Prelude to my trip
July 2007 - Ordering day
IT'S A 3,571lbs GIRL!! Her name is Cooper…ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok,(think Joe Pesci in Lethal Weapon) for those that have not figured it out, I'm talking about a car. It's a car lover thing, we can't help ourselves. Anyway…moving on, so I finally decided to take the leap into bimmerdom and order my new baby. After being a forum stalker on bimmerfest.com and e90post.com while adding my .02 to different threads and researching the European Delivery (hereafter referred to as ED) process, I take the plunge.
I called Joern Esser at Passport BMW in Marlow Heights, MD (excellent service deserves a shout-out:thumbup
in July to let him know that I was ready to come in to place my order. When I arrived he remembered me from last year when I came in to order the car. I know, I know he could have been faking it, but he remembered that my girlfriend was with me during the first visit (she was not with me on that day in July) and he remembered my name.
A little history is in order here. Joern comes highly recommended on Bimmerfest, along with a very select few client advisors from around the country. It should be noted that every BMW dealership is not competent, nor properly informed about the ED process. So use the search function on Bimmerfest and e90post to find those client advisors nearest you that come highly recommended. OK, OK, OK, I digress!!! Back to the bit.
So anyway the first time I came in to see him it was a Saturday which in car sales is a busy day for a salesperson. I advised him that I was not ready to buy, but I wanted to find out more about I-Drive and the other BMW features as well as what he knew about the impending release of the E92 335i. He sat in a 5er for at least an hour going over the system with me. He never seemed rushed about his time which really impressed me, especially after the reception I received at the other two DC area BMW dealers (Fairfax and Sterling, bad service deserves a shout-out also:thumbdwn
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Fast forward back to the present, we sit down to put together the car and again he is not rushed to get through the order. We even take time to discuss our dogs (he has a Siberian Husky and me a American Bulldog), the vacation he took home to München in March and a few other topics. He is an extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic person about the product he is selling, but laid back. He is vested in making sure that you are going to be happy with the car you order. For example, I was still a little on the fence with the interior and exterior colors. He sought out swatches for me to look at instead of using the samples in the catalog. He gave his opinion on different color schemes giving pros and cons of what he has seen and what works and what does not work.
In all I was probably in the dealership for about 3 hours. Be sure to bring your passport. Actual order time was less than an hour. Cooper's (that is the name I have decide to give my car) setup is Barbera Red Metallic, Crème Beige Leather, Light Poplar Wood, Comfort Access, Parking Distance Control, Nav, IPod Adaptor, and BMW Assist with Bluetooth, Cold Weather Package, Premium Package, Sports Package and 6-speed manual tranny. Redelivery is via Performance Center Delivery in Spartanburg, SC instead of at Passport (hopefully). We did speak about the service department and some of the issues other 'festers have had and he said no worries, if there is ever a problem just come see him and he will take it up with the service manager as he has a good rapport with him.
After the order is completed, I told him of my plan to deal with the performance tire issue if it is snowing in Germany. For the uninitiated, it is illegal to drive in Germany or for that matter most parts of Europe with summer tires on your car if there is snow on the ground. He kind of gave me a blank stare:rofl:, while trying to keep his composure from busting with laughter, but he never said it could not be done. My plan is to buy winter tires in Germany if necessary and have them put on the factory wheels. When I am ready to leave, I would have the performance tires put back on before dropping off to Harms or chance leaving them on and bring the summer tires back. Another option would be to check with Harms about putting the summer tires in the trunk and have them included on the bill of laden. Joern did mention this may be possible, but did not go into details. Since the tires weigh between 25-30lbs, I would either box 2 tires together or have two tires wrapped together and check them as the second piece of luggage for myself and my girlfriend. They will be within the 70lb weight limit and within the airline limit for box size. Yes, I know how big the boxes will be. The tires I was looking at are the Nokian Hakkapeliitta (may be overkill for where I live) or the Dunlop Winter Sport M3. I know my plan sounds nuts, but if there is snow forecasted while in Deutschland, then "I'ma make it do, what it do" (in my best Janie Foxx as Ray Charles voice):bigpimp:.
19 July 07
I went to AAA to pick up my international driver's license. It a pretty painless process, took all of about 15-20mins and $30 for two. I know many people have said they never got one and only certain countries require them, but with my luck I'll be the one that gets stopped, not have it and end up in "zie kooler":rofl:.
I did meet a nice woman from Switzerland in the office. She was eager to tell me about the drive from Lucerne to Lake Como and on to Parma when I asked. She also stressed taking some of the local roads as to take in more of the beauty of her country. She did add that Zurich although nice is worth skipping, in order to use that time in the smaller towns.
10 August 07 - Production date
Wait…..I……see…something……..blurry, It's starting……..to come into focus now…WOW it's my production number and pick up date. YEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!:clap::clap:
10 September 07 - Gumby arrives
I received European Delivery packet with the Gumby clock, not much here that I did not already know. But that did not stop me from reading it like umpteen times. What do you mean why? What else is there to do?
14-15 September 07 - Nikonians
Took road trip to Raleigh, NC for a Nikonians D80 class:wow:. That's right NC. The class offered in the DC area is during the time I will be in Europe. :loco:YES, I AM A LITTLE BIT OFF MY ROCKER!!!
18 September 07 - Travel guide shopping
We spent the better part of an evening @ Borders. WHY!?!? WHY YOU ASK?!?! Because my girlfriend and I have different ideas on which travel guides to get:banghead:. I WOULD RATHER WATCH GRASS GROW AND THERE WAS NO FREAKIN' BATHROOM…WTF!!! AND NO THERE WERE NOT ANY TREES TO CHOOSE FROM.
:rofl:
We decided to get the Eyewitness Travel Europe, Florence & Tuscany, Germany, Milan & the Lake and Lonely Planet German, French and Italian phrasebooks. Our logic was to get country or region specific guides for the areas we would spend the most days and use the Europe guide for the areas we would spend a day or pass through.
21 September 07 - PO
I can finally feel the trip is becoming a reality after having to delay it off for over a year, as I received my purchase order from Joern. He was adamant about returning these documents to him signed and notarized ASAP. Note for future EDers, these documents have to be returned to BMW by your CA at least 30 days before your pick up date. Any later and your pick up date cannot be guaranteed.
26 September 07
Gave Joern signed and notarized purchase order. This is the last chance to make changes to order. C'mon it just wouldn't be right not to take advantage of the opportunity:bustingup. Changes made: Cream Beige to Saddle Brown interior, Light Poplar Wood to Brushed Aluminum and added HD radio.
28 September 07 - Planning…DONE
All planning for trip is DONE!! Tickets purchased, list made, car service reserved, hotels reserved, dog sitter arranged, guide books-check, check, check, check…you get the idea. Just packing left to do.
12 October 07 - I'm a photo taking ass
I went in today to sign final paperwork. Not much more to sign than a usual purchase. Everything went pretty smooth. I usually do not get the extended warranty on a vehicle. But, this time I let myself get rope into the purchase. I am such a horse's arse:spank:. But on the bright side we have less than a week before leaving..
Later that evening I attended a Photo Safari of Washington Monuments at Night. I know, I know a bit much on the photo classes, but anyone w/ a D80 will tell you it has a steep learning curve. I did not want to spend part of my vacation trying to figure out the camera:banghead:. So for those folks that are buying a new camera, be sure to get well acquainted with the camera or you will be hating life on your trip. Any class you take will definitely be worth the money.
13 October 07 - No warranty
Decided against getting the warranties, after consulting with my fellow 'festers. Gave Passport a call to let them know and Greg told me to bring the old contract back and he would have to do a new contract.
17 October 07 - New paperwork
Went in to sign new paperwork, I felt bad for Joern because he was trying to get home and we could not get there until close to 7pm. I told him to go ahead and leave as what we needed to do is usually done by the finance guys. When we arrived he was still there:thumbup::thumbup:. Definite kudos is warranted. We set down with Mr. Lee and resigned everything. I read through the contract to be sure they matched the numbers on the first contract. As I read the back I noticed the arbitration clause on the back of the contract. I initialed and dated that I did not agree with the clause.
A little side note here. The one thing I hate about the car buying process is that when you sign the paperwork, the dealer always tries to make you feel rushed or that what you are signing is not really important. READ EVERYTHING and QUESTION WHAT YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. You are spending your money and if you need to spend a great length of time going over the paperwork, then so be it. I noticed that as I questioned more and more the finance guys get more and more irritated. Oh well….
After I signed the new contract, Mr. Lee signed and gave me my copies. I also asked for a "We Owe" for the money I paid for the warranties, although they tried to tell me that I did not need that paper. I must really look like I fell off the back of a turnip truck
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Later back at the lair, we have finished packing and I leave at 1am for Richmond to drop off the dogter at a college friend's house.