Euro vs US Ferrari

I am in the market for a 360 and have noticed some Euro cars for sale. They seem substantially lower in price than US cars. What are the pros and cons of each? Should I stay away from Euro cars? Any help would be appreciated. Also sorry if this has already been discussed. I imagine it has.... Either way thanks for the input.

 

The search function is your friend on this one. Check here for the executive summary: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=191837

 

I read that... Great thread but it really didnt provide that much in depth information on this particular topic. Just wanted to have my basis covered before making any concrete decisions.

 

I cannot comment on the particulars of the vehicle, but in the case of the Euro model - or any "less desirable" color - your initial purchase may be less expensive, but your resale value will also be lower. If you intend on keeping the vehicle for a longer term, you will probably find this insignificant though...

 

Its true

Try advanced search 'euro' in 360/430 section - I'll wager there's about every tenth thread will look really promising

 

I have written extensively about this in a number of other threads. The short version is that they cars are virtually identical. The euro is not covered under warranty but that doesn't matter any longer. You need to make sure that the key campaigns were done or factor in the cost because they are out of pocket expenses.

As noted you will buy cheaper and sell cheaper. Honestly that doesn't matter and the gap narrows over time so TCO is probably lower.

Most euros are 49 state cars (but not all) so you can't easily bring them to CA; I also did a write up on how to make it a 50 state car. If it is a 49 state car it narrows your potential buyers market somewhat.

Lots of subtle differences but nothing that is really noteworthy. If the car fits what you like/want and checks out, get it and drive it.

 

The advantage of the Euro cars is you don't have cats in the headers. Still have secondary cats. I looked at a Euro 996 GT2, and was advised by many to stay away from it, due to resale value. Like mentioned above, you can buy cheaper, but it will also be worth less in the long run. If you are going to be keeping it for a long time??? People always say they are going to keep a car forever, in real life this never holds true. Also might check your insurance company, I have heard they are harder to insure.

 

My 99 360 is a euro model. Later years don't have precats and the issues they entail. Same car verbatim as a US car, perhaps different suspension height euro perhaps lower than US version, Metric a moot point with speedo and gauge change. Big issue is how well the car was federalized with the bumper changes, marker light changes etc. Looks like all the updates and campaigns have been done to my car (an issue with euro's as it is/was out of pocket for owners).

Insuring it wasn't too bad. The computers in the insurance agencies wouldn't recognize the VIN so my agent had to enter it manually.

I have no interest whatsoever to ever live or register it in the great regulatory state of California so I dont' care about it's registration there. If regular US 99's can pass emissions my car should be able to as well. DOT paperwork is 20 bucks from DOT. EPA can be harder to come by.

The euro stigma might have been an issue in the past, but modern FCars are so similar to US cars it's a stigma that is not warranted IMHO.

 

Certainly not warranted, but the world runs on perception, not reality. If the US was run on reality, the EPA would not exist.

 

euro spec car here. no issues at all with insurance, registration, etc...

 

This may sound like a silly question but why were Euro cars brought to the US? Seems like such a hassle and it doesn't seem like it saves anything. I noticed a lot of 2000 and 2001 spiders are euro (no 2000 US spiders) maybe because demand was very high at the time.

 

i have a 03 euro spider. Car runs great and papers to match. I bought it for less money (which is a bonus for me) and if and when I resale it, the buyer's for the car will be cash money or with great credit (due to age).
As I stated before the Euro cars are the "true" Ferrari's, not the "US" versions. The Euro cars are made to Ferrari's specs and the "US" versions have been modified and are no longer "true" Ferrair spec cars. (smog pumps, computer modified, headers changed to pre-cast time bombs, and other things).
So I have never understood why the Euro's have a bad rep. They are the "ture" factory spec. cars.

I would have no problem buying another Euro. You buy it for less and will sell it for less. Who really buys one of these cars and thinks they will sell it for more.

 

I honestly think people starting importing them because at the time the 360 was THE car to own. Dealers were marking them up big and the waiting list was long. I remember talking to the owner of a brand new 360 spider that had recently taken delivery of his car and he told me his dealer made him sign an agreement stating he wouldn't sell the car at least 2 years.

 

As with any new ferrari, there is greater demand than supply as rmani stated... see the new 458, it's priced way above the retail. Same thing when the 360 came out. My 360 was sold in Nov. of 1999, but took about a year for it to make it into the hands of its owner (fall of 2000). I don't recall seeing alot of 2001 and later euro spec cars as supply starts to meet demand..