I am very curious about "European Delivery" option.

The price is not what attracts me (I getting very similar discount without going to Europe ).

Besides promoted on mbusa.com 7% discount,

1. Do you still pay destination charge?

2. Do you pay sales tax in the US?


Thanks.

 

There's plenty of info on the ED program--run a search for details.

Nothing changes, you just get a nice trip to Bavaria out of it (or Switserland/Austria if you are so inclined).

Can't get out of the taxes or the destination charge.

 

The person that really has the experience with this subject is MB-JIM but I have been looking into Euro delivery myself.

First of all, go to MBUSA and walk through the process of ordering a car for Euro Delivery. Once you have selected all the options, select the tab on top that takes you to the summary. Print it off and exit.

Now you know what it's going to cost (maximum).

In effect, you save 7% off MSRP including all the options you choose. You also do not have to pay the $720 US delivery charge for normal US delivery.

For this price you get 15 days, 0-deductable insurance, one nights stay in a hotel, a voucher for a free taxi ride to the factory, complete coverage for delivering your car from the pick-up point in Europe to your dealer.

Yes, you have to pay sales tax and licensing fees.

You might be able to get something extra from your salesperson. For example, there is one in Phoenix that offered to throw in the $1,200 Alps Package for free.

You can assume that you'll spend somewhere between $2,200 and $2,800 for airfare for two people. This is economy air fare.

The dolllar is very weak against the Euro so expect to pay a whole lot of money for hotel rooms, unless you stay in pensions, etc.

There are 14 drop-off points in Europe. If you get the Alps Package, you can leave your car at the hotel in Munich and you will get a free taxi ride to the airport. The Alps package includes 4 and 5 star hotels. There is a list of them on the MBUSA website. You can stay up to five nights in these hotels but a max of two nights in any one of them.

If you get the Navigation package, you'll get a European DVD when you pick up the car. You're salesperson should make sure your have a US DVD in the car when he delivers it to you.

I'd recommend you get the Premium Package. You get about $5,000 worth of options for $3,650. It includes the Nav package.

I believe the best time to go to Europe is September. The tourists have pretty much left and the August vacation period for Europeans is over with. The only problem with September is that the factories are busy with 2005 model production so put your order in early.

I think you'd have to order a September delivery at least 90 days in advance.

When you place your order, you will put down a $2,000 deposit. 30 days before your scheduled delivery, you give your dealer the balance of the payment. I believe you can cancel up to 30 days before delivery and even if you cancel within that 30 days, the cost isn't bad ($200?).

As MB-JIM pointed out to me, if you take the Alps package you can turn in the car at the hotel at the end of the 15 day insurance period and spend a few extra days in Munich or the Alps because you won't need the car. The only problem with that idea is that the hotel in Munich is very expensive and you'd have to pay for any stay outside the limits of the Alps Package.

If you have any questions, PM me.

 

Here's some more Info/advice regarding the Alps Package (thanks to MB-JIM and the salesman he recommended).

As I said above, the Alps Package includes a choice of many 4 and 5 star hotels. You can choose to stay at up to 5 nights with a maximum stay at any one of these hotels for 2 nights. You do not have to stay in these hotels on consecutive nights. You can reserve rooms at various hotels on various dates to conform to your itinerary.

If you choose the Alps Package, I recommend that you do not waste one of the stays for the first night in Stuttgart. Instead, here's what we'd do:

Arrange to arrive in Stuttgart in the afternoon or evening and use the Taxi chit to go to the Marriott in Sindelfingen which is within 2 kilometers of the factory. I'll cost you about $140 for the night because the dollar is so weak. Spend the night in the hotel to recuperate from the long trip and then pick up your car the next day. You'll get a factory tour and a meal. You should also make plans to visit the Mercedes Museum(s) and maybe the Porsche Museum. That afternoon you can proceed to one of the hotels in the Alps package depending on your plans for your trip. If you are going to take the recommended Alps Package Tour, you can proceed to Badin-Badin. If you are headed to France, go to the one in Strasbourg.

 

Thanks a lot for info.

Adobe , did you do European Delivery?

 

Not yet, we hope to go in September if things work out OK. We used to live in Germany but we'd like to go back and see more of France and Austria.

 

To get some insight on recent European Delivery and photos of the hotel at Baden Baden, etc. go to the thread titled, "Just Back from Germany" in this New E-Class forum. Also you can do a google search for the topic Mercedes European Delivery. There are at least two websites with extensive details, photos, and hints from persons who have used the program. Both are a bit dated though as they relate to trips from several years ago and some of the information is no longer accurate. I'll try to link these two later as I have them on my favorites listing on another computer.

In any event here is a link to the "Just Back from Germany" thread. Note you will want to scroll through several pages of the thread as photos and photo links are posted at various points.

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...hlight=germany

 

Well, here is one of the two links referenced in the above post:

http://www.curtrich.com/europeandelivery.html

 

OK, here is the other website referenced in the post above the above post. These travelers have some interesting hints included in their experiences and have some good suggestions for side trips not part of the official Black Forest Rally itinerary.

http://daddyo.home.texas.net/EDSummary.html

 

Thanx, Mercedesfan - nice links

 

You are welcome. If anyone else locates anymore websites on the subject of Mercedes European Delivery please post a link or feel free to add and share your own experiences.