European Delivery - Picked up my car, pictures and everything you need to know
 

Well, I'm finally back from Europe after picking up my fully loaded C63 with the new P31 package. I have to tell you, the Euro delivery is the coolest thing i've ever done. It was well worth the price (more about that in a minute). I would recommend that any of you getting another C63 or any other mercedes, with the means to do so, should go over to Germany to pick up your car. I live in Philadelphia and the following is how this all came together.

First, here's the deal with euro delivery. There are some cars are officially part of the euro delivery program- unfortunately, it never includes any AMG cars. So what does this mean? A car that is part of the program gets a 7% discount. Well, if you have negotiated any dealer consideration (i.e. any deal you made with your dealer on the price of the vehicle), that is basically out the door. You are buying the car straight from MB as though your dealer is really not part of the deal. So I had negotiated 2k off the price and i lost that. However, I had also negotiated a lower price on the 19 inch AMG wheels (and no, i could not order them even though i was picking up the car in germany, they are a Euro option only), and I had extended my warranty to 7 years (20% off the top), and i still got the deals on those because i get those things through my dealership. The 2K that i lost on the dearler consideration was offset by the fact that i don't pay any destination tax, which was about $850. So, for the "privelege" of picking up my car I had to pay an additional $1100, but after doing it, I seems like chump change.

Here's what you get with Euro delivery. MB pays for 1 night in a 5 star hotel in about 15 cities. You choose this a few weeks in advance. i chose Stuttgart because I figure by the time we picked up the car and did the AMG tour, it would be too late to get all the MB stuff in. MB also pays for a cab ride from Stuttgart railroad station (we flew to Frankfurt) to Sindelfingen, the main MB plant where you pick up your car. MB also gives you lunch/breakfast at their restaurant, which was actually really nice. We got some local Swabian food and some local beer - which ran just under 65 Euros. They gave us a chocolate bar to make up the extra few euros (the voucher is worth 65 Euros.

MB gives you a German plate (the front of which i'm keeping on the car), registration and insurance for 2 weeks, and the needed stickers for the car for driving in other countries. You also get all of the documentation you need to give to the drop off point who will ship your car back to the states.

You pick from about 15 cities throughout Europe (Germany, France, Spain Switzerland, etc) to drop the car off, and you arrange the drop cite about a week before. MB pays for the car to be shipped back and the insurance to boot. Once you drop your car off it takes about 6-8 weeks to get it to the dealership (8-10 if you are on the west coast). yes..... the wait is going to kill me. So here's how it went

First, we get to Sindelfingen after the train ride in after flying Envoy (first class) and still not sleeping more than about an hour. The train ride from Frankfurt is only about an hour, and the cab ride from stuttgart is about 15 minutes. i was so stoked about the car, i didn't care how much sleep i had.

we arrive at Sindelfingen and after breakfast on MB (which was great, and the menu was all in German), and after signing the paperwork for delivery, insurance etc. We go out to the car.

There's a big door that opens that brings the cars out for people to get. it opens like something out of star trek.

My car was already sitting out there, and this guy named Klaus brings me out to the car (his english was not great). the anticipation was killing me. I get my first look at the red brakes, and the overall car and I'm loving life. Compared to anything else in the delivery area, it was just amazing.

here's the first few shots of the car.....

and some more shots.......

After picking up the car we went to our private tour of AMG. We had to set this up a few weeks before the trip. there were two of us, and we had one tour guide, who didn't know exactly what she was talking about, but it was interesting to say the least. we couldn't take pictures when we went into where they make the engines, which was really a shame because i got to meet the guy who built my engine. He spoke no english, but it was cool to shake his hand and say hi, in German. it was also very cool because they had a place where they had the various amg engines on display. My current C32 engine and the C63 engines were next to each other. Of course there were no pictures allowed.

Also, there were about 10 different SLS's driving around, with no owner yet. Some of them even had unfinished bodies on them. i took a few piictures but they were very hush hush about the hole thing- as if we didn't know what the cars were......

if you guys get a chance to go, Affalterbach is out in the middle of no where. I mean there are farms, little towns and then, bam, AMG. So weird.

we spent the night in Suttgart eating Swabian food, and then woke up to go to sindelfingen plant and the MB museum. the plant wouldn't allow piictures, but it was absolutely amazing. To see the robots making cars and parts was like watching some sci fi movie. The museum was great too. tons of old and new cars and lots of history.

Heading to bed now, but i'll post more pictures if youare interested. We went to 18 cities in Germany, France and Switzerland in 8 days. we put 1100 miles on the car - the first 900 without going over 4500 rpm, downshifting, or going over 90 (well maybe 100) miles per hour. the last 150 miles, well let's just say the car sounds like heaven when stomped on . I have a few videos of me nailing it in Nice. They are big files so i'm not sure i can post them.

if anyone has questions about Euro delivery, I've got all the answers you could need. now, i just got to wait 5 more weeks for my car....... damn

a few others.....

Dude.......you screwed up the pics by you being in it !!:smash:

awesome! looks like you had a great time too. Hard to keep the rpms low when you were breakin her in eh?

Awesome, huge congrats and thx for the write up. Driving in Germany is such a privlige. I'd have been doing 150 on the autoroute.

Just pack some snacks and hide in the trunk as they ship it over to Phili...

Thanks for sharing with us!
Anyway, so the new AMG emblem hasnt implemented into the '10 C63 yet?

driving slow during the break in period was torture. I actually got passed doing about 95mph (they told me to only do 85, couldn't help it), by and audi S4 Avant and a BMW 5 series as though we weren't moving - with a cop driving just in front of us. The cop was yawning.

The german roads were immaculate too. they just begged foryou to drive fast. i kept my cool till about 950 miles, then i had to let her rip.

the sound from the engine is just insane.

Not sure what emblem you are talking about, but if it's the Afflebach one (which i have on my C32), then no, it didn't get on the car.

I lived in Germany for about 1 1/2 years when in my early 20's. Wish I would have toured the AMG factory. The roads just beg you to go fast!!!

yeah Germany was amazing. We got very lucky going through Switzerland becuase the weather was in the 40s, and the snow was only on the SIDE of the roads. WE went to Zurich, Luzern and Geneva, in Switzerland. We did Beaune, Belfurt, Macon, Valence, Bourge en Brass, Avignon and all the way up the coast to Nice in France. That was the drop off point. driving through Europe iin a car like this was absolutely amazing experience and I recommend it to all of you reading this.

Also, as much as AMG was amazing to see, the sindelfingen tour was absolutely facinating.

Thanks for the great writeup :y. Congrads on the car, it looks amazing. On my next car I will definitely do a European delivery, however I'm looking into a P-car so I wonder how is their plan? I have to check into it.

Oh, I was a small cosmetic issue.
Its just a slight modification to the 'A' of the AMG logo I should have mentioned....Here is the detail:https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...-amg-logo.html

How does the European delivery all work? Did you ship your car back home to the states (Assuming that's where you're from) Give me some details if you could please. Im interested in doing that in that future too.

if you read my opening paragraphs, i think i covered this, but anyway, you drop the car off at any of the 15 drop off points. MB picks up the bill for the shipping and insurance back over. After i drop off the car, I get my car in 6-8 weeks on the east coast, and 8-10 on the west coast. They said i could get it back earlier, but they said 8 weeks is the most it should take. I think i covered every aspect of Euro delivery above but let me know if you have any other questions. I want this to be the most comprehensive explanation of how it works.

I live near philadelphia, PA by the way. The rude lady in Nice France told me that the longest it would take was 8 weeks. Well, at least she had a low cut top on! hiiiiiiiiiiiiyoooooooooooooooooooooooo

Any other questions about Euro delivery, i got the answers. My 19 inch wheels are in, and i'm buying parts for my car non stop. 5 weeks left.......damn

Excellent write up, very informative, sounds interesting...so about the 19" wheels, did you order them through your dealer? I know a few of us canadians have ordered the wheels through our dealers parts department, but most of the US people here seem to have a real difficult time getting these wheels through their dealer.

It will be a long 5 weeks but you know the wait is worth it!!

Pics or it didn't happen.... :naughty:

Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience... sounds like you had a blast!

I ordered the 19s through my local dealer. it was really no problem at all. they were 2700 total i think. can't wait to get them on. Not that the 18s are bad, but the 19s are just nasty and classy at the same time.

Can u give me the dealer's name.I checked with my local dealer and they don't get them.

MB of West Chester, PA. my guy is Eric Blake. Great guy, really knows his stuff and so far, has found anything i need. My wheels are at the dealership now. might have to go touch them today.....ok, that was creepy.:X:X

Yeah, 95 mph is grandma speed over here:p: Today the autobahn was dry and with sunny skys, so while driving home from work I had to air out one of mine to about 140mph, and it felt great:naughty: