George Anton. Now there’s a guy with flair, a definite je ne sais quoi.
Anton is one of those classy gents of a certain age who carries off a double-breasted blue blazer without looking like the head waiter at Trader Vic’s. There’s a simple elegance to this retired real estate appraiser who counts competitive sailing and performance automobiles among his passions. Ask Anton about his cars and you hear a punch list of old loves.
The sexy Aston Martin DB4 with a broken valve he nursed from New York to Chicago. His Austin Healy, a Jaguar 120 roadster and a more recent (1974) vintage BMW 2002.
Still a fiend for speed and handling after 50 years at the wheel, Anton longed for one more world-class performance car to replace his dependable Toyota Camry, and BMW’s European Delivery Program offered the perfect opportunity to dovetail said purchase with a six-week motor tour of the continent.
Processing his overseas package through Knauz BMW in Lake Bluff, Anton chose an S-Series 528i, the most popular model taken for delivery at the Munich factory.
“BMW prefers two or three months lead time on European orders,” said Anton, who planned his shake-down tour to include test runs on Germany’s autobahn and Italy’s autostrada. “BMWs purchased in this fashion are built to the buyer’s specifications in terms of color and performance options. I chose a sports package with leather interior, 16-inch wheels, a stiffer suspension . . . and I added $900 for a sunroof. I have to have a sunroof!”
(BMW also maintains a pool of stock models at Munich for the impulse buyer. The company, as with Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, works hard to accommodate buyers who lack the advance notice.)
Anton took delivery of his 528i at Munich, which he described as “a marvelous, boutique-like place much closer to Neiman Marcus than to any automobile factory one might imagine. It’s a cult, this car. I was astonished at the BMW paraphernalia available (including BMW motorcycle leathers and sportswear, special leather seat covers for folks traveling with dogs, an extensive line of miniature diecast versions of all BMW models and BMW signature ski bags). When I was there last spring, they had the new James Bond 1200-cc model on display–quite the attention getter. And I must confess, I am toying with the idea of buying a BMW motorcycle myself.”
Most European carmakers offer U.S. buyers the option of overseas delivery.
Mary Beth Craven, European delivery supervisor for BMW of North America, said her company sold 1,256 cars through the overseas program in 1997, up a full 10 percent from 1996.
The program was established in 1976 to introduce buyers to BMW and let them drive the cars on high-speed European highways, where they were engineered to be driven.
“Savings on models delivered in Europe can be substantial,” she said, “especially if the expense of an extended European vacation is factored in. By driving your own car temporarily licensed and insured for European use, you have no rental or train costs.” (Anton stayed on the Continent six weeks and confirmed he would have “spent at least $50 a day for a beater. That comes out to $2,100.”)
BMWs delivered through Munich include up to a 10 percent discount off the retail base price, though a 3 percent charge for processing through European and U.S. Customs is added.
Overseas costs range from $19,230 for a basic 318ti to $92,100 for the top-end 750iL, with higher discounts for the more expensive models. (You save $2,160 off U.S. retail for the 318ti. The 750iL comes in at $10,955 less than Stateside list.)
U.S. buyers also are exempt from paying a substantial European value added tax, as long as the car is shipped to the States from one of 17 cities within six months of purchase.
The BMW drop-off locations are Amsterdam, Netherlands; Antwerp, Belgium; Bremen, Bremerhaven, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Kaiserslautern, Munich and Sindelfingen, Germany; Geneva and Zurich, Switzerland; London; Madrid; and Paris.
Anton’s 528i cost $34,560 in Munich, including shipping to the U.S. (American retail for the same model is $38,900.) His driving tour, with a hair-raising run through the Italian Alps and a ferry ride to Greece, was filled with opportunities to test the 528’s performance.
“Autobahn rules are quite strict,” he affirmed. “German police allow no honking or flashing of lights . . . and the left lane is used only for passing. There’s no loafing. You pay attention to your driving. At one point I recall throttling down from 115 miles per hour to 90 . . . and two fellows in Porsches blew by like I was standing still.” (It’s not uncommon for a BMW 540i Sport doing 150 m.p.h. to be passed by a Porsche rolling along at 170.)
Volvo and Mercedes boast programs similar to BMW’s.
Volvo buyers may choose from 22 European delivery sites, though only the Gothenburg, Sweden, factory location comes at no additional cost. (Alternate sites range from $400 in Malmo, Sweden, to $1,050 in Vienna.)
“Typical savings are 10 to 12 percent,” said Nancy Nelle, manager of overseas delivery for Volvo Cars of North America, “and we do offer special incentives. For example, customers who order by June 15 receive one round-trip air fare to Gothenburg with hotel accommodations.”
Overseas delivery prices for Volvos range from $24,600 for a basic S70 sedan to $33,260 for the more luxurious V70 wagon. Retail prices for the cars purchased here are $29,420 and $38,680, respectively.
Mercedes-Benz’ European delivery program, the grandpappy of overseas pickup plans with more than 100,000 cars processed since 1965, offers $2,095 off the $30,450 C230 sedan and $7,345 off the $135,300 CL600. But Mercedes makes up for that in superior travel services.
The Mercedes standard package includes transportation from Stuttgart airport to the Sindelfingen factory, as well as two nights lodging, meals included.
Add $1,000 per couple and you receive the Black Forest-Alps Rally Package, a five-day self guided tour through Germany’s Black Forest region into the Austrian Alps along the Arlberg Pass.
Anton has only praise for his European delivery experience and the BMW product: “You don’t baby these cars once the factory hands over your keys. On Greek roads, with which I am well familiar, the 528 handled like it was on rails . . . just that responsive.
“I put 3,000 miles on the car in six weeks, and when I stopped back at Munich for an oil change, the technicians said, `Sir, it really isn’t necessary.’ I nevertheless insisted they do the servicing, and I’m sure they had a laugh over this fussy American. So be it!
“When I sold my real estate business I said to myself, `George, you need a perk.’ The BMW and tour of Europe were gifts to myself and my wife . . . and now we look for excuses to drive the twisty-turny county roads in southern Wisconsin.
“It’s been a sheer delight, just marvelous.”
