m.Gagliardi

I am taking my family to Italy for a year. We likely will have a small apartment in Querce Grossa just outside of sienna(anyone know it?] I would like suggestions on the best{cheapest} way to access a car. thanks.

John

I lived and worked in both Germany & Paris for one year in each place and found buying a new BMW, here in the US, under their European delivery program to be the best deal. I've done this twice. They offered a 10% discount + whatever you could negoitiate with the dealer. I picked up my cars in Munich and drove to Stuttgart where I was living while in Germany and to Paris when I lived in Paris. BMW takes care of all the paperwork with the local governments and you are not required to get a local driver's license and you can drive for up to 12 months. BMW throws in the first month of insurance and you pay for extra months as required for up to the 12 month limit. You just tell them how long you want the insurance for and BMW makes all the arrangements. At the end of 12 months or whenever you are leaving, you just contact a BMW representative transportation office which are located all over Europe and turn the car over to them. They inspect the car for any damage if any and they take care of shipping the car back to the US. No extra cost to you. The car will be delivered to the dealer you bought from in the US and that's when your 5 yr warranty starts. The time in europe is treated differently and you are fully covered while there. As I said, I've done this twice without any problems and would do it again. I also looked into leasing and that would have cost me around $8000 a year. If you buy a car locally in Europe then you have to get a local driver's license in the local language and take care of all the paperwork which can be a hassle. If you want to return the car to the US, it has to meet US standards. The BMW is built to US standards if purchased in the US. Some other European cars, i.e, Mercedes and Volvo also have European delivery programs as well.

John

I lived and worked in both Germany & Paris for one year in each place and found buying a new BMW, here in the US, under their European delivery program to be the best deal. I've done this twice. They offered a 10% discount + whatever you could negoitiate with the dealer. I picked up my cars in Munich and drove to Stuttgart where I was living while in Germany and to Paris when I lived in Paris. BMW takes care of all the paperwork with the local governments and you are not required to get a local driver's license and you can drive for up to 12 months. BMW throws in the first month of insurance and you pay for extra months as required for up to the 12 month limit. You just tell them how long you want the insurance for and BMW makes all the arrangements. At the end of 12 months or whenever you are leaving, you just contact a BMW representative transportation office which are located all over Europe and turn the car over to them. They inspect the car for any damage if any and they take care of shipping the car back to the US. No extra cost to you. The car will be delivered to the dealer you bought from in the US and that's when your 5 yr warranty starts. The time in europe is treated differently and you are fully covered while there. As I said, I've done this twice without any problems and would do it again. I also looked into leasing and that would have cost me around $8000 a year. If you buy a car locally in Europe then you have to get a local driver's license in the local language and take care of all the paperwork which can be a hassle. If you want to return the car to the US, it has to meet US standards. The BMW is built to US standards if purchased in the US. Some other European cars, i.e, Mercedes and Volvo also have European delivery programs as well.

Martha B

The laws concerning car buying differ from country to country within the EU, so I would suggest you check with the nearest Italian embassy or consulate. You may be able to avoid getting an Italian driver's license by getting an international driver's license before you leave Canada; be sure to ask about that. (Yes, there is a time when you can use an international license!)

Helena

John, <BR> <BR>Can you point me in the direction of how I start the European Delivery negotiation from Europe? I'll be here for another 4-6 months, and then will return to the States. I couldn't find any information on the BMW website about the European Delivery plans, although I know several people who have done it. <BR> <BR>Thanks!

John

For clarification, there was a thread, recently, concerning international driver's license ... the need for one or not and I did some research. I learned that it is not a driver's license per se. You don't take a written and or oral test or driving test to get one. It is only a translation of what is on your national (local)driver's license into several different languages which aids officials in other countries to be able to read this information in their native language. You cannot use an international driver's license by itself. It can only be used in conjunction with your national driver license. European countries do not require an international license if your driver license uses the Roaman alphabet, i.e., english, french, spanish, italian, german, austrian, etc. If your native language is not Roman, i.e., japanese, arabic and the such, then one is required for renting a car.

John

Helen, you have to contact BMW North America HQ which is located in New Jersey. If you can't find a web site or telephone number let me know. You could call any BMW dealer and ask them for the info or number to call. They do make changes to the program from time to time. The 1st time I got free insurance in Europe for 12 months. The next year they only gave free insurance for 1 month. I checked last year and there were no other changes, but can't say if that is stil true today. <BR> <BR>Let me know if you need more help.

John

Here's a web site I found for some info for a eruopean delivey ..... <BR> <BR>http://www.bmwusa.com/start.cfm <BR> <BR>

Mary Ann

We did a European delivery in 1997. then it was insurance for 90 thrown in but the car was NOT insured for eastern Europe and reduced coverage for Italy. The program is terrific, it is even delived with a full tank of gas!! This year we received data that they now have a European delivery lease program.