Any problems with buying a R.o.W. in the U.S.?

My car appears to be a 1984 Eurospec Carrera cab. I bought the car because it was a good deal and it just turned out to be Eurospec. The explaination was that the original owner took factory delivery and shipped it to the U.S. himself, which actually doesn't explain why it has a Eurospec engine. I understand that American customers are supposed to get U.S. spec engines regardless of where they take delivery. The VIN starts out WPOZZZ and the fifth digit from the end is a 5, which seems to confirm that it is a R.o.W. Carrera cab and it seems to have the extra horsepower found in a Eurospec engine. I never it much thought until recently when I read in Bruce Anderson's book that he does not recommend buying R.o.W. cars in the U.S. because of problems with converting them to meet U.S. regulations. How big of a problem is this? Are there any problems I should watch out for or precautions I should take? It has EPA paperwork and a certificate claiming that the necessary engine modifications were made. Does a R.o.W. car lose any power when it gets modified to meet EPA standards, assuming the original shop did the work right?

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MRM 1984 Carrera Cab Eurospec

It depends on the paperwork you have. Mine is a true Euro spec SC with an EPA waiver, stating this car has not been converted, nor does it have to be converted to US specs. There were certain gray market cars that fit this area. I have been through several emissions tests with no problem.(it has no smog or cat). I have had no problems whatsoever with the apsect of it being Euro.
Marc

Somebody was kind enough to pass on vin info to me so I will do the same. The 1st 2 numbers after the z (i.e 91,93)is car model 911, 930 etc. The next letter is meaningless. The next letter is the year of production..e-1984 f-1985 etc.An "s" after that means it was built in Stuttgart.The next number refers to the type.
Euro models: 10-coupe
14- Targa
15- Cab

U.S. models 12-coupe
16-Targa
17-cab.
Hope this helps.

Larry
'85 carrera (euro)

MRM -- I also have a ROW car in Minnesota. I brought it here from Ohio, and had a little bit of trouble getting a Minnesota title, only because the VIN number wasn't the standard US format. It just required a fax from the Ohio DMV to clear it up. I alos successfully passed the yearly smog tests. They never dinged me on the lack of a cat or unleaded gas nozzle, so I never had to show them my EPA exemption paperwork. Now that they no longer do EPA tests here, why would you be worried about modifying your car to meet EPA standards? Uness you were thinking about moving to CA (Yuck).



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Bill Krause
'79 911SC Euro

LEGAL PROBLEMS!!!! I just bought my 911 at a US Marshal auction and then found out that it was a ROW. There are 2 sides to compliance. DOT and EPA. You can get insurance and then get in a wreck and not be covered because your car is not up to the safety standards of the US. Call the DOT and they will tell you that it is illegal to sell a 1984 without the compliance letters. I found out mine was a ROW because State Farm insurance would insure me for only one year and during that time I had to bring the car into compliance. When a car came into the states, a bond was posted that was released upon proof of compliance If you have an EPA letter of compliance then fax it to the DOT and they will search their PC and if they have a record, for the fee of $20.00 they will send you a letter of compliance. Clues of DOT compliance are red tail lights instead of amber. Seat belt light and buzzer. Door beams for anti intrusion. Sealed beams instead of H4s. Tell me if you need tel numbers. I have been doing this for the last 2 months. My VIN: WP0ZZZ91ZSC151923
WPO = Porsche
ZZZ = ROW (rest of world)
91 = first part of 911
z = meaningless
s = Stuttgart
C = 1983 D= 1984 etc
1 = rest of 911 ) would be 930, etc
5 = cabriolet
1923= serial number

George Wroclawski
83 911SC Cab/euro
95 XJ6

Thanks for the info. I am not considering further modifications to the car since it does already have the EPA certification. I was just wondering if the EPA modifications do anything to the performance or life of the car. Bruce Anderson advises in his book against buying R.o.W. cars in the U.S. because of problems the modifications cause with the life of the car. Has anyone had any experience with this issue? Glad to hear someone else on the board is from the frozen tundra. Any recommendations for shops that can do reapir work? I need a 60,000 mile check and to put a new top on my car.