jasper

I'm in Blueridge - off of the Mount Seymour Parkway.

I'm taking an assignment with my company so they'll cover moving costs. I have to move everything I own, so I'll be taking one container of stuff, and another one for the car. I plan to ship out of Vancouver

My argument for bringing the car with me is mostly about dollars. I only just got the car a few months ago. It will be very hard to sell the car in any kind of short time frame. I will almost certainly take a $ hit no matter what. Plus I am really quite used to driving a Porsche every day now, and I won't be able to afford one over there.

As far as driving on the wrong side of the car goes...the oads are so narrow I can't see it making all that much of a difference. I won't be anywhere near London, I'll be in rural Wales mostly, and an occasional trip to Birmingham where head office is.

Wellardmac

Sure the roads are narrow, but you'll have access to some of the best country roads in the world to play on - Wales and western England has some great Porsche roads - you'll have a blast.

UFO007

The biggest problem with the narrow roads is when you get stuck behind Farmer Dafyd driving his tractor at 3 MPH and you have 50 meters to pass him before the next blind corner. My old boss had a Dodge Viper in the UK and he set up a suction cup mirror at a 45 degree angle on the right side of the windshield so he could see the road ahead.

Get off the beaten track in North Wales and you'll find some stunning driving roads. I used to holiday in Anglesea and loved driving there.

[edit] You might have to do something with your headlights too as you'll probably blind oncoming traffic.

Wellardmac

Nah! I learned to drive on those roads. You don't notice that they're narrow when that's all you know. The only thing that will happen is that you will adapt.

I drove faster and more aggressively in the UK than I've ever been able to drive in the US - why? because the style of driving encourages you to take the pass and the drivers are polite, considerate and disciplined enough to let you.

UFO007

My point is: in a RHD vehicle you can nudge out and look past the tractor to see if the road is clear. In a LHD vehicle you have no visibility until you're practically occupying the opposing lane. Of course, if you have a co-driver, I mean passenger, it's all good.

I'll be back in Blighty over the holidays and now you've got me yearning for the back roads of Chester, or even Wilmslow . Shame that my parents both drive Daewoos....

Wellardmac

Good point - I never thought of that... could be an issue.

jury_ca

I was in Birmingham a couple of years ago on a work assignment. It has a bad rep, but the city has done a lot to improve the image. Some pretty decent bars along the canal area. There are nice windy roads there. Again, with a LHD car, you will find youself naturally tending to drift toward the middle of the road, which in an unmarked narrow hilly road can be rather dangerous. Driving in London...you can forget it. Parking is close to impossible to find in the evening, and the private garages charge you STL25 (USD$50) flat-rate just to park. Not to mention the roads are clogged in the city even at 3 a.m on a Saturday night!

I went shopping along Jermyn Street and thought it was no big deal to leave my car for a few extra minutes past the meter's expiry. I thought wrong. STL40 ticket...and the place is crawling with meter-maids.

I'm in a similar situation to you. I'm an expat in Hong Kong and hardly ever get to drive my 911 in Canada. One of the big reasons for the move to Germany is for the entire experience of hitting a new city in Europe every weekend with the 911. Being young and single has its advantages.

Edgy01

I stayed with some folks in their B&B in the foothills of the alps last summer and Italian taxes are brutal. Operating costs are also significantly higher than anything in the USA. Insurance,--also very high. There's a reason so many Italians ride mopeds. Gas last summer was $6.50-$7 for premium (gallon) and synthetic oil about $25 a litre. PM me and I can get you the email address of the folks in Italy. The wife is American and the husband Italian. She's been there about 19 years but it's not easy.

Wellardmac

London is overrated. It's fine for tourists, but a PAI if you have to get in and out on business. I only ever visited there when I had no choice.

jury_ca

^^Exactly. Heathrow is a nightmare.

I also have to get a German Driver's License, which I hear is quite a challenge. However, German hwys are driving utopia in my opinion. Lane discipline and unlimited speeds make all the difference. I spent the last 2 mts driving in Stuttgart, Munich, Zurich, Prague...and it is such a pleasure.

I got back to British Columbia for the weekend, and I was ready to blow my brains out. Time to send my baby back to the Fatherland.

Wellardmac

I'm envious. I'd like to spend more time in Germany.

NNH

It's all true, driving in London is no fun at all, except early on a Sunday morning when you can drive across town and feel like you have "the City" (Business District) all to yourself. Still lots of speed cameras, but it's great to drive past St Paul's Cathedral and other sights on empty roads.

rountreed

I bought my car in the US and had it shipped to Germany and had 0 big issues in doing so. First thing you need to do is find an exporter who will crate your car, I paid like $890 for this if I remember correctly. Once the car arrives to port you need to either show up with the custom paperwork at the port or let a transportation company take care of that for you and deliver your car straight to your house. Things could be different in Italy compared to Germany so research the requirements but I can tell you it was no issue in Germany. As everyone has said the 996s are more expensive here and the Euro is getting stronger by the day. The set up for your Porsche is just fine for Italy and worst case is you may have to change your pumpkin side lights for some clear ones but if you have been on Rennlist for long I am sure you have already done this. If I was you I would contact an importer to see if you have to pay any taxes on your car, my guess is no since you have owned it for awhile, and again check with their motor vehicle department on any potential issues with transfer of title. Lastly, if you need a European driver’s license you need to find out if your states license is accepted for a direct transfer. If not go get one from a state that is or expect to pay some money.
Best of Luck

spiderv6

I would caution you against taking a LHD car to the UK. I've been there, done that and it IS a pain in the ***. Alfa Spider V6 3.0. THE sexiest engine you ever did see, and the sound......beats my 911 any day (ok, it handled like crap and had ridiculous torque steer, but that sound!).

You can try and convince yourself otherwise, as I did at the time, but, really, it's just a pain. Then when you eventually come to sell the car you will get another pain in the ***.

Going into a parking lot is a pain. The ticket machine is way over to the right there.

Forget drive-thru.

Passing on those country lanes IS dangerous. You DO need more space, you can't quite see what you need to. You will end up driving much more cautiously and slowly. It will frustrate the crap out of you.

As I said, I've done it and I would not do it again.........

Melchior

Wouldn't the topic be called: RETURNING 911 TO EUROPE?