My good friend & longtime MegaCorp accomplice, Dawn, and I had lunch recently and she shared with me the details of her recent car purchase.  She went to Gothenburg, Sweden and picked up her new Volvo under their ‘European Delivery Service’.  I’ve had some friends that have done this in the past, but I wasn’t aware of how it actually works. It’s cool!

Working with a local dealership, she selected the model she wanted, specific options, and negotiated the price.  European delivery requires you to purchase (or finance) the car upfront – before it is even built.  In her case, the vehicle was sold at a 7% discount compared to ‘normal’ dealership delivery.

That’s amazing $3.5K savings on a $50K vehicle.  

Included in the price are two round-trip tickets to Europe and 2 nights hotel in lovely Sweden.  In this case, she went with a friend to the Volvo factory, got a tour of the facility, and found her shiny new car waiting in their VIP delivery showcase area. Upon delivery, the vehicle is completely licensed and insured for you to drive off for a tour of Europe.

She and her friend spent two-and-a-half weeks driving her new car from Sweden to Copenhagen, Berlin, Warsaw, and finished in Munich.  You can drop the car off in a few different cities in Europe. Munich had a $250 uncharge for them.  

Considering the 7% upfront discount on the car, her 2.5 week trip to Europe was more than paid for.  All that it required was the ‘inconvenience’ of traveling to Europe, paying the bill upfront, and then waiting for the vehicle to be shipped back to the USA.  Her new Volvo arrived at her dealership in Minnesota about 6-7 weeks after she dropped it off.

I asked if she would do it again and she said, “absolutely – this is actually the SECOND time that I’ve done it with Volvo!”

All of the manufacturers suspended their European Delivery Service’ during the pandemic, but it looks like Volvo, Audi, Mercedes, and Porsche, have started the program back up now. BMW had one of the biggest EDS programs, but they may still be hiatus.  Check it out with your local dealer if you are interested.  

Buying a brand new car – compared with a low-mile, late model vehicle – is more expensive, but locking in a sweet driving tour of Europe is a nice plus.  We’re not in the market for a new vehicle yet, but I would like to explore this the next time that we are shopping.  Early retirement life certainly gives us the time to take on a trip like this!

Have you ever considered European Delivery of a new vehicle?

Image: World Of Volvo