What does imported mean per se?

It doesn't affect the value as long as its been converted. Many versions of Ferraris were built for the foreign market where EPA standards are not as critical as in the USA.

Don't worry about it as long as you have certification of the conversion. Also, many states no longer require emission testing if the car is older than 1995. They only require testing if it's OBDII.

 

Usually there's a sticker put on the car. On a drivers door jam, sill plate etc.

Also, physical inspection will tell if its been converted i.e. Cats, US bumpers etc.

 

The seller should be able to provide you with releases from EPA and DOT. If they can't, you can probably get them from DOT, but it's not a good sign.

 

I think you'll have no problems buying the car if it's on American soil.

Go for it, the 550 is a beautiful car!

 

I wouldn't buy a "gray market" car as they're worth less and harder to sell. Buy a good US car.

 

Please be aware when buying a grey market car that there is little, if any, parts supply in the US for them. While US and foreign market cars may use a considerable number of interchangeable parts, there may be some unusual widget that you'll undoubtedly need one day. And, you'll have to source it elsewhere. Just know that the car may be down until you do.

Also, there is no dealer warranty support for grey market cars. The importance of this may wane as the model goes out of warranty, but it's still relevant to recalls, I should think. I'm sure the dealer will do the work for you, but it will be on your nickel.

CW

 

Is it 110360? JK Technologies has federalized a number of cars.

 

It's 20 bucks if you call the EPA. euro cars like the 550, if the same as the 360 have no different parts than the us versions. Lower price going in.. lower sales price going out. since I have no intention of selling didn't matter to me. if in a non-emissions state, in my case SC, the EPA letter is a moot point. with euro cars the insurance company can't pull the vin as easily and may need to enter it manually. In the end you get a car that was built the way Ferrari wanted, without the EPA B.S... 550 is nice. get it and then get the 360 later. I bought my 360 first but I intend to compliment it with a 550 or 575 in the future.

 

A Euro car will always be worth significantly less whe it comes time to sell. Maybe in 20-30 years (when a 550 will be old enough to get a 'pass' on smog certification in most states) it won't be important any more, but it is now.

For example, Euro versus US doesn't seem to matter much anymore for Daytonas. They are, on the other hand, nearly 40 year old cars.

A Euro car will always be suspect relative to smog certification in some states, especially California, which is the biggest market.

This 'issue' is what is holding back the price rise in Boxers...all Euro, all supect.

With so many US 550s for sale at low prices, I would only consider a Euro car if it was REALLY cheap. Wouldn't consider it all without bulletproof EPA-DOT certification.

 

As with accident history, a euro car will be cheap when you buy it, and cheap when you sell it. Just keep that in mind.

When you go to sell it, it will probably take longer to sell, as well.

Other than that, not a big deal.

 

Why; as most know there are a number of Ferraris produced that were strictly for the euro market. When they were received on US shores and were federalized I don't know of 1 that had diminished value. In most cases, the only difference is related to the carbon footprint. Yeah, we have the bumper issue yadda,yadda,yadda......;No big deal.

 

If you are referring to cars which were Euro-only (Boxers, the 400 series, etc) then obviously it doesn't matter. If you are talking about cars with both Euro and US production, then the Euro cars sell for less in the US.

That's just the way it is...

 

So you can buy for less and sell for less when the time comes. It all works out in the end!

 

Be careful about doing this if you want to bring the car to California. Even cars that should be able to pass smog out here, actual first owner bought in California cars, are getting close to not being able to pass smog out here. I am reading 96' and above Porsche 993's and some other cars right now. Also with the whole Skyline debacle anything iffy be very careful. I guess in the rest of the States it doesn't matter???

 

Here is my experience when I was looking to buy a 550 Barchetta in 2009.

1. European Spec with DOT and EPA papers; asking price was 139K

2. USA Spec; asking price was 189K

Both cars were the same mileage, condition and color combination.
I would have bought the Euro Spec car, but here in Canada, our Federal Government will not allow these cars into the country unless they are 15 years or older.
In the end, I am glad I bought the US Spec Barchetta because I will have no problem to resell the car in North America if I ever decide to in the future.

 

Thanks for throwing a little reality on the subject. In the US - a US car is worth more - and it will be worth more when it comes time to sell. That is the reality, no matter if justified or not. With so many of these cars available - why buy one that has potential headaches built in.

My previous post concerning Boxers meant to say that the uncertainty concerning the legal status of Boxers has held down their prices. I mean really, why is a Dino worth more than a Boxer???? That is one of the biggest mysteries in the Ferrari universe.

BTW - as an example of what can happen, some 25 years ago California got a bug in its pants and started inspecting every federalized Boxer - which means every Boxer - in California. They came to your door, with copies of your EPA-DOT paperwork in hand - and asked to see your car. If they found that the modifications had not been done (a lot of mods were faked photographically) or had been removed, the car was confiscated on the spot. There are stories of California crushed Boxers, but I can't say for certain that ever happened. Some were shipped back to Europe though to avoid the complications.

 

What he said. Early on, the spread is about $20k or so because that's what it costs to get a car federalized. As time goes on, the spread narrows, but never goes away. Moreover, it can get worse for a car like a 550 because they are so many US cars on the market.

BTW, I was in your shoes eight years ago. I ended up buying from a dealer (Ferrari of Houston) because I knew they would stand behind the car. I probably paid up some, but it was worth the piece of mind. However, I don't know if dealers still trade Maranellos. I suspect they are still trying to get rid of 599s.

Dale

 

Agreed.
I think part of the issue between Euro & US spec cars involves "politics of business", as per your quote "That is the reality, no matter if justified or not." .......I will give you an example:

I bought my Barchetta in the US because there were not any for sale in Canada.....lucky if if we even had 3 in the entire country. I bought my Barchetta and went through the whole process that FNA & our Canadian Federal Government REQUIRE of IMPORTING cars.

The costs involved: US/Canada exchange rate, 6.1% duty (again), 5% Federal Sales Tax (on a used car), Ferrari North America Recall Letter (2000.00)(mandatory at the time), Inspection by local Authorized Ferrari Dealer (5000.00)(mandatory at the time)

All totaled, this added close to $35,000.00 in extra fees above the price of the car without shipping.

The Ferrari mystery here is that I was told by Canadian Authorized Ferrari Dealers that my US Barchetta is worth less than a Canadian Barchetta and the US Authorized Ferrari Dealers tell me that a Canadian Ferrari of identical specs is worth less than a US Ferrari!.......LOL

So I talked to one of the higher ups at FNA to get clarification on this Ferrari mystery and it seems that almost all Ferrari's are built in the same factory.
And he also informed me that Ferrari's of the same year, model & specifications are equal in worth whether they are Canadian or US spec. cars.

I feel more reassured now......lol

ps. All kidding aside, I think that everyone is trying to make a buck or save a buck & protect their market whether you are buying, selling, importing or exporting a Ferrari!
It's a fun game and I hope to be able to play it until I am so old that they have to pry me out of that Daytona seat!

 

This is blatantly false. How much experience do you have with 'gray market' cars?

The whole gray thing is more of a throwback to the '70s and '80s, where the cars were substantially different from market to market. However, with the 550 and on, the cars are more 'world' cars, with most of the parts being essentially identical. There are minimal changes that have to be done in order to bring them into spec. The big thing is when the cars were new, because FNA didn't want to warranty them. But since the cars you are considering are out of warranty, it doesn't matter.

Having said that, there needs to be a paper trail. If the owner doesn't have the EPA/DOT releases, a quick call to the DOT (one of the original FCA founders, Dick Merrit), worked there and would readily give the answer. It's been a while since I chatted with him, so I don't know if he still works there. But, someone can help.

You may pay a little less for a federalized car, primarily because of neurotic US buyers, but the cars are essentially the same.

 

- I used JK Technologies to import a Ferrari Testarossa. They used the name JK Engineering back then, but it is the same place (in Baltimore, MD).

- Cornerswell has even MORE experience than I do with importing and exporting cars....and I have imported several both into the EU and into the USA.

- The best way to obtain a complete list of parts needed for a Euro conversion should be obtained directly from JK. Go directly to the source - but honestly, I was shocked how many parts needed to be changed. It is A LOT more than anyone thinks.

While visually the cars look more and more the same, and manufacturers try to reduce the number of parts required, the difference is still substantial. (This according to my research last year touring many different manufacturing plants in Germany.)

 

Blatantly false? Really? So, if I own a 288 GTO, I can just march down to my local dealer get part X, Y or Z? From FNA? Sorry, but that's not correct. Or, a Boxer? Nope. Parts supply is up to you. Dealer will help, but sourcing can be spotty. Having owned a grey market car for over ten years, I think I can speak intelligently about it. Don't get me wrong, we got what we needed when something broke, but it wasn't as if it arrived the next day from FNA's warehouse.

Further, there was a time not so long ago when buyers who wanted 360s but who didn't want to pay the US prices were buying Euro-spec cars. They found out the hard way that the cars were unsupported in the US. That meant that there was no warranty or recall work covered. In other words, it was on your nickel. And, while there was a high percentage of common parts, there were indeed parts that were not common. And, if you happened to need a part that wasn't US-spec, it required you (or the dealer) to source it from somewhere other than FNA.

Yes, the cars are "essentially" the same, but they are not EXACTLY the same. Indeed, I think I recall an article in the FML on all the parts required to federalize a Euro-spec car. And a federalized car often has alterations specific to the shop that did the federalizing, which means the process may be even more complex. Especially when the federalizing work was done years ago, by a shop that may not even be around any longer.

CW