BMW European Delivery - Day One

Europe » Germany » Bavaria » Munich
February 14th 2015

Published: March 7th 2015

I had been waiting for the chance to do another BMW European Delivery about a month after our first BMW arrived in the USA. I had over two years to research and plan this. BMW Financial Services started reminding me that the lease on our 2012 BMW 128i was coming to an end almost 6 months before the actual expiration. I tried working with a number of local dealerships but none were willing to work ... Read Full Entry

Photos are below

Photos: 69, Displayed: 21

BMW Demo Area

There She is

BMW sure knows how to put on a nice show. Our new car was illuminated by a spotlight and spun on a turntable to show off just how bright and shiny she was. Too be perfectly honest, I wasn't thrilled with the color. It's a little too Toyota-esque for my liking, but I picked it. I could've jacked up my monthly payment by another $20 a month by getting the new baby blue paint but I can live with this.

Beautiful at Any Angle

Our New Wheels in Close-up

Little did we know just how many miles we would be piling up in this baby over the next 8 days. It was exactly at this point that I should've whipped-out the GoPro, attached it to my head and started filming. Stupid, stupid, stupid. In my excitement I forgot all about it. And I really didn't take all the still photos I should have either.

We are Trying Something New Here

Normally we always order cars with black or gray interiors thinking it'll disguise dirt and grime better. My new thinking is that most mud and road grit is brown. Maybe our new tan interior will look better at the end of 3 years. One thing is for certain, we will need to buy rubberized floor mats. Hopefully we didn't stain the carpet with all the dirt we tracked in over the next week of heavy usage.

The Engine

Just in case you were wondering what this might be...

It'll Never Look This Good Again

What a Beautiful Display.

A full tank of gas, perfect temperature, the day is still young and only 2 miles on the odometer. Ben sat in the backseat of the car with us for at least half an hour explaining all the little doodads and features this high tech toy had in store for us. The hardest thing to master was getting the car from Park into Drive.

The MINI Exhibit

After our victory lap around the BMW presentation area, and event watched by busloads of Asian bystanders, we had a valet park our new car while we returned to the Welt for some shopping a quick look around.

Gail's Next Car

This top-of-the-line MINI Cooperis worth almost double the price of our new and bigger beast. I think there are better things to spend $60,000 on.

The Munich Factory

Three years ago Gail and I took an exhausting but interesting tour of the BMW Munich factory. Ironically, the I8 is built in Leipzig where we toured later in the week.

The Iconic BMW Office Complex

BMW Welt Across the Street from the 1972 Olympic Site

A Quick Tour of the BMW Museum

I'm not much into museums these days. Maybe I got tired of them after 60 years or maybe I just have to short an attention span. Now they bore me. Besides, the Audi one we went to last year was much easier to tour and more visually appealing.

BMW Makes a Great Passenger Car...

...but their racing heritage falls far short of Mercedes and Audi. Their attempt at Formula 1 doesn't even merit being mentioned.

Nice Looking Car Even if It was a Failure

BMW F1

They Actually Did Have Some Moderate Success in the 1980's

They won the championship in 1983 when this Brabham-BMW driven by Nelson Piquet won it all. But since then they were always a middle-of-the-pack engine supplier. Now they are totally out of Grand Prix racing.

I'd Take One of These

Or This One

Just because they don't win races doesn't mean they don't make interesting cars. I'm sure this oldie is worth a fortune.

I Think They were Stealing Their Designs from Mercedes-Benz in the 1950's

Considering BMW's pre-eminence in car building today, it is kind of amazing that they survived all the troubles they experienced after WWII. They went bankrupt a couple of times and were nearly bought out by numerous rivals.

7th March 2015

Home and Away
Bob Carlsen

Great to see you in Europe again...
and buying a new BMW. I followed your travels last time and look forward to doing so again. We previously picked up a Volvo in Goteborg, and your experience with BMW is inspiring me to do the same someday.

7th March 2015

Zigeuner
Doug L.

do it!
I considered the Volvo Euro delivery and checked with Audi as well. Nobody does it like BMW. Royal treatment and the car is wonderful. Now I have to endure the 6 to 8 weeks of waiting until the car hits the US.

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BMW European Delivery - Day One

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