Pros & Cons of Euro Cars

[Michael Meldrum]

In your opinion what are the Pros and Cons of buying a Euro spec Early 911 in the USA?

I was wondering if I am missing something as I have not seen too many Euro models in the USA

Perhaps the cost?

Thanks for your thoughts!

Michael

[csbush]

I can only speak from experience bringing one in. You would have a hard time telling it was a Euro model. I know a lot were imported in the 80s, because the exchange rate was good, and you could get a "good deal" despite the import costs. The problem with my car, and all of the early 911s I knew of when I was living in Germany was that rust was destroying them. Most were just scrapped as it wasn't economically practical to fix them. That is my guess as to why a lot of US early cars are going back to Germany now!

[Mr9146]

Pro: ROW gets all the cool stuff (like a 74 mfi Carrera)
Con: Rust and corrosion on a level most in this country (USA) have never seen.

[Barwaut]

Con: Rust and corrosion on a level most in this country (USA) have never seen.

That's a myth...

[Mr9146]

That's a myth...

Nope. Truth fact.

Example #1 - EVERY euro car I've ever worked on has had more corrosion than its US delivery counterpart.

Example #2 - A 1972 US delivery T spends its entire life in the US. It's owner takes it to Switzerland for 2 years and uses it as a daily driver. When the car comes back two years later the entire bottom of the car has a layer of white corrosion crust and all the nuts/bolts are rusted ... in two years ... on a car that was rust-free before it left.

Sorry folks ... your climate eats cars. That's why you should stop bringing our nice, clean US cars over there...it's like lambs to the slaughter.

[Biancaneve]

Well, you just need to exercise some caution and not to drive in harsh winter climates after the resotration ... cars from Southern Europe (e.g. Sicily) has nothing to envy to their Californian conterparts ...

[Mr9146]

Well, you just need to exercise some caution and not to drive in harsh winter climates after the resotration ... cars from Southern Europe (e.g. Sicily) has nothing to envy to their Californian conterparts ...

Granted, but I was not talking about restored cars, I was referencing unrestored cars.

Pound for pound a Euro car will have more rust and corrosion than a comparable US car, there's just no gettin' around it. Sorry.

But that's the trade off, I suppose, for you folks getting the uprated equipment over what we can get here. Remember, the RS was never officially imported to the US for sale ... neither were the early 80s Turbos, 959s, GT3 MK1, etc. To me, I'd call that a fair trade.

[LongRanger]

. . . what are the Pros and Cons of buying a Euro spec Early 911 in the USA? . . .

I agree w/ Marco. America seems to be much more agreeable to 911s --- and German cars, in general. Between the climate --- and more-intensive annual 'safety' inspections . . . any un-galvanized Porsche would have a very hard time surviving in Europe. Not a lotta 'barn finds' there, either

. . . I have not seen too many Euro models in the USA . . . Perhaps the cost? . . .

That'd be my guess . . . and the hassle

I have a Euro car --- brought over to the US ~1982. Back then, just the shipping woulda prolly equaled the cost of the car! I have NO IDEA why someone would bother . . . especially back then . . .


. . . but it's prolly what saved the car



Here are some PPI shots from 5 years ago

[csbush]

Myth?

This is a picture of a 13 year old ungalvanized 911 undergoing rust repair in Germany in 1983. And it was one of the better ones. Was definately not worth saving from an economic standpoint.

Importing it to the US was the cheap and easy part.

[steve shea]

I guess you have never seen cars from the Minnesota area or Northern New England. The salt they use is full strength premium. I have had three rust free S cars from Europe that were pretty dry including the one I have now from northern Italy. Maybe they were selectively driven. But Europe does not beat the northern tier US states IMHO. It is a dead on tie. Cars from south Italy, France and Spain should be like western US. The worst Porsche I have ever seen was from the Twin Cities, MN. Man they like their salt. And in parts of NE all the trees next to the roads are dead or on the way due to road salt. I grew up in Franconia, NH.