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Dear Rich Lifer,
I just got back from a great trip to Italy, and in a recent article I told you how the vast majority of the flights were covered by a simple credit card trick.
Today I want to give you another way to get to Europe for free. In some instances, you’ll not only get a complimentary flight. You’ll also get a free hotel room and a fully-insured car to use for a couple of weeks.
Of course, the weirdest part is that the car will not only be brand-new … it will be yours to keep.
I’m talking about a program that several automakers call “overseas delivery.”
What is Overseas Delivery?
Essentially, you buy your new car here in the United States but go pick it up overseas. You then get to drive the car in Europe for a certain amount of time, with plates and insurance, before having it shipped back to the U.S. for your regular use.
If you’re worried about getting the car across the Atlantic, don’t be! The manufacturers take care of everything for you – from transportation to importation.
What’s more, there are often additional advantages beyond the ones I’ve already described.
That’s why my wife and I seriously considered taking European delivery on our 2010 Volvo XC70 when we bought it nine years ago.
If you’re a long-time reader, you might know that I ended up buying a 1988 Volvo to save a bunch of money on the new – but that’s a (crazy) story for another time.
For now, let’s just stick with all of the advantages of Volvo’s particular program because it’s the most generous one out there.
What Are the Benefits?
Every single car model in Volvo’s lineup is available for European delivery.
Better yet, you get an automatic discount off the sticker price – probably a better and more substantial one than you could negotiate through a dealer on your own (including removal of the destination charge).
You can also select individual options for the vehicle rather than taking pre-packaged trim levels that normally include some pricey items you don’t want. There are even colors and options not normally available on U.S.-spec vehicles.
Once you design your car and agree on the total price, your local dealer places the order and gives you a lead time (normally a few months).
As part of your package, you’ll get two round-trip flights to Sweden, a night in a hotel room, and a tour of the factory (pretty great deal already). From there, you have up to full two weeks driving your new car with full insurance before returning it to various ports where it will then be shipped back to the U.S. There are additional charges for drop off at some locations in Europe, but overall it’s an amazing deal.
Don’t Want A Volvo?
BMW offers overseas delivery on many of its models. You’ll get as much as 5% off MSRP, free airport transfers to the company’s Munich factory, a tour, and up to 14 days to test your new car on the Autobahn (or other farther-flung destinations in Europe).
Audi has a similar program that also gives you 5% off your vehicle (certain models like the R8 are excluded), free ground transfers, factory and museum tours, plus two weeks using the vehicle on European roads.
Not to be outdone by its German rivals, Mercedes offers up to a 7% discount off most of its models – U.S.-made vehicles are obviously excluded – and will also waive the hefty destination charge. Plus, it will throw in an airfare voucher, a hotel stay, and a free meal. They’ll even make sure your car has a full tank of gas before you head off for your European adventure.
You can also take European delivery of your new Porsche, but you won’t get any type of discount. However, depending on which model you buy, and which factory it was made in, you might get a chance to drive the same model of the car you purchased on the company’s test track.
Obviously, there are additional details related to each of the individual programs and all of these brands skew toward the luxury side of the market.
But if you are ever considering the purchase of a new vehicle from one of the manufacturers I just mentioned, I would definitely encourage you to investigate their overseas delivery programs a bit further.
Not only can you get a really great price without any unpleasant haggling, but you might also get the European experience of a lifetime just thrown in as part of the deal.
To a richer life,
Nilus Mattive
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