I'm planning a trip to Paris this spring and thought this just might be the ideal time to do it. My production date is early March. Would love to hear some of your experiences. I received a 3% discount on the car, hopefully I can still take advantage of the "free" E.D.

 

I'd like to avoid E.D. free or otherwise...lol

But seriously, just my 2cents.. but I contemplated European delivery for all the normal reasons.. could drive MY 911 on the Autobahn at speeds I'd probably never ever get a chance in the states without risking jail time.. As well as the experience of picking up the car at Porsche mecca...

But after hearing from a few folks who have done it, I decided against it.. mainly because from what I understand that after you finish with the car in Europe and return it for shipping.. it doesn't get shipped back to the US as it would for new delivery.. (since you are taking delivery in Germany instead and then they arrange for shipping.. )

So that apparently means that if something happens between the time you return the car in Stuttgart and it arrives in north America (or where ever) you are then dealing with an insurance claim.. where as normally when you take delivery at your dealer you have leverage if you don't like something or there is a scratch etc.. by rejecting delivery until the problem is resolved..

Also there is a minor issue that you have to put on a European license plate on the front and apparently since the plate is a wider size that in the US.. the mounting leaves visible screw holes later on. (There are a couple of work arounds I've read about which uses a temporary mounting kit that attaches to the tow provisions on the bumper so you don't put screws in your front bumper)..

And then apparently it takes a little extra time between returning the car in Europe and receiving in north America than it would have had you not done the European delivery.. (sounded like an extra 2 or 3 weeks)..

Probably none of those are really that big of an issue.. and I might have even gone ahead and taken European delivery if it weren't that my delivery date in Europe would have been early January.. And I just figured it wouldn't be that great of experience in the cold and snow... Had it been May or June it's possible I may have decided to go for it...

I'm in Germany a lot on business, so I decided I'll go down to Stuttgart and take the factory tour and see the museum (I've done the Museum before and it is worth it)..

Also, I've been told that Avis will rent 911's for about 200euro a day.. so I may get my autobahn fix that way..

 

Thanks!!
I'll take note and discuss with my salesman. I can deal with two weeks later since we still usually have snow and the roads are dirty until the April rains wash the salt away, but I'd rather not have any holes in the bumper since I had not planned to put a plate up front anyway. If my salesguy is comfortable and can assure me the car will get back in new condition ill likely go ahead with it. I just can't think of a better way to get acquainted with my new car.

 

Here is a link to the front license mounting (I have no affiliation just think it's a cool product) .. I'm thinking of doing it anyway since I normally don't like to mount the plate on my front bumper..

http://www.usmillworks.com/


I'm in California, and I often hear of people complaining they get hassled by cops over no front plate. I've never had an issue while driving in the last 20 years and have never mounted one.

But what does happen is I invariably get ticketed at airports when parked for long periods.

So I'm thinking of using this so it is a quick put it on when I'm leaving my car and know I'm going to be hassled... Note it does interfere with the front parking sensors.. But for me it is more about when I want to put it on for temporary use.. so the parking sensor issue is no big deal for me..

 

Probably 99.9% chance shipping back will be fine..

I think the thing to make sure of is that when you take delivery in Stuttgart that you just identify any cosmetic delivery issues. I suppose any of the issues can be dealt with under warranty.. But I've just found that when I take delivery of any car.. pushing any major issue then and threatening not to take the car until resolved gets things fixed the quickest... where after delivery you are at their mercy sometimes to resolve things.. But that's more of my philosophical perspective than anything..

However, from what I understand if there are any issues then they can be dealt with in Germany before being shipped.. So in some ways that might be better than a dealer mechanic somewhere.

Doubt your sales guy will care much one way or the other as he gets paid either way.. Mine didn't seem to have a lot of input when I discussed with him, but then I got the impression he hadn't had a lot of customers who did the ED.. so maybe that is why.. I've also read (unsubstantiated) that the dealer has to pay in something when ED occurs and if true that could affect their advice. (But I don't myself first hand this is the case)..

In any case I'm sure any minor issues of hassles will be outweighed by the fact that you get to drive YOUR car on a great road trip..

Lol if you are driving back to France however.. watch out.. It seems like the speed limits on the highways are limited to about 130km/h... Not sure if I could drive that slow in a 911..

 

I really like the looks of that license plate assembly, I might just have to buy it and just keep it in the car anyway just in case I have to put the plate on.

I'd have to get it delivered and bring it with me, that would solve the holes in the bumper issue!

On a different note, doesn't break-in require 2000 miles not over 4000 rpm?
I can't see myself waiting that long.

 

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Yes exactly my thoughts as well..

On the issue of break-in I'll give you my practical perspective. There are "experts" around here that will always give the extreme answers and claim anything otherwise is wrong.. but I tend to live in the real practical world.

I will start out by saying I've never torn down a porsche engine or a modern sports car engine that revs at 7000K rpm however there are basic common principals that are common with just about any engine type (although the complexity and high RPMs are definitely something that has to be considered).. And my experience is with building performance muscle car engines (i.e. V8s) and piston aircraft engines (as a licensed A&P mechanic) and as a mechanical engineer.

But break-in of any engine or power train (transmission, trans axle etc..) and that could be a internal combustion engine, diesel, supercharged/turbo charged etc).. tends to be about minimizing heat and adverse wear when the components are new so that the overall life of the engine is will be maximized. So in the extreme case... if you don't break an engine in "correctly" it may tend to not last quite as long or the performance may not be completely maximized.. So in practical terms, you could potentially get a somewhat shorter life out of the engine before you need to do major work. So for example in an extreme case if an engine was going to last 120K miles maybe you get 100K etc.. (just an example). But the reality is that even if you ran it hard from 0miles on the engine it isn't like you are going to suffer a catastrophic failure (assuming there wasn't an inherent mechanical problem) it just doesn't last as long..

So in practical terms for most of us who buy new cars and keep them for a few years and then buy a new car.. everything we do, including frequent oil changes mainly benefits future owners of our cars... If I was leasing a car for 2 years and driving 7500 miles a year, who cares.. If I plan to drive it for 150K miles then maybe I'm a bit more careful..

So should you wait 2000 miles before driving a little harder? Sure if you want to maximize the life and performance. Me... I'm never going to track mine and it's my DD.. So I take it relatively easy for the first 500 to 1000 miles or so.. But will I drive a little spirited and try the launch control out a couple of times after that before 2K miles.. You bet.. Will I do it every day and drive 140 mph for long periods of time.. no of course not.. Common sense and a little moderation.. You could follow things to excess but there are diminishing returns and its a matter of degree..

And in reality if I was picking my car up in Germany and driving the autobahn for a nice road trip... my experience there is that it's difficult to get it up to high speeds for very long anyway.. invariably you hit enough traffic you want to slow down a bit or hit a speed limit zone.. So I'm not sure you could drive at high speeds/RPMs for very long anyway..

Personally, I'd enjoy the car from the get go within moderation and use a little common sense.. But also expect to hear from so called experts that will try to convince you that unless you follow the recommended break in schedule the car will turn into a pumpkin, the warranty will be void and engine will be ruined..

To give a slightly different perspective, with aircraft engines, we run them wide open the first time we fly them (although they have different only power/torque curves and rev to about 2500).. and break in is more concerned with varying the engine speed.. but the break in is still about minimizing initial wear so that the eventual life of the engine is maximized..

 

Come on, really??

Not going to do european delivery over a license plate, or a scuff.

DO IT.

I picked up my car in stuttgart in 2009. Had a fantastic trip. In stuttgart went to MB museum (amazing), and porsche tour (p museum was lame back then)Went to the black forest, stayed at a gorgeous resort in baden baden. Than on to france, to the French national auto museum. Than through austtria and than back into germany. Visited MUnich, Fussen, Nuremburg, Erfurt, Garmisch and others. about 1200 miles in 8 days.

My wife and I had such a great trip, we as we speak are arranging a euro delivery of a Q7 for April.

If something happens to the car, it is a car, not a priceless art piece, there will be insurance.

Do it and have a blast!!!!!

 

As I mentioned the major issue for me is picking up the car in January wouldn't make for the best of vacations..but I tend to agree with everything you said in general..

For me a drive through Germany and Europe isn't a rarity as I'm there 5 or 6 times a year and have been to the museum many times and have done the tour.. And agree all Porsche fans should do it at least once.. And I'm sure the op will have a great time..

 

I travel to Europe 2/yr on avg.

Still really enjoyed the overall experience.

Have you checked out the museum in France, fantastic place.

 

No I haven't but I'm always looking for something new to see... . Where in France is it??

 

A must see while in France. http://www.europeancarweb.com/museum...pf_collection/

I took delivery of a GT3 a few years ago in Germany. It has it is pluses and minuses, like everything else. Of course, the thrill of driving in Europe; car was broken into in France, smashed glass, and caused some other damage that delayed the trip a couple of days. There was nothing in car to steal, but guess they wanted the car.

As we know, the Autobahn is not all unlimited speed limits, and can be congested. Many speed camera for areas with speed limits. Same for other countries. BTW, don't speed in Switzerland. Last year, I did rent a 911 with Avis for three days, the counter person said to be careful again about speed limits in certain areas, cameras will take the photos and of course responsible for all heavy fines. Lastly, while traveling in Europe, it is sometimes easier to take their excellent rail system, rather than driving.

That said, for me, going over 100 mph in straight line is not always a real kick, unless on the track. I must prefer planned winding roads with breathtaking views.

 

That's the museum I am referring to.

Here's the actual web site

http://citedelautomobile.com/en/home

highly recommend it.

 

Thanks for the insight everyone, my ideal ride is not on the autobahn at 180mph, although that would be a blast. But for me its the scenery, the old castles, the back roads that lead somewhere but nowhere in specific. Bed and breakfast, that sort of thing is what I'm looking for. And to do it in my own car ..at TTS for that matter has just got to be the icing on the cake. I've toured England 3 times Scotland and Ireland once each and know that its simple to get from one end to the other in one day at crazy speeds but the real fun is taking the B roads and seeing things in a different light. For me that's my idea of a great road trip. Would love to see a bit of Germany this way. I'm meeting with the ED agent next week and will hopefully have all my questions answered.
The other option of course is to go for a visit and rent a 911 for the duration I'm there. Maybe get a look at my car in the build process while I'm at it.

 

Thanks, I think I'll ad it to my list for a side trip next time I'm down in that region..