Buy in Germany?
 

Has anyone ever bought a Porsche in Germany and have it shipped here? Is it worth the trouble? Are the cars any different than the ones already in the US (emissions, etc.). I have a friend who lives there and could probably handle the details. Would it be any cheaper, with the Euro taking a dump these days? :confused: What do you guys and gals think?

Excellent question

My wife and I are hoping to order and pick up form the factory one day. The questions are the same, how is the car transported, are the freight costs already factored in (I would assume yes), do you purchase it locally or via Germany, is it insured when its freighted as part of the original delivery process, how long can you fang it around Europe before you put it on e ship to get it home etc etc.

Any help from anyone who has done this would be appreciated!

I looked into this when I bought mine. Bottom line is they don't provide a price differential any more (it used to be less expensive before, something to do with importing a 'used' car or something like that if I remember correctly). It actually costs extra to take European ("tourist") delivery, but the idea is that you get to drive the car around instead of hiring a rental, so it sort of comes out a wash if you were already planning to travel to Europe. They do make all the shipping arrangements for you. You need to have a US spec car to register in the US (without hassles), and the only place you can order one is in the US - so you don't get to benefit from the currency float either.

This was all based upon what I found out/read back in 2001 - things may be different now so still check it out with the dealer or here on the Porsche web site.

Uh.. Euro is strong. It's the dollar taking the dump.

No, actually the Euro has been plummeting for several months. Down again today!

I would imagine if you could find a used Boxster with US specs (possibly difficult) you could have it transported here. But, if you did it it would be a gray market car and no remaining factory warranty would be honored. I do not think you'd save much money though... Boxsters can be had for a bit over wholesale blue book in very nice condition if you hunt long and hard for the car.

I can only dream of buying a new Porsche and taking European delivery... I'd drive it around the castles and other points of interest to keep the wife happy until the break in period is over and then head directly to the Nurburgring (a Porsche owner's version of Disneyland) and drive the piss out of it as fast as I can without the slow cars around you doing pokey speeds of just a 100 mph or so on the autobahns... yup, I'd be sharing the circuit with ferraris, fast motorcycles and yes, other Porsches!

Oh crap. Now I'm so worked up I won't be able to get to sleep tonight just thinking about doing this. It's a boy's dream, no?

If I ever come into some cash one way or another, I'll do this in a heartbeat. My buddy did exactly this with his M3... took three weeks to drive all over Germany, Switzerland, Italy and even drove into Poland if I'm not mistaken. That I would not do with my new car, but hey, to each his own. Then he headed to the ring and paid his money for lap after lap to drive 165 mph. Said he had a ******************** eating grin on his face the entire airplane trip back home to Hawaii where he lives and works.

Only downside to European delivery is the oh-so-long wait to get your toy home. I think it takes 6-8 weeks after you drop it off for it to arrive all cleaned up and ready for US delivery at the dealership where you made the purchase.