Glad I found this site. Anyone purchase an '04 STi U.S. spec in Germany recently? Will the German dealers negotiate on price? Any particulare dealers to avoid? Thanks!

hi mate! Perhaps we have already spoken, just checking....

If so, I have had another thought regarding your US STI - the americans here dont import their cars as such, they simply bring them over. Maybe this is a line of questioning I can try and find something out for you. Many of the soldiers here have their own cars here and still with us plates on them.

Anyhow, drop me a line and we can talk some more - or just post back up in here...

regards, and welcome to munich! :D

Neal C

Update:
I'm having a U.S. spec STi shipped over from the States. Can't get them here it turns out. Oh well, in 6 weeks, I should have it. Gives me time to order mods :)

send me an email - or better still, ring me: 01795936929 or 08938237951

I'm in the same boat. My US spec 01' Impreza was totaled in Germany. Been trying to import a US spec STi. German Subaru dealers won't import. Only available US spec model in Germany is the Baja.

Below is an email reply from Subaru of America.

/

Dear Mr. xxxxx:

Thank you for visiting the Subaru Web site and for your interest in Subaru products. No, we currently do not have a sales program for people vacationing overseas. It is a difficult program to institute because each country that offers Subaru vehicles is independent of other countries, i.e. Germany has a distributor, who is independent of the distributor in the US, Canada, Australia, etc. Adding to the difficulty is that the specifications are different for different countries.

Now, if you purchase a Subaru in the US and go overseas, we would do our best to provide you with the support that every new car owners deserves. Of course, things would be more difficult, but possible.

We have received messages from others regarding this subject. As always, I will forward your message to our Sales Department as a suggestion to develop this program.

Thanks for your time.

Best wishes,

Subaru of America, Inc.
-----------------------------------------------------------
YOUR ORIGINAL MAIL:

Would like to purchace a new Subaru in the United States. Is it possible to take delivery of a new US spec Subaru in Germany?

Thanks,

xxxxx xxxxx
First name: xxxxx
Last name: xxxxx

null

"SchweinSti"


I'm just south of you near Rosenheim drop me an email at

kc7mye at arrl dot net

Maybe we can hookup and have a beer.


Later

RadarLove, YHM mate!

and SchweinSTI - drop me a mail - I too am in Munich,.

why is everyone moving to Munich:( how about some peeps moving to stuttgart for a change. There is nothing in Munich that you can't get up here and we don't speak as funny as that lot in Bavaria :D:D:D

kc7mye at arrl dot net <-- is this kc7mye@arrl.net ?? I sent you an email, but no response...

Neal your powers of deduction never cease to amaze me :D:D:D

sarcasm runs in your veins doesnt it.... ;)

Im living here in germany. Im british and have had a 01 wrx from new. just so you are aware ive had problems getting warranty work done out here and ive had to limp the car to uk for repairs. its because subaru uk and subaru deutcshland are different companies so to speak. good luck. let me know how you get on. by the way im up by hannover and hamburg if your up this way ever

oh yes :D:D:D

Is Hamburg good enough for you ?

hamburg is good when and where? where r u coming from

Curious... why would you want to ship a US STi all the way from the States? :confused: You'll have no support over here for them as the dealers won't touch them (or at least, begrudgingly) and you could get a normal European-spec WRX STi and start from there for the mods...

Just strikes me as an odd thing to do.

Richard (also in Munich :), which is much better than the strange locals in Stuttgart ;) :p )

[Edited by Re-Bitten Hero - 12/8/2003 5:18:25 PM]

Sorry, been away for a bit. There must be a way to put more hours in a day.

Richard, reason being is that I'm from the States and when I return, I'd like to be able to import the car. Don't want to be stuck at the docks like Bill Gate$ and his 959.

STi should be here in January. Thanks for everyones help and I'll post updates when I have some free time again.

Hi,
I agree, don't have one shipped from the states. You might have fuel mapping problems and the dealers probably won't want to touch them. I'm a retired service member living in Switzerland and have an STi7 digit Power tuned to 305 bhp and 317 lb ft and a Canadian spec Honda Civic. I always have problems getting the Honda serviced because it's Canadian/US

I return to the States soon enough that buying German spec STi for such a short period of time is not financially prudent as I could not import it back to the U.S. My U.S. spec STi has been here about a month now and is a great deal of fun to drive with the stock 300hp/300ft lb torque. Now, if these goofy German laws would only allow me to wash the thing at home, I would be happy.

Washing it at home is only the tip of the iceberg :D:D:D

SchweinSTI when are you coming to visit us southern Muppets :D:D:D

Yeah, they also make you drive really really fast on the Autobahn :p

Can someone fill me in on this "washing it from home" thing????

Just curious!

Matt :)

P.S. If I lived on the mainland, I'd want a LHD US STi too!! ;) :) :D

Germany has a fresh water drainage system i.e. the water that drains from the road goes straight to rivers & lakes without processing. So its illegal to allow any pollutants, e.g. detergent, to enter the drainage system. That means that washing your car on the street with anything other than pure water is illegal.

Although at my appartment, we have a dedicated washing place, with tap, power outlet, etc. which drains into the normal household drainage which is processed, so I don't really have a problem ;)

The other thing is car washes over here a pretty cheap compared to the UK. They also have places with a row of jet-washes where you can actually select how long each program lasts, so you can take as long as you want with the brush or even stop the program to do the wheels. You can also take along a bucket & sponge and hand wash it if you want.

I can understand the whole protecting the environment reasoning behind it, but it can be a bit of a pain in the ar$e sometimes, but thats true for a lot of things in Germany. As a Brit in Germany, the temptation is to fight the seemingly backwards methods of doing things and all the bureaucracy, but if you accept your not in the UK anymore and try and work with thier systems, life is not so hard in Germany! IMHO ;)

I see. So what about, if you wash your car on your own land, and as long as the water doesn't go into the drain, is that ok?

Matt :)

Matt, *if* you have your own land you are RICH! especially if you are talking about the south end of germany as we are typically in. And even then it is still forbidden. You can wash your car using plain water (no soap) - that is ok, and I frequently do this. But as BMWhere? said, water jets and washing places are everywhere and they are cheap.... so why bother-?

@SchweinSti, yhpm mate.

Neal

You could only do it on your land if you build a wash place where the drainage is controlled into a processed drainage system. I'm pretty sure you'd also have to have this inspected and approved by the relevent authority before you could use it and it would also probably be subject to regular re-inspections.

Its generally benifficial for a large appartment block to do this, as in the case of my place, where the cost is split amongst the residents, but to do it on your own, its probably cheaper to wash your car every week at the local car-wash!

The other option is to break the law and wash your car on the street anyway, but 99% of neighbours in Germany will call the police if they see you ding this :( ...or mowing the lawn/hanging out the washing on a Sunday!

Cheeseboy/Wurzul - I should see you at the gathering in early May? I should be there with my silver STi. There is another local guy in Bavaria with a blue one.
I must say, after driving on the Autobahn, it is going to be really hard to drive 65mph in the U.S.

Formerly SchweinSTi

Yeah, just like its hard to stick to 100kmh on the B roads ;)

Why the change of name?

I like this one better :D