BMW European Delivery Program Ending for North American Customers!

[ChuMpion3]

Very sad. This was a bucket lister for me and my wife after the kids were out of the house. I had visions of my passions: new cars and history (and French wine). This will cost BMW a customer down the line. If another brand is offering it, I will be going to them in 2 or 3 purchases.

Does Porsche do this?

[CRtoE92]

Originally Posted by ChuMpion3

Very sad. This was a bucket lister for me and my wife after the kids were out of the house. I had visions of my passions: new cars and history (and French wine). This will cost BMW a customer down the line. If another brand is offering it, I will be going to them in 2 or 3 purchases.

Does Porsche do this?

Yes porsche does but without any discount. I want to plan a trip with macan S ED

It is gonna be a direct negotiation as if you were getting a car locally in US, i've heard that people can get 7% off msrp for their ED orders

[onesixeight]

It's really sad BMW is doing away with Euro Delivery. My best memories have been during my euro delivery trips.

I really hope BMW will reconsider it again in the future. I've done both Euro and Spartanburg and while Spartanburg is good and there is track time, I'd still like Euro better.

While it maybe a loss leader, from a business standpoint, I would consider a Mercedes or Porsche instead for my next purchase.

[onesixeight]

Originally Posted by CRtoE92

Yes porsche does but without any discount. I want to plan a trip with macan S ED

It is gonna be a direct negotiation as if you were getting a car locally in US, i've heard that people can get 7% off msrp for their ED orders

Porsche is no discount plus it's an extra cost option on your build sheet. Sometimes the dealer eats the cost, but it's coming out of whatever you negotiate with your dealer.

[ChuMpion3]

Originally Posted by onesixeight

Porsche is no discount plus it's an extra cost option on your build sheet. Sometimes the dealer eats the cost, but it's coming out of whatever you negotiate with your dealer.

ED was never about the savings for me. It was about the experience. BMW better make the next M3 a good one or I am out.

[rome5982]

Wow, I heard about this today and checked the forums to try and understand why they are doing this. We did ED with our 2016 M3 at the end of Oktoberfest in 2015. Best vacation my wife and I did since having kids. Had no idea participation was declining so much? I thought people were traveling more? At least prior to the pandemic. Very sad day for BMW

[snareman]

I'm thrilled I got to do 4 EDs with the last one being the best at 10d and 1,000 miles. My friends that had never heard of the concept thought it all sounded crazy, but the experience of taking a vacation in Europe with YOUR car couldn't be beat. Although realistically I was running out of directions from Munich to drive I would have gladly tried to find another route for my next ED. I guess a PCD will have to do now. I did that along with M-School with my last car and while the experience was amazing followed by driving my car home to Ohio, it definitely didn't match that of EDs. While I started it with my first ED for the savings it definitely became much more than that in the end. I always loved seeing my car in the German countryside. It just looked better over there for some reason.

[RowanBuds]

Originally Posted by ChuMpion3

Very sad. This was a bucket lister for me and my wife after the kids were out of the house. I had visions of my passions: new cars and history (and French wine). This will cost BMW a customer down the line. If another brand is offering it, I will be going to them in 2 or 3 purchases.

Does Porsche do this?

Originally Posted by CRtoE92

Yes porsche does but without any discount. I want to plan a trip with macan S ED

It is gonna be a direct negotiation as if you were getting a car locally in US, i've heard that people can get 7% off msrp for their ED orders

Originally Posted by onesixeight

Porsche is no discount plus it's an extra cost option on your build sheet. Sometimes the dealer eats the cost, but it's coming out of whatever you negotiate with your dealer.

Originally Posted by ChuMpion3

ED was never about the savings for me. It was about the experience. BMW better make the next M3 a good one or I am out.

That's good to hear (keep reading).

I want to add on something that's a huge distinction here. My understanding of the Porsche Euro Delivery program is that the end user (you, the purchaser) are responsible for paying the VAT on the purchase up front. That will be returned to you after the car is state-side, but I'm having difficulty finding specifics on just how long and complex that refunding process is, as it using Porsche NA as a middleman.

So, not only do you not get a discount, and have to check an option box to get the car overseas; you're also going to pony up 19% of the list price in cash on top of whatever your financing arrangements call for. In my build price range, I'm expecting this to look like close to a $40,000 check.


The BMW ED Program turned me into a BMW loyalist, and I've been planning my purchases in a way that would allow me to do one every 4 years or so. But now, I'm looking for other options, and trying to figure out what's next. Had the G05's been built in Germany, I'd already have done my second.

[alex2364]

Originally Posted by RowanBuds

That's good to hear (keep reading).

I want to add on something that's a huge distinction here. My understanding of the Porsche Euro Delivery program is that the end user (you, the purchaser) are responsible for paying the VAT on the purchase up front. That will be returned to you after the car is state-side, but I'm having difficulty finding specifics on just how long and complex that refunding process is, as it using Porsche NA as a middleman.

So, not only do you not get a discount, and have to check an option box to get the car overseas; you're also going to pony up 19% of the list price in cash on top of whatever your financing arrangements call for. In my build price range, I'm expecting this to look like close to a $40,000 check.


The BMW ED Program turned me into a BMW loyalist, and I've been planning my purchases in a way that would allow me to do one every 4 years or so. But now, I'm looking for other options, and trying to figure out what's next. Had the G05's been built in Germany, I'd already have done my second.

Just did a quick Google search about this and according to previous Porsche ED buyers, this depends on the dealer. Some dealers didn't ask for it, some asked for a check but didn't deposit it, some asked for a check and deposited it. So I guess you would need to shop around and ask the dealer to see what their policy is before ordering.

[RowanBuds]

Originally Posted by alex2364

Just did a quick Google search about this and according to previous Porsche ED buyers, this depends on the dealer. Some dealers didn't ask for it, some asked for a check but didn't deposit it, some asked for a check and deposited it. So I guess you would need to shop around and ask the dealer to see what their policy is before ordering.

Yes, you are correct as a generality, but in actuality the real answer is dependent on model.

If you happen to be considering one of their GT cars () the real questions to worry about for the buyer are, in order:

• Can I get a guaranteed build slot locked down?
• Will that be guaranteed for a month that's not Winter in the Alps?
• Am I close enough to the dealer to have them take me seriously as a first time P-car client to put my name on a PTS GT order?
• Is the dealership willing to go to bat for my choice of paint-to-sample if that's the route I want to go?
• Will the dealer be helpful/competent at working out a Euro Delivered order?
• Does the dealer that matches all of the above cover my VAT?

So, you're right after all; it depends.

For a prospective buyer my advisement would be to set your own expectations properly in advance - walk in expecting to have to write the VAT check. I'm seeing it as an extra portion of my down payment, that I'll just be putting down a little later than the first part if I can make this pan out. For now, I'm pending step 1 until the next GT3 has it's build start date confirmed.