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Smart Shopper European Delivery Experiences, Advice and Info
251 messages, Last post on Jul 13, 2008 at 5:01 PM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
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With marine freight for a solo car in a container running around $2,500 - $3,000 (Bremerhaven to West Coast USA), it seems that the European delivery plan works best for the more expensive cars. Of course, you do get to drive a nice car throughout Europe, so that's also a consideration. I was surprised about cheapskate Porsche, though. Money must still be tight with them. |
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| A friend just bought a BMW on the European delivery program. BMW pays the freight and provides 30 days of European insurance. The buyer still pays the tarrif, but should come out well ahead given the 10+ percent discount off domestic prices. Basically, for a $40,000 car, it paid for the European vacation. | |
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| Yeah, I think at the $40K level, the European plans do make sense, but in the high $20Ks, I'm not so sure. | |
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Hey Carman & Mr. Shiftright! jrthomas posted the following in Station Wagons and I knew there would be a more appropriate topic here in Smart Shopper for him! KarenS/Station Wagons Host #0 of 0: (jrthomas) Tue 09 Jun '98 (11:57 AM) Does anyone have experience with overseas delivery of European automobiles ? I'm interested in picking up a Volvo AWD in Europe. The Volvo brochure says that it must be arranged through a dealer, and gives the prices, which are actually lower than Dealer Invoice in the U.S. My question is this: can one bargain with the dealer on the European Delivery price, or is that not negotiable ?
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| It is my understanding that you cannot bargain with a dealer on the European Delivery Plan, since this is all set up and locked in by the factory, and there are probably set fees to the dealer which he/she isn't going to bargain away...not enough meat on the bone for everyone. | |
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Shiftright, I'm sure I've seen varying prices on BMW Euro deliveries; certain agressive places advertise prices in a club magazine, the Roundel. I have a question about Euro deliveries; can you arrange it with any dealer in the U.S., regardless of location? Does it matter if you arrange the E.D. with a dealer across the country from where you want the car ultimately shipped? And when the car *is* finally shipped to the U.S., who does it go to? Local dealer? (Always looking for a way to cut those Bay Area BMW dealers out of my business...) |
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A word of warning. Be sure to pay your luxury tax on cars purchased under the European delivery plan. The IRS started issuing subpoenas to get records from the automakers and were successful in at least one case (don't remember which, BMW or Mercedes). Very few people were paying those taxes! I'm curious about the break-in period on such a car. Does the factory do it for you? I can't imagine being able to resist temptation to go fast on the Autobahn (part of the appeal of the program, no?). I had a hard enough time restraining myself to under 65 while breaking in my car. |
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Dear Bia, One doesn't much have to "break in" modern cars anymore, just exercise some common sense for a few hundred miles...I'd keep it out of the extreme RPM ranges (redline) and I'd vary speeds considerably. But if you're turning 4000 rpm and that translates into 100 mph, that's okay by me...I'd just vary the RPMs a lot for a few days, and give the engine different loads and heat ranges. As for the European delivery questions, I'd ask the Roundel advertisers what they are up to--some of them may have special deals with the factory, I don't know, or come up with their own imaginative promotion deals. My impression has always been that the deals on European delivery were pretty tight...but maybe someone has a different read on that? |
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| I too am curious about finding information about ED,a VW Eurovan in particular, which dealers, etc. . . . | |
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I came across a press release from Mercedes the other day that I thought people who are looking for information about European Delivery may be interested in. Here is a section of the release: Mercedes-Benz of North America, Inc. announced a milestone in its new interactive retail initiative: European Delivery on the World Wide Web. Customers visiting MBNA's corporate Web site, www.MBUSA.com , can obtain information about the European Delivery Program (EDP) Online, configure a 1999 Mercedes-Benz model, explore and plan a trip abroad, and even place an order online. "Our European Delivery Program is extremely popular. Since it started in 1964, more than 100,000 vehicles have been sold. We put European Delivery online to take it to the next step: virtual one-stop shopping for those who want to combine a European vacation with the purchase of a new Mercedes," said Joe Eberhardt, vice president of marketing for MBNA. EDP Online allows customers and prospects to get information about the program, put together different color and option combinations on any Mercedes model using one of the most advanced vehicle configurators on the Web, place an order for pick-up at the Mercedes-Benz factory in Sindelfingen, Germany, and then retrieve the vehicle at their designated local U.S. Mercedes-Benz dealer in the United States. When arranging to purchase a Mercedes-Benz through European Delivery Online, users can also plan for travel abroad. EDP includes taxi vouchers; two nights for two at a choice of selected first-class hotels; a tour and a meal at the factory; 15 days' of fall European car insurance coverage with no deductible; U.S. Customs duty and home shipment of the vehicle.... Your Co-Host |
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