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I have a ROW car, couldn't care less about it, but interestingly that not so long ago, these cars were not very desirable (from any make). They were "gray market cars"
Exactly, they all came off the same production line and out of the same factory. Who cares!!!!!!!!!!!! in fact people at C&C think the MIZWA sticker on my Japan import is cool! A mark of distinction. At a minimum, it's a fun talking point.
Exactly, they all came off the same production line and out of the same factory. Who cares!!!!!!!!!!!! in fact people at C&C think the MIZWA sticker on my Japan import is cool! A mark of distinction. At a minimum, it's a fun talking point.
I mean, it's the same reason we find any "unique" spec or history interesting. It's a fun fact to add to the story and the ownership experience. It is cool that there's a MIZWA sticker on your car because it's not on 99% of other 964s in the US. Ditto for options that were rarely or never spec'd on US cars. We can all retrofit RoW bumpers and fog lights, but a no sunroof car like the GR on BaT, for instance, is definitely a rare and valuable find. So, not sure I follow the "who cares?" mindset on RoW cars. They're unique and more valuable in the US market. I would care about that if I had one . . .
I have a ROW car, couldn't care less about it, but interestingly that not so long ago, these cars were not very desirable (from any make). They were "gray market cars"
Originally Posted by das76
Exactly, they all came off the same production line and out of the same factory. Who cares!!!!!!!!!!!! in fact people at C&C think the MIZWA sticker on my Japan import is cool! A mark of distinction. At a minimum, it's a fun talking point.
For the 964 generation the differences between US and RoW cars aren’t super significant. RoW cars you’re a lot more likely to find a car without a sunroof and seems like people abroad selected more vivid colors particularly in Japan. For the impact bumper cars (‘74-‘89) it is sometimes a huge difference between a RoW and US car. In the US 2.7 Carrera’s or 911SC’s have a lot less power on top of being heavier than their european counterparts. In the US there is not a super significant weight penalty and they both have the same power.
RoW cars you’re a lot more likely to find a car without a sunroof and seems like people abroad selected more vivid colors particularly in Japan.
from car to car, i agree no significant difference. but, ROW cars do definitely allow for color and interior options that we didn't get much of. it's not down to an individual car to me, it's about the possibilities that ROW cars can bring.
I bought a slick-top RoW 964 on BaT and felt that i got a pretty good deal because of it's RoW designation vs US spec cars regardless of having a sunroof.
A question i have though, is what's the best method of tracking down any history of a car pre US import? My car's life doesnt really have documentation prior to import in 2017 so would be good to know!
Gotta say - Guards Red just looks amazing on that car!
A question i have though, is what's the best method of tracking down any history of a car pre US import? My car's life doesnt really have documentation prior to import in 2017 so would be good to know!
!
It depends on the country and how much stuff you can get from the govt databases. But you wont get regular service history, more likely just any annual inspections etc if that country has it. And i'm sure each country has a version of Carfax if that helps at all.
Exactly, they all came off the same production line and out of the same factory. Who cares!!!!!!!!!!!! in fact people at C&C think the MIZWA sticker on my Japan import is cool! A mark of distinction. At a minimum, it's a fun talking point.
I mean, it's the same reason we find any "unique" spec or history interesting. It's a fun fact to add to the story and the ownership experience. It is cool that there's a MIZWA sticker on your car because it's not on 99% of other 964s in the US. Ditto for options that were rarely or never spec'd on US cars. We can all retrofit RoW bumpers and fog lights, but a no sunroof car like the GR on BaT, for instance, is definitely a rare and valuable find. So, not sure I follow the "who cares?" mindset on RoW cars. They're unique and more valuable in the US market. I would care about that if I had one . . .
For me, I'm not the usual obsessed, crazed PTS lover/options obsesser, etc, I just love 911s and driving/working on em. And my point was that it's funny that ROW is getting more loved, as said before, they were discounted heavily not long ago. And I have a MIZWA car that was an old endurance race car from Japan. I've been tracking down lots of photos, the prior owner, details, etc and I do find that (slight provenance) pretty cool. Moreseo than any options or color for sure.
I bought a slick-top RoW 964 on BaT and felt that i got a pretty good deal because of it's RoW designation vs US spec cars regardless of having a sunroof.
A question i have though, is what's the best method of tracking down any history of a car pre US import? My car's life doesnt really have documentation prior to import in 2017 so would be good to know!
Gotta say - Guards Red just looks amazing on that car!
Gonna be tough. I'd try a search engine in that country. It helped my search before. I had a g55 from Russia years ago. 😳
I bought a slick-top RoW 964 on BaT and felt that i got a pretty good deal because of it's RoW designation vs US spec cars regardless of having a sunroof.
A question i have though, is what's the best method of tracking down any history of a car pre US import? My car's life doesnt really have documentation prior to import in 2017 so would be good to know!
Gotta say - Guards Red just looks amazing on that car!
Tracking down the prior history of a RoW car can be pretty difficult. A lot of the ones I’ve seen don’t have a ton of records when it arrives in the US. If it does it can be very difficult to translate what the documents read particularly if the car is from Japan as I don’t know how I would go about translating it. A lot of countries have their own version of Carfax so you could try to use that, but on an older car like a 964 not confident they would be able to tell you a lot.
I bought a slick-top RoW 964 on BaT and felt that i got a pretty good deal because of it's RoW designation vs US spec cars regardless of having a sunroof.
A question i have though, is what's the best method of tracking down any history of a car pre US import? My car's life doesnt really have documentation prior to import in 2017 so would be good to know!
Gotta say - Guards Red just looks amazing on that car!
I imported my ROW car from Japan. Fortunately it came with a folder full of receipts and government inspection records. Unfortunately it was all in Japanese.
Had the parents of a Japanese friend help me translate them.
Personally I preferred my ROW versus the same NA model. 1. Cool signal lights at the side fender. 2. No airbags or padding under the dash.
Great intel and looking forward to doing the research. My assumption is this is a Mizwa car, purely based on the emergency roadside service card being printed half in japanese and seeming to be in a japanese owners name. Of course another card is in german and french.... would these cards both be provided to the original owner when a Mizwa car was sold new?
Is Car VX the go-to for digging up history on Japanese cars? Sorry as well for the slight derail - hopefully it provides some value to others purchasing a RoW car.
05-30-2023, 12:08 PM
