[alexmtl_135i]

I have this crazy project for a while now...
Basically I want to take my 135i to Europe, for a great road trip. That would include driving in Germany, going to the Nurburgring, maybe SPA-Francorchamps, the Stelvio pass, south of France, Italy, and pretty much anywhere with great roads... The list can get pretty long.

I plan to do it for a month, so I have also time to see my family and friends. Renting a car in Europe could be an option, but :
a) Renting a car with similar levels of performance will be insanely expensive, unless I missed something (around 300 euros per day..!)
b) I don't think I can even get close to a race track with a rental car
c) I prefer to drive my own car over there, it feels a lot more special .

So there we go, the idea is to ship my car there, and back. I'm starting to get some quotes from shipment companies, I'm hoping to get it below 2000$ there and back.

Is there anyone out there who did something similar?
Also, my car is a lease... Apparently I need to get an official statement by BMW saying that it's OK to ship my car. I'm going to contact them soon, but if someone has details on that, let me know

[Fugly M3]

id be interested in hearing the responses and possibilities- though right now i dont have anything to offer!

[Dackelone]

I think that seeing how your car is not owned outright(leased car or even one with a lien), this will be a deal breaker for your ED trip.

Plus realistic shipping rated will be about $1,500 each way. That is with all the broker fee's and duty. Plus your gonna need insurance while your over here. You won't need German plates(you can drive with US tags for up to six months I believe. But you WILL have tp post a bond, so that your car leaves Germany after a certain amount of time. I think after six months. You can also opt for one year... but the bond amount you have to put up is huge. I think realistically you are looking at $3K for shipping (round trip) plus $1K for fee's plus bond (probably another $1K in cash).

You'd be better of just to do an ED on a new car and then sell it once the car arrives back in the states.

Check with www.Sixt.de for good rental rates. They rent everything from Opels to Ferrari's. Make sure you tell them you want to rent the car for a month - that way you will get their lowest rates. You will also need to be over 25 years old.


Dack

[alexmtl_135i]

Yeah I am seriously thinking into doing European Delivery on a new vehicle as well. The 3000-4000$ of shipping could be spent on a cashdown for for a brand new C63 . But then there is a lot of hassle as well to find a new owner for my car, synchronize everything etc...

As for the deposit for the customs, I believe it's only for German customs and I've read it goes as far as 10-20% of the value of the car . Apparently Belgium customs (or French, or Dutch) would let me go without hassle. For the record, I found this link really detailed: http://www.bmwccaringschool.com/EuropeCarShip.htm

sixt.de does have a lot of good cars, not sure if I can choose unlimited kilometers and a specific model (don't want to end up with a 318d..). I'll check into that as well !

[JSpira]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

this will be a deal breaker for your ED trip.

Based on the OP's original post, it doesn't remotely sound as if he were planning an ED trip when he wrote it.

Originally Posted by Dackelone

I think that seeing how your car is not owned outright(leased car or even one with a lien),

Regardless, I am curious if the lease agreement limits where the automobile may be operated. Since the (very same) lease agreement is in force for European Deliveries while the car is in Europe, and I don't recall seeing any exclusions, I tend to doubt it but I am not looking at the current agreement right now so I'm just guessing.

This may be something outside of the lease agreement, however, in that the shipper could demand (and apparently has demanded) that the lessor has the righth to export the car, even temporarily.

[JSpira]

Originally Posted by alexmtl_135i

So there we go, the idea is to ship my car there, and back. I'm starting to get some quotes from shipment companies, I'm hoping to get it below 2000$ there and back.

Are you prepared to be without the car for 6-8 weeks minimum before you go to Europe and the same period after you return from your trip?

[e90-ZeRo]

OP should do this:

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/19/2...oad-trip-ever/

[Desert_Fox]

I think the only real feasible option is to look at selling your car and trying to do a ED new 135i. Your plane ticket and a portion of your trip costs will be subsidized by the Euro Delivery discount on MSRP.

[attbimmer]

I did a similar trip with a friend. He shipped his GT3 to Germany for the summer. I just went for 10 days with him and rented a new Porsche from Avis for myself. It was an amazing trip!

I don't remember the exact shipping costs, but they were more then I expected. For just a month i think it might still be cheaper to rent when considering all costs. When i went 2 years ago it cost my ~180 euros per day for a new 911 or panamera. If shipping your own car, it has to be owned out right. If you are interested in more details let me low and i will get them from my friend.

[alexmtl_135i]

Originally Posted by JSpira

Based on the OP's original post, it doesn't remotely sound as if he were planning an ED trip when he wrote it.



Regardless, I am curious if the lease agreement limits where the automobile may be operated. Since the (very same) lease agreement is in force for European Deliveries while the car is in Europe, and I don't recall seeing any exclusions, I tend to doubt it but I am not looking at the current agreement right now so I'm just guessing.

This may be something outside of the lease agreement, however, in that the shipper could demand (and apparently has demanded) that the lessor has the righth to export the car, even temporarily.

From what I've read BMW has to provide me with a paper allowing the car to get out of the country for a limited period.

Originally Posted by JSpira

Are you prepared to be without the car for 6-8 weeks minimum before you go to Europe and the same period after you return from your trip?

Yeah... That's the price to pay . But since I'm leasing that will help me save some kilometers that I can then spend during the trip

Originally Posted by attbimmer

I did a similar trip with a friend. He shipped his GT3 to Germany for the summer. I just went for 10 days with him and rented a new Porsche from Avis for myself. It was an amazing trip!

I don't remember the exact shipping costs, but they were more then I expected. For just a month i think it might still be cheaper to rent when considering all costs. When i went 2 years ago it cost my ~180 euros per day for a new 911 or panamera. If shipping your own car, it has to be owned out right. If you are interested in more details let me low and i will get them from my friend.

180E per day sound very cheap for a 911. I'm curious to see where you've rented it, and the shipping costs for your friend.

For now, the cheapest estimation for shipping was 850$ from Baltimore to Amsterdam. That doesn't include insurance, port delivery fees, and that's very far away from where I live . I had another quote for 1500$ from Montreal to Rotterdam, which is handier, + 500euros of port fees in Rotterdam. + insurance.

[Dackelone]

Avis.de....

http://www.avis.de/fahrzeuge/prestige-flotte

911...
ten day rental ~2,200 euros
five day rental ~1,100 euros

Sixt is a little bit less.... plus they even have M5's now!

http://www.sixt.de/php/reservation/offerselect


Dack