ROW vs US?

[ChrisBennet]

If you are shopping for a 911 you need to get ""The Used 911 Story" by Peter Zimmerman. It is a book small enough to fit in your shirt pocket and it's specifically designed for the uses 911 buyer. It's hard to get sometime but you can get it on-line usually.

Anyone who's worked on Euro 911's can attest to the fact that they sometimes (usually?) weren't converted very well. Like any 911, they are special cars. Often Euro's have more horsepower and no sunroof (a desirable "feature" to many of us because of greater helmet room and lack of weight up high).

Just don't let anyone convince you to pay more for one unless you think you can convince the next owner to pay more than market a well.
-Chris

[rrpjr]

Originally posted by TerryH
Buy the best example for the dollar you can find. I haven't seen any of the drawbacks mentioned here in real life pertaining to ROW cars. Most of the ROW cars would have been imported decades ago. If they have issues, they would be very obvious by now.

Get a PPI and enjoy the drive.

Well put.

[klw0472]

Again,

Thanks for everything. I'm hearing a reduction is price for a ROW. On the flip side, could someone address a price bump for a Turbo Look?

Once again, everything is very much appreciated!!!

As a side, I'm not interested in the cheapest car on the block and am willing to pay alittle more to get a solid quality car so I think I'm going about this accordingly.

[SC-targa]

I know that many folks are quite happy with their Gray Market cars, but in the early 80's I worked in a lab that did the EPA certification testing and verified the DOT conversions. It was a cut throat industry based on who could make the cheapest conversion, at least in the Houston area. Most of the conversion work was junk.

I remember several Mercedes with black cast iron pipe threaded into the intake & exhaust manifolds for an EGR system and side maker lights crudely screwed into the fenders. The bumper strengthening, door beams, lighting and other mods were often amateurishly done and the engineering calculations for the impact testing fudged. I never would have used my PE stamp on them.

The cars would barely run for the emissions test, often the catalytic converter would get so hot it would glow red under the car. After I left, one of those dumb cars eventually caught fire and burned down the lab.

Anyway, most of the cars I saw would have to have been readjusted to make them actually drivable after the EPA testing. I would be concerned if the area I lived in had annual emissions testing. The good new is that 911’s were pretty easy to do, DOT wise so they weren’t butchered as badly.

That said, there used to be a once in a lifetime EPA exemption for privately imported cars. If you had one of these, it would have a waiver for federal emissions, but probably not California. Those cars just needed the DOT safety conversions and would be infinitely more desirable to me.

Anyway, buyer beware. The cars have been around for a long time, so the bugs should have been worked out, just be cautious about emissions testing.

Regards,

Jerry Kroeger

[bkcbuilder]

I have a ROW in Ohio. It's a 79' so I COULD run it with historical plates.

Are you likely to ever have someone ask for documents....yeah, that'll happen....but I think you could get away cause Barney only has one bullet, and he keeps it in his shirt pocket.

I can't see emission testing in your future...too old of a car.

I see mine as an asset, depending on how it got here, and when, it may have no 02, no cat..

I didn't buy mine for investment though...it's purely to make me feel better and for grins....and track time. As long as the suspension works right and the engine is strong, I can mentally deal with the side marker lights and larger bumper blocks...as I'm gracefully drifting through turn 1 at Mid-O.

[Jadams1]

I have a 1980 Euro 911SC and the car was well documented (1984 to present) and very clean. It was much nicer than other SC's that I looked at. If the car is well documented and in good condition and the PPI checks out and you like the car, don't get hung up on if it's a ROW, buy it.

[mb911]

Originally posted by Wil Ferch
klaucke:

The ROW car ( at least the 84-89 DME series) has a transmission oil cooler "only" if it was the standard configuration ( without cat and without an O2 sensor)).

ROW cars can opt for a cat ( with sensor) which gave the Euro owner a tax break...but then the car looked a bit more like a USA car in that it didn't come with a trans oil cooler....

Wil

Not always the case my very good friend has an 84 carrera cab and it came with the stock tranny cooler and has the o2 wiring. When it was brought over here they changed the exhaust however the wiring is still there and his car has the original 36,000 miles(us) on it..

[s2per]

ROW cars can be a great value, but like Jeremy said earlier, check with your insurance company first. State Farm would not write a policy for me on a Euro SC I almost bought.

[Ryce Stallings]

I have a ROW 1977 911 I brought back from Italy. AT that time you could bring in one car (five years old) and get an EPA exemption. My car will never need to meet emission standard. Beware of these cars because the exemption is only for the person who imported it. The car was still DOT'd, which was lights, door reinforcement, rear seat belts and warning light.

[Wil Ferch]

Ben:
I'm quite sure about my info....just for giggles... maybe you can get the engine type number ( 930/21.....930/XX) and trans number....

Not saying your friend's car isn't as you say...but as to OEM-build and delivery, I'm quite sure I'm correct.....

Wil

[mb911]

Yeah I can interesting info non the less. I will try to get his info this week and post the results

[creaturecat]

Emissions aside - The ROW is a superior car . The non-ROW is fatter, slower and ugly in comparison. - Not that there's anything wrong with that........

[Whitechameleon]

I think there is the same opinion here in the UK, Left hookers (Euro imports) and original UK right hand drive cars are ok but in general most people i have spoken to seem to avoid US cars like the plague.

Sorry guys. No offence i think they are generally regarded as heavier with more strangled engines and huge overriders. (bumper pads)

[Wil Ferch]

The differences ( performance-wise) is not as pronounced as made out to be ......

Wil