I'm thinking about taking Euro delivery this summer.

As such, does anyone have information on how I may affordably add Command, CD changer or other accessories while in Germany or the Netherlands?

Also, any guess as to when 2004 models go into production (sport sedans)? I'll be in Europe in July...

Thanks much!

Probably the only way to do it would be to pick up the car and then get it all done on your own before you leave. If you have the time, maybe you can drive to the Netherlands and see Steve to get a COMAND installed. He probably can get all kinds of things for you. So that would be your best bet. Work something out with him.

EarliestTourist delivery probably begins in August based upon previous years schedules. Unless you are getting the car primarily so you have your own car to drive in Europe I certainly wouldn't recommend getting an 03 model which will be last years model by the time it gets home.
As to things you can buy, there really aren't too many e.g The Command System, if available mighty be impractical to install. If you want the CD changer just order it for the $400 which is a reasonable price.
One thing I have bought on several trips is the convex driver's side mirror glass.
Last fall I paid 200 Euro at a dealer in Germany.
Tourist delivery can be a fun experience so why not re-schedule your trip a little later so you can pick up an 04 model? I have done it many times and hope to do it again this fall to pick up a CLK.

Sadly I cannot reschedule the trip, we are attending a wedding in Amsterdam. The pick-up would make a nice side trip, touring the factory, driving through riesling country, etc. and dropping off in Bremen or NL.

Unless I can swing a nice discount from the dealer for a 2003 model, it looks like I may sit-tight. I don't anticipate many changes in the '04 230k sedan and plan to keep the car for 6-7 years... so the model year is not of paramount concern.

MB-Jim, from your experience are prices on Euro delivered cars more standardized or can I still negotiate a good deal?

Unless the 04 price structure changes, the only basic difference between Euro and dealer delivery is that you don't have to pay the $720 shipping charge on the tourist pickup. You do get two free hotel nights with your tourist pickup and some of them are at least $300 per night value. Some also include gourmet dinners.
As to discounts, that all depends on your dealer. There is no reason why they shouldn't give you whatever discount they would if you bought at their store. It is my understanding that the tourist delivery cars do not come out of their quotas
so they are actually getting an extra car to sell. I also believe that their profit margain is at least as good as on those cars sold directly from their store.

Don't you have to pay extra for the insurance while in Germany?

I hear that with the amount MB charges, it would be cheaper to RENT a C-class from Hertz than to drive your own.

But I may be misinformed.

--Steffen

delivery car actually come out of dealer allocation. also, you must pay the $720 destination charge....it is not waived. it was waived in the past. there is no extra discount for doing ED with MB....you just get to drive it in europe. in the past MB used to offer discount for ED but not anymore. I know you can still get discount for ED with bmw.

Insurance - 15 days are covered in the car price but if you want to stay longer it will cost additional and insurance is expensive.
Delivery Charge - The $720 charge does not apply to European Delivery cars. If you will check the MBUSA European Delivery information it clearly shows that the delivery charge does not apply. e.g the CLK 320 is $44,620 at the dealer and
$43,900 Euro.
Dealer Quotas - If your dealer tells you that the tourist cars come out of his quota, he is misinformed . Many dealers aren't interested in handling tourist orders so they may have never looked into the program. The only time I know of when a car would come out of the dealer's quota would be when you want a car that is not currently available form the euro program.
Don't be afraid to negotiate on a tourist delivery just as you would for a car bought at the dealer's store.

has a mistake in the ED pricing. it must include the $720 destination charge for ED as well. yes, mbusa (NOT the dealer) said ED cars come out of dealer's allocation. 15 days insurance is included and 2 free nights at hotel....

Last info I received is that you do not want to add things to the car while over there. You can buy the stuff, save your receipts and get the VAT back. But if you install things you could get into trouble because the car is no longer considered US spec. Customs , shipper, MB might all have a fit once they find out. They might even remove and replace the stuff and make you pay.

I would imagine they still charge you the $720 destination charge because they still have to ship your car over here just like they normally do. You go and drive it for a while and then it goes on a boat just like it would if you didn't do Euro Delivery.

I understand the concern with installing post-production accessories prior to import... thanks for the feedback.

However, I cannot understand why it's so difficult for us to get the straight scoop on the Euro Delivery Program. MB website says one thing, one dealer says something else and yet another source something else. Thanks for your help, people. I thought it was just me...

In reply to MB, all I can point to is the success that Volvo, Saab and BMW are having with their well-run, clear and concise Euro delivery programs. Success in terms of financial gain for the automaker as well as customer benefits. Grrr... get with the program, MB!

BTW, I found this blurb on the AMG boards regarding the Euro delivery counting against allocation issue:

" Time was when a European delivery car did not count against a dealer's allocation of scarce cars. As a result, dealers were most accomodating with a client who wanted something like an S600. My recollection is that this was very much the case with 6.9 sedans, among other models.

Within the last few years, MBNA found that the European delivery process was being abused, and dealers were arranging for stand-ins to pick up high premium cars in order to augment their allocation. So two changes were made - European delivery cars DID count against the dealer's allocation, and the margin allowed the dealer on a European delivery was somewhat reduced compared to the margin for a domestic (US) delivery. This, of course, created quite a disincentive to the dealers, since now they lost a little when a customer asked for European delivery compared to a US delivery. (They don't lose money on the deal, they just don't make as much.) As a result, as I understand it, dealers now resist or only grudingly accomodate requests for European delivery.

I do know that European delivery is not an impossibilty at this point - one of my partners is picking up a CL55 later this month at the factory - but apparently it is something of a rarity, at least with the higher-end cars. "

The only savings you get by doing European Delivery is the waived destination fee. For '02 that was $667 USD, now I think it's $720 USD. Other car makers give further discounts, but MB does not.

However, you do get many free things when in Europe. 1. Two nights in a 5 star hotel including dinner and drinks. 2. Tourist registration, plates, etc. 3. Very good no deductable insurance for up to 15 days good everywhere in western Europe. 4. Free factory tour (you get to go to the front of the line too!) 5. Free lunch at the kundercenter/customer center/factory. 6. A planed out road rally. etc.

Exactly 40 days after placing the order for my '02 C230 I picked it up in Sindelfingen. My local dealer kept telling me that we were cutting it close by ordering it so late, but the car was built 5 days after I ordered it and sat there for 35 days waiting for me to arrive to pick it up.

The car does come out of your local dealer's allocation, and gets transfered to MBUSA's European Delivery department's allocation. I was sitting in the office of the sales manager as he transfered one of his allocation to the European Delivery department so I could get my car.

-Marc

Those are nice photos. I am told the citron-green is rare in Germany as well. Is that true? I expected the Germans to be a bit more on the "hip" side, but from what I can tell from your pictures, all the MB in the showroom are the same boring black and silver as here in the USA.

--Steffen