Wellardmac

Other issues to consider is that there amy be changes required to register your car. A friend of mine moved from the US to France 18 months ago and he had to change a bunch of annoying things to meet French specifications.

hwk72

Issue with Litronics is that most EU countries require the washer unit which does not come standard with Xenon lights in the US.

hwk72

True that taxes are a significant point; if you e.g. buy a luxury car in Denmark, you've to pay >100% tax. However, it's also that the whole pricing structure for cars is different in Europe so car manufacturers actually adjust their pricing depending on the underlying market. For example: in the US a BMW 3 serie is always cheaper than a 5 serie. In Europe a 335i is much more expensive than a 525i. There is no pricing in vehicle classes as we're used to have this in the US.

hwk72

You will not have an issue with European cars but you'll have problems with Infiniti, Acura, US cars ...

NNH

The existing US foglight setup should work in Europe - it certainly looks like a European foglight setup to me.

Driving an LHD car in Britain is no big deal - like most Brits, I've taken my RHD car into Continental Europe without any major issues, and there are certainly no problems on main roads. On narrower roads, you just hang back another couple of car lengths to get a good vie before overtaking. Drive-throughs will not be featuring on my list of things to do with a 996 in England, thankfully...

Finally, it's MUCH cheaper to take a used US car to Europe than to buy one there, even after transportation and minor adjustments. A quick glance at www.autotrader.co.uk may prove interesting/terrifying.

NNH

I had a 2002 MG without headlight washers in Britain, so I presume this rule is for newer cars only.

UFO007

The UK has rear foglights, and they're normally in the rear bumper or rear light cluster. I'm pretty certain the US model doesn't have a rear fog light.

I've driven a LHD car in the UK and it's a major PITA. Sorry to hear you're too upperclass for drive-thrus but I'm sure you'll encounter the odd car park or two.

I also know how much cars cost in the UK considering I was born there and lived there for 28 years....

NNH

I used my foglights this morning in heavy fog on Topanga Canyon. They're in the rear clusters, and they engage by pulling the headlight control out to the second notch. I assume they're also present on MY99-01 models.

Nothing upper-class about skipping drive-thrus, I'm just too clumsy to eat in the car without making a mess of the seats.

Wellardmac

Yup, mine has fog lights in the light cluster

an02boxster

I am not driving in the UK. I don't like driving in the UK, when I drive I forget I'm driving, when I'm not driving and in the passenger front, I wake up every now and the and freak out when I can't steer or brake. I usually just try to sleep in the back seat when I go there.

My car does have litronics and a rear fog light light system.

Thanks for all the response...

jury_ca

I'm moving my 2003 C4S to Stuttgart, when I move there as an expat in March '08. My car has been registered in the U.S. and Canada, and I can't wait to drive it in Europe.

You have two choices depending on whether you're going to become a "resident" in Europe. If you will not be a resident, you can bring the car in and keep your N.A. registration, plates and insure it with Geico. You can do this for 12 months, but it is only tax-free for 6 mts. (i.e. after 6 mts you have to pay the duties). You cannot sell your vehicle, without registering it and paying the duties/taxes.

If you are moving to become a resident in Europe (stays longer than 6 mts in a calendar year deems you an automatic resident), you can bring it in as personal goods if you have owned it for longer than 6 mts, and you can't sell it for 12 mts after registering it in Europe. You can bring it in tax free.

Ship it with Schenker Logistics - they handle freight for Porsche. Better to use a 20' container than a RoRo vessel.

Since I'm moving to Stuttgart, I have the luxury of consulting with the manufacturer with regard to importation rules. The right person to talk to about any required changes to your vehicle is Ms. Susanne Lelonek at Porsche. Her phone number is +49 711 911-25339.

I will probably end up selling my vehicle in Europe because of the higher resale value and the advantage of bringing it in tax-free.

Please post/correct any new information in this thread so it can be a resource for all of us who are making this move.

jasper

Timely - I'm probably moving to the UK in the next few months. Of course I'm taking my Porsche.

UFO007

Well, moving forward, we can just assume I have no clue what I'm talking about. I had no idea the headlight switch could be pulled out a second time for the rear fogs. Must read that manual some time ....But, in my own defense, I'm still getting used to the gas pedal being upside down.

jasper

Thanks for the tip on Schenker.

I see you're in North Van, me too. It rains like a basterd here eh? Can you believe I'm looking forward to better weather when I move...and I'm moving to Northern Wales?

I also plan to sell my car after a year or two. I'm also thinking of buying a GT3 in the US while the currency is rock bottom, importing that , and either keeping it or selling it on. I'm only planning to stay for three years, but it's not known where I'll be going after that.

jury_ca

It certainly does rain a lot in North Vancouver. That's what happens when you live in a micro-climate. I'm off Capilano road, in the Edgemont area. Wherabouts are you?

It's not ideal bringing a LHD vehicle to a RHD country, especially in the U.K where roads are narrow to begin with. I was driving in London last month, and it is an anti-car city. I like the place..but only as a visitor. I'm still trying to decide whether I should truck the car across the country and place it on a vessel on the east coast, of ship it from the Port of Vancouver to Hamburg.