#1503 4/29/93 Message from terra!bobd@att.att.com Subject: Re: European Delivery ================== I bought a SAAB 9000 from the European Delivery Program in 1992. My situation was a little different from that of most of the people who are reading this, I suspect, so not all the experience will be applicable. When we moved from London to Milan we took with us our 84/85 900 Gli. My wife really loved that silver car, it was so sturdy and spacious and comfortable. Before we even moved to Milan we realized that we wanted to get another car, for me to go to work in (since my office and our apartment were both well outside the Metro area in different directions). For a long time I considered getting a Renault Espace mini-van for the family car, but they wer just incedibly expensive compared to the likes of Voyager/CAravan that take the same niche in the USA. When we realized that we'd be returning to the USA in 1992, I made up my mind to get an American modelof something european. Since we had a good experience with the 900Gli we had, my wife wanted to replace it with another Saab 900 maybe a Turbo. I got the data and compared Saabs to the Volvo 740/940s that some of my friends already had. Because we have threee children we needed a four-door model, and we also wanted a hatchback. Such models are available in Europe in a 900 body, but the model available for the USA are more restricted so to get a 4dr hatch we had to get a 9000. I don't regret it, but my wife still pines for that old unique shape. I contacted Europe Auto Brokers Inc in the Netherlands who can get any sort of model for european delivery, Mercs, Ausis, VW, Saab, Volvo, American models... They were friendly and helpful in providing all the info I asked for by mail and by FAX. Though if you already know what model&options you want, you should probably deal directly to Saab IDS department. Antway, to answer your question. I placed an order specifying all the options and colours desired, along with $1000 deposit. (All paymenst were in US$) and the order went to the factory, and I was given a six week delivery time. In the meantime I arranged a new car loan from the credit union. They wanted to see the order/invoice specifying and order number to be convinced there really was a car supporting the loan. I chose my city of delivery (Geneva) and a week before someone faxed me to confirm the date (since by that time the car was finished and enroute) We drove from Milan to Geneva through Mont Blanc Tunnel in the old 900 and stayed overnight in Ferney-Voltaire (the less expensive French side of the border from Geneva in a cheap but cheerful motel). The next morning we drove into Downtown Geneva to the dealer. I saw the car gleaming from a fresh wash standing in the fourcourt. First we went inside while the agent had me sign several papers acknowledging delivery, and the temporary euro-insurance and promised never to use leaded gasoline because of the catalysator (catalytic converter to you) I was handed the keys and escorted to the car. He showed me how to open the doors and adjust the seat and turn on the radio etc.... It already had Swedish Export license plates on it, so he gave me a white oval sticker with "S" on it that I applied, to tell everybody the plates were from Sweden. (I haven't bothered to take the sticker off yet, too lazy, and it helps to spot the car from a distance in a parking lot among the other dark- coloured similar shaped cars.) And I drove away gently to find a gas station because the tank was on empty. When it came time to dapart Europe, we drove it to Antwerp (we were going back by way of the UK anyway, so I didn't feel like paying to drop it off at any of the extra-cost drop off points). I forgot to bring the bill-of-sale with me, but it is necessary to make the shipping & export documents. Fortunately the shippers know the brokers very well, called EAB up and he faxed them a copy so it only took 1/2 hour longer that it would have otherwise. You need to be good at map-reading and the expected layouts of Eruopean cities to find the place though. We stayed in a hotel in Antwerp and toured the city in the evening and had a good time. After arriving in New Jersey I telephoned the importer to ask about my car, but it hadn't arrived, they said they would contact me. About four weeks after saying goodbye in Antwerp I got a letter from the importer (E.H.Harms co) to say it had arrived and I had just a few days to collect it before storage charges would be applied. It was more compliated picking it up at Port #Elizabeth (Newark NJ) than it was in Geneva! (I had chosen Geneva instead of the alternative in Rome partially because I already knew the Italian attitudes to official forms, stamps, signatures, taxes.) I had to show one set of paper to show my bill-of-sale and claim papers to the E.H.Harms office. They game me more claim slips that I had to take (by car) to the lot by the pier and show to another office. They gave me another form I had to walk to a different office to pay the $1 storage charge because I was 1 day late. He gave me a release form I had to carry to the guard of the impound lot where we walked around to find the car. Then I had to check it all over for dents, scrapes, flats. (There were none). Then I drove the car to the gate, showing one or another document to every guard along the way. Clearances with Customs and pollution control were already taken care of. I had left rather more gasoline in the tank at Antwerp than they had suggested. There is only one gas station in Port Elizabeth, a mile or two from the yard where the cars are stored. If I hadn't locked the locking gas cap I suspect someone in Antwerp would've drained the tank and I'd run out of gas. (And I forgot to bring the key to the gas cap when I went to Port Elizabeth, so for a while I thought we'd have to abandon the car in the street and drive home to get the key and a can of gas, and then come back out. My wife was not pleased.) However, as it turned out, I did have plenty of gas and drove all the way home. But it still had the white&red Swedish export plates on it. My wife tried to register it at the local DMV office, but they wouldn't take it. They only do run-of-the-mill things there, and I had what came under their classification of a "gray-market" car. And no New Jersey Certificate of Title. After a few weeks of calling investigation, we eventually took it down to Trenton (a good hour's drive, and you have to do it when the office is open) to queue at the Master office of the DMV with all the documenti and pay for converting the Swedish "Certificate of Origin" to a NJ "Title" pinks slip. then we got the registration card and license plates at the same time. And we had to take it to be NJ inspected within 10 days. It's the safest, cleanest-burning car in NJ, but we had to get it inspected. Oh, and the thing that burned me the most was that the State of NJ insisted we had to pay Sales Tax. I thought that when we bought on the European delivery program that things like that were built-in. Well, the importation and Customs and federal emmissions-control certificate were covered, but not the state sales tax. If you want to know what I did about that you can mail me. Bob Duncanson tel: (908) 580-4604 AT&T Bell Laboratories,room LC 3N-H06 184 Liberty Corner Road Warren NJ 07059-0908 ================== EOF The SAAB Network saab@network.mhs.compuserve.com #2093 4/8/94 Message Summary Subject: Re: European Delivery ================== Message from sgc@hoqax.att.com ------------------ If you pick up the car in Gothenberg, that city (and a good one to visit) is about 40 miles from Trollhattan, home of the Saab factory and the museum. The IDS material available from the dealer mentions some of the options for a Gothenberg pick-up. This might include a factory tour (I just can't remember) but you can certainly visit the Saab Museum in Trollhattan. As for places to go in Scandinavia, there is plenty to do depending on what mix of things and driving you want to do. You could drive to Stockholm via many routes. You could go to Oslo, then up to Lillehammer and visit the site of the Olympics. You could travel to other countries with higher speed limits and take in some of that driving experience and the scenery of those countries. Steve Carrellas ================== Message from paulsen@elvis-e6.viewlogic.com ------------------ I did a Volvo European Delivery, from Gothenburg in 9/90. You say you're planning a 1 week visit - I thought you must stay for at least 2 weeks. And don't forget to get the total real cost, which includes Swedish registration for a month and car insurance for the time you're there, and cost to get your to California from Europe. When we were there, we took the overnight car ferry from Gothenburg to Germany, and on return, went to the top of Denmark to take the ferry back. Be sure to have reservations. ================== EOF The SAAB Network saab@network.mhs.compuserve.com #2757 10/9/94 Message from albertl@std.teradyne.com Subject: European Delivery ================== SAAB 900 SE Coupe review ------------------------ My wife and I purchased a SAAB 900 SE Coupe via European delivery. I make no pretense of being an automotive reviewer because of my lack of experience driving a wide variety of cars. Heck, the only type of SAAB I've driven is a V6 900... Autobahn cruising ----------------- The 900 SE has great brakes and a great engine. Acceleration from 90mph to 115mph is strong and sure. The 5 series BMWs and E class Mercedes are never quite sure what suddenly appeared in their rear view mirror, however, and are reluctant to move out of the way. My wife and I found that flashing the pesky Germans out of the way was a bit tricky due to the deft touch required to operate the high beams. You can drive no handed at 120mph, although it gets a tad loud over 105mph. Furthermore, the speed sensing stereo does not dial in enough volume above this speed. If you plan to do alot of driving in Europe, don't forget to keep tabs on your SAAB's break in mileage. Ours was broken in, but we never revved it above 5K. Still, in 5th gear at 5K, you're doing 130mph... Off roading ----------- If you ever have the fortune of visiting the Cinque Terre region in Italy, do yourself a favor and don't take the road into Monterroso al Mare unless your vehicle is owned by Mr. Hertz or Mr. Dollar. The ZR rated Michelin Pilot tires did not puncture, but they did not handle the conditions with aplomb, either. For that matter, the Sport Suspension that comes with the Coupe could use about 3 inches of additional travel at all corners. The mudflaps are very loud when they hit the ground (which they did frequently), and I hope the car did not suffer any lasting damage. It drove straight on the autostrada afterwards, and no chunks appeared to be missing from the tires. Cobblestones ------------ There are cobblestones everywhere you go in Europe. They are used for speed control because they make your car feel like it is falling apart and driving over them is extremely noisy. The latter applied, and I worried about the former, so I can attest that cobbles work better than speed bumps. Trip Computer ------------- The SID3 trip computer was very handy, although the CLEAR and SET buttons became somewhat stuck after the first week. We found out that European road sign distances to destinations are always off by 2 to 3 km, and we learned how to understand gas mileage expressed in liters per 100km. I only hope we can figure out how to switch it back to US units when the car arrives in California. SAAB Antitheft System --------------------- Our car was never broken into, and as far as we could tell, no break ins were attempted. The alarm locks the hood, ignition, transmission, doors, and hatch. The '95 model adds a glass breakage/rabid dog sensor and remote alarming capability. Perhaps the biggest deterrent in most places we visited was the lack of other new SAAB 900s for the local criminals to practice on. Muddy feet ---------- We got our feet muddy more than a few times. Our car was ordered with the beige interior, and came with beige floormats. These floormats tend to blend in well with the mud in Austria and Germany, less so than with the mud in Italy. We found the floormats easy to remove and replace, and they did not slip when reinstalled. Picnic capability ----------------- The SAAB 900 is a great car to host a lox and caviar picnic for two in the rain in Sweden, although this tends to make the rear hatch area smell a bit fishy for a few days. Do not place food items or napkins on the rear speaker grilles. These items will slide off due to the curvature of the speaker grilles. On the plus side, there is lots of room for two, and mustard stains blend in well with the dark grey hatch lining. The stereo provides excellent picnic entertainment. Eating a picnic does tend to make the windows fog up and provide a good opportunity to test out the effective rear window defrosters. Gripes ------ The trip computer buttons, as mentioned before, got stuck. Reverse gear is a bit high. Everyone who drove the car stalled it in reverse at least once. The parking brake is pretty weak. When we stopped for the above mentioned picnic, we really hadn't, really. The rear brake lights must be pretty bright by Italian standards. They illuminated the Italian driver's face behind us well enough for me to see through the rear view mirror that he was using his hands to shield him from our 3rd spot light, ahem, brakelight. Summary ------- Dos: Take European delivery of a SAAB, drive on the autobahn, have picnics in the car, chase motorcyclists up and down the Austrian Alps. Don'ts: Offroading, muddy feet, overestimating the break in period while in Germany. Questions or flames may be sent to albertl@std.teradyne.com ================== EOF The Saab Network saab@network.mhs.compuserve.com #2759 10/10/94 Message from albertl@std.teradyne.com Subject: Factory Tour ================== Our SAAB Factory Tour --------------------- My wife and I toured the SAAB factory in Trollhattan on September 14, 1994. Our tour guide, Gronan, is the head of SAAB International and Diplomat Sales (IDS, or "European Delivery"). This article describes what we saw on the tour. Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed. General ------- This was the second time I've visited an auto manufacturing plant; the first time was in the late '70s when our class went on a field trip to the GM Fremont plant when they were building Monte Carlos. There really isn't much of a comparison between the two. The GM plant was loud, dark, and dirty, plus we were all scared and relieved when we finally got to go outside for lunch. SAAB has several factories in addition to the factory at Trollhattan. There is a factory in Finland where the convertibles are built. The Scania in SAAB-SCANIA refers to the big trucks, which are also built in Finland. I don't know whether the convertibles are built in the same factory as the 18 wheelers, though... The factory in Trollhattan is spotless. Workers do not eat or smoke anywhere near the cars, parts are tidily arranged at work areas. Some parts arrive at work areas in a just in time fashion - more about that later. The only vehicles (besides the SAABs) inside the plant are 16 inch wheel bicycles and a few forklifts for transporting heavier parts. SAAB employs 5,000 people in the Trollhattan area, down from a peak of 8,000 a few years ago. I think the split was 3,000 employees in manufacturing and 2,000 employees in R&D. What we didn't see ------------------ We saw the 900 assembly line, where SAAB 900 Coupes and Sedans are assembled. We saw engines, transmissions, dashboards, seats, etc. being fitted to the 900 chassis. We did not see body panels welded and formed and painted, engines assembled, or stitching of leather cover on the steering wheel. We also did not see any of the 9000 assembly line or manufacturing area, except for final inspection. 9000s are assembled in the same building on a different assembly line. Work Areas ---------- SAAB has eliminated all foremans on the production floor. A group of people work on a particular area, and their is a worker who is designated the group leader. A typical work area would be the undercarriage area, where the brake lines, mufflers, catalytic converters, and other underbody parts are assembled. A team of people specializes in assembling this part of the car, and no one works on their task for more than two hours. Everyone shares in administrative tasks, which keep track of build quality in their particular area. There is also time to discuss how to improve the manufacturing process. Charts are posted showing manufacturing defects and the amount of schooling each individual in the work area has. Everyone working there looked happy to be doing their jobs and no one was rushed. It was very organized and efficient, and you definitely got the sense that quality cars are being built! In some work areas, there are computers that check parts before they are assembled onto the car. For instances, there are computers that test the SID (SAAB Information Display) and computers that test the climate control before they are assembled onto the car. Zero defects philosophy ----------------------- SAAB is currently using a "zero defects" philosophy, and 95% of the cars coming off the assembly line have "zero defects" upon final inspection. The work areas also try to strive for zero defects individually. If you think about the most common 900 defects (bad brake rotor design, weak air conditioning, computer buttons getting stuck), they seem to be related to engineering, not manufacturing. Cars that have defects are taken to a special area where defects are fixed by hand. People working in this area are very skilled at quick troubleshooting and repair. Just in time parts delivery --------------------------- At the start of the assembly line, painted, galvanized body shell is stripped of its doors and the doors go to the door assembly area. More about what happens to the the doors later... Every 900 produced by SAAB has been custom ordered by a SAAB dealer somewhere in the world. SAAB's world dealership community, not SAAB headquarters, determines the mix of models produced. Once a model is ordered, its specifications are entered into a computer, and the VIN number and a bar code identifying the model to be built are generated by the computer. A sheet describing the build details of each car accompanies the body shell to the start of the assembly line. Aside: Regional marketing may place restrictions on what model mix is offered to a particular market. This is the reason you cannot buy a SAAB 900 with Sensonic in the US, for example. Cars and parts are queued up on the assembly chronologically according to the date the order was received. Because of computer aided manufacturing, SAAB does not need to group together cars on the assembly line based on such characteristics as coupe/sedan, RHD/LHD, stick/automatic, etc. All types of cars are interleaved together. At the wheel assembly work area, for instance, wheels are stacked so that the four wheels at the top of the wheel bin match the next car on the assembly line. If the next car on the assembly line has the sport suspension, the Viking wheels will be at the top of the bin. If the car after that is a US 900 SE Sedan, the four wheels below the Viking wheels will be SAAB long spoke wheels, and so on. This just in time parts ordering applies to everything from RHD/LHD items such as steering wheels, fuse boxes, and dashboards to symmetrical items like cloth/leather seats, transmissions, mufflers, and rear passenger trim (which differs between the coupe and sedan). I asked what happens if the computer delivers the wrong part for a car. If this happens, the whole assembly line is stopped. The assembly line has been stopped before, but not because the wrong part shows up. Typically, the assembly line may be stopped if a component such as the climate control fails a computer diagnostic test (see work areas). The doors are assembled near the end of the assembly line. The doors that came with the car body when it was built are put in a queue and arrive when the car arrives at the door work area. They never get the wrong number of doors or doors in the wrong color! Design for manufacturability ---------------------------- The new SAAB 900 was designed for ease of manufacture, and this is best reflected in the amount of time it takes to build a new 900. The old 900 took 75 hours to build; the new 900 takes only 36 hours to build. There are many robots on the assembly line, and they help with heavy tasks and tasks where people could be exposed to nasty chemicals. For instance, a robot applies the glue from the body to the body of the car where the windshield attaches. Another machine holds the windshield, and a worker guides the windshield into place using this machine (not a robot). The windshield can only snap into the body in the correct orientation, and the worker presses the windshield onto the car. This whole process takes about 25 seconds. Other parts such as the dashboard, steering wheel, and transmission look similarly easy to attach to the car. I hope this makes servicing the car easier as well! Human factors engineering ------------------------- The cars are tilted sideways for some operations, such as securing the brake lines to the underbody of the car. The car is raised for other work areas, such as the marriage of the chassis and the body, and the work area where doors are attached. The pace of the assembly line is pretty relaxed - workers have plenty of time to complete their tasks. Of course, wrenches at work areas automatically torque screws to their recommended torque. Furthermore, any worker on the line can stop the assembly line if they think there is something seriously wrong with the cars that are put together. Closing Comments ---------------- The SAAB factory is a very sophisticated operation. They are currently producing about 260 900 series cars per day in three shifts and about 160 9000 series cars per day in two shifts. This works out to be a worldwide production of about 100,000 cars per year. The current factory tour will only show you the 900 assembly line because it is more modern and up to date than the 9000 assembly line. I would not miss the SAAB factory tour. We definitely got a warm fuzzy feeling about the build quality of our new SAAB, and were amazed at the computerized efficiency of their manufacturing facilities. ================== EOF The Saab Network saab@network.mhs.compuserve.com #2765 10/11/94 Message from albertl@std.teradyne.com Subject: European Delivery ================== Our SAAB IDS Experience ----------------------- This article describes experience my wife and I had with SAAB European delivery, from arranging a European delivery purchase to dropping off our new car for delivery back to the US. Since our vacation ended just a few days ago, we haven't received our SAAB stateside, yet. IDS stands for International & Diplomat Sales, which is what SAAB calls their European delivery program. Who handles European delivery ----------------------------- You can choose to have your European delivery handled by a SAAB dealer, an independent broker, or a rental agency that rents cars in Europe to US residents. We chose to go with a SAAB dealer, and have had a good experience with them, even though we are their first IDS customers. Perhaps the best reason to go through a dealer is that some dealers are willing to negotiate the European delivery price, so you can realize even greater savings. The real savings (i.e. hidden costs) ------------------------------------ The car we ordered, a 1994 900 SE Coupe (turbo engine), retailed for $27,795 (including destination charge) at the time we ordered the car, and the official SAAB IDS price was quoted as $24,995. Neither of us are particularly savvy negotiators, so we were only able to knock the price down to $24,000. I suspect many people will have considerably better results. BTW, if you are in the market for a SAAB 9000, I believe that factory to dealer incentives still apply to 9000 Euro delivery. We met a woman who opted for an aspiro 9000 CS instead of a 900 SE - both are about the same price via Euro delivery, but I guess she didn't like having the key between the seats. :-) The optional Mondial Insurance is not included in the cost of the car. This insurance insures you for any theft, collision, etc. while you are in Europe, and is available regardless of your previous driving record! Mondial Insurance also covers your hotel bill and rental car if circumstances regarding your new SAAB turn truly awry. The minimum term for Mondial Insurance is one month, which costs $395. The delivery (pick up the car) and drop off prices for Euro delivery can vary greatly - from gratis to $1000 for combined drop off and delivery. Our costs totaled $245. We had free delivery in Trollhattan, Sweden, and $245 drop off in Munich, Germany. $65 of our off fee was an additional charge we knowingly incurred by dropping the car off on a weekend instead of a weekday. Your SAAB dealer will have complete details regarding delivery and drop off costs. If you want to visit non-Scandinavian Europe, don't forget that your car will have to be ferried from Scandinavia to the Continent. It cost my wife and I $125 for a 2nd class cabin (no window) from Goteborg, Sweden to Kiel Germany. Our SAAB's berth in the boat cost $200... I think there are cheaper (i.e. shorter) ways to transport your car to the Continent; contact your travel agent or Scandinavian tourist information here in the US for more details. In summary, for our particular case, our car costs were: car: $24,000 delivery: $ 0 drop off: $ 245 insurance: $ 395 ferry: $ 325 ----------------------- $24,865 We still saved almost $3000 off the list price of the car in the US, which I understand is selling for full list price in most parts. Obviously, any taxes you have to pay will be lower, as well. If you are a California resident and put more than 7,500 miles on your car before you ship it back, I think you are exempt for California sales tax as well! Payment options --------------- My wife and I were able to obtain outside financing for our car, but the SAAB dealer offered us a better rate. In general large banks are not interested in financing IDS purchases, but you may have better luck with a smaller one. If you do finance through the SAAB dealer, they will also finance your Mondial Insurance. Delivery and drop off fees are not handled by the dealer, and therefore cannot be financed. You can also lease a IDS car, and your SAAB dealer will probably push this option. Unfortunately, the excellent GMAC rates which are available for US purchase SAABs do not apply to Euro delivery SAABs. :-( Ordering your SAAB ------------------ You order the car about 3 months before you take delivery. In our case, we ordered our SAAB in June, it was built in July, and we took delivery in September. The official SAAB USA propaganda states that you can only order a car that is available for sale in the US. However, this is a distinction that is imposed by SAAB USA marketing, _not_ the SAAB factory in Trollhattan. For instance, we saw lots of Imola Red (bright red) 900 sedans being assembled, although it is strictly a coupe color choice in the US. You may be able to request this color for a 900 sedan, if you're pushy. If you want a 900 sedan with a turbo, Sensonic, sport suspension, and velour interior, forget it. Taking Delivery in Trollhattan ------------------------------ The city of Trollhattan is located in southwest Sweden. Fly into Goteborg, the nearest airport, not Stockholm. Our travel agent screwed up, but fortunately, we were able to change our ticket while stopped over in Amsterdam. SAAB rolls out the royal carpet for your European arrival. We were picked up in a 9000 Turbo taxi from the Goteborg airport and whisked through the Swedish countryside to the Ronnum Herrard hotel outside of Trollhattan. We were lucky and had the taxi to ourselves. The woman taking Euro delivery of the 9000 CS had to share her cab with two stuck up businessmen. Your mileage may vary. Dinner at the Ronnum Herrard consists of Swedish specialties for the appetizer, main course, and dessert, all of which were sumptuous. The hotel itself is part of the international Chateau Relais chain of hotels. The rooms, service, and food at these Chateau Relais is simply beyond reproach. Our room at the Ronnum was furnished with period furniture and included a sauna in the bathroom! Breakfast the next morning was a huge Swedish buffet which included pickled herring (yum!) and lots of fresh fruit, meats, and breads. Gronan (the SAAB Euro delivery rep) met us at breakfast and took us to the SAAB Museum where we took delivery of our car. We had another Euro delivery rep take us into a room where our SAAB was parked and spend an hour with us showing us the various features of our SAAB, etc. There is plenty of time to tour the SAAB Museum (see the SAAB network archives for details) and pick up free postcards and posters while you are there. You also receive a crystal Trollhattan Troll ("Made by Trolls in Trollhattan"). One of the new postcards features a 900 Turbo Sedan (not available in the US). Interestingly, all the 900 posters were gone, and the book on the new SAAB 900 was sold out. A scarabe 900 convertible and imola red 900 coupe (like ours) are the newest additions the the museum. After receiving our car and looking around the museum, we followed Gronan to the SAAB factory in Trollhattan. After our factory tour of the 900 assembly line, we were on our own. Please see my article on the SAAB factory for further details. The best thing about taking delivery in Trollhattan is that SAAB provides you with a very pleasant and smooth beginning to your vacation. The taxi, dinner, suite at the Ronnum, breakfast, museum, and factory tour are provided complements of SAAB. Notes about driving in Europe and Euro delivery SAABs ----------------------------------------------------- All Euro delivery SAABs come with Swedish export plates and you get a big "S" sticker to show your friends you picked up your car in Sweden. Actually, I didn't want to put the "S" sticker on the car because I think they are obnoxious, but we found out at the end of our trip that these stickers are required by law in Europe. Oops! The plates and third brake light make it pretty obvious you are not a native, BTW. Also, don't be surprised if you get stopped at customs a lot when traveling between countries. Many junior customs officers (especially in Austria, it seemed) have never seen Swedish export plates. All Euro delivery SAABs are US spec cars (California spec if you're from California) and come equipped with catalytic converters, third brake lights, etc. You have to use unleaded gas. I found out the first time we went to fill up that leaded gas nozzles don't fit - pump at the green pumps. For details about what it's like to drive the new 900 SE Turbo in Europe, please see my article on the SAAB Network regarding our experiences of 3000+ miles of driving on the autobahn, back roads, cobblestones, and the Alps. Drop Off -------- We were originally going to drop our SAAB off in Rome, but we changed our minds about visiting Rome and went back to the Alps and Germany instead (no flames, please). If you drop your SAAB off in an Italian city except for Venice, EH Harms will drive your car to Munich, Germany for delivery back to the US. We dropped off our car in Munich with EH Harms and filled out simple paperwork in less than one hour. BTW, they steam clean the interior and wash the car before sending it on the boat, and SAAB covers your shipping costs and marine shipping insurance. Final Comments -------------- I would highly recommend taking IDS of a SAAB if you are considering the purchase of a new SAAB and are also considering vacationing in Europe. Driving in Europe is a lot of fun, and visiting the SAAB Museum and SAAB factory in Trollhattan are must-do activities for a SAAB nut. Sweden is a great country to visit if you are like most Americans and don't speak any foreign languages because most Swedes speak excellent English. SAAB now has a package called the "Swedish Adventure", which offers low rates on Chateau Relais hotels throughout Sweden if you are planning on going first class. If you have any questions regarding IDS, please send me email: albertl@std.teradyne.com. ================ EOF The Saab Network saab@network.mhs.compuserve.com #3015 12/2/94 Message from albertl@std.teradyne.com Subject: European Delivery - The Conclusion ================== My wife and I picked up our '94 900SE Coupe from the dealer yesterday, nearly two months after we dropped it off in Munich. BTW, our earlier experience with SAAB European delivery can be retrieved from Saabnet.com 2736, 2757, 2759, and 2765. Unfortunately, stateside delivery was not nearly as glorious as the European experience. Hopefully, our pain can be your gain, so here are a few pointers we picked up. SAAB offers the option of having your car delivered to one of several ports throughout the US. I suspect we could have picked our car up stateside a lot quicker if we had it shipped to Port Hueneme (for those of you close to the LA sprawl). If you get it shipped "direct" to the dealer, then your car arrives in Georgia and then is subsequently shipped by rail and then truck to its final destination. Despite what SAAB Cars USA claims, this will take at least two weeks. Don't hold your breath! Another advantage to picking up your car portside is that you can personally do battle with the Board of Equalization (or whoever your state's taxing arm may happen to be) and the DMV and try to wiggle a few dollars your way. The dealer may be incompetent regarding what can be taxed (more about this later). BTW, the importer, EH Harms (sp?), says that the _other_ European manufacturers ship their cars to local ports. Only SAAB insists that all cars be funneled through Georgia. "Those Swedes - they have to be different", said the agent at EH Harms while rolling his eyes. In California, at least, you cannot be taxed for insurance. However, our dealer was not cognizant of this fact, and furthermore proceeded to calculate the vehicle license fees and taxation based on the car + European insurance price. Needless to say, this involved much grief on our part before we convinced the dealer they were wrong. Sorry for wasting bandwidth if you don't live in a fiscally challenged part of the nation... In other respects, the car is fine, and survived mostly unscathed. A very faint scratch appeared courtesy of either the importer or the dealer while the car was being washed, and I get the feeling that every 900SE owner on Saabnet.com received a SID3 computer unit with sticking buttons, myself included. I am now currently working on obtaining a speeding ticket... It is much more fun to drive at 110mph on the autobahn than 65mph on the interstate. On the plus side, noise level is far lower at 65mph, but then again, I'm getting a lot better than the 20mpg economy of the higher speed. Finally, another thanks to everyone who posted about installing a Clarion CD changer. It only took about two hours last night, and everything is working well. Happy Saabing! Albert Lew albertl@std.teradyne.com Teradyne Inc 818-991-2900 ================== EOF The Saab Network saab@network.mhs.compuserve.com #3572 3/7/95 Message from RobertL748@aol.com Subject: Re: CA Tax-Free European Delivery ================== I have taken delivery on 3 SAAB's European delivery (86' 9000i; 89' 9000t; 89' 900base) If your take delivery and drive the car in Europe (one day is enough) you avoid the Import Duty Tax (2.5%) but when you register the car in your home State for the tag you pay the Sales Tax on the purchase price. Saab in Sweden will sell you Insurance for up to 12 months and Export Tag to drive around Europe. Bob Lomitola 89' 900base (40K) ------------------------------------------------- #6896 3/31/96 Message from Joel.Soumagne@supelec.fr Subject: Re: European Delivery ================== I'm a (french) canadian who has already purchased two (2) Saab on the IDS program (a 99 long ago, and a 9000 Turbo). I'm on the way to buy the third one ('she' is already ordered : delivery date will be July 1996). 'She' is a brand new 900 2.3i, with canadian specs -which are very-very close to the european ones-. What is IDS ? International and Diplomatic Sales I never had any problems with this scheme (and saved a lot each time !!! The higher your country taxes are , the most you save ) You can order the car (even a GB model with RHD) for example in France, having it delivered where you want in Europe (Paris-France, London, or at the factory in Trollhatan-Sweden). Delivery in Sweden is free, otherwise you have to pay for road transport (around US $300-400). * If you order a USA-Specs model : the car will be absolutely similar to the US-imported models. The 'compliance certificate' is provided : there are absolutely no problems for importing it in the USA. * The 'shipment' back to USA is included in the sale price (free home shipment) and the corresponding 'voucher' is valid for one full year maximum (to my knowledge ==> check with Saab International before...). * The car is delivered with 'european export license plates' : swedish plates if you choose a delivery in Sweden : Insurance is mandatory for driving a car in Europe : They (Saab International) can arrange insurance for you (cost depends on the number of months you intend to travel on the european territory. of course no problems crossing borders (most of the time there is no stop at all.... you cross the borders at regular speed (60 mph or ... more !) US insurance are (to my knowledge) not allowed. *AIRPLANES TICKETS FROM USA to Paris are, to our standards, very cheap (it costs less to travel from Paris to New-York than to Stockolm I STRONGLY recommand you to contact (fax and phone numbers below...) ************************************************************* Gilles LUGAN : SAAB International & Diplomat Sales Manager SAAB Rive Gauche 76 bis avenue de Suffren (close to Eiffel Tower) 75015 PARIS France phone 33 1 47 83 45 22 fax 33 1 47 34 65 50 ************************************************************** 33 is the 'international phone code' for 'France' 1 is the 'special' number for Paris He gave me excellent service, and interesting price (with discount). Feel free to contact him 'ON MY BEHALF' (I have absolutely no personnal interest in Saab business ! only the will to help other Saab buyers and Saab Clubs members to get the best offers... ). I'm a Saab Clubs member (Saab Club of North America 'included'), a happy owner (see the Gallery of members on the Saabnet.com The Saab Network) You can have your car ordered from him, in Paris, and delivered where you want (even in Paris of course) If you need it, I know an Hotel (very close to the SAAB office / delivery center) where SAAB buyers /drivers are particularly welcome (...the general manager owns 'a lot of Saabs' 93-96-99-Sonett) Keep me informed of your will and actions , FEEL FREE to ask me for ANY HELP Sorry if my english is not perfect : this is not my native language Hoping to see you 'at the steering wheel' of a new 900 or 9000 : Mine will be delivered in Trolhattan, probably on July 6th : Nice to see you there !!!!!!! Have a nice week (I'll travel for the next 4 days - sorry not with a Saab but a Citroen BX diesel : company car ... of course !!!) Regards Joel ******************************************** Joel SOUMAGNE tel : (+33) 87 74 99 38 Supelec fax : (+33) 87 76 95 49 E-mail : Joel.Soumagne@supelec.fr soumagne@esemetz.ese-metz.fr 2 rue Ed. Belin, 57078 METZ, Cedex 3 FRANCE ******************************************** ================== EOF The Saab Network saab@network.mhs.compuserve.com