[togepi]

2016 m235 is 44150, ED is 41110. Plus the options I want (dakota leather, 6MT, kidney grilles, M side decals, CF mirror caps), it comes out to 43840. All the used m235 within 500 of me are all selling for more than that, so what is the point of buying it used? I'm guessing there's no point in waiting for the dealer to get rid of the 2015s because these cars are gone the second they arrive/get returned. I was looking at E90 335/335is, but it seems like they are all in the 30-45k range anyways and if this is the case, then I might as well buy a new car that comes with warranty for 4 years, right?

[MikeT]

Yes, ED is the most economical way to get an m235i optioned exactly like you want it... with the following caveats:

(1) Take delivery before the end of the year. ED in 2016 will cost more (~$900-$1,000 in the case of the m235i.

(2) You have to consider the cost of your trip. How much are you going to spend on airfare, hotels, meals, sightseeing, etc? If you are doing ED to primarily to save money on the car, you're going to need to carefully consider your travel expenses. If you're doing ED not only to save on the car but also because you want to take a trip to Bavaria, then the costs of the trip are money well spent.

[shark715]

We will be picking up our 235 in Munich the week after next.

As a general statement, given the $ you will be spending on the trip (assuming two travelers), it pretty much works out to a free vacation rather than a discount on the car.

Also consider that an ED delivery will delay the permanent delivery of the car here. Finally, BMW won't let you apply the occasional promotional credits they offer toward an ED delivery, further diminishing the difference in price.

No doubt we are going to enjoy our trip (although we are going to Austria and are a bit concerned about the getting back across the border into Germany given the refugee situation), but given that BMW is going to reduce the ED discount starting with January deliveries, I'm not sure we will ever do ED again unless we are traveling to Europe for some other reason.

But I also know that there are other forum members who have done multiple ED deliveries and say they would never purchase a BMW in any other manner.

[togepi]

Sweet, thanks for the info. If I order on December 30, 2015, am I still paying 2015 ED prices? Btw shark715, what is the length between you ordering to you taking delivery? Thanks!

[Vitacura]

I believe the discount goes to 5% for any vehicle with a completion date of January 1st and beyond. So ordering on December 30th would not give the current discount since the vehicle wouldn't be produced until January at the earliest.

[shark715]

Originally Posted by togepi

Btw @[shark715], what is the length between you ordering to you taking delivery? Thanks!

We could have picked up the car about 6 weeks after ordering, but we delayed our pickup date simply because we could not take the trip any earlier.

[angelbones]

With the change to 5%, that's a $1000 difference from before on a $50k car. I definitely had it in mind before, but I may reconsider now. Merc and Audi are at 5% so I suppose, that BMW is trying to compete with them. Does anyone know the reason for the change? Seems as if they should take advantage of the strong dollar while they can.

[AlpsRider]

Keep in mind that you can negotiate a deal on a ED down to about $700. above ED invoice or about 12% less than US MSRP. If your dealer is only offering the stated 7% off of MSRP then I would renegotiate or contact one of the many dealers that will give you that price.


Comparison:
Your best dealer non ED price
to
Target price of around 12% off US MSRP + travel expenses + any promotions that don't apply to ED

[krhodes1]

Jumping in a bit late - also don't forget that at this point you are bumping up against the point where snow tires are legally required in Germany. And renting them is EXPENSIVE - more than buying a set here.

I can't remember the exact date this takes effect every year, but there are plenty of threads on the subject, and I am pretty sure there is blurb on the BMW ED website about it too.

I've done two EDs now - only way to buy a BMW. Getting to experience these cars on the Autobahn is the thrill of a lifetime.

[shark715]

Originally Posted by krhodes1

also don't forget that at this point you are bumping up against the point where snow tires are legally required in Germany.

Actually snow tires are not legally required in Germany on any specific calendar dates. The law is that if you do not appropriately equip your vehicle for the weather conditions that exist during your drive, obstruct traffic or get involved in an accident as a result thereof, it is possible you may be cited for a violation of the law by the local authorities or be found to be grossly negligent according to the law. Moreover, it is possible that all season tires could be deemed inappropriate in severe snow conditions.

[krhodes1]

Originally Posted by shark715

Actually snow tires are not legally required in Germany on any specific calendar dates. The law is that if you do not appropriately equip your vehicle for the weather conditions that exist during your drive, obstruct traffic or get involved in an accident as a result thereof, it is possible you may be cited for a violation of the law by the local authorities or be found to be grossly negligent according to the law. Moreover, it is possible that all season tires could be deemed inappropriate in severe snow conditions.

That is technically true. BUT, as you say, they certainly are required when the conditions warrant, and the those conditions start any time now, especially at higher elevations. Snow tires ARE required by date in a number of nearby countries, Austria and Italy for example. I went through eight countries on my last Euro Delivery tour.

Doing an ED in the winter would be really neat (and the travel is cheaper), but renting appropriate tires is quite expensive. But at least it is possible. If I were going to do it, I would look into buying a set of snow tires and shipping the OEM tires home. Still expensive, but at least you would still have the tires.

[shark715]

We took a bit of a risk last week when we took our summer tire equipped M235i to Hintertux Austria to ski on the glacier. We kept monitoring the weather forecasts to make sure we were not caught off guard, but when we left the hotel garage pre-dawn on Wednesday to drive back to Munich to catch our flight home, we were surprised to find it snowing rather than the rain that was forecast at that elevation.

Even though the temperature was +2, it was snowing hard enough to cause slushy mix on the road, and to accumulate on most other surfaces. Given that the ground was fairly warm there (temps were pretty much in the 10-15 range while we were there) the road was hardly slippery at all (I tried a couple of test panic stops so I knew what I was dealing with), and after driving about 4 to 5 miles down the hill, the precipitation was all rain.

But for the first few minutes we are basically in shock seeing it snow so hard while knowing we were on summer tires.