My wait…FINALLY over….

[M5KRZI]

:happy anim:

A special thank you to the forum as you guys played a big role in helping decide on my build and providing the much-needed therapy while I waited over the winter months, as I lived vicariously through everyone…

David A at Steve Thomas was also critical – he made the process real simple and easy. And needless to say, he cut me a ridiculous deal. I had shopped 8 or so dealerships in my area and after a 10-minute conversation one Sunday afternoon back in November, I ordered the car. Over the few short weeks after my order, David put all the details and things in place and I was all set.

We also worked with Courtyard Travel for some of the travel plans and they also got it! No issues and everything worked really, really well. For the rest of the bookings we used SPG points and cashed in a ton of airline FF miles for round trip first class tickets!! I also used American Express concierge service for some ‘on the ground’ tips like parking in Venice and boat rentals for Lake Como.

Took ED a couple Thursdays ago - April 17th at 9:00am and got back last night – so the travel haze is still in full effect. We had such an awesome experience – I can’t even imagine ever having to take delivery at a dealership, ever. We had the first delivery of the day and #1 delivery position/spot. I felt bad for everyone else who had to walk by my car to take delivery of theirs...

The ED experience is such an incredible way to get introduced to your car - it's a must do. The folks at the Welt and the Lounge were all super helpful – they actually jumped through a few hoops for us at the end of the trip. The food is also pretty good.

Our trip covered 2 weeks, 5 countries and 8 cities in 1,857 miles – Germany (Munich), Austria (Salzburg), Italy (Venice, Florence, Milan, Lake Como and Rome), Vatican City, and Switzerland (Chur). This entire trip was so amazing that every day was a highlight moment – but nothing I think would top being at the Vatican for Easter Sunday mass.

The ED process is very well documented on the forum, so I will not go into details – but if anyone has specific questions, I’d be happy to answer.

The one thing I didn’t see any threads/discussions about was the “special police” in Munich. On this past Monday around 5:00pm we had just left the Welt, and to avoid the rush hour traffic, took the back streets heading back to the hotel. Got pulled over by these “special police” guys. They we cruising around in an unmarked E46-328. They investigate special exotic cars and M’s are on their list due to the high theft rates. I was expecting the punked cameramen to jump out from the back seats.

After they ran the VIN through the database and asked some really stupid questions, they wrapped up their investigation. It was odd, but it's a thing. Also got stopped in Chur, Switzerland by the real cops wanting to take a close look at the car. Not sure why as there was no shortage of high-end cars on their streets.

I ran default/comfort settings for most the trip, but did get in a few M2/hard runs in post 1,200 miles. I also programmed Stealth.Pilot’s B&O settings and cranked Andrea Bocelli – Con Te Partirò for the drive through the Alps. This car is everything I imagined and then some. It only got better as we got to know each other. It’s going to suck having to do 65mph hahahhhaha. Now the most painful part – the wait for re-delivery.

Here are a few pictures – please excuse the quality of some as they were taken on my iphone, but I wanted to share with you guys. We are still going through the thousands of pictures and video from our drive through Tuscany, so might post a few more later.

[Mbdurham17]

Congrats! Beautiful exactly 1200 miles in the pic ? Perfect

[SuckaGDog]

I've been to all the other cities in Italy you mentioned besides Lake Como. How was it? Looking at the pictures of the lake it looks beautiful! I will be stopping there on my trip in June.

[avlnch]

Congrats on your M5. Probably one of the best cars to take a road trip like that in.

As soon as I saw the second photo I noticed its a manual M5. Makes it even more fun..

[soooma]

Beautiful congrats

[PhilT3]

Congrats bud!

I am similar shoes... Except I am impatiently waiting for my ED on June 30!

Enjoy the new ride!

[Bluehorseshoe]

Enjoy and have fun with that sweet black manual M5. Please share your thoughts on decision to go manual and experience with it thus far.

[DrKevM5]

Congrats!

[skypx]

I love the color! Congratulations!

[RPiM5]

Nice! Hopefully you should get it back before ///MPact on July 12th. Hope to see you there bro.

[GOLFFRR]

Car looks fantastic! Congrats again and on behalf of all of at Steve Thomas BMW thank you again for your business. Looks like you had a great time over there also!

If you need anything else at anytime just let us know and we will take care of it.

[greentrbo95gst]

Congrats!! You realize you gonna have to do a full ED write up on your trip?
I see one problem already in your pictures. You are in the efficient mode......

[Mscarpa]

Congrats!

[bobs619]

Congrats! #baller

[BMWDavid]

Congrats and thank you so much for the awesome pics of your experience. Bravo!!!

You really saw a lot of Europe! But then again you had your own sleek black private aircraft with quad exhaust and a 6-speed manual to get you to the next country quicker!

I'll make sure your break-in service is completed prior to re-delivery in the US. Thanks again for sharing your epic M5 journey!

[M5KRZI]

thanks for all the comments guys! really appreciate it. i've just added a few more pics. hope you enjoy!

[M5KRZI]

Originally Posted by SuckaGDog

I've been to all the other cities in Italy you mentioned besides Lake Como. How was it? Looking at the pictures of the lake it looks beautiful! I will be stopping there on my trip in June.

Lake Como is amazing - we were there for 3 days/nights and stayed at the Grand Tremezzo. If you're going to stay on the west side of the lake I would highly recommend you stay at the Tremezzo as they are really, really good. I've stayed in some pretty awesome hotels in my years of traveling the continents, but these guys give a new meaning to 5 star.

Not sure if they dial it up for BMW owners doing ED, as they are a preferred hotel - we are actually thinking of visiting again at the end of the year and staying for a week - 3 days/nights was not enough.

We also rented a boat from the little town just north of Tremezzo - Menaggio. Decent prices for a small boat which I captained and motored down to Como for lunch one day. We had the lake to ourselves, as it was off season - looks like you're heading there in June, so it might be a little busy.

Also - depending on how you're getting into Lake Como, it's probably best to try to get there at night, if you can, as the traffic gets really bad getting in and out. I've also just uploaded a few more pictures and some of our day on the Lake.

You'll have an awesome time either way!

[stealth.pilot]

Congratulations. Fantastic holiday photos here. Makes me want to do another European Delivery. I wonder if I should do an M3 and then sell it immediately on re-delivery?

[Gumbo]

Originally Posted by stealth.pilot

Congratulations. Fantastic holiday photos here. Makes me want to do another European Delivery. I wonder if I should do an M3 and then sell it immediately on re-delivery?

Why not an M4 cabrio? Enjoy the Alpine summer with the wind in your hair!

[M5KRZI]

Originally Posted by Bluehorseshoe

Enjoy and have fun with that sweet black manual M5. Please share your thoughts on decision to go manual and experience with it thus far.

thanks pal. i actually had to be convinced on getting the DCT and weighed the value of one transmission over the other for months. after reading all the reviews and everyones thoughts on DCT vs MT, i test drove both. for me it all came down to personal preference as I really like feeling and hearing the gears. i might also never track the car.

my E46 M was also a MT and I loved that car and everything about it - its obviously no comparison, but I knew what to expect. this MT is significantly better as the technology is significantly better. once I got past the break in milage we played a little heading to Dingolfing early one morning (limited/no traffic and no speed limits) the car turns into a wild animal when you let it loose!! holy smokes!!!

i did feel the weight of the car probably more so with the MT when navigating really tight inclines or declines - parking garages in Venice and Milan. other than that, i am a huge fan, hopefully its not discontinued for the upcoming models - if it is, i'd buy this one...

[stealth.pilot]

Originally Posted by Gumbo

Why not an M4 cabrio? Enjoy the Alpine summer with the wind in your hair!

Passenger comfort

[cassidysdad]

nice
always love black on black
the 601s also look good
congrats