During our trip to the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania) back in 2007, Kim and I flew to Copenhagen first and headed home through Stockholm. We used budget carriers Estonia Air and Air Baltic to get to/ from the Baltics from Scandanavia.
On the way home we had an early flight from Vilnius to Stockholm before making our way back to New York. I was taking a nap on a seat by our gate and when I woke up a guy came over to me and asked if I was Michael W. (This had nothing to do with the blog since it did not exist back then!)
I immediately wondered who this guy was and why he knew my name. It turned out that he was an old friend from junior high and high school that I hadn’t seen in over 10 years! This was definitely an odd but cool coincidence that we both happened to be flying through Stockholm on the same flight.
After some small talk and chatter about our trip to the Baltics, I asked what he was doing in Europe. The answer was quite interesting.
He was picking up a car that he bought from Volvo. I don’t recall all of the details but I am pretty sure that he and his wife were flown to Stockholm and put up in a hotel for a couple of nights so he could try out his car before it was shipped back to the U.S.
I was really impressed and intrigued by this way to get a free trip.
Since this random run-in, I’ve heard of other automobile companies that will fly you to Europe after making a purchase for the chance to drive your car before it heads home. I am pretty sure Mercedes and/ or BMW offer this option.
I hadn’t put much thought into my random airport run-in for years, up until last week. I saw a tweet from Volvo about their Overseas Delivery Program and it reminded me of my airport encounter in Stockholm.
While I’m not in the market for a car, I was really curious to find out how this program works. Here are some details.
If you purchase a new Volvo through the Overseas Delivery Program, you will discover a truly unique way to buy a car as well as a truly unique way to travel around Europe according to Volvo.
Volvo includes:
- Two round-trip tickets to Scandanavia
- A free first class hotel night in Gothenburg, Sweden
- Savings off the U.S. MSRP on U.S.-model Volvos.
- Complimentary home shipment services to your local U.S. Volvo retailer valid for up to 6 months.
Some other perks of the visit:
- Save money since you won’t need a rental car
- 15 day European car insurance including temporary Swedish registration
- A tour of the Volvo factory, visit to the Volvo Cars Brand Experience Center or to the Volvo Museum.
- U.S. Customs Duty and port clearance fees are included
Here are some graphics about how the program works:
Some Rules: The Overseas Delivery tourist program is open to US residents, have a valid license & passport and be at least 18 years old.
Thoughts About the Program: If you’re looking to purchase a car and Volvo is something you are considering, this program sounds like it can be a great rebate/ reward off of your purchase. The airline tickets alone are a sweet deal and let’s not forget the fact that if you plan a road trip with your car you can save a small fortune on the costs of a car rental!
What do you think of the Overseas Delivery Program? Is it something that you would consider?
Find out more about the program (including a video) HERE.
I did this with Mercedez back in 2011. You can extend the 15 days insurance and pay for the extra if you want to have a longer road trip.
Ben- It really does sound like a nice deal!
DanInSTL- Thanks for all of the info! I read into some of the other car companies that offer this program and Volvo does have the most generous offer. I’d love to do this some day but I can’t say that I am a fan of Volvo!
Mark- I’d love to hear about the experience!
Seth- That’s a good question. I didn’t read that deeply into the offer, I just checked out the sites for some of the companies offering overseas delivery.
Can you negotiate the price of the car or do they just give you a % off the MSRP. Only suckers pay MSRP and I have always negotiated very hard for my cars getting nearly 15-20% off the MSRP.
I did the BMW European delivery a few years ago… absolutely loved the experience (and savings) that I can’t picture buying a car any other way anymore.
Not to slam other companies but Volvo really has the best overseas delivery program. Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, and Audi also offer this. I think VW and other companies have done away with it. Saab used to have a good program until they died 🙁
I’ve heard good things about BMW and there is an old movie from the 1960s that shows a couple that do the trip for a new Mercedes. I think Mercedes really made this popular. Some of the companies no longer pay for the plane ticket but offer a discount. Japan and other countries don’t typically do this as the tax savings are there.
Many offer a special delivery experience and a tour of the factory. Many offer a free hotel night or two.
The downside to the program is that if you need to finance the car you may need to go through the factory finance company as outside banks don’t really like to do it as much. You may also need to wait for the build date which could be months before your trip. Most dealers will allow you to hold onto your current trade in car until the trip after you sign the papers. I don’t know about the other companies but Volvo publishes the “Tourist” price list.
http://www.volvocars.com/us/sales-services/sales/volvo_overseas_delivery/ordering_your_new_volvo/Documents/Volvo-OSD-MY13-XC70-Pricing.pdf
Basically you save a few thousand and get a free trip. The cool thing about Volvo is you usually have a choice of colors that aren’t available in the USA.
http://www.flyvolvo.com/
One thing to also keep in mind is say you want to buy a BMW X5 and take Euro delivery. Well you can’t because they are made in South Carolina. Only certain models are still made in Europe. The biggest downside to me is that you have to buy a new car and pay the new car price. The upside is you get a really cool souvenir and a trip of a lifetime. It’s on my bucket list let’s just say.
I know multiple people who have participated in this program – and who absolutely raved about it.