Buying a euro model

[thomschoon]

I could use some help on this one, I have found a couple of cars that I like, both are 81/82s and one is a euro model. What do folks think about buying an euro versus USA model? I have heard that they should be avoided but the car has almost everything I want the only missing thing is the color.

Last thing, how many miles do you think one of these will go before it needs a rebuild? I saw one that was a wonderful car but had 100k, a bit more than I would like.

Any help is appreciated.

[Paco Anton]

The only "drawback" of Euro cars in that years is that they have 24 hp more than US cars (204 vs 180 hp). If you can cope with those extra 24 hp, you should be ok

Now seriously, check that the car has all the paperwork (legally imported and federalizad, not sure if anything else, check with US guys) and it should not be different to US cars regarding durability and availability of parts.

SCs are very durable, mine has 130k and is a daily driver

[nostatic]

If you do a search you'll find quite a few posts on this topic. The general consensus is that from a driving perpsective that can be great due to the increased power. They can also be tired, as the Europeans in general might flog their cars a bit harder than a US garage queen.

Concerns are in the area of parts (some are hard to find), smog (if you're in CA) and whether the car was properly certified (DOT) when it came over.

100K miles is just getting broken in, but it depends on the care the engine received. Questions areas include pop-off valve, Carrera chain tensioners, and head studs.

[Rot 911]

100K on an SC? The engine is just getting broke in. As to it being Euro/ROW depends on whether or not you have emssion testing and whomever imported the car had the car set up correctly to pass emissions standards or if the car just went thru a chop shop. However, most 20 year old 911's have either been sorted out correctly or the flaws will be glaring obvious.

[nostatic]

Kurt, you copy cat. I put you on triple secret probation.

[Paco Anton]

Originally posted by nostatic
They can also be tired, as the Europeans in general might flog their cars a bit harder than a US garage queen.

This might be true if the car spent a lot of time in Autobahn territory without speed limits. If you are concerned about this check:

1. Country of origin
2. Years spent in US

PS Being an European, I regularly flog my car quite hard

I've seen it written that ROW cars should go for less $$$ than U.S. versions, but nearly every ad I see for a ROW car has it about the same price range as a U.S. Don't know exactly what that means to you in your search - I guess that if you have 2 equal cars, one U.S. and one ROW, the Row should theoretically be cheaper.

[PeterK]

You might want to research ownership history. If it was owned by a Frenchmen, you might want to check the reverse on it very carefully as they have been known to do quite a bit of retreating over the years.

It comes naturally to them you know.

[Rot 911]

Originally posted by PeterK
You might want to research ownership history. If it was owned by a Frenchmen, you might want to check the reverse on it very carefully as they have been known to do quite a bit of retreating over the years.

It comes naturally to them you know.

Peter, open mouth and insert foot. Save the politics for another board. There are a couple of French guys on this board with 911's and they are ok by me.

[Hetmann]

I have also heard you should avoid euro cars because they have been beat on. But, p-cars are expensive over there too. I wonder why europeans would be any harder on their cars then we are???

[J-RAD]

I have also heard you should avoid euro cars because they have been beat on.

This concept makes absolutely NO sense. As Kurt V pointed out earlier, Euro or not, all these cars are ~20 years old. All kinds of stuff has likely been done to them (i.e. stereo systems, alarms, mechanical mods, etc...). You need to check EVERY car carefully (this includes a PPI, etc...). That said, Euro is definitely the way to go! ...then again, I'm biased!

[Scott Clarke]

Look for rust. I was working as a mechanic in the mid-eighties when everyone and their uncle were importing cars, including a lot of SCs. In general, the euro cars were rustier than their American counterparts. Not a huge problem on an SC, but beware. Also, quality of federalizing work varied greatly. Check the door reinforcements to see if someone used some plumbing pipe purchased down at the hardware store. Also, note that some cars had to meet EPA regs while others utilized a once-in-a-lifetime exemption, and had only DOT mods.
-Scott

[ZCAT3]

Shouldn't another consideration be fuel quality available to the owner? I thought the Euro cars had more HP due to higher compression. Here in CA we only have 91 octane available, so wouldn't this be bad for a early 80s Euro car?

Avoiding Euro cars because they might have been driven hard on the autobahn.....COME ON GUYS

So is a US big-city driven 911 better? Lots of stop'n go traffic, many short trips, cold starts etc.? And what about cars that have been used at track days, hill climbs etc?

In my opinion you should instead worry about paper work and the fact that spare parts may be a little harder to find.

Euro cars are better.

[philippeF]

I didn't really understand what you said about frenchmen, but i guess it's not a nice opinion
By the way, i'll still browse this forum because you : americans are crazy with the 911's

Philippe

(you still have to learn to make wine and cooking and racing cars

[nostatic]

Originally posted by Mikkel
Avoiding Euro cars because they might have been driven hard on the autobahn.....COME ON GUYS

What are the percentage of drivers to garage queens in Europe v. America? My hunch is there are more "sunny weekend" cars here in the States, and as such you have a better chance of finding less tired example.

[ipapilot]

I have been more than pleased with my 83 euro SC. I don't have any smog testing to worry about, but my car has an SSI exhaust so it wouldn't pass anyway. As far as federalization goes, just make sure the paperwork is all correct and call the DOT/EPA with the vin# if you have any questions. Parts have been no problem either, but then again, nothing major has really broken (except for the headstuds which the PO had the pleasure of fixing). Good luck with it, and I hope you get the chance to put a hurtin' on a tired old Carrera.
Brian

PS.
Of course you still have to get a good PPI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[tight as a bull's ass]

I prefer euro cars as well....with more hp and a few extra styling features, you can't go wrong.

my daily driver 83 SC has 135K and it's a euro... but then again, my opinion is biased

You might want to research ownership history. If it was owned by a Frenchmen, you might want to check the reverse on it very carefully as they have been known to do quite a bit of retreating over the years.

Peter, laughed so hard that I passed a Frenchman. That's the funniest thing I've seen today.

Damn French.

Philippe, It's just a joke...

[speeder]

Originally posted by ZCAT3
Shouldn't another consideration be fuel quality available to the owner? I thought the Euro cars had more HP due to higher compression. Here in CA we only have 91 octane available, so wouldn't this be bad for a early 80s Euro car?

The answer to that would be no and no. U.S. spec SCs run on 87octane w/ 9.3:1, (for '80-'83), ROW cars had 9.8:1 and need premium. Not a huge deal. And 24 extra HP came from other changes besides just .5 higher compression, that does not cause 24 ponies by itself.