Hi guys/gals, below is a brief introduction of myself followed by one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever been on. Sorry for the long story, feel free to skip to "Part 3: Delivery Day" for the car pictures. Also, thanks to the community here at f80.bimmerpost, the knowledge I've gained since discovering this forum led to me being able to fulfill a big dream of mine!
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Munich
Part 3: Delivery Day
Part 4: Munich to Salzburg
Part 5: Salzburg to Füssen
Part 6: Füssen to Aqua Dome
Part 7: Aqua Dome to Airport
Part 8: Overall Thoughts and Tips
Part 1: Introduction
Just so everyone understands where I’m coming from when reading some of my expressions about how amazing this M4 is: I got my first car in 2004, a 1996 Silverado. Great vehicle for a first time driver, had a lot of fun in that thing. In 2005 I upgraded to a 2006 Scion tC, which is what I’m still currently driving while I wait for the M4 to arrive. It’s been a great 11 years with this car; I’ve never had any issues.
I've been a car nut my whole life, but never really had a huge passion for the ///M brand until the E60 M5 came out. Something about that car just did it for me. I loved everything about it, still do. Fast forward to when the M4 came out and those similar feelings came back. I couldn’t get over how good it looked. I never thought I would actually have one, I planned on driving the tC until it wouldn’t run anymore, . Well, I was reading reviews on the M4 and stumbled upon this forum around this time last year. I started reading people’s ED posts, I never even knew this option existed! As I started doing more research, following the lease rates thread, seeing what peoples monthly payments were, I started calculating our finances to see if this was a possibility. Well, after a few months of research, it looked like it was! I told my wife, she didn’t agree. I told her if I presented my findings and she still didn’t think it was a good idea, then I would let it go, but she HAD to have an open mind about it. Well, I worked on a PowerPoint presentation for around 3 months to make sure it was perfect (this was a presentation to get a dream car, it had to be spot on!). Well, you know I got the M4, so the presentation was a hit!
After I got the green-light from her, the fun began. I initially wanted a pretty simple build, the things I had to have were: SO exterior, full SO interior, DCT, adaptive suspension, and black 19” rims. The rest I really didn’t care too much about. When April came along and the residuals shot up to 62%, everything changed. I had already become comfortable with the monthly payment I was quoted and these new residuals allowed me to add a few extras and keep that monthly payment pretty much the same. Ended up adding the competition package (at this point I really started to like it, especially as the initial impressions from other members of this forum started coming in), lighting package (loved the look, but couldn’t justify the cost), executive package (just wanted the HUD, didn’t care for much else), and side/top view cameras (wife really wanted these).
Got our production number, sent in my preferred dates for June, and the longest wait of my life began.
Part 2: Munich
Departure day finally arrived! I had a countdown app on my phone that I had been checking daily for the past 45 days, it was finally showing 00:00:00! We booked economy through United (using points), so we weren't too excited about the long flight (8 hours) after our connection from Indy to Dulles. I always take an aisle seat since I need the extra leg room and my wife loves the window seat so she can look out/rest her head against against the wall. We were so excited when the pilot announced that the doors had been shut and we were preparing for departure and no one was sitting next to us! That made such a difference and was a nice spoil. We left Indy at 2:45pm on 6/8 and arrived in Munich on 6/9 at 8:00am. We bought some new neck pillows to try and they really helped (I can never usually sleep on a plane), ended up getting a solid 2 hours of sleep.
Wife taking advantage of the extra space and really liked the neck pillow.
Arrival in Munich was quick and easy, no line at customs and bags came out relatively fast. We left baggage claim and found our driver, Mr. Rachachi. We followed him to our ride, a 530d (was hoping for a 7 series, but this was still very comfortable). Unfortunately traffic was pretty bad since we left the airport around 8:30am. We ended up arriving at our hotel in downtown Munich (Tulip Inn) close to 10am. At this point we were both pretty tired. We went to the front desk and asked if it was at all possible to check in early, they said we were in luck and that the people in our room checked out early in the morning and the cleaners had just finished with it. We got the keys, went to the room, and slept for a solid 2 1/2 hours (set an alarm so we wouldn't over sleep and struggle in the night).
We decided to head out to Marienplatz to walk around for a bit and wake up. There was a light drizzle, but not bad (no umbrella needed). We enjoyed our walk, a lot of beautiful architecture to see. We weren't in the mood to try any of the German food yet, just needed something familiar since we were both starving at this point. Found a burger place, Ruff's Burger, very tasty! After that we strolled through the Viktualienmarkt, a lot of delicious looking things there, glad we had already eaten or else we could have done some damage.
The next morning we left the hotel and walked to the main Munich station (Hauptbahnhof) to buy tickets to Dachau (if you're going to buy tickets, buy the Munich XXL ticket, it gives you round trip access on the train and includes the bus ride once you get there). Took us a while to figure out where the S2 line was, but we eventually found it (underground, not above ground where the main trains are). Arrived at the camp for the English tour at 11:00am, unfortunately it had already been filled, so we ended up doing the audio guides. We actually preferred this, allowed us to go at our own pace. We spent a solid 3 hours at the camp before leaving back to Munich. Stopped and had our first Döner kebab near the Dachau station, SO GOOD! Overall, we're glad we went to the camp to experience it, but it wasn't quite what we expected. In our opinions (sorry if this offends anyone), they didn't do a very good job of properly portraying the suffering that went on in that camp. When we got back to Munich we went to Hofbräuhaus to people watch and have our first beers in Germany (can't believe it took so long!). The atmosphere was great, beers were delicious, and the pretzels were huge! Went back to the hotel after and called it a night.
The next day we walked north to the start of the English Gardens. The rain had stopped at this point and it was perfect walking weather. We walked to the river where we watched some of the locals surf in the wake caused by the water pouring in. We saw some guy shooting a film, not sure if he was famous, had a British accent. Stumbled upon some really nice Audi's as well (the highlight of the walk for me). Got to the Chinesischer Turm where we had another large beer and pretzel. Walked around the lake and then headed back to the hotel. Walking the park was very nice and relaxing, our legs were so sore by the time we got back to the hotel. Total distance walked for the day was approximately 12 miles.
The following day (6/12), we went to the Welt! Not to pick up the car, unfortunately, but to get our free tickets to the museum. The Welt is gorgeous inside, a lot nicer than I expected. We didn't go to the lounge (3rd floor), just the main two floors for the public. Walked around for a bit after getting our tickets, trying my hardest to avoid seeing SO in person, luckily there weren't any there. I've waited this long to see it, might as well wait another two days for delivery. There were two beautiful M4's with ZCP on the main floor (MW and BSM convertible). The rims are looking so good at this point, I think I prefer them over the black 19s now. Went to the museum and had a great time. The wife was with me, she didn't look like she was having the best time, so I didn't get to read as much as I would have liked, but still went to all the different rooms and had a good time. It was a nice museum, just wish they had more of the modern cars in there, but you can see them all at the Welt.
Wife's European Delivery
After the Welt, we walked to Olympiapark, very pretty over there. Went into the pool arena (felt like a sauna), lots of people swimming. Went to the main stadium, really cool! Our bodies were still hurting from our previous days walk, so we didn't walk to the top of the "mountain", maybe tomorrow. Went back to Hofbräuhaus for some more beer and stumbled back to the hotel to call it a night. It was Sunday in Munich, so everything was closed, was a good day to relax and lay low.
The next day we went back to the Welt for our factory tour. Once we got there, we were told to go to the 3rd floor to the premier lounge to check in. The wife and I were both given cards for the tour and our delivery the next day. We were also given the vouchers for the vests and engraved key ring, as well as a 10 euro credit on my card. The factory tour took approximately two hours and was AWESOME!!! By far the highlight of our trip up to this point. I wish it would have lasted another two hours. The coolest part was getting to see the engine being placed into an M4. We also got to see a GTS in production. Ended the night with a Döner kebab (I'm hooked on these right now, so good!) and called it a night... or at least tried to... neither of us could sleep due to the excitement.
Part 3: Delivery Day
Today was the day!!! I made my wife scream so loud in the morning, the room next door must have thought I was stabbing her. I woke her up by throwing the covers off and yelling, "IT'S DELIVERY DAY!!!!". We left downtown Munich at 7:00am for our 9:10am delivery. We thought that there would be a lot of people riding the underground to get to work, but it was like a ghost town, hardly anyone down there on a weekday that early (not like the US). Ended up getting to the Welt at 7:20am. Sat downstairs for 30 minutes (gave me extra time to look at/take pictures of the M2). We heard a loud car being driven above us to the staging area and just had a hunch that it was ours. I didn't want to ruin the surprise, but my wife didn't mind, so she took the camera and went to the viewing area and took some pictures. Came back and said it was ours
It was finally 8:00am and we went to the lounge. Checked in, signed the book (was so nervous, my hand writing looked like I broke both hands and had to write it with my feet...), went and got some food, and sat at the windows and watched as they brought more cars out. There were two other M's that were being picked up that morning, a MG M4 and a convertible AY, neither of which had the competition package.
Going by my favorite stop on the way to the Welt... I know... immature
Waiting for the Welt to open
M2 really does look better in person
It was finally 9:10am and we met with a really nice lady (Ulricke (sp?)) who brought us down to the briefing room where they show the demo videos. She couldn't believe that this was my first BMW and that I had never even test driven the M4 (or any BMW for that matter). The demo was done and we were ready to see the car! I was so excited at this point, my hands were shaking, couldn't stop smiling, slowly walked down the stairs to see her. Turned to the side and BAM, there she was. OH. MY. GOSH. she looked better than I could have imagined! WOW! Knew right then and there that I 100% made the right choice in color. It looked AMAZING with the black accents of the ZCP and the rims. We spent a good couple of minutes taking pictures before our agent started going over the vehicle. It was finally time to sit in the car, those seats just grabbed a hold of me. They felt like they were formed specifically for me. The bolsters were hugging nice and tight, but not too tight, the shoulders felt great (was worried about that since I have broad shoulders), and the headrest didn't push my head forward like I read in another thread. We went over iDrive (probably spent more time on this than usual since it was my first time using it), packed up our luggage (we were able to fit one large suitcase, one medium, and two backpacks perfectly). It was time to start the engine, the moment I had been waiting for! I put the throttle in "sport+" and everything else in "sport" and started her up. SOOOO much louder/menacing than we were both expecting (videos do these cars ZERO justice). We just looked at each other and started laughing... THIS is the car that we get to have in our driveway??? That I get to drive to work every day??? We did two victory laps and left the delivery area. Drove around the tornado for a picture, I walked towards the street so I could fit everything in the frame, by the time I turned around there were already two guys who had walked up to the car and started looking at it. The picture turned out well, but I messed up by going past the sign instead of stopping before it. We got back in the car and headed for our first destination.
Getting ready to see her for the first time!
Part 4: Munich to Salzburg
We drove straight to Bräustüberl Tegernsee for lunch, was a fun drive (got a lot better when we got off the highway and onto the side roads). Once we got in town I kept the car in second gear and kept letting off the gas to hear those pops/crackles. Non-stop smiles. Had lunch (very good, minus the $5 we spent on a glass of water each... what the heck, it cost 20 cents less than a pint of beer...). Left that beautiful town/lake and drove to Café Winklstüberl for a slice of pie/cake. I saw m4recruiter post a picture in his thread of the dessert he ordered a few months ago and saved it on my phone so I could order it as well. Showed it to the server and he knew exactly what it was! Delicious! We also got a slice of some other cake that was tasty.
First Leg
Bräustüberl Tegernsee
Tegernsee Lake
First time seeing her in the sun, so beautiful
Café Winklstüberl
Left the cafe and drove to Salzburg. The wife was exhausted (due to the lack of sleep the night before) so she actually slept for about 45 minutes of the drive. Usually I hate it when she sleeps while I drive, but this time I couldn't care less. It was just me and the car, driving through beautiful southern Germany, and enjoying all the great sounds the car was making (doubt I'll ever need to turn the radio on). Got to our hotel in Salzburg, Pension Bloberger Hof. Once we checked in it started raining really hard, so we decided to just unwind in the hotel room, update our family on the trip, share some pictures, and call it a night. A day that I'll never forgot!
Pension Bloberger Hof
A nice greeting when we arrived, very friendly dog of the hotel owners
View from our room, no complaints!
Day after delivery. First thing I did this morning was go out to the car and sit in it for a bit. We weren't going to do any driving today (or at least planned not to). We each got a Salzburg Card and caught the bus into town. Did some of the usual touristy things while we were there. Really nice city to just stroll through and look in the shops. Went up to Fortress Hohensalzburg, pretty cool but nothing amazing. Best part about it were the views to take pictures of the surrounding scenery. After that we took the bus to the Salzburg Zoo (was a must for the wife). It was very nice, much better than I expected. After that we went to the cable car to take us to the top of the mountain, got there only to find out it was closed for the next couple of weeks for repair... that was the main reason we got the cards, since that's a pretty expensive attraction. Caught the bus back into town, found a beer garden and sat down for some food and drinks for about an hour while watching the Switzerland/Romania soccer game. Caught the bus back to the hotel and decided to take the car out for a quick spin, couldn't stand just looking at her anymore. We drove out about 15 minutes, pulled over and let the wife get into the drivers seat. This was her first time driving, and by the look on her face when we got back, it won't be the last... she loved it.
Fortress Hohensalzburg
One of the many great views from the fortress
We thought the pretzels we've had up to this point were huge... we were wrong!
The following day we drove to the salt mines (Salzbergwerk Berchtesgaden), highly recommend it. The tour itself was very interesting and the slides were a lot of fun (only 2 of them). Wish they would have allowed pictures to be taken. The scenery near the mine was incredible! The wife wanted to drive home and try out the paddles (she never used them before except maybe once when I got her to try Forza). She did pretty well with them, except one point where we had to slow down. She down-shifted a bit too fast and had the RPMs fly to around 6500. She got scared and asked, "what happened?!" lol. We laughed about it for the rest of the trip, every time the car revved high, "what happened?!". After that she drove the rest of the way in "D", which surprisingly still makes a lot of pops/burbles from the exhaust (when in sport+).
Getting ready for the mines!
View at the mines, incredible. Decided to stay there and eat lunch
"Wiener Art", the wife's favorite thing to order, the servers didn't think it was as funny
Using the paddles!
Part 4: Salzburg to Füssen
Left Salzburg for Füssen today (6/17). We were planning on stopping at Tiroler Hof Kufstein for lunch per Dackel's recommendation for having the best schnitzel. Unfortunately it was closed when we got there, couldn't really read what the sign said, but had June 24th on there, so guessing it was closed until then. Decided to just continue on our way and eat once we got to Swarovski Kristallwelten. Cool place, but not sure if I would recommend it... really "interesting" displays they have... must need an artists mind to really appreciate it. Our favorite part was going into the playground, we asked the lady if we were allowed in there, she said anyone ages 4-99 years were welcome
. From there we drove the rest of the way to Füssen. Talk about an amazing drive, probably one of the best drives of my life. There wasn't much traffic, beautiful scenery, and quite a few tunnels to make some noise in
We stayed at Hotel Sonne Füssen. Was a bit frustrating when we got there since they don't really have anywhere to park while you check in and you can't park in the underground parking until you have your room key. Ended up parking a couple of blocks away and walked to the hotel to check in. Once we got our keys, everything was fine. The underground parking is a bit tight, my wife got out and guided me. The hotel was great, highly recommend it. We both really enjoyed Füssen, nice city to spend a day in.
Second Leg
The Playground
The amazing views while driving to Füssen
Ramp down to the parking structure at Hotel Sonne
Part 5: Füssen to Aqua Dome
Left for Aqua Dome today (6/18). For some reason our GPS wasn't working, it just stayed on the search screen the whole time. We were going to Neuschwanstein Castle to take the mandatory bimmerpost picture, luckily I looked on google maps prior to leaving. Eventually we pulled over and turned the car off and unplugged/re-plugged the USB Drive, locked the car, and walked away to make everything reset. Started up the car again and everything loaded and was good to go. I was so excited when I found the right road to take the picture
Third Leg
Drove part of the same route as the previous day, going back the other way. Unfortunately, there was A LOT of traffic for half the trip. Was stop and go for a solid hour. Eventually it opened up and the drive was another amazing one. Got to the Aqua Dome around 2pm, the room was fantastic, great view. The free drinks in the minibar (non-alcoholic) were nice as well as some fresh fruit. We dropped our luggage off and decided to walk around to see where everything was. That was a little awkward, especially being fully clothed and walking past people in their birthday suits. After we saw everything (of the resort and the people), we went back to our room to get our swim suites on (we decided to take things slow and stick to the main pools for our first day). It was nice and relaxing. Dinner was delicious (buffet style), bar was nice (live music). Just a note if you eat there, get up and fill your cup with water, if you ask for water they'll bring you a bottle and charge you for it. Went back to the room to relax (and watch the Austria/Portugal game) and calledl it a night.
View from our room at Aqua Dome
Really cool that they reserve a table for you and it's the table you use for the rest of your stay (breakfast and dinner).
The next day the wife was ready to embrace the European culture and try out the saunas (clothing not allowed). We spent the morning going through the different rooms, there were a lot. I wasn't feeling as "free" as the wife, I kept the towel around me the whole time (except for one room when we were the only two in there). The saunas are very relaxing, felt good afterwards. We probably did things backwards, since we decided to go for a hike after the saunas. We could see a suspension bridge from our room and wanted to check it out. Not going to lie, was further than I expected and somewhat regretted my decision when we were halfway up the mountain...
She's pointing to the suspension bridge
Not so excited any more
But she survived
Had a nice view of the resort from the bridge
Overall, enjoyed the Aqua Dome, but wasn't really my style. The wife loved it, so I guess it was worth it. The breakfast/dinner is really good, best of our trip.
Part 6: Aqua Dome to Airport
Time to drive to the airport where we were going to spend our last night
. This was the longest drive of the trip. We were planning on stopping at Highline179, but since we went to the suspension bridge near the Aqua Dome we decided to skip it and drive straight to Andechs Monastery for lunch. The food was great (and cheap) and the beer was delicious. Arrived at Moxy Hotel around 4pm. Very "hipster" hotel and by far the cheapest of all our stays. Parking was great, very spacious. The wife had some studying to get done (taking her nursing boards soon), so I decided to take the car to a gas station near the airport with a self service car wash. Very convenient spot for anyone that wants to wash their car before dropping it off at Munich Airport (Agip: Nordallee, 85356 München, Germany). Used the pressure washer that sprayed soap as well. Didn't use the brush there, brought some of my own microfibers. Then used the pressure washer again for the rinse (had 3 buttons for the rinse, no clue what they said, so I picked the middle one). After that, drove by LogInOut so I knew where to go the next morning. Glad I did that since it wasn't the easiest to find. The directions they give you at the Welt are confusing since it says "before" the Hilton, so when driving (down the one way road) you expect it to be before that big building you approach, but it's actually the first road past it down the side. Drove back to the hotel and called it a night.
Fourth Leg
See you soon!
Part 7: Overall Thoughts and Tips
I have to say, this was a trip that I'll be talking about for a long time. I had an amazing time, so glad we were able to do it. Delivery day felt so special, they treat you really well at the Welt. The only thing I think I would have done different was the amount of time we stayed in Munich prior to delivery. We had five full days to explore when we probably only needed three. Five was nice since we never really felt rushed and could take our time with stuff, but after day three I just wanted the car!
The car... where to start. The car has far exceeded my expectations in every way. From the look, the sound, and the way it drives. I was convinced (from pictures) that I needed to add the M-Performance CF diffuser and spoiler. After seeing the car in person, I'm not so sure anymore. Would it looks better? Probably. Is it as urgent to get those as I thought it would be? Nope. She looks great 100% stock. THE SOUND! Out of the ~550 miles we drove, we probably only had the radio on for 15 of those miles, we were more than happy just to listen to the engine/exhaust. Those pops/crackles will never get old. Revving the car in a parking garage when the engine is warmed up is phenomenal. I'm going to miss her while she floats across the Atlantic... hopefully it doesn't take the full 10 weeks for PCD.
I had three main goals for this trip, and all were reached:
1. No honks: wanted to get through the whole trip without getting honked at from other drivers - Check
2. NO damage to the car: I thought I failed this goal in the first 10 miles of driving. There was a large stick/branch in the road that I couldn't avoid and drove over. It left a little scuff on the lip on the drivers side, but I was able to rub it out, phew - Check
2. Convince the wife of the awesomeness that is the ///M brand: The wife doesn't like BMW's and didn't know why I wanted an M4 so bad. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of other cars BMW offers besides their ///M division. I told her than an M4 is nothing like a regular 4 series, it's on a whole new level. She wasn't too convinced at first, but I'm happy to say she's a believer now. She get's where I'm coming from and doesn't see our M4 as a BMW. She said it feels like we have something exotic, nothing like the other BMWs she's been in before. She already asked if she can use it on the days I work from home... - Check
Tips:
1. Coordinates: Some people mentioned bringing coordinates to all the places you're going since the GPS sometimes won't find what you need it to. I never experienced that problem and found the "online" search to be great. I did bring a list of all the addresses though, just to make sure what I was looking up on the "online" search matched what I brought.
2. Microfibers: If you plan on washing your car prior to dropping it off, bring some microfiber towels. I just ordered the cheap ones off Amazon. Brought 5 with me and threw them away after washing. The cost of the self service place I went to was only 4 Euro.
3. Umbrella: Don't forget to pack a small umbrella! So glad I remembered, there was a lot of rain while we were there.
4. Road Sign Flash Cards: For anyone who wants to study the sign's you'll see while driving, I created a set of flashcards that I used. If you have the Cram app (free to download if you don't), search for Halewafa and you'll see the set I made. Use the "memorize" setting and you can go through them until you master the deck. This was all I looked at and driving was fine.
5. Chase Sapphire Preferred: I have this credit card and it was great for traveling. No foreign transaction fees. Also, if you have a lot of points saved up from a Chase Freedom credit card, you can transfer them to this card and use those points to book your flights. Don't book through Chase though, you can transfer your points at 1:1 with no fee to your United MileagePlus account (free) and book your flights with that. Our round trip flight ended up being 1,200 points + $200. So $1,400 total, saved a lot of money doing that.
6. Cash: While using the credit card was great, I didn't realize how many places would be cash only (even some gas stations). Bring plenty of cash! We ended up using $500 USD cash that we brought with us and exchanged at the airport. They give you funny looks if you try to purchase something that's only a few Euro and you try to use your card... Not like here where I use it for EVERYTHING.
7. Sheets: Do they not believe in using sheets over there? NONE of the hotels we stayed at had sheets, which sucked when it got warm in there. You either used the thick comforter or nothing at all. If we knew this ahead of time we would have packed a sheet.
8. Menus: Hardly any of the restaurants we ate at had English menus, thought it would be more tourist friendly, especially Munich/Salzburg. Ended up just looking up the menu on google with my phone before leaving the hotel and translating it to English, then taking a screenshot to bring with. Eventually we started figuring out what everything was, but took a while.
9. Shoes: Have a decent pair of walking shoes. The total distance walked for this trip (according to the pedometer) was 88 miles... my hip started getting sore towards the end, still a little tender today.
For those who read through this, hope you enjoyed my trip. For those that just looked at the pictures, hope they didn't disappoint. I'll be doing PCD when the car returns, so I'll be sure to update this once I do that as well.