BMWs and Audis for CHEAP!

[TheeeChosenOne]

I read an German magazine business article that an Audi A6 or BMW 5 series (to name a few) can be had for less than $25,000 in Denmark as well as other Nordic countries and Italy. The article discussed pricing disparity with Germany where the cars are more expensive b/c Germans earn much more than their neighbors. People "export" these cheap cars into Germany to make a buck.

Does anyone know the taxes and fees inherent for importing a Danish car into the States?.............

This could be a great way to get a great car for cheap! ..........




BTW,
I know in Canada, there's a lawsuit by consumers against auto manufacturers b/c Americans can't buy Canadian cars which run 35% cheaper on average. Even if you got lucky and bought a car in Canada for cheap, US dealers are INSTRUCTED NOT to service warranties on Canadian cars--thus the lawsuit...................I wonder if this would apply to Nordic bought cars..................

 

[LuNoTiCK]

I never knew canadian cars run that much cheaper.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Canadian cars are 35% cheaper??? A 350z can be had for $17,000?

 

[LiQiCE]

Originally posted by: LuNoTiCK
I never knew canadian cars run that much cheaper.

Yeah, its partially because of the US dollar and the Candian dollar conversion rates. I know that my car would have been significantly cheaper had I went up to Canada to buy it, some $5-8K cheaper. But everything I read on importing a car from Canada was not well defined and fairly confusing, so I didn't really consider it.

 

[Windogg]

Originally posted by: TheeeChosenOne
I read an German magazine business article that an Audi A6 or BMW 5 series (to name a few) can be had for less than $25,000 in Denmark as well as other Nordic countries and Italy. The article discussed pricing disparity with Germany where the cars are more expensive b/c Germans earn much more than their neighbors. People "export" these cheap cars into Germany to make a buck.

Does anyone know the taxes and fees inherent for importing a Danish car into the States?.............

This could be a great way to get a great car for cheap! ..........




BTW,
I know in Canada, there's a lawsuit by consumers against auto manufacturers b/c Americans can't buy Canadian cars which run 35% cheaper on average. Even if you got lucky and bought a car in Canada for cheap, US dealers are INSTRUCTED NOT to service warranties on Canadian cars--thus the lawsuit...................I wonder if this would apply to Nordic bought cars..................

The taxes fees and cost to make is US safety and emissions complaint are exorbitant. I went to a event where someone has a Eurospec 850i and he would not comment on how much it cost to get it prepped. He seemed to his some of the small snags my dad ran into when he imported a Eurospec Mercedez-Benz S-class in the mid-80s. Even with the more relaxed laws back then, I remember it cost well into the five figures. The big snags were having to install US smog devices and US DOT complaint lighting. The "small snags" included new bumper covers in the front and a revised trunk bracket to hold a US license plate. The 850i owner had his US sized license plate ziptied to the German sized license plate bracket. The funncy thing about the Mercedes dad got was that it has dual front airbags which did not exists on US models. It also had a really nifty safety pack and medical kit that blows away anything available even on current US models.

As for the Canadian cars, they are not quite 35% cheaper but a few thousand dollars cheaper. Some dealers will honor warranty repairs but you pretty much lose all US benefits. For example, another X5 4.6is owner got his car in Canada and losr the US all inclusive maintainace package. Overall his TCO went up and pretty much offset the cost savings.

In the end, its not really worth the hassle.



850i Pic #1

850i Pics #2

 

[jlarsson]

I remember my father telling me that one of his former boss's used to go to Europe and buy his Mercedes-Benz there (one of the top of the line models). He would then drive it around Europe, put some miles on it, and then import it back to the states. Its probably a lot less in taxes if you are importing a car that has a few miles on it, than a brand new car. All in all, it turned out to be cheaper than buying it in the US, and you get a nice 6 week vacation around Europe.

 

[Windogg]

Originally posted by: jlarsson
I remember my father telling me that one of his former boss's used to go to Europe and buy his Mercedes-Benz there (one of the top of the line models). He would then drive it around Europe, put some miles on it, and then import it back to the states. Its probably a lot less in taxes if you are importing a car that has a few miles on it, than a brand new car. All in all, it turned out to be cheaper than buying it in the US, and you get a nice 6 week vacation around Europe.

"European Delivery" is not the same as buying a "Eurospec" model. Taking European delivery of a vehicle has been available for years, although it is not well publicized. The car you get leaves the factory built as if it was destained for sale in the US. You usually pay for airfare and the manfacturer picks up the hotel and meals. Not a bad deal if you plan on traveling to Europe anyway, the model in mind holds a price premium in the US, or you are willing to wait for the car to get a production cost, and then shipped over on a Ro-Ro ship. The does not work nearly as well if you have to pay too much for a ticket, need the car ASAP, or the car can be had for a discount in the US. Had I gone to Europe to receive my M5, I would have actually paid more since I got it here in the US discounted.

Windogg