Another euro import thread ... Relocating to the SF bay area, would like to ship my '01 550 here. Prices in the US are way too high (or way too low in Europe), I could probably only get 110K$ or so out of a gorgeous (titanium/sabbia) 18Kmi car. So I am considering shipping the barge in a container. How long can I legally drive it under its original swiss reg/tags/insurrance ? One year ? Since it is and has been my car, do import duties apply ? What do I need to do to register it in California ? Does it come down to sticking side markets on and have it checked for emissions ? I see lots of threads about Euro Modenas imported in the US, so I suppose that all the mods related to the 5mph shock test are not required ? Advice most welcome.
Ze shark, if you are lucky, you could drive on swiss tags for quite a while I drove with my colo. plates and reg for over a year in calif before changing. Give Dick Merritt a call, he is the man when it comes to importing regs. Nice guy too. 202 366 5300
Whoa - driving with Colorado plates in California is not so illegal! Driving with FOREIGN plates in the US is slightly more complicated. Shark, I have some experience in this matter. The rule is as follows: you can drive ANY car in the US on a foreign registration for 12 months, provided your insurance agrees to cover it. After 12 months, the car has to be either "naturalized", otherwise sent back to its country of origin or scrapped - there are no other alternatives. To "naturalize" an Euro spec 550 means changing many details of the bodywork (headlights, maybe the windscreen) and the car must go through the mandatory EPA emission testing. US calibration is not the same as Euro 3, so you may need a different EDC Software. It is all very complicated, I suggest you talk to Ferrari of SF to see if they are willing to help when the time comes. It may help to know that Mr. Zauner, the current director of Ferrari Suisse, worked as chief of Ferrari of SF for two years, so he may have some good direct connections to help you out. I'd suggest calling him. Good luck!
I am not an expert... But, by the time you pay shipping costs, EPA conversion costs, taxes(?) my guess is you could easily cover any loss you may incur selling your current car and buying a new one... Of course your color combo is quite rare, so you would have to be willing to change... I don't think there is a financial reason to keep your current car. Emotional reason, perhaps yes.... Just my $0.02
Thanks for the answers. I read several times about euro-360 being imported in the US, are things that different on a 550 ? Headlights are conventional halogens, side markers can be adhesive items which would then 'unfortunately' fall down, that leaves us with EPA emissions. Or not ? I understand shipping cost from Europe is minor compared to the depreciation hits you can take on these things, advertised US prices are insane compared to Switzerland.
Checking the NHTSA import form, the 1yr temporary import authorisation is actually renewable up to 5y. Has anyone had experience filing for extensions ? I gave a call to FNA's tech dpt, but all they could tell me is that my car is a Euro car (big deal) and that, supposedly, the legions of euro 360 imported in the US were actually ordered in Europe as american-spec cars, something i find hard to believe. Why would Ferrari agree to supply the gray market with cars delivered in Europe under american spec ?
I did the emissions work on a number of 550 Barchettas for G&K conversions when I was working at FAI.The main difference is that the US cars have a required "Fuel Cooler system.My guess is that this keeps the gas from becoming too pressurized from heat,I had to swap the gas tank for a US tank.I had to mount the two heat exchangerson the rear firewall between tank and pass compartment ,I had to plumb the exchangers into the A/C compressor(factory lines and hoses),I had to figure out and map out how to wire in the system's ECU(computer) into a car without one(was not a simple task to figure out),made up a number of custom wiring looms and also used factory style connectors,then mounted the ecu..If not wired properly, the check engine light stays lit.I had to modify the ignition lock so that the key in lock buzzer would work(Buzzer is in euro cars but not used.I had to find which wires in the instrument cluster were for buzzer and wire them accordingly.We replaced the decal face of speedo from kilometers to MPH and had to reflash speedo also.had to replace gas cap.had to modify And install parts of the evap system but dont remember exactly what. Thats all it took. Tim
I imported a Porsche 928 from Europe into Houston, Texas. The procedure I followed was that an authorized conversion company (Wallace Labs) who are EPA approved must sign for the car when it arrives at the docks. They do the conversions and DOT/EPA tests (special lab. conditions) and get the approvals, takes 6 weeks, then the car can be released to you to drive. I dont see how you can bypass this procedure since I thought that the shippers are only allowed to release the car to the authorized conversion company. G&K are well-respected company. When I inquired about converting a euro Modena I was quoted $20,000. Unless you are emotionally attached to the car, like I was with the 928, I would sell and rebuy in the states, the euro is real strong against the dollar. Regards, Ron
Thanks to all for the info. Looks like I am better off shipping the car to the US, driving it under swiss reg as long as I can renew the authorisation (1yr is granted, but renewal theoretically authorized for up to 5y), then ship it back and sell it. Indeed, but prices in the US are insane, even at the current exchange rate. An '01 with 20Kmi for 110K$, anyone ? For that resale value, I could barely afford a donkey with a worn out saddle, not even counting that damn sales tax on used cars. The real bargains in the US are Porsches, not Ferraris ...
But in order to drive it in the US dont you need to get DOT/EPA approval? So you have shipping plus conversion costs plus import taxes? Ron
Not if it's under its original registration (swiss in that instance). I can legally drive the car for a year. Shouldn't be any import tax as it's a personal item, just like any other household goods you import when you move.
OK, I get it, you have one year's grace and then you must do something, convert or return. Interesting loophole, this means one could drive a high emissions car for 1 year and pollute California ! I wonder how often you will get stopped by the CHIPs (cal. highway patrol), it will give them a good excuse to stop you. Or maybe they think you are a Swiss diplomat. Anyway, I hope it works out, Ron
Due to recent events concerning exotic cars riding around with foreign tags owned by foreign banks and driven by criminals I can assure you that you'll get plenty of attention in the Los Angeles area. None of it positive. I knew someone else with a euro Ferrari (360Sypder)and my understanding was that it could never be registered in the state of California. Indeed this car was registered in Arizona.
Yes that's a good point, the crashed Enzo publicity, is bound to attract the cops to other Ferraris with foreign licence plates, Ron
But the CHP wouldn't mix up a swede with a swiss, would they ? ;-) Somehow cracks me up that foreign plates would attract so much attention while so many cars drive around for months without plates because the DMV is so slow in processing registration ...
The only foreign plates you see in CA belong to clapped-out, smoke-belching old Mexican cars (or alternatively to the wonderful Mexican Ferrari Daytonas I saw at Concorso Italiano a few years ago... ), and sometimes Canadian cars. However... once in the middle of Yellowstone Park I saw a German-registered Citroen 2CV (!) belonging to a couple of hippies on permanent vacation, and one day later a "Köln" registered BMW 540i blasted past me on a desert highway in Wyoming... and we met again later in the only decent hotel in the area: it turns out the BMW belonged to a nice couple of retired Germans who had calculated it was cheaper to drive around in their own car for their 6-months tour of the USA and then ship it back home, rather than rent one locally... Shark, I'd love to take my 550 to the USA for a tour of the Colorado Rockies and Montana. If I can do it next year, we must meet up and drive together... can you imagine, 2 Ferrari 550s with Swiss plates driving in the Rockies... would be great fun. Be sure you get insurance for the US. Normal Swiss insurance DOES NOT cover the USA. Hopefully they will extend it for a small charge, but it's a very unusual procedure and may require time (and a smart insurance agent).
I think you need a good import specialist. I did it the other way around, and contrary to all "stories" that it was impossible to drive with US tags in Europe for longer than 6 months. The 6 months is granted automatic, any longer period needs to be on a study or project basis. I finally got approval for three years. No import duties, no conversions, no road taxes etc. The most complicated was to get full insurance. I finally had to combine a local liability and a American international insurance. Now, this was the other way around, but I'm pretty sure there will be the same sort of possibillity
Hey Andrea, yup, quote requested, I am waiting for the paranoid questions in return. Every time I change my coverage, the underwriters wonder what kind of fraudulent scheme is behind the strange idea to actually drive a Ferrari. Do you know of any serious shipping company ?
You will have to post a US Customs bond just to bring the car into the US which stays under Custom's control until it is fully certified. They will not release the bond until they have full documentation of certification, You most likely will not be able to drive the car until it is fully US and California certified. That can take a good deal of time. California will not recognize your foreign registration or insurance. So, that will also be a problem for you. California also requires you to have CA registration w/in 30 days of a residence change here. There are stiff penalties for not doing so, and frequently I have seen the CHP in BART train parking lots looking for out of state plates to tag! Bottom line is not to expect this to be a simple process or to expect that you will be able to use the car here until it is fully compliant. California certification is in addition to US Federal certification. Be prepared to spend a considerable amount of $ to get your car certified.
From the NHTSA website: "A vehicle registered in a country other than the United States may be imported for personal use by a non-resident of the United States for a period not to exceed one year. The vehicle cannot be sold while in the United States and must be exported within one year from the date of entry. " Can state law supersede federal law in such matters ?
It depends upon whether the Federal law pre-empts all in this particular area. If it does, states can do nothing. If it does not preempt the area, the states can provide their own rulings. I have no idea if the Feds preempt this area, but I would venture to say they don't. And, don't think that because you read their posted regs that they will follow them! For example, CA smog rules are the toughest in the US. Fed law requires cars to have certain smog equipment. CA requires more! Thus, no Federal pre-emption. The free flow of commerce in the US is pre-empted by the Feds. The states cannot exercise any rights over this. So now you have an explanation of pre-emption. I can assure you that you are going to have problems here in CA with your car, and if you do bring it here and you get stopped with foreign plates, they will possibly impound the car! All states need money, and they are now exercising their rights of $ collection in areas where in better times they would have ignored! I know of a Rolls that was brought into the port of Boston. It was not allowed in as it could not be certified, and it was crushed! Bottom line is to do your home work first. I have previously imported and certified a car here in the US. I can tell you that it is not an easy task, and it is very costly. You might want to leave that car in Europe. You could put $ into the US certification and then end up with a car valued less than you have into it! There is a reason why US models are more costly. My only advice is to be very careful.
Greg, it doesn't sound like you understand what he's trying to do. He's not an American, not trying to import a car to sell, or anything like that. He's a Swiss citizen, bringing his own car into the US for personal use. Perfectly legal. No different than someone from Canada or Mexico driving their own car across the border.
I beleive he said he was transferring here, no? My reference was to legitimizing his car based upon permanent residency.
If a taxi driver from Tijuana is allowed to drive his 1982 Oldsmobile diesel into San Diego, CA every day, by the same principle any foreign national is allowed to drive his car in the USA, regardless of emissions or other regulations. I have done my homework (I was supposed to move to Detroit a few years back) and I found out very clearly: a foreign registered car can be driven by the owner for 12 months, after which it must be either: 1) EPA and DOT certified and "naturalized", 2) sent back home or 3) crushed. It doesn't matter if you are just visiting or moving to the USA, the law gives you 12 months to sort out all your paperwork and make your car US-legal. Ze Shark says this can be extended to 5 years, but this may be at the discretion of the individual states - and most certainly not in California, I'd think. I agree on being very careful, though. My suggestion to ze Shark is the following: DON'T get your car in the USA through a direct point of entry. Ship or air-freight it to Canada (Vancouver, for example) and simply drive it into the USA. This way, if there are problems with US law you can sort them out without your car getting impounded first.
