2QUIK4U

I have decided to move back to Europe for a year and am contemplating taking the C55 with me. I am originally from Germany and when I moved to the states a few years ago, I brought my Audi S3 with me for a year (I initially did not think that I would end up staying as long as I did...). So I am familiar with the whole shipping process.

Anyways, I am really wondering whether I should bring the car back there for this 9-12 month period. It will probably cost around $5000-$6000 to ship the car back and forth (~1500 for shipping each way and ~3000 for overseas insurance). I do have a vehicle over there that I can use for the period, however that car is not nearly as exciting as my C55.

Obviously, the sensible thing to do would be to sell the car and not ship it. However, when it comes to cars, I think like many of the people on this forum, I have difficulty making sensible decisions...

The other issue is that I will need winter tires since I will probably be driving up to the mountains quite often this winter. Plus, the C55 is not the ideal winter machine.

That being said, I am really wondering whether I should take it or not. What would you do if you were in my situation?

bensitto

I would sell and buy a C63 when you get back. You'll save 5-6k that you can invest later. Plus I agree with you that these are not ideal for winter driving.

Good luck with your decision!

Substance

or even better , bring a C63 along with you with euro options such as parktronic and all. I am sure C63 will be released in europe months before it does in USA.

FrankW

I would suggest selling the C55 here instead of bringing it back and forth as well. Unless you have plan to go to AMG head quarter and see what they can do on upgrading the car with.

2QUIK4U

Yeah, that is definitely part of the idea of bringing it over there. However, it's becoming more and more clear that they won't touch a US spec vehicle. They cite liability issues, etc. (see private lounge for AMG's latest response)

I'll be back by July of next year and the C63 won't be out until earliest spring of 2008.

I would love to do that. However, when I return I plan on being back in the states for a longer period (i.e. at least 2-3 years). Currently, the DOT and EPA only allow temporary imports for a period <12 months.

Substance

I didnt know the 12 month period. I always wanted to bring a merc from europe with all the euro options.

I hate the american taste. they dont sell CLK55 coupes (well now CLK63) here because of the poor sells.

and no body bothers to pay 1000 or more for parktronic in a low model C class. In europe even the old w202 C43 had parktronic. well most people dont get xenon ligths and nav system either. even if you dont need those , one should get them for the visual aspect of the car. xenon hids looks so nice and nav screen make the car more futuristic inside. i think i should also mention the manual ac vs european digital ac .

they even deducted some of the cool options from the S class too. I have seen S classes having fridges in them in europe. but these options are not offered in usa

worst of all , you have to stick with the motorolla phones if you want to use the car kit. and again Nokia s are offered in europe.

Brabus C55

assuming your Euro-car has alot less than 5.4 L displacement...

bringing the C55 to Europe
minuses
- $5-6K shipping
- additional fuel costs of C55 in europe
- additional insurance costs of C55 in europe
- repairing a US spec car in europe
- hassle of shipping a car back and forth

pluses
+ possibly autobahn'ing the C55
+ possibly taking the C55 to the Ring
+ not juggling sale & purchase of cars over the next 12 months.

selling the C55
swap the pluses and minuses above & add

- depreciation of C55 at time of sale
- driving Euro-beater for less than a year

Not sure what the price tag is associated w/ the Pluses or Minuses above, let alone the psycological impact of leaving your C55

Good Luck either way!

2QUIK4U

BrabusC55,

The $5-$6K that I mentioned is not only shipping but includes all of the insurance as well (i.e. insurance to drive the car in Europe). So with that I am pretty much covered. Yes, fuel does cost more in Europe, but that would not deter me. As far as having any repairs done on the vehicle, I can assure you that I would feel much more comfortable having a Mercedes dealer in Europe work on the car than a US dealership. Plus, the car is under warranty and would be covered in Europe as well. Regarding your comment about the hassle of shipping, it really is a lot less complicated than it seems. All I need to do is drive the car to Houston (I live in Dallas so figure a 2.5 hour drive), fill out some paper work and three weeks later my car is delivered to my house in Germany.

Another part of the reason why I don't want to deal with the hassle of selling is that I am currently in the process of applying to Business school and have decided to focus on the applications for the next two months before I start my position in Europe. As some of you may know, it takes a lot of time and effort to complete the applications and the last thing that I need is the distraction of selling a car.

Plus, I think I would have a hard time parting with the C55. I just can't explain how much I love this damn car! I think having it in Europe will probably just raise that fun factor by another 10 levels (autobahn, n-Ring, twisty mountain roads, etc.)

Also, I might be fortunate enough to get some Manufaktur parts on the car (which would make the whole trip worthwhile...).

Anyways, thanks for your comments. Appreciate any further thoughts or ideas on the subject.

Brabus C55

sounds to me like the C55's going sailing ... Have Fun!

van001

i think 5-6k is totally worth if your job pays you good and you could easily afford ..anyday it's better than driving a rental that costs the same..further nothing can beat the feeling of driving our baby across the ocean with US licence plate rem in euorope US style will be uique..