European delivery
 

Planning on European delivery for new GTS. Dealer is saying I need to pay 19% gratuity that will be refunded once the car arrives in the US. Is this common? Any others had to do this?

It's VAT tax I Believe. I think it's just in case you take delivery and decide not to bring it back here and keep it in Europe.

It's not a gratuity. A gratuity is a tip. You're being asked to pay a refundable deposit of the German Value Added Tax of 20%. If your car isn't exported from Germany in 6 months, the German government will ask Porsche AG for the money. Porsche AG askes PCNA, who will ask the dealer, who will want the money from you. On my recent ED buy, I wrote the dealer a check for the amount that they held uncashed until PCNA confirmed my car was on a ship and out of Germany. When the car arrived at the dealership, they handed back my original, never cashed check.

Other German brands don't go through this Hokey Pokey Dance, but Porsche seems stuck in the 1980s.

I just did the ED in June and the dealer said I have to put a deposit for the VAT (19%) as an insurance. Apparently Porsche is on the hook for the VAT if for some reason the car is not exported, hence the deposit.

The dealer ended up waiving this, so I didn't have to front the VAT.

Regardless, I wouldn't let that stop you from going ahead with the ED experience, it is so worth it. Just takes some advance planning and patience. Driving a 911 on the track at Leipzig is so cool, and where else can you say you drove "your" car on the autobahn!

I've done two European Deliveries. The latest was last month. My dealer does not require the 19% VAT deposit. Some do, some don't. It's actually a hassle for them because they have to collect and refund it. It's hassle for you because you have to tie up around $25k of your money for 6 months or so.

My dealer had me write a separate check for the VAT, then when my car came back in stateside they just gave me the check back and I tore it up.

I asked and apparently they had a situation with folks doing the Euro delivery and then just deciding to keep the car over there, and so Porsche had a hard time collecting the VAT after the fact.

Thanks for the quick feedback - appreciate it.

So, another question - pros/cons on delivery experience in Zuffenhausen compared to Leipzig? I know the autobahns near Leipzig are newer, three lanes, anymore wide open. Any experiences?

Why not do "both"? Delivery at Leipzig, so you can use the track, then drive to Stuttgart for the Porsche and Mercedes museums.

IMHO, you should pick it up where it was built.

You can always drive up to Leipzig as part of your road trip.

And other brands offer actual discounts and fewer hassles, for buyers and dealers.

It depends what's important to you from an experience standpoint. Stuttgart is where the legend began; it has the history. It's abutting the Black Forest and only an hour from Baden Baden. The 991's (and all 911's since the 901) have been constructed there. Leipzig is huge and new, and has the excitement of the test track. I understand it also has a more robust factory tour, but it's where Cayennes and Panameras are built. It's neat Berlin, if visiting there is important to your itinerary. Leipzig also has drop-off 24/7 for your car.

I am taking delivery in Stuttgart and dropping the car in Leipzig.

I've done both.

Stuttgart has the nostalgia, the museum and is where the 911s are built.

Leipzig has the track, a newer factory and also many displays etc.

It also depends on where you want to go. If you are heading to the Swiss Alps, then Stuttgart is better. If you are heading to Prague or north, then Leipzig is better.

See this video I made last month that discusses both. I don't know why the video starts off at 1 min so you have to rewind it.

That is what I did. Since Stuttgart was closed for 2017 deliveries, I took delivery in Leipzig, did the track and factory tour, then drove to Stuttgart, via Munich, to see the Porsche museum. Since I'm an Audi fan (hence my screen name) I stopped in Ingolstadt to check out the Audi museum.