly challenging. I have done ED with very young children and they were awesome!

You can get a specific date. If you plan far enough in advance it should not be a problem. Best of luck and have a good trip!

What do you mean by saying "Challenging"
Do you think that I will not have enough time to pick up the car and drop it at the port in 2-3 days?
Or, is it because of the little one being with us?

Thanks!

[JSpira]

Originally Posted by bronco

What do you mean by saying "Challenging"
Do you think that I will not have enough time to pick up the car and drop it at the port in 2-3 days?
Or, is it because of the little one being with us?

Thanks!

I think your post might have been misinterpreted in that you were going to run to Germany for 2 days with baby and partner in hand and then come home. Just a guess.

You should be fine.

Of course, you might want to take the car with you on the rest of your holiday.

[hotrod2448]

Yeah, I think you will be fine with the car for just two or three days. Hell, if you wanted to pick it up and drive straight to MADA you could. Delivery only takes about an hour and half or so including waiting time. The delivery itself can be very quick if you don't need them to explain anything.

It's kind of what I'm planning for my next ED. I'll pickup the car on the second day in Europe and go to one or to places that would be fun with the car (IE: Nurburgring, even though I can't take the car on the track I just want to be there with it) then drop it off to be shipped and enjoy the other cities I plan to visit by train and just stay downtown.

I really enjoyed the autobahn and the country roads but, parking in places like Salzburg can be a bit nerve racking if you aren't used to city parking. Although I have to say in general most people seem to be much more courteous of other people's property in Europe than here in the US. Most of the places I want to see on the next trip are cities though and it is just easier not to have car.

[bronco]

Originally Posted by JSpira

Of course, you might want to take the car with you on the rest of your holiday.

I wish but I would rather ship it back to the states so I can h ave it and enjoy it when I come back

[bronco]

Originally Posted by hotrod2448

Yeah, I think you will be fine with the car for just two or three days. Hell, if you wanted to pick it up and drive straight to MADA you could. Delivery only takes about an hour and half or so including waiting time. The delivery itself can be very quick if you don't need them to explain anything.

It's kind of what I'm planning for my next ED. I'll pickup the car on the second day in Europe and go to one or to places that would be fun with the car (IE: Nurburgring, even though I can't take the car on the track I just want to be there with it) then drop it off to be shipped and enjoy the other cities I plan to visit by train and just stay downtown.

I really enjoyed the autobahn and the country roads but, parking in places like Salzburg can be a bit nerve racking if you aren't used to city parking. Although I have to say in general most people seem to be much more courteous of other people's property in Europe than here in the US. Most of the places I want to see on the next trip are cities though and it is just easier not to have car.

And that is kind of what we would like to do when we go visit Europe.
Instead of constantly worrying about the car, and where to park, we want to enjoy the vacation.
Plus, the only place that I want to be with a BMW in Europe is the "Ring", but then, the whole "break-in" argument comes back...
Oh well, if I end up getting the 335, I can always go to Road Atlanta for a day