The Ultimate Souvenir

By Dan Prescott

Dreaming of a new European car? Dreaming of a European vacation? How about getting a new car, and exploring exotic parts of Europe? Maybe even visiting one of the beautiful British colonies? Picture this: you order a new car at your local dealership at a discounted no-haggling price, you and your partner fly to Europe (maybe even for free, courtesy of the carmaker) and vacation for a few days, weeks or even months all around Europe in your new car, saving the cost of a rental car. After experiencing triple-digit speeds on the Autobahn, visiting all your favorite destinations from Amsterdam to Zürich, you drop off the car, fly home and wait a month or two for your new car to be shipped to your local dealership.

Six car makers offer formal European Delivery programs, giving you a unique chance to pick up a new car at its birthplace, drive it in its homeland and ship it home, using a service similar to Plexus Freight, at no additional cost to you. In fact, most cars are discounted by 5 to 11 percent to make it even more appealing. Two of the automakers – Saab and Volvo
– even pay for your overseas flights. Why? It’s one of the best ways for an automaker to build enthusiasm
for its brand and develop loyalty from its customers. They hope to make your car delivery a memorable
experience, and hope you’ll come back the next time you’re shopping for a new car. Many European Delivery
customers have done it many times.

Sound complicated? It’s not. The procedure varies a bit depending on the carmaker, but basically it goes like this:

1. Purchase the make and model of your choice at your local dealership, ordering it exactly as you want it.
   Prices are pre-set, saving you from haggling for the best deal.
2. Schedule your trip to Europe a few weeks later to correspond to when your car will be ready for delivery.
   The dealership will give you a time frame to help with your planning.
3. Fly to Europe and pick up the car. Tour the carmaker’s factory, museum or whatever they have to offer (
   varies among manufacturers).
4. Vacation in Europe! The car manufacturer provides a temporary export license plate and insurance.
   There is generally a maximum time limit that you can use the car in Europe without taxation, usually 3 to 6 months.
5. Return the car to a predetermined location for shipping to the U.S. You’ll have the choice of many cities
   throughout Europe, although there may be an extra charge for some drop-off locations.

Fly home and wait for the car to be shipped across the Atlantic and trucked to your local dealership.
They will clean it up and you’ll pick it up at your convenience.

Drawbacks? No instant gratification, like when you buy a car off the dealer’s lot. You’ll need to
wait for the car to be built, and then wait again for the car to be shipped back to your local dealership
after your whirlwind tour of Europe. It takes between 4 and 8 weeks from when you say Auf Wiedersehen to your
car in Europe until you pick it up in the U.S.

Also, some salespeople are surprisingly ignorant about the process, or they may try to talk you
into a car that they already have in stock. It’s best to educate yourself first via gaywheels.com and
the carmaker’s website, and ask for a salesperson who is familiar with the program.

Not every European carmaker offers European Delivery. These gay-friendly carmakers currently offer
European Delivery Programs and discounted prices:

(Click for more specific details)