# BUying a car in Italy



## Jeannemarlow

Two years from now we plan to live in Italy for a year. We would love to purchase a used car that we sell at the end of our trip. We see that we can't purchase a car in Italy without a residency permit. Does anyone know a solution to this. The long term auto leases seem to be a max of 165 days and are expensive. Regular rentals are outside our budget. 

Any thoughts?


----------



## BBCWatcher

Yes, check out the Mercedes European Delivery Program. You can buy a new U.S. specification Mercedes from your U.S. Mercedes dealer at 7% off MSRP and pick it up at the factory in Germany. Then you can drive it (and insure it) for up to 12 months in Europe. Before the 12 months are up, drop it off (probably in Zurich or Nice, since those are the closest to Italy), and your car will be sent to the U.S. where you can either keep it or sell it. You'd fly home from there, presumably.

You must buy the vehicle to get the 12 month stay in Europe -- leasing doesn't work. You can finance the purchase in the U.S. through Mercedes if you wish -- that should be the same. You also get a few benefits like a one night hotel stay near the factory, taxi fare from the airport to the hotel, a full tank of gas, and a factory tour. All the expenses are within that MSRP minus 7% amount you pay in the U.S. except your car operating costs in Europe (fuel, tolls, etc.) and insurance beyond 15 days (you can buy their insurance for up to 12 months). You must order the vehicle at least a couple months ahead of time before picking it up -- just tell your dealer when you'll pick it up, and they'll schedule production. The navigation system (if equipped) should work in Europe. Since they're building your car you can pick everything you want, including the color.

Check with your dealer to see if they'll sell you a U.S. spec B Class hatchback with European delivery. That model is coming to the U.S. in 2013. Otherwise you'd probably get a C Class sedan which has an MSRP starting at $35,350. Fuel is more expensive in Europe, so keep that in mind. EPA rating would be 22 city/31 highway for a 2013 standard C Class sedan.

Volvo, BMW, Audi, and Porsche also have European delivery programs, but none of those provide up to 12 months in Europe. Also, Volvo's factory is in Sweden, so you'd have considerably farther to drive. (Although Volvo tosses in free roundtrip airline tickets.)


----------



## NickZ

Jeannemarlow said:


> Two years from now we plan to live in Italy for a year. We would love to purchase a used car that we sell at the end of our trip. We see that we can't purchase a car in Italy without a residency permit.


How are you going to live in Italy without residence?


----------



## BBCWatcher

NickZ said:


> How are you going to live in Italy without residence?


Fair question, but the bureaucratic process is sequential, and there's a wait until one has the necessary paperwork to buy and (more importantly) to register and to insure a car.

The "Mercedes solution" neatly avoids that bureaucratic problem. You pick up your car when you arrive in Germany, and you simply drive it to Italy where you enjoy it from day one.


----------



## NickZ

Well no it doesn't.

Once resident in Italy you are supposed to register the car. Being resident in Italy the OP would face VAT. Plus all the other hassles.


----------



## BBCWatcher

No, not for a residence of less than 12 months (finite) which is considered temporary. Mercedes is following EU rules on that. If the car isn't exported (and picked up by the owner in the U.S.) then all those problems occur, but not during the (up to 12 month) European adventure.

One correction: There is some road tax payable if you keep the car in Europe more than 3 months. Mercedes collects that road tax when you pick up the car.


----------



## Jeannemarlow

*Thank you all*

Wow. Thank you all so much. I will talk to the mercedes dealer here. How fantastic to get such good information so quickly.


----------



## BBCWatcher

Bear in mind this "loophole" probably only makes financial sense if you were planning to buy a new car anyway (and probably keep it a while when you get back to the U.S.) Operating a car in Europe is just plain expensive -- not much way around that -- so you really have to decide whether you must have a car or not. Plenty of people live in Italy and don't own cars, and that's much more viable in more places than in the U.S. There are also many visitors who don't own cars, perhaps using an occasional rental for special travel. (Easycar.com has some good rates for rentals up to 56 days.)


----------



## Dillinger

Good info everyone.

If I buy a new car in Germany and do not have residency there .... I am reading that one can drive on export plates for a few months.

If I drive a car on export plates until I get my residency in Italy and THEN regsiter the car there ... will the transit police give me hell meanwhile?

just to recap ...

Buy car in germany without ANY residency (as yet) and then drive to xx place in Italy drive around find a place to live and THEN register the car there paying local IVA.


----------



## Dillinger

here is some info on the delivery programme that BBCWatcher is talking about 

Buy a car, pick it up in Europe - Business - Autos - ForbesAutos.com | NBC News


----------



## BBCWatcher

You don't register the car in Italy. The car stays on an EU export registration, provided of course you drop off the car by the deadline and return to the U.S. to pick it up again stateside.

I'm a bit surprised this program is new information to some. European automakers have been running these programs for decades.


----------



## Dillinger

BBCWatcher said:


> You don't register the car in Italy. The car stays on an EU export registration, provided of course you drop off the car by the deadline and return to the U.S. to pick it up again stateside.
> 
> I'm a bit surprised this program is new information to some. European automakers have been running these programs for decades.


Aah sorry mate. I mixed my messages up as usual LOL.

I am not from the USA. I am from UK. 

The link was for USA posters, but the other thread was about my particular situation.

Sorry.


----------



## alaric

Hi. We're in the process of transferring to Italy at the moment. My wife has a job with NATO, and has been told she won't be able to buy a car in Italy. This can't be correct surely. Once we are living there - my wife already is as she's started work now - do we not just register ourselves, then buy a car and follow the procedure whatever that might be? She has a special tax free status so that may complicate matters but will we have to drive rhd cars all the time we are there?

Sean.


----------



## Jeannemarlow

Thank you. We've been trying to figure out how to make this trip work without a car - but we are travelling with our small dog (just a wee bit too large for italian train travel -(just over 14 lbs. Crap!)

We looked into the Mercedes program and may take that route. Rentals become too expensive. We are a one car family right now thinking of getting another car and are looking at the new mini Mercedes is putting out this summer. 

Waiting for our residency permits before getting a car could leave us in bad straits.

Jeanne


----------



## Arturo.c

alaric said:


> My wife has a job with NATO, and has been told she won't be able to buy a car in Italy. This can't be correct surely.


Due to an Italian law enacted in 1927 and never repealed, in order to register a car in Italy the owner has to be a registered resident, meaning that he/she is either a citizen of an EU member country (or entered the country with a proper visa) and registered his/her residence at the local "Comune".

NATO military and civilian personnel are usually exempt from registering their residence due to SOFA treaties, and in Italy this prevents them from being eligible for registering a car.

However, if you don't work for NATO and register your residence in Italy when you move there, you will be entitled to register as many cars you want in your name, even if your wife will drive them.


----------



## Ligman

For what it is worth: I bought a car in Germany a few years ago on export plates which included limited insurance (Legal minimum only) It did not cover self inflicted damage to the car, so just check this out.


----------

