Vince Vincent

Greetings Rennlist,
I just got the news that I've been selected for an assignment in Stuttgart Germany and I need your help/advice please!

Some background: Wife and I are 31/32, no kids (for another 1-3 years) and plan on having the military ship our daily driver (2001 Lexus IS300) as a get around car
Currently own a 997.1 S (manual, well optioned, great condition, tastefully modified, 93k miles, still making payments (purchased Feb 2019))

Question: Should I bring the 911 with us?!
Options:

1) If we decide to bring it, we will have it shipped privately (heard horror stories about military shipping vehicles)
If we bring it, being stationed in Germany affords unique discounts/income and I'm hoping....modifying/mainteance/service will be much more affordable there? Any insight or thoughts ?
If we bring it, I have researched briefly the market there and it seems to be a little better than here for well kept/optioned 911's! So sellling it there may be an option? (Especially to a service member looking for a toy while in Europe)
If we bring it, do you have any insight or advice or modifications/details that would be beneficial doing stateside before sending to Germany?

2) Sell it here, use the extra income to travel and possibly look at getting a 911 in/from Germany when we leave
If we do this, we run the risk of having a kid or two and I can see that having the ulitimate X on owning/purchasing a 911 later down the line..

The adult in us says, sell it here, use the money to travel and prepare for a kid... (but this is highly killing the 911 dream)
However, I really don't want to be older, and regret not taking it and travelling Europe in it... and we can sell it (if needed) once we do have a kid or trade up into a Macan...

Please help! Any insight or advice from others would be greatly appreciated...Thank you

Fined

I've just recently gone through this, my 997 GTS arrived one week ago today to our place just north of Dusseldorf, after 1 month in a container headed across the ocean. There was no way I would have sold this car. I worked too hard to get it, its the one I picked after looking for a year, and a 997 GTS with the mileage mine has costs 70k euro or more (78k USD).
I haven't dealt with any of the official paperwork for the car yet. As I've understood it you can start by getting a Certificate of Compliance from where ever your local Porsche dealership is. You give them your vin and they will get the CoC and this will help you deal with the TUV.

To my knowledge the only way to export a vehicle from the US is with a clear title in hand. So you'll need to either pay it off or refinance it with a company that won't require them having the title. Lightstream does unsecured car loan refinancing. That can be a good option, as they have competitive finance rates.

Do yourself a favor and find your old registrations from last year if you can, your current vehicle registration as well. I ended having to pay $300 euros total to get my car through customs.

I'm pretty excited that I brought the car and didn't go the easier route of selling it back in the states. $5 a gallon makes the 911 a thirsty girl and makes your wallet

MexicoBlueTurboS

Yes Yes and f'yes!! Take the car. They are more expensive in Germany so you'll get your best price there. The mil should be paying all or most of your costs to get the cars there - right ?

Besides you will have the time of your life driving the devil you know in Germany - it's a dream.

You're going to have a blast with the car and regret it every day without it. Or at the least every weekend.

Louis de Funes

yeah I would ship my 911 to Germany

the Autobahn is so much fun

good luck with your Move

GoldenGorilla

I would completely agree with this. you are going to the only country where you can use the full capability of your 911 on the roads. Sell it in Germany if you wish/need to down the road

Steph1

There's no way you can go there and not bring it!!!! You'll get to see and experience its origins and why it has evolved into what it is.

It would be like having kids, but go to Disney land without them... illogical imho.

shus2006croc

1 car and has to be on the orders.

I.d take it. You have one shot before kids....do it.and sell it over there.

The Autobahn is an eye opener. Be careful on the fharts in the Winter.

sbbarnett

Do you still get coupons for discounted fuel while you're in theater? I used to get them when I was assigned to USAFE, but that was 25 years ago.

C4SDayton

I always thought parts and service were all more in Germany.

GoldenGorilla

That would be likely, especially on parts with 18 or 19% VAT included in the price, not added after as sales tax is calculated in the US. However, being in the EU on duty, I would imagine you might be able to have the parts shipped from a US dealer to avoid VAT.

There are also licensing costs, parking costs, as well as the shipping costs already discussed. It wouldn't be cheap to take the car over there, but it would be an experience you might only have once in your life barring european delivery. That said, renting a current one for a weekend would probably be cheaper.

hatchetf15

Service members can have VAT refunded. Take your Porsche to its Vaterland. Drive the car every weekend and explore Europe at 200 kph.

MexicoBlueTurboS

I see American civilian/military plated vehicles all of the time on the 6 between Frankfurt and Saarbrucken. And it's no wonder, Ramstein, Kaiserslauten and Landstuhl are all right there with 10km of each other. There also a lot near Heidelberg. Before 9/11 one could just drive in to the base in Stuttgart or any German base by flashing a US passport and get some US shopping done at the PX. It was also an easy way to send packages home via the US mail pre 9/11. Things have tightened up since then.

ekam

Traffic around Stuttgart area is just horrible.

Autobahn fun doesn't start in that part of Germany unless it's 3am in the morning.

GoldenGorilla

I must disagree. East on the A8 towards Munchen is one of the longest unrestricted sections in Germany with reasonably light traffic and south on the A7/A96 I've seen light to no traffic.

If you were going between Frankfurt/Wiesbaden, Karlsruhe and Stuttgart, well, es ist immer zu viel Verkehr.

rileyracing1

No brainier ... Take the car ...