Euro model owners in the US- Can you help answer a question? | FerrariChat
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Euro model owners in the US- Can you help answer a question?

Discussion in '360/430' started by 4RELVR, May 19, 2008.

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  1. 4RELVR

    4RELVR Rookie

    May 13, 2008
    18
    IL.
    Full Name:
    Andy
    #1 4RELVR, May 19, 2008
    Who can tell me how long it took for the conversion on a Euro model to be performed? I am looking at a Carfax on one I am considering and it looks like it was in the country for many months before it was "approved". I would think it would not take this long to convert a car over, but having no other Euro models to compare it to, I am not sure if this is just standard practice or abnormal. If no one has this info about how log their car took to become released after the vehicle arrived in the US, possibly people could PM me some Euro VIN info. I would not ask for any personal information, just the VIN so I could run CARFAX on them and see what the conversion averages out. If you happened to know who did the conversion, that could also be helpful, since it's possible some companies take longer than others. If someone just knows some euro model VIN numbers, not necessarily on cars they own, that would also be helpful, as I am only trying to determine how long the average conversion takes. I give you my word, as worthless as it is on an internet forum, this is not some scam or otherwise disingenuous request for assistance. Thanks in advance for anyone who has the info.
     
  2. PCH

    PCH F1 Rookie

    Apr 7, 2004
    3,007
    #2 PCH, May 19, 2008
  3. 4RELVR

    4RELVR Rookie

    May 13, 2008
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    Andy
    #3 4RELVR, May 19, 2008
    Thank you PCH. I will do that. I still hope some owners can give me their spread of time between arrival and release to see if it's normal or not for the dates I am looking at.
     
  4. toggie

    toggie F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Nov 30, 2003
    19,036
    Virginia
    Full Name:
    Toggie (Ron)
    #4 toggie, May 19, 2008
    I don't know much about importing Ferraris but it appears there are different types of non-US cars.
    - There are the gray market 360s that have three zeros in a row in the VIN.
    - There are US-spec built cars imported from countries like Abu Dhabi.
    - There are non-US-spec cars imported from European countries.

    Perhaps each type takes a different amount of time to import into the US? Anyone know?

    I would think the easiest is to bring in a US-spec built car from one of the few countries that orders them that way.

    Some of the cheapest cars I've seen listed for sale are the "three zero in the VIN" ones. Not sure why.

    Interesting topic.
     
  5. Shumdit

    Shumdit Formula Junior

    May 9, 2006
    335
    Greenville, SC
    Full Name:
    Matthew B.
    #5 Shumdit, May 19, 2008
    The US spec cars like the ones from some of the Middle East countries use the A in the VIN. I wonder if some of these are running around being sold without people even being aware they are "non-US cars". The Non-US cars from most European countries use the B in the VIN. These are the most common gray market cars that have been converted. The cars that actually bring the least amount of money appear to the the ones that have a completely new VIN assigned, that does not match the Chassis VIN. Not sure why these cars actually exist, since I only have seen reassigned VIN's on cars that were theft recoveries and had lost the original VIN markings as an attempt to hide the true identity of the car or part it out. These are the ones hard to get the money for, since the VIN does not work well for insurance or lending purposes.
     
  6. Skidkid

    Skidkid F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Aug 25, 2005
    9,539
    Campbell, CA
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    John Zornes
    #6 Skidkid, May 20, 2008
    I would have to check the paperwork but as I recall it took about 4 months. The importers tend to be smaller shops and the progress is slower than you would expect.
     
  7. silveryellow

    silveryellow Rookie

    May 28, 2008
    3
    Westchester New York
    #7 silveryellow, May 28, 2008
    My Euro 360 F1 2000 model was shipped from Germany late December 2001, arrived in California about one month later and I took delivery in New York in the middle of March 2002.
    I would say that the conversion job took 4 to 6 weeks.
     
  8. Shumdit

    Shumdit Formula Junior

    May 9, 2006
    335
    Greenville, SC
    Full Name:
    Matthew B.
    #8 Shumdit, May 28, 2008
    Original poster: Your car could be one that was held up while Ferrari tried to get the euro cars banned from the US in order to control market share. See my post on the Euro vs. US cars scandal, myth, travesty, whatever you want to call it: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=198559
     

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