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    Factory Delivery

    For those on the forum who have taken factory delivery: What was your experience like? Do you have any recommendations for making the experience a relatively painless and enjoyable one (ie. best time of year, dealer coordination, driving itinerary, shipping logistics)? Thanks!

    Re: Factory Delivery

    That is a loaded question that you could write a book on .. I have done it twice and all I can say is it is priceless ! After a tour of the factory and lunch in the Porsche executive lunchroom they hand you the keys and you hit the autobahn and proceed to drive the car on the roads it was built for with no speed limits . Sure you can not exceed the break in period , but that means you can cruise around at 120-mph + . Both times I stayed for over a week and put over 3000 miles on the car , driving through as many as 5 countries while on each trip . All I can say is there is nothing like it and try to get in as many miles as possible and stay for at least a week or two . Now that I have discovered the 3M paint protection film I want to have it put on in Germany the day I pick up the car to help protect the paint . The only bad part about the trip is after driving on the roads legally at 120 MPH and over for hours at a time legally .... when you get back and take the car out here in the U.S. it feels sooooo slowwww driving anything close to the speed limit and find yourself looking forward to the next european delivery .

    For me road trips are what I live for in these cars .. so when I take delivery of the car in the states I have it delivered to a place I want to drive from . You can have the car delivered to just about any dealer in the country after you order it . When I lived in L.A. I would take delivery of the car on the east cost and have a long road trip that I never had to backtrack on . So buy the time you get the car home you have driven across Europe and the United states and feel like you really know the car and have in a short time had two memorable trips .

    Does anyone reading this know of a place in or near the factory to have the paint protection film put on .

    Re: Factory Delivery

    Ocean,

    Thanks for your thoughtful response. I agree there is no better way to be introduced to this car than to drive it as it was meant to be driven. Someone should write a travels with Porsche book. The touring commentary in Christophorus and other trade magazines only give a tantalizing hint at the experience. This forum has also been helpful as far as folks making reference to the Factory vacation period, and the fit and delivery of Winter tires while in Germany during the fall and winter months.

    In any case this would be my first Porsche, perhaps last as I intend to cherish it for so long as it will run. I want to do this right. So, any insight into the Factory Delivery process is welcome.

    It sounds like you had no problems with local dealers. How long did you have to wait for your cars to be shipped? Are Factory delivered cars fitted with those funny looking USA rear bumpers and orange side reflectors? Can you get a European style license plate for the front bumper while utilizing a USA-styled rear plate?

    Re: Factory Delivery

    Quote:
    OCEAN said:
    Does anyone reading this know of a place in or near the factory to have the paint protection film put on .



    You may want to just strap a bra on for that drive....

    Re: Factory Delivery

    You may want to just strap a bra on for that drive...

    the bra does not do well at high speeds

    Re: Factory Delivery

    The factory delivery is fantastic. A great experience seeing the production line and having your car handed over in the factory.

    Re: Factory Delivery

    But why do Porsche NA charge $2,500k extra for European delivery when BMW North America give a 7% discount over and above what you negotiate with your dealer and then throw in two free flights from the USA to Germany on Lufthansa or United?

    Re: Factory Delivery

    Jason C - Details, if you could.

    KenH - I'm willing to pay Porsche NA's premium for the privilege. The Mercedes and BMW programs I understand are designed to build customer loyalty, for repeat business. Porsche apparently does not yet need to be as concerned about the devotion of its customers.

    Re: Factory Delivery

    Santo

    Twice annually, Porsche Cars North America offers a Grand Tour for customers taking European Delivery. For the same price as the regular European Delivery program, the Grand Tour invites new owners to spend their delivery day with a group hosted by Porsche. If the dates are good for you this is even better than the standard factory delivery .

    In Stuttgart, the Grand Tour begins with a cocktail reception and welcome dinner. The following day, the group enjoys a visit to the Porsche museum, a VIP Factory Tour, and lunch at the factory Kasino. As an added bonus, the group will get the rare opportunity to visit the famous Weissach test track where Porsche's professional drivers provide rides in various Porsche models. After an exciting test ride, the group travels back to Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen to take delivery of their new Porsches. The Grand Tour ends with a farewell dinner that evening.
    Then you take off in your new car and head out on the roads it was built for with 2 weeks of inshurance to go anywhere in Europe you .

    I am amazed with so many die hard Porsche purest in the U.S. buying these cars that there are so few people who do the factory delivery . Even before the factory starting charging for this the percentage of new Porsche buyers that do European delivery was small .

    European Delivery Program vehicle should not affect the dealer's allotment of new vehicles for a given model year (ie. the number of vehicles that they can order from the factory), a reasonable dealer should be able to provide you with more negotiating room. This way you get a better price than someone who is not doing factory delivery and that additional discount can help offset the factory delivery option charge. In a way, the sale is a 'bonus sale' for
    them, since it does not reduce their inventory of new vehicles that
    they can sell in the 2005 model year.

    Re: Factory Delivery

    Quote:
    OCEAN said:
    European Delivery Program vehicle should not affect the dealer's allotment of new vehicles for a given model year (ie. the number of vehicles that they can order from the factory), ... In a way, the sale is a 'bonus sale' for them, since it does not reduce their inventory of new vehicles that they can sell in the 2005 model year.




    While logic is on your side, Porsche policy is not. I've recently been told by two dealers that because I must take delivery of the Porsche at a dealership in the U.S., and the vehicle is deemed "new" when it arrives here regardless of the miles you put on it while in Europe (within some limits, I suppose, but none you could approach in only a couple weeks of driving) it counts against the dealer's allocation. I should note that this policy is different from Porsche's European delivery program in the past: in 1979 I took delivery in Stuttgart, drove in Germany/Austria for two weeks, dropped the car at Porsche's facility in the port of Emden, Germany, and picked up the Porsche myself at the port in Los Angeles when the car cleared customs. No local dealership in L.A. was involved in the delivery; the car was ordered through a dealer in Virginia (Heishman's). The car came in as a used car (with about 1500 miles on it) and I paid used car taxes to register it here.

    Re: Factory Delivery

    Quote:
    OCEAN said:

    Twice annually, Porsche Cars North America offers a Grand Tour for customers taking European Delivery.



    Do you know the dates for the two 2005 Grand Tours? One is usually in May, the other in October, but neither date has yet been posted on Porsche's website.

    Also, since I suppose that the numbe of customers at each event must have some limit, do you know when an order must be placed to insure a spot at the event?

    Re: Factory Delivery

    Ocean - Thanks for the heads up on the Grand Tours. I will check the dates and attempt to coordinate my pick-up with one of them. Might as well get the most for my money.

    ArthurY - I appreciate the historical perspective. I kind of wondered why I couldn't just pick-up the car from the docks. Sounds like the latest policy really hamstings the U.S. dealers and the customer gets stuck making up the difference.

    Great Experience

    I just took delivery of my 997S in Zuffenhausen in December and I'm now waiting patiently for my car, maybe next week. It was a great experience and I would highly recommend it. You do have to pay a premium for the opportunity but I plan to do it again in a couple of years. While the spring, summer, and fall maybe the ideal weather by most folks standards, I really enjoyed seeing the German and Austrian cities decorated for Christmas.

    Actual logistics could use some improvement by BMW and Mercedes standards but my suggestions are only minor compared to the overall experience. My local dealer, sales person, and the Porsche NA person have been very helpful. So I say do it, you'll never regret it.

    Re: Great Experience

    Quote:
    Peterd said:

    I just took delivery of my 997S in Zuffenhausen in December




    Pickup:
    Which hotel[s] do you recommend? Better to be in Stuttgart or in Zuffenhausen? How much prior to delivery day do you recommend checking in to your hotel?

    Dropoff:
    How much time does the drop-off process take at the end of your European jaunt? Can you drop-off at the factoy location seven days a week or only Monday-Friday? How far (in time) is the drop-off location from the Stuttgart airport?

    Re: Great Experience

    Almost all you questions can be answered in a packet that PCNA gives it's dealers on E.D. I got a xeroxed copy from my salesperson. I decided against E.D. due to the cost, my work schedule, wanting to get a 997S sooner than the spring summer, and the refundable but still $10,000 VAT deposit required. BUT, if I had the time, money, and could wait until the spring/summer it would be a no brainer...

    Re: Factory Delivery

    Thanks for starting this thread. Very interesting to read the great replies. Unfortunately/Fortunately I've taken a cancelled order, and the car's already built, with an arrival date 13 March.. guess it's on a boat. Otherwise factory delivery sounds like a great experience - maybe next time!!

    Re: Great Experience

    I picked up my car at Zuffenhausen in December. The place to stay is the new Le Meridien: www.lemeridien.com/germany/stuttgart/hotel_de1843.shtml . It is a good 4 star hotel. I would go a day prior to pick up; there is not much to do in town.

    Drop-off: I delivered the car back to the factory on a Monday during regular business hours. It took about 15 mins from the point I entered the factory gates to when I was sitting on the back of a cab on my way to the airport. The airport is about a 15 min ride from the factory.

    Enjoy!

    Re: Great Experience

    I like staying in the Quality Residence Sindelfingen, right in Zuffenhausen .. it is a few blocks from the factory and you can walk right to where you pick up your car and see the factory from your room .

    http://www.allukhotels.com/en/germany/ba...-ah-222651.html


    After you pick up your car head over to Leipzig and visit the manufacturing facility for the r Carrera GT ... you can watch them being built .. they build only 2 a day .. this is also where the folks who buy CGT's pick up their cars if they are doing a European delivery . People picking up their CGT's get time on the track with their car right there at the track in Leipzig .. A little track time in your new CGT with a Porsche rep then it is of on your european holiday with that car on the autobahn .( can you imagine what that would be like) ..



    Re: Great Experience

    alin2 - Thanks for the direction on PCNA's info packet to dealers. I will ask my dealer directly for a copy of the packet.

    Leong - Congrats to you! I'm sure once the order is confirmed the waiting becomes unbearable.

    carlos567 & Ocean - Great suggestions on possible hotels! I now know to take a trip to Liepzig.

    Peterd - I like the Winter in Germany idea. Sounds incredible. However, I am leaning toward the post-August European Delivery period and Oktoberfest with Porsche is the way I'd like to do it.

    All - Any insight for legs of your trips where the drive was truly inspirational? Fast clips on the Autobahn are great I'm sure, but I'm talking about those windy, scenic countryside jaunts.

     
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