[prei1978]

Hi folks,

I'm planning a relocation to the Netherlands in summer 2025 and as such I want to ship a car over as I can do so BPM-free if I'm moving permanently, and the MSRP in the US is way, way cheaper than that over there.

I'm wondering if anyone here has experience with the G-series M3/M4 shipping them over and what would be necessary to change. More importantly, how much of iDrive 8/8.5 would I be able to get to work, and what settings are simple Bimmercode fixes vs. things that would need actual hardware changes.

Appreciate any info. I've been doing a lot of searching and found some info for previous models, but even those did not have a ton of detail.

[astroricardo]

Not sure of the specifics, but I've heard it's usually never cost effective to try to register a car made for one market in another. Safety stuff, emissions, import fees, etc.

[prei1978]

Thanks. I did find this older thread that indicates it's feasible and not that expensive: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1624343

Also, the Dutch government allows me to move a car BPM-free when I relocate. Given that a base M3 starts at €140K over there, it seems worth considering if I can get it to work.

[DFW_M]

Originally Posted by prei1978

Hi folks,

I'm planning a relocation to the Netherlands in summer 2025 and as such I want to ship a car over as I can do so BPM-free if I'm moving permanently, and the MSRP in the US is way, way cheaper than that over there.

I'm wondering if anyone here has experience with the G-series M3/M4 shipping them over and what would be necessary to change. More importantly, how much of iDrive 8/8.5 would I be able to get to work, and what settings are simple Bimmercode fixes vs. things that would need actual hardware changes.

Appreciate any info. I've been doing a lot of searching and found some info for previous models, but even those did not have a ton of detail.

Back in 2009 I just got an S4 and then was offered a job in Europe that I accepted. I went through this. Shipping was covered for me, however, other expenses were prohibitive and I sold the vehicle before heading to Europe.

Conversion to Euro standards is required. Obviously standards have changed since then, but it was not cheap
Tax -- you will have to pay taxes and import duties and customs. That is much more than what you'd expect to cost in the USA.
I do not recall how the Warranty transfers to Europe.
Registering the vehicle over there was more expensive than in the USA, although you would have the same cost regardless of the import or buying over there.
To me, the lower cost paid in the USA was at least a wash trying to import it in Europe. And of course, different countries in Europe have different rules.

[prei1978]

Originally Posted by DFW_M

Back in 2009 I just got an S4 and then was offered a job in Europe that I accepted. I went through this. Shipping was covered for me, however, other expenses were prohibitive and I sold the vehicle before heading to Europe.

Conversion to Euro standards is required. Obviously standards have changed since then, but it was not cheap
Tax -- you will have to pay taxes and import duties and customs. That is much more than what you'd expect to cost in the USA.
I do not recall how the Warranty transfers to Europe.
Registering the vehicle over there was more expensive than in the USA, although you would have the same cost regardless of the import or buying over there.
To me, the lower cost paid in the USA was at least a wash trying to import it in Europe. And of course, different countries in Europe have different rules.

Thanks, I appreciate your reply.

I am more concerned about the modifications, who can do that, and how much of the car we can get to work. I believe dealers will not entertain bringing the car to Euro spec, so it needs to be done by independent garages, but I have also read conflicting info with some people saying that they managed to homologate F30s with almost zero hardware changes.

Re. the costs, I found pretty comprehensive info from the Dutch government and I'm eligible to take the car with me BPM-free. That is the highest cost. Other than that, costs such as registration, road tax, insurance, etc. will likely vary little compared to if I bought the same car over there. I'm pretty confident that shipping the car would not be prohibitively costly, but I want to make sure that the experience with it once it's on the road there is not going to be substandard.

[road rage richie]

Isnt the BPM just the tax NL charges based on emissions?

Doesnt the car still have conform to all EU pollution and noise regulations?

The reverse is true for sure. If not it makes a lot of sense.

No idea just curious. Noise regulation is one of the biggest issues with developing a manual transmission in EU markets, I have read. On the reverse it would be so cool get an M3 Touring in the US but probably easier and cheaper to get an RS6 Avant. Not to go off on a tangent but a friend has an AMG E63 Wagon and it is off the hook.

[MannyS]

Drop an email to these guys in Rotterdam.
https://sclrotterdam.com/en/services...o-eu-standards

[prei1978]

Originally Posted by road rage richie

Isnt the BPM just the tax NL charges based on emissions?

Doesnt the car still have conform to all EU pollution and noise regulations?

The reverse is true for sure. If not it makes a lot of sense.

No idea just curious. Noise regulation is one of the biggest issues with developing a manual transmission in EU markets, I have read. On the reverse it would be so cool get an M3 Touring in the US but probably easier and cheaper to get an RS6 Avant. Not to go off on a tangent but a friend has an AMG E63 Wagon and it is off the hook.

Yup, BPM is an emissions-based tax. On an M3 it would amount to nearly €40K based on the calculations outlined on their website.

Funnily enough, I nearly went for an RS6 last year. It is a cool car, but ultimately I didn't think it was exciting enough. The AMG E63 was more my thing, but by the time I was able to consider one they were out of production already. A friend of mine had the sedan and it was such a cool car.

[prei1978]

Originally Posted by MannyS

Drop an email to these guys in Rotterdam.
https://sclrotterdam.com/en/services...o-eu-standards

Sir, I really appreciate this. Thank you. Will be reaching out to them.

[nizona]

You can switch the units very easily in I drive so that's not a problem. Netherlands is not so strict on Opf but you may need that if you have an initial inspection I'm not sure. Other main difference is the turn signal is amber in Europe maybe yours is already.