The car
On May 23, 2000 I purchased a 2001 BMW 540iA with Sport Package from Amy at Camelback BMW. The purchasing process was actually a pretty pleasurable experience (only the second time that's ever happened). Unfortunately, Amy no longer works at Camelback BMW, so I can't recommend giving her a ring. During this process, Amy showed me the benefits of European Delivery. I agreed it worked well for me, and we set my delivery date for October 26 in Munich Germany. Here's a rundown of the car that I took delivery of:
- Anthracite exterior/Sand leather interior
- Sport package (17" wheels, speed rated tires, sport suspension, sport seats, M-sport steering seats, and no top speed limiter)
- Steptronic transmission (automatic)
- In dash CD
- 17 inch mixed parallel 5 spoke alloy wheels
- Park distance control
- Electric rear roller-blind
- Fold-down rear seats
European Delivery
If you can afford it, I highly recommend the Euro delivery option. In AZ, you won't pay state sales tax (7.5%) and BMW gives you a 7% discount on the base price of the car. All told, on a 540iA in AZ, with no trade in that's a savings of about $7500. The cost of the program (because nothing's free) is your trip to Germany and the need to pay for the car 12-16 weeks before you actually get the car in the US.
Personally, I decided the benefits out-weighed the costs and lept at the chance. Truth be told, even if the financials didn't work out as favorably, the chance to drive my car on the Autobahn in Germany is extremely difficult to put a price on, so lets just call it priceless!
As for the trip, it was a short trip, but pleasurable. I arrived in Germany on Thursday and picked up the car first thing Friday morning. After delivery I drove south to Fussen, then back through Munich and up north to Dresden, spending Friday night in Dresden. Saturday I drove to Hamburg, spending the night there. Sunday I drove to Frankfurt, spending the night there. Monday I dropped the car off with the freight forwarder and returned to the US.
In all I drove 1433 miles. My average speed was 51.7 miles per hour. My fuel consumption was 18.6 miles per gallon. I was driving for ~28 hours over this long weekend. My top speed was 150 miles per hour (reached a couple of times), and I had extended stretches at 120 miles an hour, with about 30 minutes at 130 miles per hour - priceless! The only driving objective I didn't reach, was reaching the car's top speed of 155 miles per hour - traffic simply didn't allow.
First oil change update
The car now has 16,000 miles and the first oil change was recently completed. Camelback BMW got that business, in part because they still owed me window tinting that I'd never scheduled. They provide Toyota Corolla's as loaner cars, however, so I'll give Chapman BMW a chance next time, to see if they can provide a better car.
The car is basically flawless at this point. The car had developed an occassional rattle in the dash, which Camelback took care of. As well the pathetic cupholders had broken and the flip-up cover on the CD didn't like to operate. Both were also fixed under warranty. The car still drives like a dream. There's always plenty of power, and driving anything else pales. Gas mileage was 18.1 mpg and avg speed was 40.1 mph, leading up to that first oil change. Both measurements were reset by Camelback (much to my shagrin). We'll see what the next interval provides.
The only road trip the car has taken was a ski trip in Eastern Arizona. The traction control system worked nice on a tough corner, however, the tires are NOT snow tires.
After nearly 9 months, I'm not sure I still love the sport seats. I do love the side bolsters around my mid-section, but the thigh bolsters bother me at times, as you really cannot spread out, without the bolsters pressing uncomfortably on your thighs. I must keep my legs pointed straight in front of me. Its fine the majority of the time, but on occassion a different position would be nice. The comfort seats may have been the better choice, but I never test drove a car equipped as such.
Pictures
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Friday morning, after 100 feet of driving, Munich Germany |
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And from the right rear, Friday morning, Munich Germany |
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Left rear, Mid-morning Friday, on the road to Fussen, Germany |
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10pm Saturday night, out front of the hotel, Hamburg, Germany |
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8am Monday morning, out front of the hotel, Frankfurt, Germany (my room was at the top of the center clock tower) |