Stupid question. Is a grey-market car a "Euro"?

[75Carrera]

I keep seeing cars reffered to as "Euro" in many threads. At the risk of looking stupid, can someone explain what constitutes a Euro Porsche?

[bigchillcar]

car was delivered in europe instead of us..i think a euro car may be imported and referred to as a 'grey market' car if it hasn't been 'updated' to meet us safety or emissions standards.
ryan

[TRE Cup]

a grey market car is one that may or may not have been converted to meet usa specs, after it was imported from outside the usa. Grey market cars that are registered in the usa have papers filed with epa and dot. buyers of these cars should get copies of these for their records. Although i have not heard of any earlier cars recalled or inspected for their compliance (they have their hands full with other matters with their smaller budgets these days), its best to be on the safe side and have that information. We do know that there have been some "modern day" recent imports of cars to the usa that do not meet the standards and have not been converted. This happened with the enzo, aston martin vanquish, and similar models.

For this reason, grey market cars USUALLY have lower resale values than their legally imported counterparts

One last thing: there were a number of cars that were initially imported for race car or show use only. Some of these were subsequently registered in lenient states. These may not meet dot or epa standards of any type. as always caveat emptor !

[75Carrera]

Thanks,
I live in a AZ mountain community that has no requirements for epa or smog. The car came in through Portland in '75 and I bought it from the original owner seven years later with only 25K on it. How would I go about finding those papers now I wonder? The 3.2 I just put in it is a '86 and has a Cat/conv on it so I'm not too sure what that means.

[Jeff Alton]

All european cars are grey market cars. But, not all grey market cars are european. Sorta like all turtles are swimmers but not all swimmers are turtles...

Jeff

[Eric Coffey]

Originally posted by 75Carrera
The 3.2 I just put in it is a '86 and has a Cat/conv on it so I'm not too sure what that means.

Since Prescott doesn't require smog tests, that means you are free to rip the cat off and put a set of SSI's on without any worries!

[75Carrera]

Originally posted by Eric Coffey
Since Prescott doesn't require smog tests, that means you are free to rip the cat off and put a set of SSI's on without any worries!

Ya man! "May the forest be with YOU!" There are a few cars down there using Prescott as a mailing address nowadays.

[Joe Bob]

If it met EPA regs and was converted it should have paperwork that the seller would have given you.

[TRE Cup]

also - there would be an aftermarket produced plate on those year cars located on the driver door jam. most conversions placed them there according to the rules laid out by the feds

[rattlsnak]

I had a grey market car that was not converted to US specs, and had all the paperwork with it, including the EPA smog EXEMPT paperwork. If you live in an area that requires testing, its not much of an issue with older cars because the values are much higher anyway(CO,NOx,HC), but visually is another story. But most inspectors think that the heat exchangers are Cats anyway, so there ya go.

Dave, thats funny you mention a lower value. A few years ago, all the Euro cars demanded a higher price. Especially the early 80s turbo cars.
I guess things are different in "smog friendly" Ca.!!

[TRE Cup]

oh yeah -waaay different out here

[75Carrera]

TRECUP-
The only plate like that on my car is on the driver's door side. It's on the door jam of the body (in the front) about half way up. It's a bit scratched up from a complete strip and paint several years ago. It reads: "Made in Western Germany"
"Kunstharzlack"
"93G-9-3"
Is this the one you mentioned?

[javadog]

Donny,

For what it's worth, after 21 years from the production year, you can legally import a car that doesn't meet EPA regulations. After 25 years, you can import one without meeting the DOT regs. For all practical purposes, a car that is thirty years old won't attract much interest, especially in light of the fact that 911s weren't that much different back then, from one market to another, and, with the engine swap, it probably pollutes less now than it ever did.

If it bothers you, you can call the DOT and give them your chassis number and see if they have it on file as being properly documented. IF it were me, I'd just enjoy the car.

JR

[TRE Cup]

the plate is located below the striker and rear lid release on the curved part facing the front of the car

and as javadog has informed us, i agree - get a good price on the car and enjoy it