Hi everyone, in my quest to figure out ways to get the best deal on a BMW (or Mercedes), I’ve come across European Delivery programs.
At first, I thought it was just a gimmick that was going to be a premium because my thinking is that the best deals are going to be what the dealer has in stock, but researching a little bit has kind surprised me.
Apparantley, and this is what I’m asking for confirmation about, ED programs have much cheaper invoices/MSRPs that those of normal cars.
I also read that dealers are willing to negotiate this more because it doesn’t come out of their allocation and is really just a bonus sale for them?
Is this true? And if it is, wouldn’t this be the cheapest way to lease a car?
Even if the trip costs you, let’s say $2,000, wouldn’t it be cheaper because of the already lower MSRP you would negotiate from?
Please let me know what you think or if I’m just speaking nonsense.
Bmw made theirs a little less enticing. The experience, from what i read, is awesome and you do save money on the car. You need a really good CA to do an ED deal as they are complicated.
Over the years I’ve leased 4 cars with the BMW ED program because it saved me money (12-13% off MSRP) and I really enjoyed the experience. I’m due to replace a car by the end of the year and for the cars I’m considering it’s more like 9% off MSRP now. The difference could be $100-200 off the monthly.
I think that ED now might be worth it if you’re ordering a car (configure it with exactly the options you want) and you want to have the experience. Depending on which model you’re interested in, you may be able to get a comparable deal with a car on the dealer lot.
This doesn’t apply to M cars as they come from dealer allocation, so many dealers will refuse ED.
If you just want a cheap BMW, then getting an inventory i3 or 3-series is the way to go. Here in Southern California for some reason, I’ve found high volume dealers that are willing to sell them for thousands below invoice. The volume incentives or holdback money must be pretty substantial to get them to do that.
However, if you can’t find the right car in stock (e.g., manual transmission car) and plan on custom ordering, then European Delivery could be the way to go since, as you’ve said, they don’t come out of a dealer’s allocation and the invoice is lower.
I’d like to do European Delivery one day as well – more for the experience than the cost savings.
Thank you guys. I would like a cheap BMW but a cheap 5 series lol. Nothing against the 3 series, just a little too small. And the i3 is a hassle where I am.
Based on what @Space_grey, ED would be the best of both worlds - cost savings and the experience!
I had a good experience with bmw a few years ago. We got a great deal on a buy from braman. I understand they dont have a good reputation here for leasing vehicles on the lot, but they made me the best deal and I shopped it all around the country including a popular dealership for leases on the west coast. I guess that brings up a point I feel hasnt been shared yet here:
ED lets you buy from any dealership in the country without the usual hassle of having to fly drive or ship if you find a faraway region has better deals.
Also, it seems like my experiences are unusual here that I seem to do ok with dealers who are not known for budging on prices (eg. Greenwhich, palm beach). LOL. My next lease is going to be in paramus.
edit: I read another thread here a few days ago about ED that referenced a specific model. I was thinking about it and wanted to respond. When I searched, this came up first and looked relevant. I did not check the date. Sorry for grave digging.
agree 100%. I did ED in 2006 - it is great for a custom order as you negotiate on a lower invoice price. Plus you can save $1000 on a car rental if you have time to drive around Europe for 2 weeks (or just pick up and drop off the same day if you don’t have vacation time).
On the minus side it takes 10-12 weeks for delivery to the West Coast and BMW only picks up 1 lease payment so you are losing at least a month’s payment (or more) if you lease. Also you may not qualify for all of the lease incentives at the time you order because you don’t sign until closer to delivery. And finally as others have noted if you lease at the right time you will save more off a car on the lot due to current incentives and hidden trunk money for dealers.
So in sum IMHO if you want to buy a car, particularly special order, ED is a great deal. But for leasing does not save much plus the hassle of waiting for redelivery.
Also consider that BMWs start to fall apart after 50k (and particularly after 75k) - was costing me $2-3k per year in maintenance just to keep it running. So better to lease than to buy and hold.
Not sure about Mercedes as both of mine are still within warranty - I will let you know in a few years…
Oh wait you guys are talking about European Delivery and not Erectile Dysfunction! 
