raidentech.com

Hi. I just found out that mercedes benz has a 5% off on MSRP on most of their cars if you get the European Delivery option as the way to pick up your car. This is sweet if you order those AMG cars without much discount from the dealer.

Is there any discount like that for Porsche?

It would be nice.

privates8

Generally, they actually charge a premium for European Delivery. I think that it is in the neighborhood of $3k.

alin2

Although, the Porsche website has the European Delivery as a no cost option on the 997S "Build Your Porsche" car configurator. HHmmm. It would be a great vacation...

NeverLift

Back in the late 80s it was 8% off MSRP which basically paid for the trip and then some. I'm sure someone here has or knows of someone who has done a European delivery lately. I'm curious to know cause I've always wanted to do this.

danoberer

Back in the late 80's - when Porsche was Porsche and the cars were bullet proof and hand built....

Arun

Well Gentlemen, I have had friends of mine take delivery in Europe. As several have said in the 80s it was a discount off the MSRP of the USA Price. But sometime late 90s into the 2000s Porsche charged the client for taking delivery in Europe. Now this usually paid for your insurance and euro plates for the time you are driving the car in europe plus lunch at the factory and a factory tour. Also, I am sure Porsche realized that it is a special treat for clients to visit the factory and get a tour etc. It appears that Porsche is now not charging for the option to pickup your Porsche in Europe, but at the sametime they are not discounting the car either. This option was a good way in which to get a Porsche faster when demand was high and smart dealers marketed the idea because the Euro delivery cars did not come out of their allocation for the year and actually it was added to their allocation numbers for the following year.
In the end from our point of view. Being able to pick up your Porsche at the factory, getting a tour, and driving your Porsche in the EU is gift enough for some of us. I personally have always wanted to do this just never have had the time.
As raidentech as stated first Benz has been doing euro delivery with a discount. But with one exception. Which is AMG cars usually are not available for euro delivery and if they are it is for a limited time. Benz also reserves the right not to discount AMG cars on euro delivery.

tetzlafh

So would it be a good deal then if i were to get a 997 or 986 at MSRP, tax free and a European delivery...which later would be shipped free to the States?

harrY

Alan Smithee

There are a few pitfalls with European Delivery, at least in my experience with BMW (Porsche may handle it differently). The order had to go in three months ahead, so advanced planning is required, and I had to pay for my car in full 30 days before delivery. On the back end, it took two months to get my car after dropoff in Germany. So while it sounds like a good deal, if you don't pay cash you're making payments for three months while you don't have the car. Also, depending on the length of your trip, you may not get through the break-in period...which can be extremely frustrating with all of the fun roads and Autobahns to play on. For a short trip, you may be better off renting a Porsche over there; especially with a 986, you'd get a better deal on a car in stock rather than ordering it. There's also the concern of being in foreign lands with a brand new car...parking, narrow streets, car washing facilities, etc. can all be issues for an obsessive new Porsche owner.

That said, driving a high performance German car on the roads it was designed for...the Alps, Autobahns, Nurburgring...are some of the best experiences I've had. I've done both...rented a Carrera in Germany, and taken European Delivery of an M3...and it's great either way.

raidentech.com

So how does the 90 days CALIFORNIA sales tax loop hole work for European delivery? Do you have to pay full in Cash? And you have to keep the car in Germany for 90 days? If so, do you have to register, and pay tax in Germany?

Thanks.

Alan Smithee

European Delivery includes temporary European registration (and insurance).

When your car arrives in CA, you provide the DMV with a smog certificate, the bill of sale...which in my case with BMW was dated 30 days before delivery (as I stated above, this was required). Add the 60 days it travels across the ocean (West coast), and you're at 90 days without even considering your time with the car in Europe. Again, this is with BMW...Porsche may handle it all differently (but I doubt it).

The DMV will see the bill of sale from a US dealer, and will not know European Delivery was taken. Keep in mind, however, this is perjury...the loophole stipulates 90 days of use, not storage or shipping time. And if the DMV computers talk to the CARFAX or US Customs computers, you will be busted (unless you keep the car in Europe for the full 90 days).

This will all work if you're financing through the manufacturer; it may take some finessing if going through an outside lending institution, as they won't get the title until long after they pay for your car.

raidentech.com

So if you buy the car in Germany, and you bring it back after 90 days. Is this ok? So why does DMV have that law? Isn't it right for the DMV to charge used tax for any out of state cars even after 90 days if you plan to use it in CA?

Please reply

Thanks.

Alan Smithee

Buying the car in Germany is entirely different, and not financially feasible for many reasons.

With "European Delivery" you order/purchase the car from an authorized dealership in the US, then intercept it in Germany. When you're done with it there and drop it off, it continues the way it otherwise would have to your dealer back in the US.

If you're buying a vehicle with the intention of using it in CA, yes, you are supposed to pay use/sales tax. The loophole we're discussing was created for people legitimately moving their residence into the state with a car they had recently purchased. It allows them to avoid having to pay CA sales/use tax; in theory they didn't buy the vehicle with the intention of using it in CA. Like all tax loopholes, differences in interpretation can lead to advantages being taken by others. As my CPA says, "It's all shades of gray". Another example is the deduction many are taking on SUVs with a GVWR of over 6,000lbs...it was intended for farmers' pickup trucks, not dentists' Cayennes.

Arun

Well, I would like to add several things. First, Alan is correct in regards to euro delivery. You do have to pay for the car in full before you go to germany and pick it up. Second, yes you need to have the order in early but not more so than if you were ordering it for delivery here in USA. Porsche has two major euro delivery dates one is in the spring and the other is in the fall. You still can go to europe on other dates if you want to. Now to discuss the first issue in more detail. You still can finance your Porsche versus actually paying for it in cash from you (out of your pocket). Most of the banks will work with the dealer to get you financed and the car paid for to the dealer. When you are done driving your Porsche in europe if you would like it delivered to the United States faster take your car back to the factory where you picked it up from. All US cars in the euro delivery program are put on the very next ship headed to USA. If you drop off the car at a Porsche dealer in europe or another allowed location it adds weeks to it getting here. Any car not taken back to the factory has to return to the factory first before being setup to ship here. In regards to how long a Porsche takes to cross the ocean and arrive in Cal. I cannot comment on as I do not know the answer to that. Also realize every Porsche and it does not matter whether you drive it there for awhile or it comes straight here does not matter as all presold / customer cars get shipped first. But ultimately if you want to have an experience you will always remember and you want it to be your car then I think you should do it. One last thing, realize Porsche also makes 911s and Boxsters available to drive through Porsche's tour program for you to drive these cars on vacation. The only catch is you have to go on there tour and not your own.

Rennphile

When I looked into Euro delivery of a 996 a few years ago, Porsche also required an additional $10K deposit that was refunded to you when the car landed Stateside within the timetable specified by the program. Presumably this was to discourage tax or pricing arbitrage (U.S. customers typically pay substantially less than the ROW).

raidentech.com

Hi. How about this. You do a European Delivery, and you get the car in 60 days back to the US. And you keep the car in your garage for the remainning 31 days.

Will that work? Or DMW has to look at your car's arrival date from the port to determine the date of arrival?