European delivery of a new car

OK, the boss won't let me consider swapping out the Passat. But we are back on track for the Euro '15 trip pushed over to '16, so maybe I can strike a chord/deal/nexus. (Hey, a guy can dream and scheme.)

Anyone take delivery over there? If if if we go down this path it will be with Audi.

 

hell, come to bozeman and buy one at the dealership...too bad you do not live in any place prosperous enough to have a local audi dealership.

come up, maybe can do a twofer and i could afford a A6 using your volume discount!

edited to add: if my tongue in cheek montana humor is not translating to the written screen...might have to blame the 2012 wild horse pinot noir.

g.

 

I've had a half dozen friends do it everyone loved it, but all were P-cars or Bimmers

AFAIK Audi still doesn't do Euro-delivery, so news to me

I own a B5S4 btw

 

its a great experience if you can wait to get your car shipped home. I wouldn't even bother thinking of an itinerary, I would just copy one from the car forum of choice. Obviously each starts off in a different city in Germany.

 

oh, you were serious!

and i thought ya were just baiting the jealous types!

the pinot noir is consumed.

so, seriously, why would a person buy a car in europe, and then pay to have it shipped to the usa? is the exchange rate that favorable that it covers the freight?

 

Didn't you just get a new Conestoga????

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Audi is in.

 

Most of the German carmakers offer a decent discount (it was around 5-6% when I was looking at it a few years back) for European delivery. And you don't have to pay any more for the shipping than you would if you took delivery here. The downside is you have to wait for the car to make the trip across the Atlantic before you get it.

When I was thinking about it I was just looking at it as a significantly discounted European vacation.

I look forward to a write up, Ken.

 

That's about it. (I think Audi might be 7%.) You get a few perks on that end, too; night's stay, dog/pony show at the shop, some grub, first tank of gas filled ... add that up in Euros at x/liter. And then you have wheels to get you around over there. I have family who've done MB and Bimmer that way. Wonder if I can fill the trunk with Burgundy and get it through?????

It's not an even-money prop at this point, carve, but thanks, and of course I will. Euro '16 is going to happen. I'm certain of that. Terri's going to Oz for Thanksgiving so that's why '15 cratered. But getting Terri out of the Passat -- and not just because it's free and clear -- is another order. I'm banking on the package allure.

Oh, do they have resort fees in Europe? That might squirrel the whole deal.

 

I think it's a worthwhile deal. If you're going to go to Europe anyway, and are buying a new European car anyway, you may as well get the perks for doing it. My wife and I have done it a handful of times with BMW and MB. Both companies treated us well. We were told it would take about 3 months to get the cars and we averaged about 2 months in actuality. Having said all that, we haven't done this for the past four years and things could have changed.

Bill

 

will do the complete economic analysis in the morning while i am out fixing the spokes...damn buffalo rut was hid by the snowbank. still thinking you might be just better off flying into bozeman, they tend to fall all over themselves catering to californians! with all the beemers and volvos, you could drive up into the bridgers, pretend you were in switzerland, and not have to exchange any currency.

 

Years ago I worked for a import dealership, we had an old guy that did a euro delivery. When the car got here and he came into get plates, he found out you still have to pay tax on the sale price 6%, he flipped said we were ripping him off, ended up with the state police escorting him out. If I remember right, back then there wasn't any savings other then having the car to use there, and a few perks they throw in.

 

But you pay tax on used, not new, right? If I recall (We looked into this a few years ago) that's one of the benefits...Maybe I'm thinking import duty.

We opted not to do it (I went with a Japanese car, then we both got used bimmer convertibles over the years as well) but if you're planning a European trip anyway, would be fun! When I ran the numbers, it came out about even, so you're not doing it to get a great deal - you're doing it for the adventure!

(BMW used to run a weekend for convertible owners at the South Carolina plant where they were manufactured - we went twice- such fun! Dog & Pony show, but with a couple hundred other owners & their cars! And the driving courses - on their cars, not your own ;-)

On the other hand, I HATE to drive when I'm on vacation, and the biggest benefit of a European vacation for me is that I don't have to! Take public transport, take a train, walk everywhere - with wine or beer in hand Or at least at the meals.....

 

I agree fully. We just used the new cars to get us to the next city (or country) and, once there, turned it over to hotel staff for the duration of our stay. Parking in most European city centers is awful and we didn't want our new cars all dinged up to boot.

Bill

 

Bingo. That is what I was thinking. It provides the flexibility of doing it both ways. I certainly can't say I have a blanket "won't drive" on vacay; it's all just so variable. And our long trips are pretty long -- or are at least long for working-folk non-retirees. We try to get three weeks out of such excursions so such a schedule easily could be accommodated.

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Don't they speak better English in Switzerland, G?

 

I watched them build my Jaguar at the factory and then I drove it onto the boat.

 

Having owned a UK spec BMW and my GF having a US spec BMW it's clear that a lot of things in the spec differ so definitely worth checking what you get as standard.

 

U.S. spec typical is different than Euro. But you know what you are getting -- specs, the cost, an "American" version -- before you go over there. The manus are just offering a novel way for an American consumer to pay what they pay for anyway -- trans-Atlantic shipment -- and get a trip out of the deal.