Several months ago I wrote a post about BMW’s European Delivery program.
This program offers Americans and Canadians the option to purchase a BMW and pick it up at the BMW factory. Those who do so receive a discount on the purchase price, a tour of the factory/museum, European auto insurance, and BMW even provides suggested itineraries to tour Europe in your new car. Once you have completed your trip, BMW will ship your car back to your home dealership at no extra cost.
The kicker is that the discount you receive on the purchase price could be enough to cover the cost of the European vacation.
Pretty good deal if you’re in the market for a new BMW anyway.
But what if you aren’t in the market for a new BMW? As it so happens, BMW isn’t the only European automobile manufacturer that offers an overseas delivery program. The following car companies offer similar programs:
What’s more, Volvo even provides two complimentary tickets on SAS from the U.S.
And, as DebitNM points out over on the Fodor’s forums:
Another nice thing is that you can customize the car.
These all sound like great programs if you are both looking to buy a new car and are planning a trip to Europe. But, of course, most travelers just want to do the latter.
Peugot and Renault both offer auto buy back programs. Essentially what this involves is, you purchase a car, you drive it around Europe for up to six months, then you sell it back to the manufacturer – at a loss, of course – and go home.
Among the benefits you receive when you do this are roadside assistance, insurance, and unlimited mileage.
You also have the option to purchase the car at a discount at the end of your trip, but as best I can tell they won’t ship it back to the U.S. or Canada for you so that would probably negate any savings.
The Peugot and Renault programs are certainly interesting options for anyone planning a long European vacation and who would like a car to use when there. You would have to compare the total costs against renting, but when you factor in some of the benefits it could certainly make sense in some situations.
If you have utilized any of these programs please share your experiences in the comments section below. Was it worth it? Would you do it again?
Read the (old) thread in which I learned of the Peugot and Renault programs in its entirety: Buying a car in Italy or France for road trip.
Peugeot & Renault don’t have a presence in the U.S. That is, they don’t make U.S. spec vehicles for sale through a U.S. dealer network. So, since a car purchased in Europe wouldn’t be emissions or safety compliant here, it can’t be brought in from Europe. That’s why they don’t include shipping.
You can’t legally import a Peugot or Renault at all into the U.S., whether you pay for shipping or the manufacturer does, as both of those manufacturers have chosen not to sell in the U.S. market and thus their cars aren’t certified to federal standards here. However, it would be fun to drive one around Europe…
I recently rented a 2015 Peugot 2008s in France and loved, loved it. Small but comfortable, 5 speed turbo diesel that hated fuel. I would buy one in the USA but we can’t sadly. I would think a monthly rental rate from Sixt, Hertz, etc. would be cheaper than buying a new car there for 6 months.