Selling an American car in Germany

I took my car into the dealership this morning to figure out why I was smelling oil (after a recent oil change), and I ended up getting an offer to buy the car from me... for about twice the bluebook value from a mechanic there! I had toyed with the idea of selling it here, then buying an American spec.-made car to take back with me when I go back to the US next month, but to have an actual offer for my car now is surprising and scary! I found a TT topic on selling the car in Germany, if I decide to do that. But what I'm curious about is whether anyone else has been in a similar boat --- pondering the pros and cons of selling your car here, then taking a new one back to the States. Or perhaps just selling it and being completely carless for a while.

Thoughts?

At twice bluebook, do it!

A lot of the European car manufacturers have European delivery programs. I think you have to order from a US dealer and there can be a significant wait time.

Ok, I'll ask the obvious question. What age and type of vehicle was it?

Resale values tend to be higher in Germany than the US. Take those Euros and buy in USD.

twice blue? sell!

I think lots of people buy their car here and ship it back.

There is a mileage requirement to avoid customs charges or something like that - I'm not the one who knows the particulars.

I'm sure a dealership can tell you the specifics.

The car of interest is a 2000 Mazda 626. And it has lots of bugs on it from a 1000-mile trip last weekend.

To avoid import taxes on a new car I'd have to own it a year, but I leave next month. So I could go for a used car through the military.. (whom I work for).

If on orders you should be able to ship a foreign car back (BMW) if you shipped a foreign car over. At least that was the rule about 18 years ago.

If you order a US Spec vehicle for pick up in Europe (like a new BMW) and then ship it back to the US there should be no import taxes. If purchased thru the fly drive program.

Because i've been looking at buying a car recently i've been looking at car prices both in the UK and Munich for quality British cars.

I've found out that i can buy a Range Rover or Jaguar for less than half the price in the UK and am considering importing a couple to see if there's a business opportunity ot whether being RHD kills it totally, any ideas or experiences? Sorry to hijack your thread btw

There is a British import car business around the Aidenbachstr U3 stop. It is near the corner of Aidenbachstr. and Kistlerhofstr. Go east on Kistlerhofstr. about 50 meters and it is on the north side.

Do a little window shopping to gather some intel on imports of RHD vehicles.

Good Luck

Mazda 626? Sell it to me!

I made the mistake of selling mine ('93) and now I want it back. Within the first three months I had my car here in Germany, I got an offer for it too. This occurred at the shop that was converting it for TÜV compliance. I didn't sell it then. I only recently sold it because of the cost of rust repair needed to be TÜV legal.

eurovol, why would you want another mazda? Anytime anything breaks, it takes a week to fix here since they need to order from the States. Plus, it's a big car, hard to park in the German spaces. Finally, surely you know of better cars (Toyota or Honda immediately come to mind for me).

When did you sell your 93?

Sell it and buy something off the "lemon lot" to tide you over the next month if you can't convince them to wait for you to leave. Lucky, lucky!

With the strong Euro against Dollar, at would sell it without blinking!
Are you only here for one more month? If so, then do not buy anything, save the Euros, and rent a car for a month!!

After all you have twice the book value ...