# Little known facts about European Delivery



## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

This Saab brochure shows (I believe) a happy family leaving the delivery center with their new Saab. The father appears all ready for a long drive, armed with his cigar and suit jacket with pocket square. Just what I would wear for a long drive from Gothenburg to Paris or Vienna.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

I didn’t know Porsche had European Delivery as early as 1956. Here is the automaker’s Vacation Delivery Plan.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

The wording of this VW tourist delivery advert is so relevant for what’s going on today I did a double take.


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## dkreidel (Aug 24, 2005)

JSpira said:


> The wording of this VW tourist delivery advert is so relevant for what’s going on today I did a double take.
> 
> View attachment 1055485


When I picked up my shiny red '68 Bug from the Wolfsburg factory they provided a month of free insurance. I returned it to the factory for shipment home, but don't recall if that was a requirement or if I had choices of other drop locations. I do remember VW offered multiple pick-up locations, but I wanted to see where my Bug was built and get the factory tour.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

dkreidel said:


> . I do remember VW offered multiple pick-up locations, but I wanted to see where my Bug was built and get the factory tour.


. I remember the person at Helms bros., the Mercedes dealer, explaining to my parents when I was little that delivery in other cities would either be at a showroom in that city or a driver coming from Sindelfingen with our car.


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## dkreidel (Aug 24, 2005)

Maybe VW was like BMW that did tourist deliveries at big dealerships; BMW München did it at the dealership on Frankfurter Ring, before Freimann and way before the Welt. ??


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

dkreidel said:


> Maybe VW was like BMW that did tourist deliveries at big dealerships; BMW München did it at the dealership on Frankfurter Ring, before Freimann and way before the Welt. ??


To add to your comment, deliveries also took place at the Niederlassung on the Frankfurter Ring for several years in the 1990s during a period that the Freimann location was temporarily closed. At the Niederlassung, which is owned by BMW AG, there was a dedicated staff in place for ED in a similar manner to how Freimann was organized. 

What I was referring to was deliveries in other cities at dealerships where they were paid to do an occasional ED.


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## Autoputzer (Mar 16, 2014)

US spec' M cars delivered in Germany had the 155 MPH governor disabled... BMW didn't want their US customers to get rear-ended on the Autobahn.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Autoputzer said:


> US spec' M cars delivered in Germany had the 155 MPH governor disabled... BMW didn't want their US customers to get rear-ended on the Autobahn.


 If Bimmerfest hadn't removed the dancing roundel emoticon from the forum, I would be using it as a reply here.


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## Dave 20T (Apr 7, 2013)

European Delivery of Saabs for Australian required picking up the car at a port in Australia, not the dealer. I read about this in the 1980's.

BMW European Delivery in Canada in recent years did not have any discount. 

In 2005, European Delivery of Saabs for US buyers was very sweet. $2,000 travel allowance (check, didn't have to be used for travel), 9% off MSRP, approx. 20% off accessories bought in Sweden, free night at a hotel along with free taxi between the airport and hotel and between the hotel and factory, free dinner at the hotel, a book, a key ring, a road atlas. The US coordinator didn't know not to book Monday delivery so if you booked Monday delivery, you could get 2 nights free hotel as the factory defaulted Monday deliveries to Tuesday and booked the hotel for Monday night. When the customer showed up at the hotel on Sunday night, they were allowed to stay for free, billed to Saab. This happened to several people so it was a systemic error.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Dave 20T said:


> European Delivery of Saabs for Australian required picking up the car at a port in Australia, not the dealer. I read about this in the 1980's.


BMW of North America and Mercedes-Benz NA had similar policies as late as the late 1980s and dealerships would offer to fetch the auto for an additional fee. I should have gone to the port for my parents and for myself but fortunately I got to watch cars being loaded onto ships in Bremerhaven and offloaded at Port Newark years later.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

I am finding far more Mercedes ED material than BMW so please easier the preponderance of material out of Sindelfingen. This is from 1967.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

And this from 1971.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

In 1966, auto buyers doing Porsche TD got this prospectus.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

In 1982, BMW’s slogan for ED was this:
„A program so unique it doesn’t have to save you money, but does.”


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Then there was the time one could walk into a Buick dealer and do ED.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Another little known fact, namely that ED was driven (no pun intended) by third party companies who arranged overseas deliveries for customers in the United States. No less than my parents looked into such outfits but preferred the Mercedes dealership. 

Here is one such example from 1964, from Cars International


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## ghpup (Nov 19, 2008)

Amazing how OEMs react to market pressures,.... most of the time. Personally, I believe we are at least 2 years away from anyone at BMW considering bringing back the ED option. As long as the dealers can charge market premiums (e.g.: demand exceeds supply), there is no reason for any support by BMW NA or AG for an ED solution which offers a discount over what could be charged by the dealer directly.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

ghpup said:


> Amazing how OEMs react to market pressures,.... most of the time. Personally, I believe we are at least 2 years away from anyone at BMW considering bringing back the ED option. As long as the dealers can charge market premiums (e.g.: demand exceeds supply), there is no reason for any support by BMW NA or AG for an ED solution which offers a discount over what could be charged by the dealer directly.


Thaf pretty much sums up my thoughts on the matter although I’d argue in addition that foreign brands are no longer unknown nor is jet travel and that the original basis for ED is gone forever.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Little seen 1961 Saab ED brochure.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

1965. A vacation in Europe in your own Mercedes-Benz


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

VW ED in 1967. Here’s how. And how much.


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## dkreidel (Aug 24, 2005)

JSpira said:


> VW ED in 1967. Here’s how. And how much.
> View attachment 1064723


My ED '68 Beetle was about $1,650 in the summer of '67. Shipping back to Cali and 3 weeks insurance included.

Edit - maybe it was $1,850; it was a loooong time ago 🤔


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

dkreidel said:


> My ED '68 Beetle was about $1,650 in the summer of '67. Shipping back to Cali and 3 weeks insurance included.


Where are the Fotos, especially of you and the Käfer at the official Bimmerfest ED Foto spot near Neuschwanstein?


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## dkreidel (Aug 24, 2005)

JSpira said:


> Where are the Fotos, especially of you and the Käfer at the official Bimmerfest ED Foto spot near Neuschwanstein?


I have no idea or recollection of taking photos, with the memorable exception of a certain young blonde barkeep in Wolfsburg. And about an acre-foot of Kölsch.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Two great VW ED adverts from 1965 and 1966.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

1964 Cars International brochure, a reminder that third party ED sales were common into at least the early 1980s.


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## Me530 (Feb 17, 2005)

Hey JSpira, are you doing okay these days?


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Me530 said:


> Hey JSpira, are you doing okay these days?


I sent you a PM


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

This is a mouthful. In the 1980s, Vw’s program was called the Volkswagen European Tourist Delivery Program.


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## Dave 20T (Apr 7, 2013)

I believe in France, there used to be short term leases of French brands. I believe it was possible to lease a new car for as little as one month. It's quite the same as European Delivery because one didn't own the car but a little similar. There must have been a demand for newer used cars?


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Dave 20T said:


> I believe in France, there used to be short term leases of French brands. I believe it was possible to lease a new car for as little as one month. It's quite the same as European Delivery because one didn't own the car but a little similar. There must have been a demand for newer used cars?


Ja, this is correct and my parents did this once or twice so we would have a summer car in Austria. It was offered by both Citroën and Peugeot and we had the large sedan of each, as I recall. 

My father incidentally made the same assumption, that the automakers must want to have almost new off-lease vehicles. I always wondered if there might have been a tax advantage for the automakers. 

After two summers with French cars, the experiment was over as my parents (and I) couldn't standard their quirks, despite some quaint attributes. Thankfully, we went back to BMW for those years where they spent the better part of a summer. That's why it was so natural for me when I went off to Uni in Munich to get a car via ED as well.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Here’s a 1969 Citroën European Delivery brochure. For those who don’t recall the French automaker’s presence in New York, the corporate address as printed on the back cover, is 641 Lexington Avenue


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## CarSwami (Oct 2, 2005)

JSpira said:


> I sent you a PM


Hi Jonathan

I had not looked at the ED forum on Bimmerfest for a long time but just read about your medical condition and also saw this thread that you created some time ago. I remember all the help you gave me when I did my first ED in 2007 and want to (a) find out how you are doing, and (b) if you are still accepting donations to your Go Fund Me Page. You were such a wonderful source of information to me and to so many others who were thinking about doing ED's that I want to say "THANK YOU" and also help you as much as I can. I wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving and a very Happy Holiday Season.

CarSwami


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

CarSwami said:


> Hi Jonathan
> 
> I had not looked at the ED forum on Bimmerfest for a long time but just read about your medical condition and also saw this thread that you created some time ago. I remember all the help you gave me when I did my first ED in 2007 and want to (a) find out how you are doing, and (b) if you are still accepting donations to your Go Fund Me Page. You were such a wonderful source of information to me and to so many others who were thinking about doing ED's that I want to say "THANK YOU" and also help you as much as I can. I wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving and a very Happy Holiday Season.
> 
> CarSwami


Thank you for your very kind words. They are appreciated.

Yes, the GoFundMe is still open. I am now - largely thanks to my own research - addressing the severe chronic fatigue aspect of my condition (more recently diagnosed as Long Covid) with an off-label use of a medication that is seemingly reducing the fatigue. So I'm not done yet. 

Again, I really and truly have enjoyed sharing information about Austria, Germany, and ED and hope to continue to do so for many years to come. And I also appreciate when I hear how I was able to help others with their journeys.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Clever. 1967 VW ED


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Here is something I had never heard of. In the 1970s, Mercedes-Benz gave factory delivery buyers a fairly decent looking Samsonite briefcase with its factory delivery emblem embedded in the leather.


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## Jon Shafer (Dec 15, 2001)

How are you doing JS?


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Jon Shafer said:


> How are you doing JS?


Holding my own at this point which is entree than I had expected !


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## Jon Shafer (Dec 15, 2001)

JSpira said:


> Holding my own at this point which is entree than I had expected !


I am very glad to see you and to hear this news,

 

Amen,


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Here is something I remember (albeit not from the 1950s or 1960s )…. The Renault we-buy-it-back-from-you ED. This is a 1956 advert that describes the program. Decades later my parents tried both Citroën‘s and Peugeot‘s versions of this type of program but they preferred more traditional ED where you get to take das Auto home.


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## ghpup (Nov 19, 2008)

JSpira said:


> View attachment 1076647
> 
> Here is something I remember (albeit not from the 1950s or 1960s )…. The Renault we-buy-it-back-from-you ED. This is a 1956 advert that describes the program. Decades later my parents tried both Citroën‘s and Peugeot‘s versions of this type of program but they preferred more traditional ED where you get to take das Auto home.


My parents brought a Puegeo 404 home with them from my dad's deployment with the Army in France in 1966. It was difficult to get serviced in the Portland, Oregon area, he got rid of it by 1970. They typically kept their vehicles for at least 10 years in those days.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

ghpup said:


> My parents brought a Puegeo 404 home with them from my dad's deployment with the Army in France in 1966. It was difficult to get serviced in the Portland, Oregon area, he got rid of it by 1970. They typically kept their vehicles for at least 10 years in those days.


My understanding is that it was difficult to get them serviced almost anywhere And sometimes parts were a challenge, I’ve been told.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Here is a most extraordinary and - at least to my eyes - a rather extravagant Mercedes-Benz ED gift. A frameable map of Europe. The date is unknown but it has to be from prior to 1990, as both the USSR and Jugoslavia (home of the Yugo) are on it. Country names are in that country’s native language.


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## Goblinski (1 mo ago)

We were expats in Algeria in the early eighties, and I spent a good chunk of my play time writing letters to manufacturers requesting ad booklets and stuff. While most brands would send me what a kid my age would expect (booklets and stickers), Mercedes would always send the package with an official letter, calling me Sir, and explaining all the details of what a delivery would look like.

Delivery key in hand to any of the major Algerian ports, by a certified Mercedes tech, was quoted at 5000 Deutschmarks (or was it 3000... I believe it was 5000, we're talking early 80s there and the USD was high, at 2.98DM for 1USD). 

The car price list was one printed page, the options pricelist was about 20 pages, with maybe 20 items per page.
I do remember winter heating packages, tropical cooling packages, beefed up AC packages, beefed up electrical systems, as well as a second battery option.
The W124 was freshly out, and the most beautiful cal I had seen to date.

In France, Mercedes was known as "_the car brand where you have to choose a model, look at its msrp and at least double it in order to option it at least halfway decently_".
The W124 naked started with no passenger side mirror, crank windows, no AC, and a 4-speed manual.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Wow. That is something. Do you still have the material ?


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## Goblinski (1 mo ago)

Alas, I don't. The posters were on my wall at home for another 15 years after that. The letters I kept till I gratuated from highschool.
What I remember was that the auto AC was very expensive. I'd say maybe 2500-3000dm for a car priced around 15000dm or so.

Another, less delivery related story was shared by a friend years ago, I still remember it because my mind tends to remember useless trivia 

So, his family was stationed in Denmark, as part of his country's diplomatic corps (Eastern European country which I won't mention, as it's not relevant). The time is late 70's or so.
One of the perks was that pretty much everyone working at the embassy would be able to save enough for a Western car and bring it home (something impossible to do for anyone in the country, so - HUGE perk and extreme luxury one).

Then, the news come that in six months (end of the year), their country is raising the import taxes on vehicles to *200%*.
Everyone who already has purchased a vehicle is given a grace period till then. As a gesture, they don't have to actually import the vehicle to get it registered - they just have to provide the VIN. It will be put in the books, and no import tax will be due whenever they return to the country with their vehicle.

Everybody in the embassy scrambles to buy new cars before the end of the year to benefit from the grace period.
My friend's dad is not happy. Not only he's not ready to buy one, but he actually does not need it yet. His assignment expires in 30 months, and he absolutely does not need a vehicle to age in Denmark before his return to his own country.

So he starts inquiring at all brands' dealerships whether he can order a vehicle two and a half years in advance, with a VIN provided now (for a vehicle to be built two-something years in the future).

Most say no can do.
Audi says "Sure" 

Guy specs, orders and puts a deposit on an Audi to be built almost 20+ months in the future, gets his VIN in the last days of the calendar year, provides the VIN to his taxman (yes, this is my car, it's here, I'm driving it, I'm returning in two and a half years), takes possession of the car a month of so before their return, and everyone is a happy camper.
They were still driving it ten years ago (it was barely rolling by then).


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Well it was European delivery in the sense that it was delivered in Europe


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