babern

Hello,

I'm hoping someone can help clarify some questions I have about european delivery since the two dealers I've been two haven't been able to answer them.
First, the initial dealer I went to seemed to blow off the ED saying you'd initially pay 20% over msrp and have to stay a minimum of 2 weeks and porsche would only give you like a month's notice of delivery window which all seemed ludicrous.

second dealer is much better an where I'm going to order my targa 4s from, but waiting on him to clarify this question.

If my goal would be to pick up the car in germany in march 2018, how far in advance will I have to be able to plan the trip? this will be difficult without ~2 months notice given my wife's work schedule. How long will porsche hold the car there for me to come get it. i.e. if car gets built in february could I plan on taking delivery in march, etc.?

Second, if we start setting up ED, but it turns out we can't make the trip, at what point could we convert to Atlanta delivery or just to our dealer?

Thanks

subshooter

I can answer a lot of your questions. I am doing my second ED next week. First, your first dealer is full of BS. Dealers don't want to sell an ED car because they have to pay PCNA $3000 for it so this cuts deeply in their pockets. (although they do get an additional allocation from Porsche). They don't advertise it much (if at all) and poo poo it constantly.

Discounts for me are as follows:
2014 Boxster S: 5% discount with ED
2018 991.2 C4: 5% discount with ED.

These are both good deals but I have a very good relationship with the dealership. If you can meet or beat these deals then good for you!....but good luck.

You don't have to stay a minimum of two weeks. This is total BS. Many folks go for a week or 5 days. I'm sure you can go for two days. They pay for your car's insurance for up to 16 days but you can buy more time. You are also limited to 6 months over in Europe and 6000km. These are the restrictions.

Delivery window: I have the same issue. My wife and I both work in demanding jobs so we need commitments. The first ED, we got the exact delivery date 3 months out no issues. The second one (next week), we knew that ED demand was much higher so we called PCNA and I got penciled in 1 year before the delivery (but this is my second one and they know me). They can firm up your delivery date no earlier than 6 months in advance but you have to go to PCNA directly. Dealers know very little about ED. They (PCNA) are also dependent on factory closings in July/August which is not known that far out. Rule of thumb is at least 3 months out. I actually got my date before I even ordered my car. That is unusual but I gamed this system a bit and worked directly with PCNA (they are fantastic to do business with).

How long will they hold it? A good while. My first one, they held it for a month. My second one was finished building on June 23rd for July 6th delivery. They are getting better at Just In Time inventory. Recognize that for a Leipzig delivery, they have to ship the car from Stuttgart too.

Not sure about your last question. The contract I signed (and you have to sign a legally binding document) says that if you don't pick up your car, you have to pay a penalty etc. I signed that contract about 10 weeks before delivery. They may work with you if you just want to ship it to Atlanta.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions. I leave Sunday.

babern

Thanks for the useful reply and have a great trip.
What did you have in place with the dealer before you started contacting PCNA (what does that stand for btw?). Did you already have a dealer allocation spot and order number? I assume not if you had your delivery date before you ordered your car, but how did that work as I thought these orders were based on time specific dealer allocation spots.

Thanks

subshooter

I didn't have an allocation yet but I told my dealer and PCNA (Porsche Cars of North America) that I wanted a 2018 delivery for early July 2018. So it was basically a gentlemen's agreement.


PCNA is the headquarters of Porsche on the continent. Their European Delivery group operates out of their Headquarters which is in Atlanta.


Allocations are given out to dealership each quarter and I wanted the build right after the model year change over.... So cars built in June are 2018s. Cars built in May are 2017s. It was tricky with both of my ED deliveries to get the date, allocation and the new model year at change over. It saves a years worth of depreciation. I didn't get an allocation, order, or commission number until April 1st for a June build.

babern

thanks.
so, when should I expect my dealer to know if they have an allocation for my targa 4s to be ready for possible ED march 2018? He said they didn't have allocation info yet, though it sounds like if you are already ordering for july, then they should be able to tell me there's a build spot available.

German_Saint

March is early ED -FYI. Weather can be tough & not much open air driving unless you go south to Italy.



To me ED is a bucket list item. Hopefully, I get to do it next year with my Dad as we probably don't have many more summer seasons to do it. Besides, I think any dealership would/should be thankful to have a customer passionate enough to go & experience the vehicle in Europe. Talk about a good ambassador for the brand and the dealership! $3k is cheap!!!

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I offer a 1-stop shop for ED via Porsche Fresno & my travel agency fyi. Should be more comprehensive and complete than any dealership in the country. Including itinerary planning, hotel reservations, etc. etc.