20th Anniversary/San Marino M3 EuroDelivery NEW PICS LAST PAGE

[M2PDX]

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20th Anniversary Edition EuroDelivery 1996 - 2015 / NEW Pics added on LAST PAGE April 11



A bunch of years ago, I suddenly learned that I was going to have a kid. Uh oh. Goodbye 2 door Mustang GT V8 with lots of mods and a super loud exhaust and a tiny back seat. I needed a grown up car.

Easier said than done. That was 1996. A 4 door? With power and great handling? And a stick shift? I was lost. But one afternoon I opened up Car and Driver magazine, and there smack in the middle was a complete review of the new BMW 328iS. The S meant the same torquey inline 6 engine, but now with the suspension and tires and brakes to match. Not only that, but my dealer suggested European Delivery, and offered a 12% discount. That was music to my ears. Three months later, we landed in Frankfurt in the midst of a cold spell and huge snowstorms across the continent. But we were in Germany for the trip of a lifetime.

This picture is the OLD European Delivery Center in Munich. It's still there! We drove right by it on our way into town this year. Take a look at the 1996 wheels in the window! Brings back memories!









Frankfurt to Munich to Heidleberg to Dinkelsbuhl and back to Frankfurt in four days. The weather (in December) was cold, snowy, and treacherous! I vowed to go back just as soon as possible.

Time passed. Years went by. But the memories of European Delivery didn't fade, and the passion for BMW only increased.

The 328is was followed by what is still my favorite of all my cars, a ‘98 M3 sedan. I loved that car. Light, powerful, and handled like a go cart. Then a used ‘02 M3. I kept that car for 8 years before somehow being talked into trading it in on a new 2013 335is. Again, the "S" designating a bunch of factory installed M parts and engine tuning. But I discovered that although the "S" was really nice, but it really didn't mean "M." And yes, there is a difference. Somewhere in my mind, I started thinking that maybe, somehow, possibly I should celebrate the 20th anniversary of my first trip to Munich with a return to see the new "BMW Welt" and get a true BMW performance car, an M....plus take the girlfriend on a nice trip to Europe!



Weeks led to months, which led to over a year of planning, savings and research.

Attending the Portland Auto Show last January sealed the deal. They had a gorgeous black M3 on the floor, and I couldn’t stay away. I must have spent an hour of time sitting in it, looking at it, taking pictures of it and admiring it. The security folks literally had to drag me out as the show was closing for the night. A test drive the next day of a mineral white M4 confirmed that I MUST have an M again!

Bimmerpost proved to be an invaluable resource. I read every single post on the M3/4 and joined in on the conversations, trying to figure out exactly what I wanted. The EuroDelivery posts were the highlights. "On Your Left" just posted a great one. And Dackelone has some invaluable info. I also learned that you could now special order a paint color! I remembered seeing an M6 in an amazing shade of blue. A little research on Bimmerpost and I discovered it was San Marino. A couple of other post members had ordered the same color, and I knew that's what I wanted. Some lengthy negotiations with my local dealer ensured, but in the end the order was placed and finally production began. I packed my bags early!

Three months went by, and then the day arrived. The Lufthansa flight was very pleasant. We took the advice of my German neighbor and upgraded to “Premium Economy.” It’s one of the best decisions we made. I highly recommend it. Worth every penny.

As luck would have it, Automobile Magazine featured “40 Years of BMW In the US” on its cover, and the story inside featured three versions of the M3! Great prep for the upcoming 8 days!





We landed in Munich and were met by the Sixt driver (paid for by BMW, but we left him a very generous tip), who drove at warp speeds along the Autobaun into town.



We arrived at the Leonardo Royal hotel (recommended in the ED kit sent to us by BMW), near the Welt. Small but clean rooms. Gorgeous lounge, a nice breakfast and a very good parking garage (a must for anyone buying a new M, I think). We immediately took a short nap, and then hopped on the subway, ventured down to the Marianplatz, drank far too much beer and wine and did some shopping.











Morning couldn’t come quick enough. We’d scheduled time to visit the Welt, tour the museum, and take the factory tour. It would have been a quick and easy subway ride, except for the fact that we went in the wrong direction for 5 stops, which added a good 30 minutes to what should have been a 10 minute ride.

We finally arrived at BMW Welt (“World”). The displays are well done. There was an Atlantis Blue X5 on the floor (a beautiful color that dominated an entire Bimmerpost recently) various M cars, tons of motorcycles (cool for me since I own a few), a fully stocked gift store, and three different bars and restaurants. The building itself is amazing, and of course we took full advantage of our time in the “Premium Lounge,” which is open to anyone doing ED.

There are tons of photos of the museum and Welt itself, but here are a few of my favorites.










A word of advice: Don’t skip the factory tour. It’s right out of I-Robot, or another science fiction movie. Robots literally make our cars, and it’s amazing to watch. Pretty impressive! Even my girlfriend was fascinated!

Our delivery specialist, Wolfgang, was delightful, knowledgeable and thorough. He deserves a huge raise or end of year bonus from BMW. I had him sign my copy of Automobile, and he was a great sport.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, but seeing San Marino in person is amazing. Pictures don’t do it justice. And the exhaust for 2016 is a huge improvement, especially with the valves open.

















We were joined for the tours by CosmosMPower (Joseph and Jessica), a wonderful couple from Texas who we’d met through Bimmerpost, and who generously offered to come a day before their delivery and take pictures of ours! Thanks to Joseph for several of the higher quality pictures here.

The entire delivery process is first rate.

Our delivery generated quite the crowd watching from the walkway along the delivery area. M3s and M4s are not that common yet in Germany. They are more expensive comparatively there, and we found that the car gathered a crowd and positive reactions everywhere we went. One guy on the Autobaun in the passenger seat of a Mercedes SUV almost fell out of the car at 130 mph as they passed us.



There’s been a lot of discussion about the “gifts” you might receive if you spend a bunch of money to buy a BMW and to get there and back and pay for meals and hotels. Let me tell you………they’re nice little gifts. To prove it, here are a few pictures.







For us, this trip was about a car, but also about stopping and relaxing and making it into a vacation. So rather than dash off onto the autobaun right after delivery, we spent the rest of the day and night in Munich. We picked up our “Bucherer” stopwatch downtown, and then ate dinner at a delightful little German restaurant with Joseph and Jessica. What a wonderful evening. Here are a couple pictures of their M3 - - Mineral White with full Sakhir Orange interior. It was stunning!



The next day, we slept in. We were headed to Prague (Czech Republic), but the day looked drizzly, so we weren’t in any hurry. The drive was gray and cold but scenic. We stopped along the way and found a small, charming town (“Luchtenberg”) for lunch.

Two hours later, we hit Prague, in the middle of rush hour. We found our hotel, the Questennberk, which sits at the top of the hill not far from the Prague Castle, parked the car for the night, and launched on a 6 hour walking and wine tasting tour of all of Prague. Prague is a lovely city. It is one of the few large European cities not devastated by bombings in either WWI or WWII, and so the narrow, cobblestone streets, and 800 year old buildings have been preserved. The beer is excellent, the food first rate, and the shops and Charles Bridge are not to be missed. The next day, we spent the entire day walking the city, sitting in coffee shops, touring 1000 year old buildings, and generally enjoying ourselves. As in Munich, we stayed 2 nights, and didn’t feel rushed at all. Toured the town, sampled the local wine, dined at a charming restaurant right next to the American Embassy. Meanwhile our little M3 sat happily in its parking lot, away from the dangerous narrow streets and endless stream of delivery trucks, taxis and trains rushing around.









I think I got this look because I was taking too many car pictures! But she was a great sport the whole trip. LOL.











The next day we headed for Salzburg (Austria). So began one of the “entertaining” elements of our trip. Did I mention that robots at BMW seem to be in total control the manufacturing process? Well, we became convinced that our navigation system was controlled by robots as well. Twice along the trip (first on the way to Salzburg, and later on the trip from Munich to Rothenburg ob de Tauber) the system decided that it was opposed to the Autobaun. 2/3 of the way to Salzburg, we were directed off the Autobaun, and onto a series of small, windy, rural roads through little German and Austrian towns (for instance, Passau which was actually delightful). This, of course, added quite a bit of time to our trip, but ended up giving us an opportunity to see rural areas and entertaining back roads and scenery that we otherwise would have missed.





We finally arrived, located our hotel (the Wohlfuhlhotel Gabi) just outside the city. This is a gorgeous little family owned hotel that we highly recommend. The breakfast was simply outstanding, and the hospitality and rooms were first rate! We ate dinner at the “Grunauer Hof” not too far away, again drank some excellent local beer and wine, and retired for the night.

Salzburg. Wow. What can I say. Many of the buildings date to the 13th and 14th Centuries. It’s Mozart’s hometown, and the Cathedral, the Hohensalzburg Fortress and the town plaza and gardens are gorgeous and stunning. I could go on and on, but Salzburg is worth a full day. We arrived downtown at 9:30 a.m., and got back to the hotel after 11 p.m.

Again, two nights in Salzburg. Lots of time to soak in the scenery, sample the local beer and wine, and relax!











There is a nice little museum (Hanger 9) in Salzburg, and the architecture is worth the trip alone! The sun peeked out a little, so I drove the girlfriend nuts by snapping several dozen pictures. Again, the car drew a crowd of locals, who snapped a lot of their own pictures of me snapping pictures of this unusual San Marino Blue BMW. I swear that 95% of cars in Germany and Austria are grey, black or white. Mostly grey and black. There are hardly any reds, yellows, blues or greens. So this color seemed to surprise and delight many locals.









The next day was supposed to be an early departure to drive the Sella Pass and see how many other passes we could manage. But snow had hit that night (see Absoluteis’ excellent ED post for his pictures and details), and I was reluctant to take my rear drive, summer tire wearing, brand new M into those conditions. So we drank a little extra wine, hit the snooze alarm a couple of times, and then took off back to Munich, where we wanted to meet Bimmerpost member Brasko, and get some shots of his Laguna Seca Blue M3 at BMW Welt.





We were mobbed by a huge group of admirers!



One place we went on my 1st ED was Rothenburg ob de Tauber, a charming little walled city from the Middle Ages. If you’re there, stop through. It’s like a real life Disneyland. We stayed in the “Burg Hotel Relais du Silence” which was a bit dated, but is built into the wall of the city and which had a large indoor parking area in what was a barn for visiting horses and donkeys for several centuries!



















We saw our first Ford Mustang of the trip, and as a former Mustang owner, I had to snap a picture.



Day 8. Back to Munich for a trip to the car wash. We dropped the car off at the Airport, and then had to take a cab 10 miles to our hotel. If I had it to do over again, I would have spent the extra money to stay at the Hilton Airport Munich Hotel, which is next to the vehicle drop off, and across the street from the terminal! It was also host to this gorgeous 911 Turbo S and a brand new Cadillac ATS-V, which the Cadillac rep let me sit in. He offered me a drive, but unfortunately it would have required me to miss my flight the next day. And, after, all, it’s a Cadillac, and I now owned an M3!









We were tempted by this amazing offer, but decided to pass.



Did I mention that you should splurge and fly “Premium Economy” rather than “economy”? It’s worth every penny. Wider seats, more leg room, free drinks, better meals, amazing service, and you’re at the front of the plane.

Let me finish by stating what others have said before me: This is absolutely the very best way to buy a new BMW. Whether it's a new 220, a 535 or an M6 (or in my case an M3), you simply can't go wrong. The 7% savings dips to a 4% savings over U.S. MSRP starting on January 1, but that's still enough to cover your airfare and a few nights in hotels. It’s an amazing program run by an amazing company that sells amazing cars and you have the opportunity to spend time in some amazing places in Europe!

A few random observations and suggestions:

For fall or winter delivery: Dress warmly and with layers. It was C O L D during our visit. Next time, I’m going in August!

Spend at least an afternoon/evening in Munich before you pick up your car. It's easily accessible by subway, and the Marianplatz is worth spending 6 to 8 hours, wandering, shopping and eating. There are many fabulous restaurants, and you really can't go wrong with most. The architecture is spectacular, the shopping is amazing, and the people are friendly.

Hotels: We went with "Hotels.com," and read many of the user reviews. This got me good prices and we ended up enjoying our stays.

PickUp at the Welt: Schedule the car delivery in the afternoon. That leaves the morning for you to tour the BMW factory and museum, and take advantage of the premium lounge. It's such an amazing place, you don't want to feel rushed.

Driving on the Autobaun:

There's a lot on this site about driving on the Autobaun. Let me add a few points:

1) When you first get on the Autobaun, you will be shocked. Audis, Mercs, BMWs and even Skodas and Fiats will come flying at your rear bumper at 130 and they will not slow down. It is your job to keep a close eye in the mirror and get the heck out of the left lane. This is not the U.S. and if you don't move, you may very well be rear ended. Be respectful of the Germans who have the experience (and the courage) to drive 140+ and get out of their way. Don't risk wrecking your nice new BMW.

Don't be shocked if this happens to you: On our last day in Europe, driving between Rothenburg OBT and Munich, I was doing 110 and a middle age lady in a 10+ year old Honda minivan pulls up next to me in the middle lane. At 110 mph. She's eating a pastry in her right hand and steering with her left hand. After she finished the pastry, she started texting with her right hand and steering with her left hand. At 110-120 fr%k#n MPH. In a mini van. WTF??

Munich Departure:

STAY at the Hotel Hilton at the airport

"Sybil", aka "The BMW Navigation System"

Where do I start with this?

The maps were supposedly pre-installed on the inserted USB drive but, "Sybil," as we finally started calling her, seemed to have a mind of her own:

--Twice while we were in Munich, she couldn't find "BMW Welt" in her database. Are you kidding me? A BMW nav system couldn’t find BMW Welt. Instead, she took us 25 minutes out of the way to some remote Munich BMW parts facility.

--Later she sent us from Munich to Rothenberg ob de Tauber all on back roads, very carefully avoiding the Autobaun. The next day, she took us entirely on the Autobaun on the trip back to Munich.

--One day, she wouldn't shut up, even when we shut down the system. She kept navigating out loud over and over and over again.

--The next day, she stopped talking altogether for one long segment of our trip.

--She drove us literally in 4 block circle in the middle of Rothenberg OBT, over and over and over and tried taking us down tiny little dead end back allies not fit for a donkey in the middle ages.

--She seemed to be suffering from early-onset alzheimers and never once could call up any of our "last destinations."

In spite of “Sybil” we had a fabulous time, and I can’t wait to go back!

But I miss my M! She's on a boat someplace. Heading our way, I hope!

[GOLFFRR]

So AWESOME!! Loved everything about this post.

[robbys3m3]

Awesome post! Absolutely love smb

[Foggins]

Thanks for taking the time to write this post, what a great read. Enjoy your new ride!!

[Dackelone]

What a great ED trip you had!!

San Remo Blue is such a fantastic color. Your right in that it really comes alive in person than in photos. It's a special color.


Here are some basics for all you ED'ers... everyone should KNOW these signs... it can help you navigate around here...

fernverkehr = fastest way out of a city. Sometimes also written alle richtung



= fastest way to the Autobahn...


= Detour


This sing has two purposes... 1). The village of Altenforf. But this sign ALSO means the speed limit is now 50 kph, unless otherwise posted!


Detour sign, most commonly seen on the Autobahns. Sometimes they are on electrically activated Autobahn signs. Sometimes you just see them at major areas of traffic jams. So you know when there is a Stau(Traffic jam) ou can take this alternate way to your city/direction.


RIGHT before LEFT! On any small street, that is NOT a primary road... the car coming from your right has the RIGHT of WAY! IF your that red arrow... YOU must stop at the intersection when another car comes from your right side.


Another sign that means RIGHT before LEFT. It also means this area adheres to all rules of the road. You see these signs on private property like at a shopping mall or such. The car on the right has the "right of way".


When you are on the Autobahn in a Stau(traffic jam) you need to create a lane in the middle of the Autobahn. IF the Autobahn is only two lanes... its left and right! IF the Autobahn has three lanes, the left lane goes LEFT and the middle and right lanes of traffic GO RIGHT!!


Pedestrian Zone! This sign also means cars "may" drive here... but only at 5 kph! That means in 1st gear VERY slowly. IF you are ridding a bicycle... you must dismount in this area.


Leaving "Wilster"... next village "Schotten" in 6 kms... BUT... this sign also means now the speed limit is 100 kph, unless other wise posted. No more 50 kph!


You can buy the Vignette (road tax decal)for the Austrian Autobahn here. You see these signs near the border when traveling into Austria. Just stop at any German or Swiss Autobahn gas station to buy one. No decall and its a 120 euro fine. And also IF you do not fully adhere the sticker to the windshield... that's a larger fine(500 euros) bc the Police think you are movin the sticker from car to car - avoiding the tax!




PS: That blue Mustang was registered to a German. (I can tell by the custom plates!). Its very rare you see a German driving a Mustang much less a V8 powered one!

[ia12]

Very nice. Sounds like an amazing trip. I just picked up my SMB and definitely an awesome color.

[Orjan]

Great write-up, and a beautiful car! Got to love the San Marino blue What interior do you have? Opal white?

[muhri]

Amazing trip and pics, enjoy!

[Jedi_M]

Mustangquadcam,

I really enjoyed your ED report, especially your previous history doing a ED back in 1996! You were one of the early pioneers trailblazing a path for the rest of us. It is interesting that you got a massive 12% discount back in 1996. With the discount going down to 5% starting next year, I can see BMW eventually reducing the discount to zero like Porsche’s current ED program at which point most people would just skip it entirely.

San Marino Blue is my favorite color for the M3. It beautifully highlights all the contours and creases of the body and changes color in the sunlight. The only thing I would change is getting the carbon fiber roof instead of the moonroof. Unfortunately, individual paints were not offered on 2015 models like mine. Oh well, I will have to wait till 2023 to get the next-gen hybrid M3 in SMB. My mineral gray color is low key so it looks like any other 3 series to the general public and did not get much attention either in Europe or in the US for that matter. Contrary to your girlfriend, I wanted to see more photos of your car in Europe. How much of a premium over a standard color does individual colors cost? Also, did you get Lasik surgery to get rid of your thick eyeglasses?

Sorry to hear that Sybil decided to hop on board your ED and try to sabotage your trip. My nav was flawless in driving 1,400 miles so I am guessing that you got a bad Europe map USB stick. At least you got all the gifts including the stopwatch which I didn’t get.

I agree with you in doing an ED in warmer weather. I did my ED in July and had hot sunny weather which I prefer even though it was too hot at times. I find that I have a more positive impression of a city when visiting it in nice weather plus the photos come out better in sunny weather.

[Sonic M]

Great wright up and color!

[absoluteis350]

Awesome car Mustangquadcam! It's a shame we were so close together but never got a chance to meet, as I would have loved to see the San Marino in person. Was Prague difficult to get into with the car? Or were most of the roads reasonable? I assumed you just used public transportation while in Prague ?

You are right, any future ED I will be planning for September (since that's when the new models come out). October is an uncertain time with the weather and pass closures.

[SW19]

Looks like you had an amazing trip,enjoy your new M3.

This pic with the Laguna Seca Blue M3 looks incredible.

[brian30tw]

Hey, I had the same Sixt driver!

Great photos of a great trip! Thanks for sharing.

[larryn]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

PS: That blue Mustang was registered to a German. (I can tell by the custom plates!). Its very rare you see a German driving a Mustang much less a V8 powered one!

From Ansbach, which is very close to Rothenburg o.d. Tauber!

[2HIGH~PSI]

I am at a loss for words. Simply Fantastic Post.

Ever since joining bimmerpost, I see all these ED trips and I am nothing short of amazed by all the write-ups, experiences and advice.

I have told my gf numerous times how I really want to do something like this.

This write up sealed the deal further. I wish I could "like" it more than once.

I also regret not doing my M in ED. Couple years will be my goal.

[Brosef]

awesome post - welcome to the SMB F80 family. very cool seeing the old ED facility

[mineralsc]

Great write up and fantastic color!

[M2PDX]

Originally Posted by 2HIGH~PSI

I am at a loss for words. Simply Fantastic Post.

Ever since joining bimmerpost, I see all these ED trips and I am nothing short of amazed by all the write-ups, experiences and advice.

I have told my gf numerous times how I really want to do something like this.

This write up sealed the deal further. I wish I could "like" it more than once.

I also regret not doing my M in ED. Couple years will be my goal.

Yes, there is nothing like it. And part of the fun is the planning process. Bimmerpost has so much great information and gives you so many great options. Take your girlfriend. I guarantee you she'll love you 10X more once you go.

[M2PDX]

Orjan: The interior is Silverstone. It looks almost white in a lot of pictures. In person it's a bit more gray (which I was happy about)!

Brosef: I read all of your posts when you were putting together your car, and loved seeing the pictures you posted. It really confirmed that I'd made the right choice!

Nantucket: The owner of the Laguna Seca M3 is also from Portland. He lives just about 10 miles away from me! So we have at least two special order Blues here in Oregon!

Absoluteis350: I got to enjoy the passes vicariously through your post! We did some mountain driving in my last ED, and it was treacherous. So this time, we decided against it. But next time I'm going in August! Fortunately, we have a lot of winding, beautiful mountain passes here in the Cascades, and I will frequent them with my new M when it arrives. Your post was fantastic, by the way.

[Needsdecaf]

Awesome trip and georgeous color. I'm so disappointed that many people are ordering this color, as I had wanted it to remain somewhat unique when I order it, but I don't think that we're over a dozen yet, so there's still that!

Love the story about the 20th anniversary trip. Glad to see you had such a good time!

[M2PDX]

Originally Posted by OnYourLeft

Mustangquadcam,

I really enjoyed your ED report, especially your previous history doing a ED back in 1996! You were one of the early pioneers trailblazing a path for the rest of us. It is interesting that you got a massive 12% discount back in 1996. With the discount going down to 5% starting next year, I can see BMW eventually reducing the discount to zero like Porsche’s current ED program at which point most people would just skip it entirely.

San Marino Blue is my favorite color for the M3. It beautifully highlights all the contours and creases of the body and changes color in the sunlight. The only thing I would change is getting the carbon fiber roof instead of the moonroof. Unfortunately, individual paints were not offered on 2015 models like mine. Oh well, I will have to wait till 2023 to get the next-gen hybrid M3 in SMB. My mineral gray color is low key so it looks like any other 3 series to the general public and did not get much attention either in Europe or in the US for that matter. Contrary to your girlfriend, I wanted to see more photos of your car in Europe. How much of a premium over a standard color does individual colors cost? Also, did you get Lasik surgery to get rid of your thick eyeglasses?

The ED program is such a great way to build great brand loyalty. BMW does it right. The Welt is amazing, the Premium Lounge is cool and very nice, the staff are wonderful, the food and beer are excellent, and the whole experience is amazing. It made me even more appreciative of BMW, and it would be a shame to the beancounters eliminate the incentive.



I spent the $4550 for the San Marino and skipped the Lasik. I actually had contacts way back then, but for some reason I was wearing my glasses that day.

I love the carbon fibre roof, but I saved more weight by opting for the 6MT (which is utterly and absolutely the very best and most amazing manual I've ever had). Plus, it rains so much here that when the sun is out, I'm always desperate to open the sunroof, enjoy the rays and the blue sky.

But no matter which car you order, what options you pick, how many days you take or what cities you visit, there is no better way to get a BMW than EuroDelivery!

[Jockey]

Beautiful combo. Would love to do the whole ED experience one day.