German Car - Europe Pickup
 

While in Germany, I read about some of the programs such as BMW's that allow you to pick up your car and drive it several days before they ship it back to you. <BR><BR>Couple of thoughts:<BR><BR><BR> <BR>

Hit post too soon. <BR><BR>1) It is not good to drive a new car at high speeds until it is broken in. Who is going to be able to restrain themselves with the autobahn so readily available.<BR><BR>2) Every rental car I have had in germany usually gets a couple nice door dings or a scratch on the bumper from someone parallel parking. Parking is generally very tight in Europe. <BR><BR>Hate to get back to the states with a new car that was not broken in properly and possibly dinged up. <BR><BR>Any thoughts??

I see a lot of BMWs and Mercedes in Europe with no dings or parking lot boo-boo's. And I see a lot more cars in America that DO have them.<BR><BR>If I was in the market to buy a car that expensive and it coincided with a trip I wanted to take, I would do it, assuming I would be okay to be without the car the 4-8 weeks it can take to arrive back at my home in the US.<BR><BR>After all, it saves several thousand dollars below full sticker price. Not to mention a great rental for the duration of your travels in Europe!<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

lead foot,<BR>1. Break in - initially is 500-1000 miles and with today's engines the only real requirement is to not drive at a steady speed for a prolonged period. That's easily accomplished, even w/the autobahn taunting you, by taking the more scenic routes.<BR>2. Damage - With any new car, you're extra careful for a while.<BR><BR>Several of my friends have taken delivery in Europe and to a person have come back w/rave reviews. Even though I think it's a great program, I would not use it - too much to worry about - besides the european car maker I'm partial to does not have such a program for North American cars

We took delivery of our BMW in Munich in Sept. 2001. Spent 3 weeks driving Austria &amp; Germany. Had the time of our lives! 30days of insurance is provided at no charge. Everyone is very careful about dings even though parking is tight. Car arrived at our dealer about 5 weeks after we left. Check out the web site for the type of car you are interested in and search for &quot;European Delivery&quot;. The BMW museum in Munich is a disappointment but the Mercedes museum in Stuttgard is great! Enjoy your travels.

You save roughly 7% buying a BMW through their European car program. If you are worried about parking maybe you could pay more and park in a garage while traveling around.<BR>I want an Audi but Audi does not have such a program. I wish they did or I would take advantage of it.<BR>In 62' my mother went and bought a VW Beetle and drove it around for about 4-5 months. She brought it back and the taxes were lower because it was a &quot;used car&quot; at that point. Apparantly the laws were different back then. Too bad they do not apply today:(

How come car manufacturers like BMW and Mercedes appear to actively encourage US customers to do this, but if I try to buy a UK specification car in Europe - or, for that matter, if a Spaniard wants to buy a Spanish spec car in Germany - it's deliberately made difficult?

Katherine,<BR>Ahh, a fellow Audi fan. <BR><BR>If, in your travels, you get into the area, Audi's Ingolstadt HQ/Plant and the town proper are worth a visit. We made a 1.5 day stop during our 2000 road trip just after they opened the new &quot;Audi Forum&quot; (museum and conference center). Well worth it IMHO.<BR>

topping<BR>