The Autobahn whispers to you, ‘drive me’.
The Toyota Sienna whispers back, ‘okay, but not too fast’.
So one of the perks of being a United States military family who has a permanent change of station from the United States to Deutschland is they pay to ship one vehicle to your new duty station. One of the disadvantages of being a United States military family who has a permanent change of station from the United States to Deutschland is they do not pay to ship your second vehicle to your new duty station. #FirstWorldProblems
Side note. I heard someone complaining the other day they weren’t made of money. So much so they could only afford the entry model BMW. Oh man that made me chuckle.
Back to our vehicle situation. Prior to leaving for Deutschland we had our 2016 Toyota Sienna and 2011 Honda Accord. Normally, we hold our cars for ten years but had we done that in the case of the Honda Accord, we would be ready to shed the vehicle overseas. Not a great idea. Germans love their performance vehicles and while the Accord is a solid vehicle, a performance vehicle it is not. Worse, it’s merely a giant five seater that’s cumbersome to park and drive on the narrow country roads.
By the time we figured out the cost of shipping the Accord overseas and then back after three years (because for resale value we would have to commit to bringing it back), as well as a rental car for 4-8 weeks (the time it would take both our vehicles to arrive from the United States port), we were looking at about $6,000.
$6,000 to ship a 7 year old Accord with 150,000 miles to Deutschland.
And that is how we talked ourselves into selling the Accord stateside and purchasing in Deutschland the only vehicle fit for the Autobahn–an Audi.
Yes, I’ve hit triple digits without the children in the car. Yes, 95 MPH feels like 55 MPH in the Sienna. Yes, I still get passed on the Autobahn like I’m standing still while doing 95 MPH.
We’ve had it three months now and the green bow has only blown off twice!
