Tommy Taneff met his new Porsche, a 911 coupe, last February in
Stuttgart, Germany. Taneff had taken advantage of Porsche's
European delivery program to pick up his new crush-the tenth
Porsche he has owned-at the factory where it was built. He and a
friend then drove to Vienna and Budapest before heading home, where
his car was shipped to him gratis. "To be driving that car through
the Alps and on the Autobahn, where there's no speed limit, is
exhilarating. It was the experience of a lifetime."
SEE OUR SLIDE SHOW:
5 European Auto Delivery Programs
You don't have to be a Porsche enthusiast to take advantage of a
European delivery program. All of the major European brands except
Volkswagen offer a similar program. "If you're planning a vacation
abroad, these programs are a very, very good deal," says Jeremy
Anwyl, vice-chairman of
Edmunds.com
. When you pick up a car across the Atlantic, you get a discount
off the sticker price, save on rental-car costs and get a free
night's stay at a luxury hotel.
How it works.
For all the European delivery programs, you order your car from the
dealer three or four months before you want to pick it up. Prices
are typically set at discounts of 3% to 8% off the U.S. sticker
price. Then you plan your vacation; you can fly into the city where
you're picking up the vehicle or make it a stop along your route.
You'll be provided with two weeks of car insurance, but you can pay
extra for longer stays.
When you arrive, you'll be picked up at the airport and
transported to a hotel, where you'll be treated to a complimentary
night's stay. The next day, you will visit the delivery center to
claim your car and take a tour of the factory and the automaker's
museum. Hit the road for your vacation and, when you're done, drop
the car off at one of several locations and it'll be shipped back
to the States for you.
Perks and pitfalls.
Volvo provides the best perk: free round-trip airfare for two on
Scandinavian Airlines. There's a $150 surcharge per person from
June through August, but it's a drop in the bucket compared with
what you'll save. Both Volvo and Mercedes�Benz waive the
U.S. destination fee, saving you nearly $900 on the car itself.
Pick up your Porsche at the Leipzig factory and you'll get a
driving experience customized for your car-track time for 911,
Cayman, Boxster and Panamera models and an off-road course for the
Cayenne. Porsche is the only program that lets you negotiate the
vehicle price just as you would for a regular purchase, which may
save you even more. (For details on the programs, see our
slide show
.)
No matter which brand you pick, shipping the car back to the
U.S. takes about two months. And not all Euro vehicles are
available for European delivery. If the car is built in the
U.S.-like BMW's crossovers and most Mercedes crossovers-it's not on
the menu.
Want to drive in winter or through the Alps when there's snow in
the mountain passes? Many European countries' laws require tires
that can handle wintry weather. If you order your car with
all-season tires, you should be fine, but if you plan to travel in
the winter, check your itinerary with the program. Porsche provides
complimentary tires (for two weeks). BMW and Volvo rent winter
tires, but Audi and Mercedes require you to equip your car with
all-season tires if you're taking delivery from November to early
spring.
Be prepared to pony up a steep tax if you keep the car in Europe
too long. For German makes, you'll pay a value-added tax of 19% of
the MSRP if the car is not shipped to the States before your
insurance period is up (three to 12 months, depending on the
program). You can stay six months in Scandinavia (or two months on
the mainland) with a new Volvo, but after that you'll owe taxes of
25% of the MSRP.
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