F355 Euro model pricing...

Don't let it stop you from buying the car if the price is right.

The red/black is a sign of Euro, as red/tan is US - also the 8th digit of the serial number for US is "A" and euro is "B" (if memory serves me correct).

The difference is very minor - clear turn signals instead of amber and different holes for the license plate (the car should have plugs or holes).

Mechanically a few minor changes in brake and exhaust parts, but nothing major and parts are readily available.

Don't ask me why, but euros sell for less. They simply do. When the cars were under warranty some dealers would not work on euros...it has to do with franchise fees allocated for warranty work - but that is not longer the issue.

If you buy the car, or any 355 for that matter, get the offical parts book, available from a sponsor on this site, and it will identify which specific parts are US only or Euro.

To give you an idea of my experience, US models when I purchased were going for $110-115 while euros were in the $90's.

If resale is not an issue for you and you plan on keeping the car, it has all the service history and a clean PPI, then you should be able to get a nice car at a decent price. Make sure it has all the customs/epa/dot documentation.

 

I just bought a US 355GTS after having "won" a bid for a Euro 355 GTS. I really wanted the Euro GTS, it had a black interior with red panels in the seats. The only problem was there were no DOT or EPA papers for the car. Inquries at several locations lead to estimates in the 10-20K USD for federalization, and a wait of 5 months. The deal was not completed.

If you are serious about the car then make sure that it has the paperwork to make it legal in the states or be prepared to have it sit in a shop for several months and spend 20K on it.

On the other hand, there are several 355GTS cars on ebay right now. This is likely an easier alternative.

ken

 

In the 70's to 80's. Recent ebay auction: 1996 GTS rossa corsa USA model with 30K and major service, XM and good amp, speakers, new front rotors and pads and a painted top = 82.5 K. There are other cars on Ebay to base yours from. The Euro car that I "won" that did not have the certification was reposted on ebay and I was told that the price was in the 40's.

I've read that some of the 95 cars had problems with the exhaust manifold but are the strongest running 355 sold (pre OBD II). I think that the black interior is more desirable. If you car get the car for 60's it would be a great deal.

 

I have just talked to the seller of this car and he said that he has no paperwork for the conversion. Although, the car has so far been titled/registered in two different states. Carfax also shows something like "Vehicle declared to meet US highway safety specifications. Bond released". The compression/leakdown tests have not been performed but the seller claims that there are no problems with the valve guides. He has some paperwork for the work done on the car by FNA dealership and some by his own technicians (he is a dealer).

What do you guys think? Would not having the EPA/DOT conversion docs create a problem? I am not sure what to do here. Help pls???

 

Call the agency or agencies that cleared and released the car and make sure they have a copy of the certification, it shouldn't be too hard to get new copies. If you can get the car that cheap and it's a good car it would be fantastic.

Ken