To those of you that have bought Euro cars...

You need to asssume no warranty, some parts are different and may be difficult to source and resell value will be lower (perhaps substantially)

 

The Km and speedo thing are pretty small potatoes considering the discount of a Euro car. The other things (like parts) could be a bigger issue... You might be better of restricting your search to US cars... In 928's that are imported (AFAIK, as in my personal import case) I left the odo alone. It reads in Km's and is the original in the car. I also left my speedo the same, but probably should have had a few mph marks screened on to it in gray... that would have been a good thought and very useful...didn't do that but a friend who imported a '95 GTS did... it was a good idea. I think he still has all the odo in Km's. If I were to have converted to a new miles odo I would probably need to put a sticker or some other note in with the cars records to show this was not the original odo and that the miles are incorrect or not as stated... or whatever the title says about that.

Good luck with your search for the right F-car.

 

1. You should get the EPA and DOT (NHTSA) paperwork with the car. The conversion has to be done right and a dealer can't import the car. A gray market car can only be imported by an authorized importer. They have to post a big bond while doing the conversion. The bond is released once the conversion is inspected and approved by the EPA & DOT. SO, if you have the paperwork you are good to go.

2. Some convert to miles other don't. The change in the odo isn't mandatory. My car is in miles but some are in Km.

3. Remotes are available from any Ferrari dealer and are only sold in sets of 3 (1 red, 2 black). When you order just be sure that they order the right parts, tell them that it is a euro so they can check the part number on your fob. Otherwise they are pretty easy to work with.

As for parts, there are some subtle differences but nothing too serious. Some, like the fobs, use a different frequency or other small variation. There are some differences like the front bumper have headlight washers and the read has a different license plate shape; there is also an extra switch on the left lower dash. Most other differences are programming and electrical parts. Tell the parts guy you have a euro and ask if there are any differences, they have always been helpful.

Most conversions are 49 state so there is additional hurdles to get them CA legal. You can search for my thread on the subject, the process sounds worse than it really is.

Good Luck

 

Euro Ferrari's still have the VIN from location of delivery. Generally you will see a B in the 8th character but there are others possible I just haven't ever seen one. A US car has an A in the 8th character of the VIN.

A car that is CA legal should fetch a little more money than a 49 state car. To be 50 states it has to clear the original smog requirements for CA (extensive testing). Once this is done it is the same as any other car. There won't be many that are CA legal and it will get more and more difficult as time goes on. This should help CA legal euros when you consider long term pricing.

I will for my post and provide a link. I have made several other posts about euros too. Some of those outline differences between the US and euro cars; not an all inclusive list though.

 

When I contacted my insurance company about insuring my F430, they specifically asked if me it was gray market car or US spec. I said it was US and I asked why. They said the rates for gray market were substantially higher.

Other owners have said there is no difference in insurance rates between gray market and US spec cars. What I would do to be safe is to contact your insurer in advance and ask if there is an issue. It's always wise to ask first.

 

1. My car is in miles and so it the title. Don't know how most others are so I will let them answer. Have you called the DMV and asked? They can probably give you some guidance. Or you can look on the DMV's web site, they have pretty good FAQs.

2. This is more tricky. Variators were a campaign not a recall so FNA isn't legally obligated to do the fix for free and won't do the fix for free on a euro. If the variators were changed there should be a stamp (VD) on the head. I think RayJohn posted some pics of where it is located. I took some pictures of my car and couldn't find the stamp. You can also tell when you are changing timing belts because there should be a green dot (as I recall) on the variator.

If they check the computers it won't show campaigns for a euro, because FNA doesn't track euros. The problem is that they will tell you that the update isn't required because it isn't shown in the computer. To know for sure you have to check OR have a service showing that it is OK or completed.

IF the update was performed you should have the records. It would have been done when a belt service was performed so read through the service records. You can also look for the VD stamp on the heads. For a Spider you will probably want a digital camera to reach in there and get some pictures. The alternative is to discount it into the price and wait for a belt service and have it checked by a good independent who knows what he is looking for. OK a dealer is fine too IF they will put in writing that the variators are updated.

3. I skipped the insurance issue but I didn't experience what was described, I use State Farm. I told them it was a gray market car so I had to provide copies of the documentation from EPA & NHTSA. From there they were good to go and issued insurance. I have 250/500 with 1000 deductible and I pay about $900 per year.

One note, I had to go back after they issued the documentation to me and have them correct the VIN. Their system didn't like the euro VIN so it was wrong the first time through and the local agent can't change it themselves. They have to get the corporate office to make the change. Not big problem but keep an eye out for this.

Yes, I called before I bought the car and talked to my insurance guy. It make the process easy and I knew what I was getting into.

 

I always heard Euro cars are lighter and may have more HP. Sounds good to me.