Prepping for my own European Delivery
05-24-2017, 09:23 AM
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Prepping for my own European Delivery
Hi all,
After months (what feels like years!) of reading / lurking these forums, I am finally prepping for my own ED. A huge thank you to everyone who has written about their own process! It's been very helpful as a resource for a first-time ED'er - and also a first time Audi buyer. I'm buying a 2017 A4 Allroad Prestige, Glacier White, Warm/Cold/Sports/DA packages.
In another thread, kallolr has outlined some interesting points about how the experience has perhaps changed since some of the earlier posts were written (link to thread). I thought I'd add my own take on this too. Below are a few things that I found worked a bit differently to what I expected.
Finding a Dealer
I'm in South Florida and finding a dealer wasn't as easy as I hoped it would be. The first two I went to I made the mistake of just rocking up and talking to the first salesperson who approached me, and telling them I wanted to do ED. In each case they looked kind of unsure but said, of course, they're sure it would be something that could be handled.
In both cases, after looking at a few cars and talking for a bit they went off to talk to a manager to figure out what ED was and came back with the answer that "sorry, we don't do ED anymore, it's too complex / difficult / etc". The second place said they'd had more than one customer who complained that they didn't get the spec they ordered and it was just too risky for them. I then got hold of the famous (and rightly so!) Brad Boyer, and he pointed me to a specific contact at the second place I'd been (which was ideal - it's walking distance from my house!). The whole tune changed at this point, and things moved ahead, ordering happened as I expected, deposit, etc.
I did find that there was zero room for negotiation on the price; I could only get the standard 5% off MSRP.
In retrospect, next time I would go through Brad first to get a recommended contact at each dealer, then email / call them to set up an appointment to discuss what I wanted.
Production Complete vs. Delivery Date
When I got my production completion date of 4/19, my delivery date was already set at 5/30 - almost 6 weeks afterward. Given that I was going to drive it for a couple of weeks, then stick it on a boat for another 4-6 weeks, I figured it would be good if I could bring the delivery date back a bit earlier if possible. Brad let me know that they can't adjust anything until production completes in case it slips (I can't believe it would slip THAT much). In fact, it did slip by a week or so and in the meantime work came in and stomped on my remaining schedule. In the end, I left it sitting at 5/30 but it still feels like an additional and unnecessary 5-week delay in an already long process.
Financing
I'm purchasing rather than leasing, and this may just be my bad luck but I read several stories here and on the BMW forums where people easily got financing from either their local credit union or from BOFA. I went through several rounds with a CU I used for my last car, and they flip-flopped from "no we can't" to "yes we can as long as the car is here within 90 days" to "yes we can as long as we don't have to fund the car until it has tags". The last one was a deal-breaker, so I moved on to BOFA. Several rounds with their online loan consultants resulted in the same thing. I ended up financing through Audi Financial, at the cost of an additional interest point, but it has no pre-payment penalty so I may just refinance after it arrives in the US.
Again, there was no room for negotiating here. It might be my poor deal-making skills, but they refused to budge on the price of Audi Care, warranty, or any of the other optional extras - not even a free floor mat. I ended up turning it all down, figuring I can add what I want in later if I'm going to be paying full MSRP for it anyway.
VAT Deposit
I've seen a range of stories on this one, from the dealer cashing the check then cutting a new one back to the purchaser, through to the dealer putting the check in an envelope and handing it back at the end (more common). In my case I got lucky and they said because I was putting down a large deposit as part of the financing which more than covered the VAT, they didn't feel they needed any more than that. If I kept the car over there for longer than the 3 months, they would just take the VAT out of the deposit.
Everything else is by the book. Brad has been exceptional, a huge credit to Audi, and they've done a great job of allowing me to book a hotel in the center of Munich for my pre-pickup night since I'll be in Munich for a couple of days beforehand. Only difference here is that because it's not one of their official hotels, I pay for it and send them the checkout bill, and they cut a check to me. No big deal.
My delivery is May 30, and similar to kallolr I'll be writing a bit more about my trip after that if anyone is interested.
After months (what feels like years!) of reading / lurking these forums, I am finally prepping for my own ED. A huge thank you to everyone who has written about their own process! It's been very helpful as a resource for a first-time ED'er - and also a first time Audi buyer. I'm buying a 2017 A4 Allroad Prestige, Glacier White, Warm/Cold/Sports/DA packages.
In another thread, kallolr has outlined some interesting points about how the experience has perhaps changed since some of the earlier posts were written (link to thread). I thought I'd add my own take on this too. Below are a few things that I found worked a bit differently to what I expected.
Finding a Dealer
I'm in South Florida and finding a dealer wasn't as easy as I hoped it would be. The first two I went to I made the mistake of just rocking up and talking to the first salesperson who approached me, and telling them I wanted to do ED. In each case they looked kind of unsure but said, of course, they're sure it would be something that could be handled.
In both cases, after looking at a few cars and talking for a bit they went off to talk to a manager to figure out what ED was and came back with the answer that "sorry, we don't do ED anymore, it's too complex / difficult / etc". The second place said they'd had more than one customer who complained that they didn't get the spec they ordered and it was just too risky for them. I then got hold of the famous (and rightly so!) Brad Boyer, and he pointed me to a specific contact at the second place I'd been (which was ideal - it's walking distance from my house!). The whole tune changed at this point, and things moved ahead, ordering happened as I expected, deposit, etc.
I did find that there was zero room for negotiation on the price; I could only get the standard 5% off MSRP.
In retrospect, next time I would go through Brad first to get a recommended contact at each dealer, then email / call them to set up an appointment to discuss what I wanted.
Production Complete vs. Delivery Date
When I got my production completion date of 4/19, my delivery date was already set at 5/30 - almost 6 weeks afterward. Given that I was going to drive it for a couple of weeks, then stick it on a boat for another 4-6 weeks, I figured it would be good if I could bring the delivery date back a bit earlier if possible. Brad let me know that they can't adjust anything until production completes in case it slips (I can't believe it would slip THAT much). In fact, it did slip by a week or so and in the meantime work came in and stomped on my remaining schedule. In the end, I left it sitting at 5/30 but it still feels like an additional and unnecessary 5-week delay in an already long process.
Financing
I'm purchasing rather than leasing, and this may just be my bad luck but I read several stories here and on the BMW forums where people easily got financing from either their local credit union or from BOFA. I went through several rounds with a CU I used for my last car, and they flip-flopped from "no we can't" to "yes we can as long as the car is here within 90 days" to "yes we can as long as we don't have to fund the car until it has tags". The last one was a deal-breaker, so I moved on to BOFA. Several rounds with their online loan consultants resulted in the same thing. I ended up financing through Audi Financial, at the cost of an additional interest point, but it has no pre-payment penalty so I may just refinance after it arrives in the US.
Again, there was no room for negotiating here. It might be my poor deal-making skills, but they refused to budge on the price of Audi Care, warranty, or any of the other optional extras - not even a free floor mat. I ended up turning it all down, figuring I can add what I want in later if I'm going to be paying full MSRP for it anyway.
VAT Deposit
I've seen a range of stories on this one, from the dealer cashing the check then cutting a new one back to the purchaser, through to the dealer putting the check in an envelope and handing it back at the end (more common). In my case I got lucky and they said because I was putting down a large deposit as part of the financing which more than covered the VAT, they didn't feel they needed any more than that. If I kept the car over there for longer than the 3 months, they would just take the VAT out of the deposit.
Everything else is by the book. Brad has been exceptional, a huge credit to Audi, and they've done a great job of allowing me to book a hotel in the center of Munich for my pre-pickup night since I'll be in Munich for a couple of days beforehand. Only difference here is that because it's not one of their official hotels, I pay for it and send them the checkout bill, and they cut a check to me. No big deal.
My delivery is May 30, and similar to kallolr I'll be writing a bit more about my trip after that if anyone is interested.
05-24-2017, 01:53 PM
#2
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Congrats. Really enjoy reading your experience and it helps my planning a lot.
A few questions and hope you won't mind.
Any of these Magna dealer?
When did you confirm the order? And how soon they return with the build/ready week?
Did Brad mentioned how difficult to move up the delivery date?
A few questions and hope you won't mind.
Any of these Magna dealer?
When did you confirm the order? And how soon they return with the build/ready week?
Did Brad mentioned how difficult to move up the delivery date?
05-25-2017, 05:52 AM
#3
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Congrats. Really enjoy reading your experience and it helps my planning a lot.
A few questions and hope you won't mind.
Any of these Magna dealer?
When did you confirm the order? And how soon they return with the build/ready week?
Did Brad mentioned how difficult to move up the delivery date?
A few questions and hope you won't mind.
Any of these Magna dealer?
When did you confirm the order? And how soon they return with the build/ready week?
Did Brad mentioned how difficult to move up the delivery date?
Once I got going with them, though, the guy I was dealing with was responsive and there was no issue with the fact that I was doing ED. Most of my communication with him has been with via email which I like because it gives me an easy reference to what was said and so on.
Brad said the date was impossible to move until after the car was complete, but that it may be possible after that - but it wasn't a firm "yes, no problem". The dealer was a bit more conservative, pointing out how much Germans like to stick to their schedules!
My timeline so far - I did mean to put this in my original post, but didn't get to it:
Feb 22: ordered, paid a deposit and gave my sales guy the travel dates I didn't want. He requested the allocation supposedly that same day.
Feb 26: saw a non-full-paint white Allroad in the flesh, panicked and emailed the dealer to ask him to add full paint! They added this no problem.
Mar 4: I emailed Brad to ask about the allocation, welcome kit and build date, and he gave me an production date of April 19.
Mar 20: Got welcome kit with official delivery date of May 30. I did find this date out at some point a little earlier via the dealer on the phone, I think.
Apr 27: Car finished manufacture, got a VIN number. At this point I could have theoretically started trying to renegotiate the delivery date, but by then life had kicked in and I was busy up until May 30 anyway.
Apr 30: Went into dealer and paid for car - did financing etc.
May 1: Completed remaining pickup paperwork for Brad, started working on flights / hotels etc.
May 19: Got final delivery itinerary - pickup at hotel etc. This is the most exciting part so far, seeing an actual time and date they'll be picking you up to go and do the delivery - and more importantly the time you'll be getting introduced to your car! It also includes the time for your factory tour and so on.
05-25-2017, 07:38 AM
#4
AudiWorld Senior Member
At the time I started this I didn't know there was such a thing as a Magna dealer, and because there is a dealership literally walking distance around the corner from my house I really wanted to make it work with them if possible just from a convenience point of view, plus starting a decent long term relationship for servicing, future vehicles, etc.
Once I got going with them, though, the guy I was dealing with was responsive and there was no issue with the fact that I was doing ED. Most of my communication with him has been with via email which I like because it gives me an easy reference to what was said and so on.
Brad said the date was impossible to move until after the car was complete, but that it may be possible after that - but it wasn't a firm "yes, no problem". The dealer was a bit more conservative, pointing out how much Germans like to stick to their schedules!
My timeline so far - I did mean to put this in my original post, but didn't get to it:
Feb 22: ordered, paid a deposit and gave my sales guy the travel dates I didn't want. He requested the allocation supposedly that same day.
Feb 26: saw a non-full-paint white Allroad in the flesh, panicked and emailed the dealer to ask him to add full paint! They added this no problem.
Mar 4: I emailed Brad to ask about the allocation, welcome kit and build date, and he gave me an production date of April 19.
Mar 20: Got welcome kit with official delivery date of May 30. I did find this date out at some point a little earlier via the dealer on the phone, I think.
Apr 27: Car finished manufacture, got a VIN number. At this point I could have theoretically started trying to renegotiate the delivery date, but by then life had kicked in and I was busy up until May 30 anyway.
Apr 30: Went into dealer and paid for car - did financing etc.
May 1: Completed remaining pickup paperwork for Brad, started working on flights / hotels etc.
May 19: Got final delivery itinerary - pickup at hotel etc. This is the most exciting part so far, seeing an actual time and date they'll be picking you up to go and do the delivery - and more importantly the time you'll be getting introduced to your car! It also includes the time for your factory tour and so on.
Once I got going with them, though, the guy I was dealing with was responsive and there was no issue with the fact that I was doing ED. Most of my communication with him has been with via email which I like because it gives me an easy reference to what was said and so on.
Brad said the date was impossible to move until after the car was complete, but that it may be possible after that - but it wasn't a firm "yes, no problem". The dealer was a bit more conservative, pointing out how much Germans like to stick to their schedules!
My timeline so far - I did mean to put this in my original post, but didn't get to it:
Feb 22: ordered, paid a deposit and gave my sales guy the travel dates I didn't want. He requested the allocation supposedly that same day.
Feb 26: saw a non-full-paint white Allroad in the flesh, panicked and emailed the dealer to ask him to add full paint! They added this no problem.
Mar 4: I emailed Brad to ask about the allocation, welcome kit and build date, and he gave me an production date of April 19.
Mar 20: Got welcome kit with official delivery date of May 30. I did find this date out at some point a little earlier via the dealer on the phone, I think.
Apr 27: Car finished manufacture, got a VIN number. At this point I could have theoretically started trying to renegotiate the delivery date, but by then life had kicked in and I was busy up until May 30 anyway.
Apr 30: Went into dealer and paid for car - did financing etc.
May 1: Completed remaining pickup paperwork for Brad, started working on flights / hotels etc.
May 19: Got final delivery itinerary - pickup at hotel etc. This is the most exciting part so far, seeing an actual time and date they'll be picking you up to go and do the delivery - and more importantly the time you'll be getting introduced to your car! It also includes the time for your factory tour and so on.
One of the difficulties of changing your pick-up date is that they fully book the pick-up slots weeks/months in advance. Even with the car completed, there isn't an open slot available.
05-25-2017, 07:57 AM
#5
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It worked out ok in the end anyway, and I've always felt that anticipation is the key to true appreciation.
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05-27-2017, 01:55 AM
#8
FLkiwi -
ED'ing in Baden-Baden with my S5 SB right now! Picked it up on Tuesday, May 23. Weather has been phenominal!!! Hope you enjoy your trip.
My similar write-up is linked below - will be adding to it. Have a great time and take it all in! https://www.audiworld.com/forums/aud...-pics-2920130/
ED'ing in Baden-Baden with my S5 SB right now! Picked it up on Tuesday, May 23. Weather has been phenominal!!! Hope you enjoy your trip.
My similar write-up is linked below - will be adding to it. Have a great time and take it all in! https://www.audiworld.com/forums/aud...-pics-2920130/
05-27-2017, 07:44 AM
#9
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Raceboy, thanks for helping your fellow forum members while you are out enjoying your trip. Can't ask for more...
No hurry and whenever you are free, mind to tell me what is your own finance offer % vs audis counter?
No hurry and whenever you are free, mind to tell me what is your own finance offer % vs audis counter?
