# Euro delivery pricing; Sugg Retail vs. Wholesale



## jhall1957 (May 31, 2006)

So, I am looking at a 135 or 335 with Euro delivery this summer. I have read a number of sites and threads about this and have pulled the price sheets that are shown as "2009 Model Year Suggested Retail Price" and "2009 Confidential Wholesale Price". I gave specs to my local dealership and they gave me back pricing straight off the "Suggested Retail Price". The sales person, who is very nice but not 100% up to speed on this, told me that the dealership would make about $1,700 and that if they don't make that, it's not worth the time to do the paperwork.

What do you guys that know about this think?


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## philippek (Jul 31, 2003)

I think that Adrian would do significantly better than MSRP, would give you great service and a fantastic experience, and wouldn't give you any BS lines about how you aren't worth his time.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

jhall1957 said:


> the dealership would make about $1,700 and that if they don't make that, it's not worth the time to do the paperwork.


Individual dealers have their own policies on what their profit margin is. If you are not comfortable with this policy, you should look at forum sponsors.


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## Tanning machine (Feb 21, 2002)

jhall1957 said:


> So, I am looking at a 135 or 335 with Euro delivery this summer. I have read a number of sites and threads about this and have pulled the price sheets that are shown as "2009 Model Year Suggested Retail Price" and "2009 Confidential Wholesale Price". I gave specs to my local dealership and they gave me back pricing straight off the "Suggested Retail Price". The sales person, who is very nice but not 100% up to speed on this, told me that the dealership would make about $1,700 and that if they don't make that, it's not worth the time to do the paperwork.
> 
> What do you guys that know about this think?


BTW, I trust that you are looking at the SRP and CWP for "european delivery" not "US delivery"

As stated above, board sponsors, as well as other dealers, will often agree to a deal where the price is $1000-1500 over invoice other than for certain high-demand cars (is a 135 still in that category?).


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## Snareman (Nov 24, 2006)

When I got my first one I emailed all of the dealers within an hour or two and gave them the car I wanted asked for 1k over invoice. Several told me I was crazy. One told me that if I found anyone willing to do it to run, don't walk to that dealer before they change their mind. And, one dealer about 20min away said yes. And said yes again in December. Just shop around a little bit and you should be able to find a better deal. One of the dealers tried to give me MSRP and told me that they pride themselves on their good service. I told them I was hoping to not have to see them for anything other than oil changes (I only wish that ended up being the case) and that wasn't worth $5000 to me.


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## chaz58 (Sep 11, 2007)

Yeah, I got the same song and dance about MSRP and good service, so I used a board sponsor. Its nice to know you are in good hands with a CA that has good ED experince, and who supports the forum here. Other than oil change, I rarely go to the dealer, so the service thing wasn't that big of an issue. Besides, they want your service buisness no matter where you got the car.

Still, if you are only saving $500-$700, it may be worth it to you to buy local (if the dealer has good ED experince).


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## d geek (Nov 26, 2008)

For those of you who used a non-local dealer to arrange ED: Where have you gone for follow up issues and service? Does you local dealer treat you like a second class citizen if you don't purchase through them? thanks for any info.


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## Snareman (Nov 24, 2006)

d geek said:


> For those of you who used a non-local dealer to arrange ED: Where have you gone for follow up issues and service? Does you local dealer treat you like a second class citizen if you don't purchase through them? thanks for any info.


I know my Infiniti dealer did. I'd be curious to hear people's BMW experiences with the same situation. Do the service people know where you bought your car?


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## d geek (Nov 26, 2008)

Snareman said:


> ... Do the service people know where you bought your car?


I'm sure they do. It would be in their system if you had purchased the vehicle through them, so when you make an appointment for service and you are not already in their system, then maybe you don't get a loaner vehicle, or maybe your service appointement gets scheduled at a lower priority.


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## Snareman (Nov 24, 2006)

d geek said:


> I'm sure they do. It would be in their system if you had purchased the vehicle through them, so when you make an appointment for service and you are not already in their system, then maybe you don't get a loaner vehicle, or maybe your service appointement gets scheduled at a lower priority.


That was one of the things that happened at the Infiniti dealer. I had to buy the car somewhere else because they didn't have it. So the one time when I asked for a loaner, the service guy said, "Did you buy your car here?" I said, "just because I didn't am I going to get crappy service?" He didn't really have an answer for that one.


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## philcollison (Apr 1, 2008)

I presented a detailed list of the dealer prices to the CA (from the confidential wholesale list - Munich pick-up on the base and invoice on the options) and asked what profit they would want to carry, they said $1000 plus $99 to process the tags and title. Making the deal was absolutely stress free. However, executing the order was a stress as they simply did not understand the process, when to send in the Purchase Order, etc. If you are close to a sponsor, then suggest this, otherwise read, research and be the expert. No one will care as much about your car as you, so don't expect them to.


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## The BoatMan (Apr 2, 2002)

d geek said:


> For those of you who used a non-local dealer to arrange ED: Where have you gone for follow up issues and service? Does you local dealer treat you like a second class citizen if you don't purchase through them? thanks for any info.


Ive never had a problem. Some of the dealerships have given me free loaners even if though I didnt buy from them.

The dealerships are reimbursed by BMWNA for warranty work. It's not like their doing the work for free.


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## shakes (Mar 15, 2007)

I would have to say that if anything I have been treated worse at the dealers that I have bought from, with the exception of a guaranteed loaner there. One of the local dealers has offered loaners when I serviced my car there even though I did not purchase it from there. I have certainly never been treated worse by a service advisor because I did not buy the car from his or her dealer.


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## Mace14 (Mar 10, 2007)

Here in central Florida every BMW dealer (Tampa, Orlando and Ocala) gave me the same crap story about ED pricing..."firm fixed price", i.e., the price was fixed at ED MSRP. Nonsense. Of course that's when the CA even knew what ED was, many don't have a clue.

I'll second the suggestion that you get with Adrian Avila in Atlanta. The guy knows his stuff and is great to deal with. My re-delivery coincided with a business trip that brought me through Atlanta on a Sunday when his dealership is closed. He picked me up at the airport, redelivered the car in 20min and I was off. All this with absolutely none of the nonsense. 

There is a lot of stuff to deal with when it comes on planning a European Delivery. Tickets, locatons, lodging, passports, etc., etc. Having a CA that that knows the process lets you concentrate on the fun stuff vice worrying about whether your paperwork was done correctly, sent in on time, etc., etc.


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## j128i (Oct 17, 2008)

Snareman said:


> That was one of the things that happened at the Infiniti dealer. I had to buy the car somewhere else because they didn't have it. So the one time when I asked for a loaner, the service guy said, "Did you buy your car here?" I said, "just because I didn't am I going to get crappy service?" He didn't really have an answer for that one.


Well, for last 12 years I used 3 different Infiniti dealers for my 1996 G20 service. I got free loaner (Infiniti) car without problem. Free loaner (Acura) car for my MDX also. Actually it was the first time I heard about this crab that you have to buy the car from the dealer for service to get the free loaner when I tested drive BMW. Also, in some BMW dealers you may only get cheap Enterprise rental. 
Infiniti's idea about free loaner is that their customer is driving Infinit so s/he should still drive Infiniti when the car is at service. Why does not BMW do the same is beyond me.


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

j128i said:


> .... Why does not BMW do the same is beyond me.


It is really this simple: BMW is the dominant player and Infinity (as a late comer) is trying to compete and cut into the market. Let's face it... cetris paribus, people would pick BMW over Infinity. That is the answer to your question...

beewang


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Actually, it's even simpler.

BMW's franchise agreements predate the trend towards providing loaner cars.

Infiniti, Accura, and Lexus are all artificial creations of recent years, carved out of more pedestrian brands, and their creators were able to insert the loaner car requirement into the franchise agreement without any resistance.


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## CarSwami (Oct 2, 2005)

My winter car is a Mercedes SUV that I bought when I lived in the San Francisco Bay area. It was still under warranty when I moved to Maryland, but a couple of the local Mercedes dealers declined to give me a free loaner because I had not bought the car at their shop. One of them even told me that he could not guarantee me an appointment until the morning of the scheduled service because he had to first take care of those people who bought automobiles at his dealership. So I telephoned other local Mercedes dealerships and found other dealerships who had no such problems. Just call around and you'll find a dealer who will treat you well. After all, your money is just as green as that of the guy who bought his car at the dealership!


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## mikemac (Apr 7, 2004)

even better for the OP, he can choose ED and then have the car re-delivered to the Performance Center. So using a forum sponsor that isn't nearby becomes even easier!


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## flowbmw (Aug 31, 2006)

We got it straightened out. The original poster probably didn't realize we were a Bimmerfest Sponsor, nor did the salesperson realize we had a special for Bimmerfest members.

I apologize for the confusion!

Ed


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## Gig103 (Sep 10, 2007)

*jhall1957* - I see you live in North Carolina, so i can't stress this enough ... _ schedule a performance center redelivery_. You drive the car in Europe, then when it gets to the states you go to Greenville, SC for a morning with pro drivers, plus lunch and a factory tour. You're only three hours away from one of the best days ever!


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## flowbmw (Aug 31, 2006)

Gig103 said:


> *jhall1957* - I see you live in North Carolina, so i can't stress this enough ... _ schedule a performance center redelivery_. You drive the car in Europe, then when it gets to the states you go to Greenville, SC for a morning with pro drivers, plus lunch and a factory tour. You're only three hours away from one of the best days ever!


Yep, that's a great idea.

Ed


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## jhall1957 (May 31, 2006)

Yea, meant to update you guys! Flow BMW (excellent dealership) corrected the issue. It was a simple misunderstanding. They have met this pricing as outlined above and in other posts.

So shortly I'll order a 135i for delivery in early June and spend roughly 14 days covering alot of Europe with my 18 year old daughter.

Thanks for all the help!

Been looking at j128i's thread of his wirlwind tour of Europe and we are going to try and cover alot of the same turf.

Thanks again Diane at Flow!


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## Washburn (Nov 8, 2009)

Is Flow BMW still an active sponsor here? I am asking because we're thinking of doing an ED for my wife, and would like to make sure we can still contact Flow BMW for advice and planning the eventual ED


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## Pashline (Jul 27, 2012)

I went to Flow recently with the stated intention of discussing ED of a 550i. I had traded emails with them for weeks before going. I was disappointed to find out that the sales person they set me up with knew nothing about ED. To illustrate: we were discussing MSRP on the model I want and I said something like "the ED price will be different than MSRP" and salesman replies "Oh I don't think they'll charge you more than MSRP for ED" (!). 

After that waste of time I contacted Adrian in Atlanta and he is going to handle the transaction.

On one hand you could argue that the salesman simply dropped the ball on this but I also blame the dealership for setting me up with someone with no experience with ED in the first place.


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## aherman535 (Nov 11, 2007)

*ED and PCD*

I've had good luck with both ED and PCD here in GSO. Done several with them. I'm sure Adrian will do a great job as well.

PM if you want any info.

Andrew


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## Washburn (Nov 8, 2009)

Thanks, both of you! will definitely PM you with some questions as soon as we reach a definitive decision...wife is also considering an A4 with Audi ED  we'll see...

I am located in Fayetteville, NC - would it be too complicated / stressful to deal with a dealership in Atlanta, GA, (that's where Adrian is located from what I understand)
did you actually have to travel there in person?

Thanks again.


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## Pashline (Jul 27, 2012)

From what I understand the whole thing can be handled by phone/email.


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## aherman535 (Nov 11, 2007)

Yes, either from Atlanta or GSO, no big deal. A few calls or emails and you are done.

I've done 2 ED and 2 PCD out of GSO, so feel free to PM.

Andrew


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## Stavrs (Sep 8, 2011)

Washburn said:


> Thanks, both of you! will definitely PM you with some questions as soon as we reach a definitive decision...wife is also considering an A4 with Audi ED  we'll see...
> 
> I am located in Fayetteville, NC - would it be too complicated / stressful to deal with a dealership in Atlanta, GA, (that's where Adrian is located from what I understand)
> did you actually have to travel there in person?
> ...


Not complicated at all. I think it will be more stressful if you don't go to Adrian. I have done it twice and both times everything was arranged over email. I then just rented a car, one way, and dropped it off at the airport which is close to the dealership to pick up the car. Should be a 5 hour drive for you but you can also do PCD redelivery in NC which is closer but will take a bit longer.

:thumbup: for Adrian, you won't regret it.


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## Stavrs (Sep 8, 2011)

Washburn said:


> Thanks, both of you! will definitely PM you with some questions as soon as we reach a definitive decision...wife is also considering an A4 with Audi ED  we'll see...


Good luck trying to find a good dealer for Audi ED. I was considering an S6 or an RS5 and finding a dealer to work with was a hassle especially after the expectations you have after BMW EDs. Let us know if you do though!!


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## Kel (Mar 29, 2003)

Great, very helpful thread !


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## Popoemt (Aug 9, 2012)

Stavrs said:


> Good luck trying to find a good dealer for Audi ED. I was considering an S6 or an RS5 and finding a dealer to work with was a hassle especially after the expectations you have after BMW EDs. Let us know if you do though!!


I second this, there is a dealership out here in the SF bay area (Concord Audi), they do ED, but apparently they have had some bad experiences with it, so you have to deal with the manager directly to buy ED, V/r, Tim.


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## Washburn (Nov 8, 2009)

yep - Audi ED sucks from what i read.
it will be either BMW or Volvo - Volvo has a GREAT ED program, rated best by many
They *include roundtrip airfare for 2 and 1 night hotel stay and pick up from airport and free meals on delivery day.* plus all other services that are common to all other ED programs
I don't think any other ED program does the airfare and hotel stay for free....


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## Pashline (Jul 27, 2012)

But don't they offer a much lower discount from MSRP? 

A co-worker was telling me about Volvo ED and what is included but it seemed that essentially BMW gave you the discount to plan your own trip and Volvo comped many of the expenses with the final cost of the vehicle remaining similar to the US MSRP.


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## Washburn (Nov 8, 2009)

I will have to research more on that - it's possible, but one guy i know did and he still got about 7% off...not at all similar to MSRP...


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