So continues the wait - Update - Status 195 - On the QUEEN SAPPHIRE

Update: 10-31-2012
Took delivery on 10/29 and I love the car. Jump to the following post in this thread to see my initial thoughts on the car:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...9&postcount=79

Update: 10-18-2012
The QUEEN SAPPHIRE just passed under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge!



Update: 10-4-2012:
Status 195... In Transit. On board the WW QUEEN SAPPHIRE

Port	                Country	                      Arrival	        Departure
 
BREMERHAVEN	GERMANY	                     30/09/2012	02/10/2012
GOTHENBURG	SWEDEN	                     04/10/2012	05/10/2012
ZEEBRUGGE	BELGIUM	                     07/10/2012	07/10/2012
SOUTHAMPTON	UK                     	     08/10/2012	08/10/2012
HALIFAX, NS	CANADA	                     15/10/2012	15/10/2012
NEW YORK, NY	U.S.A.	                     17/10/2012	18/10/2012

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shi...00&header=true

Update: 9-26-2012:
Status 193... Arrival at Port of Exit

Update: 9-25-2012:
Status 190... 190 - Dispatched From Ag

Update: 9-24-2012:
Status 155... Final Assembly/Quality Check

Update: 9-24-2012:
Status 154... Assembly! I wish there was a way for me to watch.

Update: 9-21-2012:
Status 152... Entered Paint Shop

Update: 9-20-2012:
Status 151 today... I'm in the body shop!

Original Post from 9-5-2012:
Yup... I didn't think I'd be this excited, but I am.

335xi
Alpine White over Coral Red, brushed Aluminum w/ black gloss
18" 397's
ZSL
ZDH
ZPP
2TB Sport Auto (wife will be primary driver)
Heated seats, no ZCW
609 Nav, no ZTP
6WA Extended Cluster

Should go in week 39... with a bit of luck I'll have it before Thanksgiving.

The hardest part was deciding on tires... I had it in my head that I'd get the summer rubber since I have a set of winters that *should* fit the F30... but I talked myself out of it and will stick with the all-seasons. I have a couple weeks to make changes, so I suppose I can change my mind.

Excited me is excited.

build, production, timeline, assembly, shipping, port, tracking, order, wait

Originally Posted by rtgirard

Yup... I didn't think I'd be this excited, but I am.

335xi
Alpine White over Coral Red, brushed Aluminum w/ black gloss
18" 397's
ZSL
ZDH
ZPP
2TB Sport Auto (wife will be primary driver)
Heated seats, no ZCW
609 Nav, no ZTP
6WA Extended Cluster

Should go in week 39... with a bit of luck I'll have it before Thanksgiving.

The hardest part was deciding on tires... I had it in my head that I'd get the summer rubber since I have a set of winters that *should* fit the F30... but I talked myself out of it and will stick with the all-seasons. I have a couple weeks to make changes, so I suppose I can change my mind.

Excited me is excited.

Congrats! But you should go with the summers and put on dedicated shoes in the winter. Think about it you are actually compromising grip, and potential enjoyment year round! And besides the initial outlay to get the winter setup, you actually come out equal in cost, assuming you keep the car long enough to go through a set of summers and winters! Get the summer tires!

Otherwise, beware, if you are excited now, you have no idea what is coming! That last week is the worst! Congrats again!

Originally Posted by samualcc

Congrats! But you should go with the summers and put on dedicated shoes in the winter. Think about it you are actually compromising grip, and potential enjoyment year round! And besides the initial outlay to get the winter setup, you actually come out equal in cost, assuming you keep the car long enough to go through a set of summers and winters! Get the summer tires!

Otherwise, beware, if you are excited now, you have no idea what is coming! That last week is the worst! Congrats again!

My thoughts exactly. You've got great, twisty mountain roads in Upstate NY. Take advantage of them! Congrats!

.

I'm mulling over the tire question and wondering this:

Since this is a lease, do you think it makes sense to get the all-seasons now, run my winters this coming cold season, mount summers on the OEM wheels next spring and save the all-seasons for near lease turn-in?

Ditto on status 112.
Why are you expecting week 39 for production?

Originally Posted by rtgirard

I'm mulling over the tire question and wondering this:

Since this is a lease, do you think it makes sense to get the all-seasons now, run my winters this coming cold season, mount summers on the OEM wheels next spring and save the all-seasons for near lease turn-in?

that is what I am planning to do, only I am going with summer/summer. I figured we get cold winters about 1 every 5 years here in NVA with one heavy snowfall and for that I can hop on the X5 or ride the Metro. The way I drive I would need two sets of summer non-RFT and then I will slap on the OEM tires for turn in. I am probably not going to buy rims.

Originally Posted by elistan

Ditto on status 112.
Why are you expecting week 39 for production?

That's what my CA said. I got really lucky that they had a production spot allocated already, but unsold. They do a ton of 328s but not nearly as many 335s, so I just happened to walk in the door at the right time.

Congrats to you as well!

Originally Posted by windsor027

that is what I am planning to do, only I am going with summer/summer. I figured we get cold winters about 1 every 5 years here in NVA with one heavy snowfall and for that I can hop on the X5 or ride the Metro. The way I drive I would need two sets of summer non-RFT and then I will slap on the OEM tires for turn in. I am probably not going to buy rims.

Makes sense for sure since you have the X5 for the truly nasty days. Were I to buy a set of summers, I have no idea how long they'd last. I've been driving on all-seasons and snows ever since I got my license in 1995. :-)

I suspect I'd go through two sets during a 36mo lease.

Update - The car is Status 150 today!

Yup - got my VIN on Tuesday, and as of yesterday the BMW website shows it in production. (I assume that's what 150 indicates.)
A little bit nicer than week 39, eh? Where do the ships dock? At this rate, our cars will probably share a transport...

Yea, very possible we'll be shipmates. The ship will leave from Bremerhaven and my car will go to the VPC in New Jersey. I would assume yours would go to Galveston, possibly?

A lot of good info in this thread over in the E90 subforum: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=382239

Nice, that's going into the bookmarks, thanks.
Yeah, Galveston isn't very far away from Dallas.
ps - have you ever heard of being able to track the car's production through the factory via camers therein? Somebody told be that's possible in some plants.

Originally Posted by rtgirard

Makes sense for sure since you have the X5 for the truly nasty days. Were I to buy a set of summers, I have no idea how long they'd last. I've been driving on all-seasons and snows ever since I got my license in 1995. :-)

I suspect I'd go through two sets during a 36mo lease.

Depending on the tire naturally but you will. Trust me.

Originally Posted by elistan

ps - have you ever heard of being able to track the car's production through the factory via camers therein? Somebody told be that's possible in some plants.

I've not heard that, but maybe someone who has can chime in.

Originally Posted by rtgirard

I've not heard that, but maybe someone who has can chime in.

I heard that they did that for the US built X3's - they had a special website where they held a few clips from the cameras and tied them to your production number or something. The best I could manage for mine was a screen capture of the boat (the Tysla) coming into the harbor at Baltimore - I tracked the ship and found some highway cams that looked at bridge traffic and caught the Tysla going under the bridge on it's way to the dock. I'm not obsessive. Really I'm not.

my dad has an X3 and they sent him a video of his car being built(little clips) pretty cool. wish they did it with the f30

Dumb question: I thought you could only order a car for a purchase. How/where do you custom build a car for your lease? Thanks.

Originally Posted by legaleye3000

Dumb question: I thought you could only order a car for a purchase. How/where do you custom build a car for your lease? Thanks.

Nope... buy or lease, same thing as far as the ordering process goes. Just talk to your Client Adviser at your dealer. They know what to do... usually.

When they do this, you pretty much lose the ability to negotiate though, correct? Not as good of a deal...?

Originally Posted by legaleye3000

When they do this, you pretty much lose the ability to negotiate though, correct? Not as good of a deal...?

Not at all. It's still the same process... you have them build it, their system reports what MSRP should be and then you work your way down (or work your way up from what you think invoice should be, usually about MSRP minus ~7%). Same process... The dealer, however, may be more firm since they know they've got a customer on the hook for a car he/she really, really wants.

Ask around in the 'Ask a Dealer' section for some pointers, and check out bmwconfig.com to build a car the way you want and educate yourself on what the invoice pricing would be. For a heck of a deal on a lease, you want to get the initial cap cost down around invoice+500 to invoice+1000. That's a relatively good deal regardless of being a custom order or not.

You can order what you want and negotiate the price, the same on a lease as an outright sale. After. All you are buying it, for a few years any way.

Status 151 today... we're in the body shop! I assume final assembly could start as early as Monday or Tuesday.

The anticipation makes me feel 5-yrs-old again waiting for Santa to leave me something shiny. On a related note, my wife thinks I'm insane.

Nice. I swear, our cars must be nose to tail on the assembly line. I don't have status 151 specifically, the BMW website isn't so useful there, but as of yesterday my VIN shows up on the VIN decoder sites, and its with a production date of yesterday. So I'm assuming that's a change from 150 to 151 for me too. I'm surprised its taking this long to go through production, actually.

Originally Posted by elistan

Nice. I swear, our cars must be nose to tail on the assembly line. I don't have status 151 specifically, the BMW website isn't so useful there, but as of yesterday my VIN shows up on the VIN decoder sites, and its with a production date of yesterday. So I'm assuming that's a change from 150 to 151 for me too. I'm surprised its taking this long to go through production, actually.

Quite possible!

I'm lucky that my CA checks on the car every morning for me and sends me a quick update. BMWUSA.com certainly doesn't give you a very granular or timely look at what stage the order is in.

If you have an actual production date then you may be ahead of me in line by a bit. I only have an estimated date, not an actual production date... which suggests to me that you may be in or through final assembly. Ask your CA, he'she will be able to tell exactly where it is in the process.

Well, my CA is out today, but the website has updated to indicate 02 - Production Ends.