Joel33 Posted 12July, 2016 Report Share Posted 12July, 2016 As a recent member to PFA I'd like some thoughts of members about their opinions of imported 911s from the UK.Recently I've see a few examples for sale that are considerably lower priced than equivalently aged and driven Aust delivered examples.Are there any traps for new players I should be aware of regarding these imports? A currently advertised series 1 997 auto coupe with only 45K on clock is nearlt $20K cheaper than its Aust. equivalent.Any thoughts would be appreciated.Joel33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1q2w3e4r Posted 12July, 2016 Report Share Posted 12July, 2016 No issues apart from people get kicked in the balls about 20-30k less or 10-20% for imports than locally delivered cars from the anecdotal evidence I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnage Posted 12July, 2016 Report Share Posted 12July, 2016 Get a thorough PPI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shady Speedway Posted 12July, 2016 Report Share Posted 12July, 2016 2 words. "SALT" and "ROADS" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutch-monkey Posted 12July, 2016 Report Share Posted 12July, 2016 2 words. "SALT" and "ROADS"as a man with a UK import bmw i can vouch for this, how good are you at replacing floor pans in your garage? if the answer is anything less than "can manage it okay" then be damn sure your PPI pokes a screwdriver into all the seam sealer at joins etc if PPI comes up positive, then no reason not to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike-S Posted 12July, 2016 Report Share Posted 12July, 2016 As the OP's talking about 997's, rust isn't likely to be a problem.Take advantage of the lower price and buy on condition, not country of delivery as they all came down the same production line.Being a recent import to these shores myself (came from the UK 5 years ago complete with 2 cars) I can honestly say I've seen australian delivered cars in worse condition than UK cars but yes, we do breed rust in UK cars quite well thanks to the salt used in winter. Aussie cars still rust, but unlike the UK you can also benefit from scorched paintwork, very dodgy repaints and sun ruined interiors. Granted, when it comes to 911's you'll possibly get a better car but I wouldn't bank on it, I looked a many a dog before I found mine. I've also never seen so many crappy repaints on 'classic' cars as I've seen here, good ones are few and far between. UK cars are often higher spec than an Aus car, albeit older air cooled ones probably won't have AC, we hadn't heard of that !!As I say, buy on condition, save yourself a few $$'s, be prepared to sell it cheaper when you're done with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel Posted 12July, 2016 Report Share Posted 12July, 2016 "Take advantage of the lower price and buy on condition, not country of delivery as they all came down the same production line." +1 what mike-s said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shady Speedway Posted 12July, 2016 Report Share Posted 12July, 2016 I'd be nervous. The salt is already in the cracks. But yes the population / vehicle turn over in the UK would also lower the cost.You see the same between Sydney and Adelaide. More people, more cars, more choice, lower price.Don't drive it in the rain and always store it dry. It might be a good buy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 12July, 2016 Report Share Posted 12July, 2016 Don't drive it in the rain and always store it dry. It might be a good buy? Or do you drive it in as much rain as you can to help wash any salt out....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonN Posted 12July, 2016 Report Share Posted 12July, 2016 There are 2 things to understand. First, let's get the salt issue out of the way. Yes, it can be a problem, so make sure you have the car fully inspected. If you are talking about a 997, you should be in a lot better situation than with, say, an impact bumper car. Salt does "hang around" so you want to be sure the car has been thoroughly "de-salted" which for me would be a long and well done steam clean underneath - you need the hot water/steam to dissolve the salt. I had salt issues with my 964RS, but not with what everybody thinks. The body was absolutely fine. It was components that suffered and I had to replace so many exposed nuts and bolts. Howover, this is not such a problem on modern cars, plus if the car has been here a few years, you will be able to see the early signs of corrosion.. In short, an inspection should give you piece of mind.The important thing to remember is that even if a car has come from the middle of a dry desert, if it is not "Australian Delivered", it is worth noticeably less money. Why? I gave up trying to understand the mentality behind it because often, it defies logic. What I have come to realise is that there is no point in sweating about it. Accept it and take advantage of it. If a car is worth, say, 20% less because it isn't an Oz delivered car, consider yourself lucky that you can have exactly the same experience as others for 20% less cost. And if prices go up (or down) by, say 25%, so will your car. You might have to accept that if tough times return, your car might be slightly harder to sell, but overall, there really is little downside to a good overseas delivered car if the history and condition are OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 12July, 2016 Report Share Posted 12July, 2016 Well said! I do not understand it either Simon, if I was in the market for a 911 an import would be strongly considered. I seriously thought about importing one a few years ago...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonN Posted 13July, 2016 Report Share Posted 13July, 2016 Well said! I do not understand it either Simon, if I was in the market for a 911 an import would be strongly considered. I seriously thought about importing one a few years ago......I now own a car that was factory converted from lhd to rhd and then imported to Oz. The only way anybody could know the difference between it and an Oz car is if they took apart some of the trim. It looks the same, drives the same, sounds the same, it's matching numbers with all original equipment and it cost me a significant discount to what I would have needed to pay for an Oz delivered car. In fact, I don't think there is any Oz delivered matching numbers 911 coupe you could buy for less money, unless it has "issues". So who's the smart one? The guy who pays a significant premium for Oz delivered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomo Posted 13July, 2016 Report Share Posted 13July, 2016 Depends if you are a "collector" or a driver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonN Posted 13July, 2016 Report Share Posted 13July, 2016 Depends if you think you are a "collector" or a driver I think that's how it should read. I know I get a little caught up in values, because in the end we all sell our cars (or our heirs do!), but the number of cars that are really "investor grade" are few and far between. With my car (3.2C), with the numbers built and available, you would need to find a v. low mileage mint condition car for it to be a real collectors car. Sure, a decent one should go up in value over time, but that is a side consideration and most 3.2's would not be touched by a real collector.And before certain people consider me a hypocrit, there is a vast difference between what i say above and not wanting to over pay or capitalise a car based on how other people might value it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamr Posted 13July, 2016 Report Share Posted 13July, 2016 The only way anybody could know the difference between it and an Oz car is if they took apart some of the trim.or rang Porsche Australia to check place of delivery ...... after which time they will either pass or offer significantly less than an Aussie delivered one.Right or wrong, that's just the way it is .....In your case it's great that you paid less and will enjoy the hell out of it ..... but it's a wide world and not everyone feels the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 13July, 2016 Report Share Posted 13July, 2016 Should not the VIN say whether it was delivered LHD or RHD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamr Posted 13July, 2016 Report Share Posted 13July, 2016 Should not the VIN say whether it was delivered LHD or RHD?Only the US delivered ones have a different prefix VIN to the ROW delivered ones. All of the others start with the same prefix and need to be checked with PCV .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 13July, 2016 Report Share Posted 13July, 2016 Only the US delivered ones have a different prefix VIN to the ROW delivered ones. All of the others start with the same prefix and need to be checked with PCV ....Yeah, sorry was confused with the decoding of my VIN via Rennlist, had option code 927 which is RHD.Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonN Posted 13July, 2016 Report Share Posted 13July, 2016 ..... but it's a wide world and not everyone feels the same. Absolutely, and I defend everybody's right to pay far more for their cars than they need to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGB Posted 13July, 2016 Report Share Posted 13July, 2016 Yeah, it's kinda like living in a better neighbourhood... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumble Posted 13July, 2016 Report Share Posted 13July, 2016 I'm a little confused - which, these days seems my 'normal' state. Under which plan can you import a post 1988 car into Australia unless you've lived outside the country for longer than 12 months? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-Kay Posted 13July, 2016 Report Share Posted 13July, 2016 I'm a little confused - which, these days seems my 'normal' state. Under which plan can you import a post 1988 car into Australia unless you've lived outside the country for longer than 12 months?Unless I am mistaken, I believe the topic is purchasing a vehicle which are already here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumble Posted 13July, 2016 Report Share Posted 13July, 2016 Sorry - my bad. Confusion reigns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-Kay Posted 13July, 2016 Report Share Posted 13July, 2016 Don't sweat it, I am constantly confused trying to keep up with all the banter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomo Posted 13July, 2016 Report Share Posted 13July, 2016 I think that's how it should read. I know I get a little caught up in values, because in the end we all sell our cars (or our heirs do!), but the number of cars that are really "investor grade" are few and far between. With my car (3.2C), with the numbers built and available, you would need to find a v. low mileage mint condition car for it to be a real collectors car. Sure, a decent one should go up in value over time, but that is a side consideration and most 3.2's would not be touched by a real collector.And before certain people consider me a hypocrit, there is a vast difference between what i say above and not wanting to over pay or capitalise a car based on how other people might value it.Well I don't Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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