Long time no see...Euro Del.Installment #1 (long)

Well, it's been years since i have posted here for the first time many moons ago yaking about my 97 540 and all the mods i just had to do. Fast forward 2 more 540s and three M5's later...two trial separations (politically correct) with the wife, and a career change, i'm back...have the day off and decided to write...maybe more appropriate for a blog, but whatever...

After a short break from bimmers, we doing a family trip to Europe. My wife, not a huge car fan, so i thought ( do you really ever know someone?) but surprised me with..."you've always wanted to do the Euro delivery on a BMW, why don't we order one and get it while we're there?"

"What?" "Who are you?" As with all beautiful things, persons included, they don't exist without some kind of issue (s). My wife is no exception. So a few years back, i sold my M5 and played the responsible husband role and got into a Lexus 350 for my commute, not a terribly big mile commute, but for L.A., 25 miles each way is possibly triple in many other cities/States, etc. So bye bye bimmer, hello boring. Coming from an M5, yes, a IS350 is boring. Coming from a 75 Pinto, not so much.

So Euro trip is -98 days and counting a couple of days ago and we go on the spur of the moment stop to a local dealership. IMHO, nothing beats an M5, so I suggest we do the Euro delivery for her.

We still live apart at the moment, so i do the "hero" thing and kill two birds with one payment; Get the Euro Delivery and do the "hero" thing and make it about her. So it's a win/win in my book and she loves being thought of first (don't they all) so I look like a genius and a giver....She picks the bimmer she wants (535 w/ sport package, Comfort/Technology Black Sapphire with natural Brown Leather) and i head to my bimmer rep whom I've been dealing with for 15 years in Beverly Hills and order it.

Now, in many cases, and in my experience with my wife in particular, that would be the end of it. My job would be to figure out the details of tailoring the trip around the pick up and getting us to our originally intended itinerary with the rest of the family - the cruise. Off my wife goes to her office and i head home to mellow out for the rest of the day, log in and look at a few possibilities for this newly added adventure, and prepare for my work week.

Twenty minutes later, as I'm typing into my google maps - "scenic drive routes Munich-Nice" - i get a call from my wife. She has already found a BMW ED site. She has researched flights on Lufthansa and their deals for BMW ED clients, and where to stay in Munich. She has happened upon BMWCCA, the existing rebate program on new BMW purchases (which i had to explain we don't qualify for as i/we haven't been a member (s) for the required year prior to purchase), a route to the South of France from Munich where our cruise starts, the BMW drop off point in Nice, France and a list of lunch spots and an overnight stop for us to make at Lake Lugano!!

All this excitement from a women who could care less about cars and whose research (outside of her profession) usually consists of finding Jimmy Choo or Manolo Blahnik shoes on sale or second hand.
Thank g-d or I'd be driving the Pinto.

I essentially order her car from BMW of BH. MSRP for her car - @$62K.
We're paying @ $55k - translates to $500 over factory invoice. Could I have done better? Maybe. We're leasing and our money factor is where we wanted it. Plus with ED, you pay an extra .0003 added to the MF you negotiate. Our MF = .0021 (.0019 plus .0003).

Now she comes up with this idea. "Why don't we order you a car and pick it up on our way home?" "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY WIFE?"

So i order a 550 sport, Space Gray, Black Dakota/Dark Poplar, Nav, Logic7, everything except rear side airbags, and rear heated seats. I was going to stick with the 6 speed, but the commute in L.A. traffic is too much to deal with these days, so i opted for step/sport and paddles. I've always been a 3 peddle guy, but, I enjoyed the SMG in the M5, so I went with the convenience over tradition. I'm looking forward to playing with the night vision as we spend a lot of time in Santa Ynez east of Santa Barbara...Anyone who has been up that way knows how dark it can get on those roads - so it might come in handy?

So, on the way back and after the cruise, we go back to Munich, get another one....and head drive back to Paris for the ride home... and wait the 6-8 weeks for re-delivery.

Because we live apart and they will be registered in our own names, we can get two vehicles. If we were together, we wouldn't be able to get both. I guess separation/divorce has it's advantages??

I'll keep posting as updates occur for those thinking about ED, have experienced ED, etc. I'm damn excited about the whole thing.

Any suggested routes to the South of France from Munich and Munich to Paris routes, sights, etc., would be much appreciated!

D.A.
SinisterM5
Dinan S2 - Carbon Black Sport
5/03 Build
ACS Type 2 Wheels - Color Matched Carbon Black
Alcantara Steering Wheel
Upgraded to Wood Trim
20% Tint