Purchase experience through Irv Robinson – European Delivery

European delivery is the way to go when purchasing an M3. I had an amazing experience purchasing my 2010 M3 through Irv Robinson at Motorwerks. I was referred to him by a friend in the BMW CCA, and found him to be very professional and service oriented. I had been sitting on the fence for a long time before purchasing the vehicle and contacted Irv on numerous occasions over a 2 year period. Irv had the patients to work with me on multiple configurations of 335s and M3s before I finally settled on M3 in May of 2009. I obsessed about various option combinations and made numerous changes right up to the point the Welt would not take them anymore. I needed to move the delivery date twice and finally took delivery in Munich in December 2009. Irv specializes in the ED experience and helped me plan a trip that included the Munich, Prague and Vienna. Irv was extremely helpful, courteous and exceptionally patient given the issues. I had a blast in Munich and took delivery at the performance center (see separate posting). My M3 is interlagos blue with a bamboo interior and a DCT transmission. I would never consider purchasing a BMW any other way. It is a great experience and I look forward to heading back to Munich soon. Irv at Motorwerks was far more useful than my local dealership and provided pricing that could not be matched.

Originally Posted by chopj

Irv had the patients to work with me on multiple configurations of 335s and M3s before I finally settled on M3 in May of 2009.

Since when did Irv start treating patients J/K. Good to hear that you had a good ED experience and a good Irv experience. Great color combo choice as well (but I would have went with the manual trans).

All--

Just returned from re-delivery of possibly the last 5-series Touring (wagon) delivered in N. America. Ordered a Deep Sea Blue 535i xDrive (6-speed no less) from Irv for an ED in May 2010.

Tried working with my local dealership, but they were 'highly averse' to order a wagon "That they could never sell if I somehow backed out". Completely bogus, of course. So, even tho I live in Nevada, I called Irv because of his well-deserved reputation for being THE Euro Delivery Expert.

Everything went super smooth, a real stress-reducer during what can be a complicated process (if your salesman doesn't know all of the details). Irv is THE person to work with if you want the most trouble-free ED experience possible (volcanic eruptions excepted :-)

For those of you out-of-state, I got a relatively cheap Southwest direct flight to Midway Airport and it cost me all of $8 to take the subway and train out to MotorWerks in Barrington, IL! Drove back thru Montana to visit relatives and the car was flawless over the 2400 mile trip. Now I just have to clean out a couple hundred grasshoppers from my radiator and intercooler faces!

Cheers, ED

Our ED experience with Irv Robinson was the best car buying experience we have ever had. It is so rare that we have found a car advisor that is as knowledgable and honest as Irv. He explained the entire European Delivery process in detail and had an answer for any question that came up. He gave us a great deal and the kind of customer service you just cant find anymore. Irv really cares about his customers and it shows. You know what you are getting with Irv. No surprises. We will be buying future cars from Irv Robinson.

I found Irv through Bimmerfest by reading other 'Festers comments. I kept reading the posts to try to find a negative one since EVERYONE gave him glowing reviews. I thought for sure someone would have an issue! (When was the last time you read people's reviews and there were NO bad reviews?

I'm glad to report that what people said about Irv was certainly true! I barely had my first email sent to Irv and he was calling me on the phone! I was impressed by his knowledge of the ED process and how things would play out. I was more than a little unsure that things would work out - not from anything Irv did or didn't do...it was about me spending all this money for a car I've NEVER sat in, never mind never driven!

I originally wanted the 335ix, but as soon as I heard about the 335is I said, "I've got to have that car!". But in Jan there was not a lot of specific info about the 335is, but Irv made sure my interests and preferences were addressed so when things became clearer he could tell me what my options were (like I REALLY wanted the Vermilion Red, but the 335is doesn't have that as an option ). So I "settled" on the Le Mans Blue! Love the color! With the Saddle Brown interior!

So as the date for my ED approached Irv sent me via Fedx my sale paperwork. One thing I liked about IRV, is we used ED pricing right away vs some dealerships who still wanted to go from US MSRP down! That's just nuts! So I signed the docs, put in my personal check and the deal was done! Piece of Chocolate Cake!

I've read about and talked to many people who have excuses for NOT doing an ED. What a BAD mistake! It is such a fun, exciting experience! Think of it as an adult Disney World! But without the lines!!! You're treated like a king (or queen) and you are torn between wanting the experience to last and the desire to go down the stairs to get your car!!!

Irv certainly made sure all the paperwork was ready at the Welt so everything went smoothly, the Welt employees were very professional and let me ask my dumb questions like "how do you use the iDrive"! --- Never even used it at the dealer showroom!

If you are considering doing a ED, make sure you contact Irv!!! Let him help you through the process, and like a little kid before XMAS, find a way to endure the LONG (but very worthwhile) wait!

I would also like to endorse Irv Robinson from BMW Motor Werks as your go-to-guy for a Euro Delivery. Early in 2010, my wife and I decided to pick-up our next BMW in Munich. We researched this forum and read the endorsements many of you posted on behalf of Irv . I gave him a call and within minutes he explained the whole process, understood our needs and began helping us plan our trip. He not only made sure the purchase was going to be everything we expected but also acted as our tour guide. Irv shared his own Euro Delivery experience and described the things he saw and did anecdotally. He recommended interesting sites and roads to drive along with things to see and do throughout Europe. Those of you who have taken delivery at the BMW Welt, know exactly what I’m talking about, it’s one of the most incredible experiences you will ever have. And for those of you considering a Euro Delivery, Irv [irobinson@motorwerks.com] is the person who will make it happen-!!

E92 335i xDrive, Alpine White, Black Leather, Anthracite Bamboo Trim, iDrive, Auto, M-Sport

I want to share my experience with Irv.

Like many people here, I found his name in this forum and realized he is less than 10 minutes away from where I live. So I gave him a call and decided to meet him in person. He was very knowlegable about the ED program and gave us straight answers to all of our questions. You don't normally get this from a car dealer, do you? The process was so simple and straight forward ever after. Selected a model and options we want, -this is the best part of ED, you basically design your car, don't have to pay for any unwanted options-, made a small deposite, got a piece of paper and walked out.

Made a few changes on the Welt delivery date, no problem. Also, made a interior color change about 4 weeks before the delivery, no problem.

Like many people posted, you can't go wrong with Irv.

My time line:
Started looking : end of March
First contact with Irv : Mid April
Second contact with Irv : couple of days later, ordered a 2011 535i, Black
Welt Pick up : July 2nd
Munich Drop-off : July 10th
Redelivery : Aug. 18th

I've wanted to do an ED on a BMW or Benz for about 10 years, I have always stayed with a conservative Japanese make. This year, we finally took the plunge and decided on the 335d.

My wife, son, and I went to a couple of Houston dealers and were disappointed that they either didn't have the right color combos or were unwilling to work with us on a price to order a car. I also sent emails to the internet sales manager at a several other dealerships in Houston and Dallas to no avail.

After plenty of reading on this forum, I decided to go with a board sponsor and found Irv. He was prompt in getting information to us, worked from the ED invoice price, and didn't require any deposit to put in our order for European delivery. I even changed my order several times with him and he was always patient about my changes.

This was by far, the best car buying experience that I've ever had (this is the 7th car I've purchased since graduating from college in '99). We had a wonderfully smooth trip to Europe with our 18-month old son and my wife's cousin. We picked up our car at the Welt on my 34th bday.

Here's the link to 12hr compliance post.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...901&highlight=

The wait for redelivery was long and painful as we were anxious to do the PCD experience also. I sent Irv an email about some constraints we had around our PCD date and that evening, Irv provided a date and we took delivery on Oct. 11.

If you're on the fence at all in working with Irv, I'd recommend you just do it. I get a smile every time I approach my car and pretty soon, you can too.

I am looking at ED purchase of a 550i. What should I expect to pay above ED invoice?

Among the many things I am grateful for in 2010, one is the great experience I had purchasing my M3 'vert from Irv. He was extremely knowledgeable of the car, the ED process, and helpful with travel tips. I told him exactly what I wanted, and we quickly agreed on a reasonable price. He was even able to get me in on the end of the 2010 model year production schedule, which was important to me.

My daughter and I traveled to Munich in March to take delivery and head off to Austria for the best father/daughter experience a dad could ever want. The ED experience was exactly as described and based on his counsel, I had everything I needed to make it seamless. We also thoroughly enjoyed the factory tour that he recommended.

Our trip to Salzburg and Vienna was spectacular with unusually warm weather for that time of year, which allowed us to take advantage of the top down. The drop off in Munich went as planned, and Kathryn was even kind enough to drop us off at the local train station for our trip back to Munich. Here is a link to my ED write up: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...432&highlight=

The car was delivered to the Perf Ctr in South Carolina where I met my brother to take US delivery, but more importantly spend the day driving their M3 on the track. That was incredible, with lots of knowledge transfer/learning, as well as big smiles. I drove across country to really get acquainted with my car and enjoyed every minute.

Thank you Irv for helping make my 2010 one to remember. My next BMW ED will go through you!

Another plug for Irv:

I bought my first BMW in June 2010 (335D). I went to my local dealer who just built this new dealership (10mins away) over the course of 1.5-2years. I could tell they only wanted the sale. Over the course of those years I may have spent maybe 2 hrs with the CA. When I finally decided to take the plunge and get serious I started looking for quotes. Since I wanted to couple the car purchase with ED, I needed a CA who knew what was going on. I didn't want my whole trip fluxed up because they missed something. Talking with my local dealer they said they do about 10 EDs per year. When I found Irv and started talking with him...I found out he does 10 EDs per month! He was also offered the car to exactly my requirements for $2,300 less than my local dealer. Needless to say, I knew who I was going to move forward with. The paperwork was a breeze even being several states away! Prepaid, Preaddressed FedEx envelops was awesome...just sign and seal. Irv was always extremely responsive to questions, emails and calls.

Because I was in good hands with Irv, my vacation last summer with my wife to europe for ED starting in Munich to northern Italy to Switzerland was a blast. I also decided to bring the car back and do the Performance Center Delivery...but not only that, couple it with a 1-day car control class. That took some logistical planning and weasleing myself and my wife into a class with only 1 seat left. Again, Irv and the folks in Greenville, SC really came through. After wining and dining us we took redelivery of my 335D in the front of the delivery center all fresh and clean and on display for everyone to see. The plant tour was amazing too.

BMW so far has been a great brand and put a lot of engineering into their vehicles. I feel like a million bucks when I drive it...I love it. I wish Irv was closer so I could have my car serviced by Motorwerks too. I know they would take extremely good care of the car like they did to me when I was buying it. With Irv, its more than just a sale, its a relationship. He wants to see you come back, not just buy one car and leave.

Summary:
Local Dealer 10 EDs/year vs. Irv's 10 EDs/month
Local Dealer $2300+ over what Irv quoted
Local Dealer's communication factor 2 vs. Irv's 9 (very important to me)
Local Dealer's attitude factor 0 vs. Irv's 9 (especially for after sale issues)

Bottom Line: Go with Irv, you won't regret it.

And if you need any pictures, let me know...I'm on business travel at the moment but PM me and I'll get you some.

ED delivery Oct 15th 2011

I wanted to comment on my experience with Irv Robinson. Everthing was top notch. This is my second BMW that I have bought from Irv. I owned a 2006 330XI previous to my Carbon Black 2011 550 x drive M-sport .
The process was seemless... from the ordering to the delivery in Munich to my re delivery at the dealership. Irv is very knowledgeable about the whole process.
I was hesitent at first because this was my first ED and my first trip to Europe. Irv assured me that all of my concerns would be addresed...and they were!
I would use Irv every time and my next BMW will be ED also.
The savings with ED and Roundel rebates can not be matched anywhere in the states.
The experience is phenomenol and would recommend to any buyer. WHAT A TRIP!
Any specific questions...send an email personally because I'm not always on the site. dan@drdansmiles.com
I wanted to thank everybody at bimmerfest for all of the wonderful information.

Working with Irv on my 2010 European Delivery was a great experience. I decided to contact Irv based partially on the many positive reviews I read on this site and have to agree with them all. It was very easy working with Irv to reach a price, place my order and arrange for my delivery date. He was always quick to respond and accommodating as I revised my order a couple times before delivery. The delivery at the Welt was superb, and the re-delivery process back in the US was flawless as well.

The trip was amazing. Drove through some beautiful areas driving through Austria, Switzerland, Italy and France; taking in the F1 Grand Prix at Monza along the way.

Highly recommend both ED and working with Irv Robinson!

Originally Posted by GreatSmiles

ED delivery Oct 15th 2011

I wanted to comment on my experience with Irv Robinson. Everthing was top notch. This is my second BMW that I have bought from Irv. I owned a 2006 330XI previous to my Carbon Black 2011 550 x drive M-sport .
The process was seemless... from the ordering to the delivery in Munich to my re delivery at the dealership. Irv is very knowledgeable about the whole process.
I was hesitent at first because this was my first ED and my first trip to Europe. Irv assured me that all of my concerns would be addresed...and they were!
I would use Irv every time and my next BMW will be ED also.
The savings with ED and Roundel rebates can not be matched anywhere in the states.
The experience is phenomenol and would recommend to any buyer. WHAT A TRIP!
Any specific questions...send an email personally because I'm not always on the site. dan@drdansmiles.com
I wanted to thank everybody at bimmerfest for all of the wonderful information.

Knowing of Irv's reputation, I'm sure "everything" was "seamless" as well. No need to be "hesitant" about working with him, as all your needs will be "addressed," and your experience will be nothing short of "phenomenal."

Like nails on a chalkboard...oy!

I want to comment on my very positive recent purchase experience with Irv Robinson. It was a European Delivery followed by Performance Center Redelivery and was about as complicated a transaction as you can imagine (details follow), but Irv was on top of everything throughout the process and it all worked flawlessly. Dealing with someone as straightforward, experienced and responsive as Irv, made the entire process smooth and trouble free.

I live in Texas, Irv’s dealership is in Illinois, the car was to be registered in yet a different state where I live part time. All correspondence was to be to Texas, title and registration (all handled by Irv) was in the third state, and all of this had to be in place by the time of re-delivery in South Carolina. Do you see how things could get screwed up? Oh, and then there was the issue that I wanted to place the order before BMW’s order book even opened up for the European Delivery date I wanted.

I think you get the picture – you don’t want a novice handling a situation like this. Over the last 20 years or so, I have taken ED of 3 Mercedes and 3 BMWs, so I was pretty familiar with the process in general, although the details seem to change a bit each time. However, this was the first time I have taken re-delivery in the U.S. at other than the selling dealer, so I was a bit apprehensive about potential confusion in the registration process, but all was in order.

If you want to take European Delivery, and who wouldn’t, you can’t go wrong dealing with Irv. Another friend (who also lived in another state) I referred to Irv was also delighted with the experience.

Originally Posted by thebmw

Since when did Irv start treating patients J/K. Good to hear that you had a good ED experience and a good Irv experience. Great color combo choice as well (but I would have went with the manual trans).

If you're going to criticize and correct "patients" to "patience," why not check your own grammar, amigo? "I would have went"???

We just completed our ordering, European Delivery and redelivery (at the Performance Driving Center in SC) of our 2011 535i. This was our 17th new auto in 36 years, so we have some experience to base our comments.

Without a doubt, this was the only pleasant car-buying experience we have ever had! (This includes buying Corvette, Lexus, previous BMW, etc.)

After purchasing our previous BMW at a local dealer, we were amazed at the lack of "enthusiasm" they displayed. We talked with several dealers in our tri-state area, and never felt confident that they were comfortable with the ED program.

When we found Irv Robinson's name on Bimmerfest, called him, and had a lengthy discussion, we immediately felt comfortable. With Irv's assistance, we completed the entire transaction -- start to finish -- without any problems! HASSLE FREE! The distance from our home in WV to the IL dealership was absolutely no problem. It was as if Irv were next door.

Our delivery in Munich was flawless and the redelivery in SC was the "icing on the cake". (Everyone we dealt with in SC made sure we were enjoying our day and getting the most from the program.)

If you have plans for taking European Delivery, do yourself a huge favor and call Irv at MotorWerks in IL. His knowledge and interest in your satisfaction cannot be beat!

I found Irv through this site and a coworkers family had used him. The whole experience was pretty stress free. Ordered 3 months out, got 1st delivery date, which changed just once. Irv handled that request easily.
Flawless delivery occurred in Munich.
Flawless redilivery occurred in PCD,SC.
Only issue was dealing with finance department. They messed up some of the numbers, so it took a couple revisions of paperwork to get it right.
Girlfriend went with me and now she wants one. When she's ready the first person I'll be calling is Irv.

PS. local dealer was useless, except for getting some test drives.

Kudos and thumbs up to Irv Robinson. Definitely one of the easiest car buying experiences I have ever had.

I started the process of buying my new 135i via Euro Delivery and Performance Center Delivery on July 12th, 2011. On that day I fired him an email and by the next day he had returned an email even though he was out of the office all that week. Pretty quickly we nailed down the details of what I wanted to order, and he proposed a price we could both be happy with. Everybody wins

In less than 40 emails including some order changes, we had the Euro Delivery booked and in the can. Now, it didn't quite work out that way because BMW had a problem delivering my car on the date (they totaled it a week before I collected it)... so they loaned me a 535i for my trip to Germany. Irv made sure that everything went awesome and even went so far as to request that the original plates that were tagged for my car were put in the trunk of the loan car so I'd still have that to take home.

I detailed some of my experience here, and one of these days I might get back to finishing that damned thread! Still, it was the trip of a lifetime and I had a blast.

After getting home and getting my newly built car (replacement) Stateside, I availed myself of the Performance Center Delivery which I took on November 30th, 2011. This thread I completed... you can read all about it here. This was the driving experience of a lifetime, and gave me some great memories and fun times.

I am still enjoying my 1'er coupe, and will definitely give Irv a call next time I (or any of my friends for that matter) start thinking about another BMW.

+1 for Irv... worth talking to

I didn't go the ED route but rather purchased a vehicle from Irv. I'm posting here so that he gets more positive feedback because he surely deserves it. I have no idea why one would do ED with anyone other that Irv as he is very thoroughly versed with the concept and inner workings of ED.

I was looking to purchase an F30 in Illinois. Didn't really matter where I bought it from since I lived in the middle of the state at the time of purchase. After looking at board sponsors and noticing Irv being on there, I gave him a call. On the first call itself, with him having no information on how serious I was on purchasing the car, we talked for quite a while and shared some laughs. He came off as a very genuine individual, something that was confirmed with more calls and my face to face meeting. I told him that I pretty much wanted to purchase the vehicle over the phone/email and pick it up when it gets to Illinois. We worked it out and he gave me of the better deals straight off the bat without me asking. Two months later, it was delivery day and I showed up at the dealership for the first time. Irv greeted me, gave me a tour and had me meet the owners. Overall a straightforward experience and no shady business. Keep in mind, I purchased the vehicle and if you are planning for an ED, Irv is the best in the business, he's done it so many times now.

It's been a month and half since purchasing from Irv and he's one of those CA's that doesn't forget you after you pull the trigger on the purchase/lease/finance. We have been in touch since delivery day and have the occasional talk over phone. I don't live in Illinois as of the moment but I will be rest assured going with Irv when the time comes to purchase my next vehicle and it'll be ED because I'll hopefully have some time by then.

I bought my car from Irv through the European Delivery program.

Ordered in April 2012,
Picked up in Munich in August
Picked up at the dealer in Oct.

Irv is without a doubt one of the best CA's I have dealt with. The whole process was very transparent and hassle free. We configured the car and agreed on a price very quickly. He was very responsive to any questions I had. He was very knowledgeable about the whole ED process and car specs.

We was very friendly when we met him for the first time when picked up the car at the dealership. Got a tour of the facility, lunch and met the owner. Went over the configuration and answered our questions.

Overall, I would give Irv a 10/10 rating.

I've now done the ED for my 2010 535xi and the PDC for my 2014 X6 35i. Irv Robinson was my CA for the last one and his execution was flawless. The guy obviously loves what he does and his knowledge of the process is immense. I would highly recommend anyone considering either of these delivery options to use Irv. I live in Michigan and have never personally met Irv, but I got more details and personal attention than at local dealerships. The Friday before my delivery, I called Irv just to make sure I wasn't missing something - it was just SO EASY!! You will not be disappointed.