I did it !

[fisherman]

Things happen fast sometimes !
I had been debating whether to sell a classic Mercedes 560SL which has such low mileage that I always was hesitant in taking it out for a spin. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking about resale and the need for keeping mileage as low as possible ( stupid, I know...) . I never wanted to take it on a long trip since it was 25 years old.
On a whim, I took my wife down to the BMW dealer where they had a new
30i and 35i , and did a test drive on each. Besides the great styling, I loved the ride and throttle response. That started a few days of research ( looking though Zpost, reviews, etc ), and checking prices all over the east coast. As luck would have it, my local dealer had the color combination we wanted ( alpine white over red ) , but each car had tons of options I didn't think we needed.
After reading a lot of posts here, the concensus seems to be that most Z4 buyers expect and want all the extras, so I decided to go for the loaded car, figuring that it will help on resale when the time comes. The toughest choice was between the 35i and the 30i, since the 35 seemed to have so much more quickness and power . After realizing that we are not totally speed driven ( semi old farts ) we decided to go for the 2011 30i. I took a second test drive, using the sport+ setting , and found the car to be much more responsive than the first ride ( normal mode ). I was hooked !
It also seemed subjectively that the automatic in the 30i was even a little smoother than the DCT in the 35. I noticed a tiny bit of lag time on the DCT as it would go through the gears.
I spent the last 3 days price shopping, and ended up after a lot of negotiation with a fair deal from my local dealer ( below invoice ), so I pulled the trigger today !!!!!!!! I pick up the car tomorrow, and avoided the 3 month wait for a custom order. The car has everything that I would have ordered, and then some, so the price break helped to ease the pain a little on the extra options.
I'm sure I'll have lots of questions on the forum, and look forward in participating with you. I'll take pictures and post asap.
Anybody want to buy a Signal red/ palomino 560SL in perfect condition with only 23 K miles ?
Steve , the Fisherman.

[Memphis1]

pics or ban!!

[Dr Stig 2]

some pics of the SL would be nice too! Love the classics...

[tranquility]

1 day delivery? I thought that my 3 days' was fastest. You beat me! NOOOOO!!!!!!

LOL, congrats, you made a great choice going for the Z.

[Wraith.]

Your guys fast turn arounds kill me! So JEALOUS! It will have been 6.5 months from the day I ordered to pick-up for me.....

[Dr Stig 2]

Originally Posted by Wraith.

Your guys fast turn arounds kill me! So JEALOUS! It will have been 6.5 months from the day I ordered to pick-up for me.....

Wow - what gives?
Even down here on the bottom of the world mine only took two months...

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Wraith.

Your guys fast turn arounds kill me! So JEALOUS! It will have been 6.5 months from the day I ordered to pick-up for me.....

Did you order a Lambo by mistake?

[richard in NC]

Congrats and enjoy!

[Vintage]

you made a great choice - pics please

[Wraith.]

Originally Posted by Dr Stig 2

Wow - what gives?
Even down here on the bottom of the world mine only took two months...

Originally Posted by tranquility

Did you order a Lambo by mistake?

I'm doing the ED route and picking it up in Munich on the 5th day of our honeymoon. Because the Hmoon kicks off with Oktoberfest we had to book everything as far out as possible to make sure it all panned out. Worst part is that after 2 1/2 weeks of Autobahn nirvana, I'll have to wait another 10 weeks for re-delivery. UGGHH!

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Wraith.

I'm doing the ED route and picking it up in Munich on the 5th day of our honeymoon. Because the Hmoon kicks off with Oktoberfest we had to book everything as far out as possible to make sure it all panned out. Worst part is that after 2 1/2 weeks of Autobahn nirvana, I'll have to wait another 10 weeks for re-delivery. UGGHH!

I don't get ED...ppl do it to experience visiting HQ, but then you'll have to ship the car to your home, in this case, Seattle? Isn't that a hassle or what is the actual process afterward?

[richard in NC]

Originally Posted by Wraith.

I'm doing the ED route and picking it up in Munich on the 5th day of our honeymoon. Because the Hmoon kicks off with Oktoberfest we had to book everything as far out as possible to make sure it all panned out. Worst part is that after 2 1/2 weeks of Autobahn nirvana, I'll have to wait another 10 weeks for re-delivery. UGGHH!

Wow! New car and new wife. Congrats. Break 'em both in properly.

[Memphis1]

Usually they're already broken in...

[Wraith.]

Originally Posted by tranquility

I don't get ED...ppl do it to experience visiting HQ, but then you'll have to ship the car to your home, in this case, Seattle? Isn't that a hassle or what is the actual process afterward?

First off (before I hijack his thread) congrats the OP, enjoy the hell out of it through the rest of the summer! Then come back here tell us about it, so that those (I) can live vicariously through you. You will find that we are a very chatty bunch.

ED has it's perks to be sure but one has to be rather patient to fully realize them.

PERKS

Price is based on European invoice, including the options. The only thing you need to negotiate is dealer profit which is simply a set figure above invoice. After a bit of research I concluded that 1K above euro invoice is a fair shake for both parties. In addition to a few other fees that the US can't charge on an ED, I came in at $9,250 below msrp. Now i know nobody in their right mind actually pays msrp. but back in March when i was negotiating this there wasn't a lot of wiggle room on the yet to be produced "iS" model. This price includes Welt experience, auto insurance for your stay and transport back to the states.

The AUTOBAHN, other than a track where else am I going to be able to drive this baby like it was meant to be driven...., legally? The Alps, we'll be making our way over some of the best driving roads in the world... need i say more? Cruising along the Italian Riviera and the rolling hills of Tuscany with the top down at sunset...??? No brainer! At the end of our trip we will simply drop the car back off in Munch and fly home and try to resume a normal working life. In reality I'll spend every waking minute obsessively tracking the boat as it moves a snails pace through 2 oceans and a very long canal. Where it will eventually be delivered to the dealer.

Downside

Other than the waiting game the true downside is the payments. I will be potentially be making 2 or 3 payments (BMW pays for one, sort of) with out the car being in my possession as it makes it's way to Seattle. As you might imagine I find this more than a little disconcerting.

Bottom line

After spending the last 18 months dealing with wedding crap (yes, it's all crap) what guy wouldn't jump at the chance to plan a honeymoon around picking up his new Z and tooling around Europe for 16 days?! And most importantly, she said "Yes, Let's do it"

[Wraith.]

Originally Posted by richard in NC

Wow! New car and new wife. Congrats. Break 'em both in properly.

Originally Posted by Memphis1

Usually they're already broken in...

Thanks but she's a Latina that, among other talents, speaks 4 languages. Trust me, I'll have a much easier time breaking the CAR in...

[Memphis1]

LBFM, FTW!!

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Memphis1

LBFM, FTW!!

O....k.....

[alan64]

Originally Posted by fisherman

Things happen fast sometimes !
I had been debating whether to sell a classic Mercedes 560SL which has such low mileage that I always was hesitant in taking it out for a spin. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking about resale and the need for keeping mileage as low as possible ( stupid, I know...) . I never wanted to take it on a long trip since it was 25 years old.
On a whim, I took my wife down to the BMW dealer where they had a new
30i and 35i , and did a test drive on each. Besides the great styling, I loved the ride and throttle response. That started a few days of research ( looking though Zpost, reviews, etc ), and checking prices all over the east coast. As luck would have it, my local dealer had the color combination we wanted ( alpine white over red ) , but each car had tons of options I didn't think we needed.
After reading a lot of posts here, the concensus seems to be that most Z4 buyers expect and want all the extras, so I decided to go for the loaded car, figuring that it will help on resale when the time comes. The toughest choice was between the 35i and the 30i, since the 35 seemed to have so much more quickness and power . After realizing that we are not totally speed driven ( semi old farts ) we decided to go for the 2011 30i. I took a second test drive, using the sport+ setting , and found the car to be much more responsive than the first ride ( normal mode ). I was hooked !
It also seemed subjectively that the automatic in the 30i was even a little smoother than the DCT in the 35. I noticed a tiny bit of lag time on the DCT as it would go through the gears.
I spent the last 3 days price shopping, and ended up after a lot of negotiation with a fair deal from my local dealer ( below invoice ), so I pulled the trigger today !!!!!!!! I pick up the car tomorrow, and avoided the 3 month wait for a custom order. The car has everything that I would have ordered, and then some, so the price break helped to ease the pain a little on the extra options.
I'm sure I'll have lots of questions on the forum, and look forward in participating with you. I'll take pictures and post asap.
Anybody want to buy a Signal red/ palomino 560SL in perfect condition with only 23 K miles ?
Steve , the Fisherman.

hi, im interested in the mercedes. I was looking for a good one. Could you send me a message to correspond,, thanks,, Alan

[alan64]

I have sent you a private message ,, Alan

[fisherman]

Alan- I sent you an email this morning ; The Mercedes has had tremendous interest and will be selling tomorrow to the highest offer. I don't think I have had enough posts on Zpost yet to get PM priviledges, so I sent you a regular email.