Alstoy

Thanks for sharing Mike.

1985mb

Nice...I always thought it was weird Porsche charged extra when everyone else was offering discounts for ED.

Mike in CA

It's lots easier than it used to be since even the smallest hotels have web presence now. In days past we used to hit the tourist information center in town or call ahead that day to find a hotel. Adventurous, but a PITA. Now we plan everything and get reservations, prices, everything , ahead of time on the web and our room is ready for us. And everybody has wifi. No worries.

fbroen

Tourist delivery -- they don't insist on drilling holes in the front bumper for a temporary front license plate do they?

Will be picking up 991 at factory in April and was curious to hear how they do the temporary license plate(s), especially with the Euro shaped plates -- heaven forbid they drill holes wider than U.S. plate ... horrible thought.

Z356

Your 991 will have a front duty free plate like this one on my European Delivery BMW 650i. It is German law and it will be strictly adhered to by the manufacturers since they have some liability in the matter. Both German police and other European law enforcement will be fastidious in your car having it properly displayed front and rear. I was stopped both in Germany and France by police that just wanted to check my 'papers' and insure they were all in order. There is an epidemic of stolen vehicles in Europe and also many folks that are trying to avoid the VAT duties on new purchases. On my last day, I decided to take the front plate off to store safely in my luggage as I only had a short trip to the drop-off point for shipment home. I wanted to avoid doing it at the shipper. I was stopped at a gas station by German 'polizie' who scolded me for having already removed the front plate. I had to open my bag, show it to them and then display it in the dash for the rest of my short trip to the shipping agent!

As you will see in my photo, the factories will use the US bracket provided on every US spec car for front US state license plates. The wider German duty-free plate is drilled to fit this bracket, so no additional holes (besides the one that attaches the front bracket to the US bumper) will result. But you are stuck with the holes that will be required to mount the US front bracket to bumper.

Saludos, z356 (Carmel)

PS Note that the expiration date for your temporary registration is now stamped into each individual duty-free plate so police can easily identify expiration dates! In this case, 15 of November (11) of 2006. Earlier oval shape 'Zoll-Frei' plates (like the ones for my Euro delivery Porsches in the 1980's) didn't have this info on them.

Mike in CA

I'm afraid you're in for a disappointment. They do drill holes for the tourist plates which at least have the same spacing as the U.S. mounting hardware. I was told there's no way around that; front plates are required and that's how the factory does it. Maybe you'll have better luck somehow. If you plan to eventually fit US plates it won't matter, and if not, there are always Eric's Bumper Plugs.

Alstoy

BMW used to not drill front holes and allow you to "stick" the plate on the front. They stopped somewhere around 2003/4. I had the battle scars on my BMW. I did remove the US bracket and just stuck the Euro plate on the front, once I got here. If not keeping the plates in the front, I would use Bumper Plugs from Eric, as Mike suggested. Cheers.

dodo1porsche

do they load the navigation system with European maps?
And will they load the US maps before shipping to the dealer in the US?

Mike in CA

There is an option to load the European maps onto the Nav for your stay in Europe, then reload it with North American maps once the car is shipped back to you. This costs $250. Otherwise, you will be provided with a portable nav free of charge for the duration of your trip.

19_hole

There is a $250 charge to load the EU maps, then they reset to US maps before it leaves Germany.

fbroen

Thx for info on front plate holes. That is a bummer. Rest of the event should be good though...

tkids

This is from a dealership post. The winter wheels rental free during winter months is great!!!

"The Porsche European Delivery Program is free for all Porsche customers, and Porsche Cars North America would love the opportunity to provide assistance with travel planning for your European Delivery trip. They will be able to fill you in on special "Porsche" discounts on airfare from Lufthansa and lodging packages from Steigenberger properties.

If you take delivery of your new Porsche between October and March, you will receive a free two week winter tire rental so you can put your Porsche through its paces on the highways and byways of Europe. After bringing your new Porsche home, all European Delivery customers are also eligible for a special discount at the Porsche Sport Driving School in Birmingham, AL."

jcmf75

I was told you have to give 12 weeks notice to do this. Can anyone confirm or deny?

Mike in CA

I've always planned even further ahead than that to insure that I could get an available dealer allocation, production slot, get my exact custom order, etc. This is what it says on the Porsche web site:

To ensure that you receive the exact Porsche you want on the delivery date you specify, place your order at least 12 weeks prior to delivery. Your dealer may still be able to find you a car in less than 12 weeks, but your selection may be limited by production availability. Delivery dates for “special orders” involving custom or non-standard colors and interiors are subject to material availability.

Whoever told you 12 weeks is giving you the straight scoop.

jcmf75

OK, thanks. I just assumed if you have a car already in allocation with a build date, being built to spec, it wouldn't be a problem to do it inside of 12 weeks. I guess if they had everyone and their brother deciding last minute to pick it up, it probably wouldn't work out so well.

Next time