Question for Germany residents

[Shawn]

Bought a new CR/W R53 in 2K3. Have lived in the U.S. and watched stone chips (primarily in Miami) turn my beautiful red car's front bumper area into a red with silver spots bumper. Decided to rectify that issue, and reduce the time spent worrying about its cleanliness, that my 135i would be titanium silver. Even though it is a much despised color on this forum, I do like the montego blue. Recently I have found out that I may move to Germany. I am aware the road construction is superior to the U.S., but would like to know how clean they are kept. My question to drivers in Germany, would a car be subjected less debris (such as stones) that chip away the paint in Germany than in the U.S.? Insight into this issue will go along way in helping my choose a color, if I actually do find out a move to Germany is certain. Thanks.

[natantheone]

I live in germany and own a black 135i with a few extra toys in it. The roads here are deffenatly different from back in the states. Its hard to really say that the roads are better here in germany than the states. Its more that they are cleaner and somewhat more kept up, as far as little rocks and such nightmares, i have yet to come across and such thing. The roads are usually very uneven in the citys and extreamly tight and are never straight! I dont know what it is about the germans but they couldnt build a straight road to save there life! As far as the autobahn goes, prepare for some high speeds with no worries or some serious staus! (stau=traffic jam) I just returned from a very nice road trip to day. The drive was smooth and comfortable on the bahn and bumpy ,narrow ,and nerve racking in the city. Thats because i have really gotten used to the ways of the autobahn. You either set the pace or get out of the way, its the law. I think once you get in the swing of things you will love it. The only thing you really have to worry about as far as colar is how is it going to look when its dirty? Because it will get dirty right after you wash it do to the awesome weather patters here in germany. Thats really the big thing.

[jkp1187]

Consider having some sort of paint protection film (http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Scotchgard-PPF/Home/) installed on your car's front bumper and hood. That way, the car will have a little more protection from road chips (or an errant parallel parker) regardless of your residence.

[EricG]

Roads are cleaner here than in the US. If you are moving to Germany via a US military related job you may want to wait on your BMW purchase until you arrive. Military sales prices are drastically reduced compared to US dealership prices.

[Shawn]

Roads are cleaner here than in the US. If you are moving to Germany via a US military related job you may want to wait on your BMW purchase until you arrive. Military sales prices are drastically reduced compared to US dealership prices.

How does it compare to Euro Delivery MSRP and Euro Delivery invoice? I qualify for Diplomatic sales which is invoiced near Euro Delivery invoice. I have heard there is absolutely no negotiating with the Military Sales client advisors, the price is what it is. As the diplomatic sales don't come out of dealer allocations, I would probably be able to get closer to invoice than would be possible for a standard or Euro delivery. Thanks for whatever Military Sales pricing info you can provide.

[EricG]

How does it compare to Euro Delivery MSRP and Euro Delivery invoice? I qualify for Diplomatic sales which is invoiced near Euro Delivery invoice. I have heard there is absolutely no negotiating with the Military Sales client advisors, the price is what it is. As the diplomatic sales don't come out of dealer allocations, I would probably be able to get closer to invoice than would be possible for a standard or Euro delivery. Thanks for whatever Military Sales pricing info you can provide.

The 135i military sales price is $31,050 base. You're correct, there's no negotiating. Germany delivery is $280, but you can get the full Welt delivery for $300 more. Everything is tax-free if you register through diplomatic or military registration.