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Thread: Euro Ski Car?

  1. #1
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    Euro Ski Car?

    I am moving to Europe this winter and staying for a couple years. I may bring a car with me (free of charge). Is there a car that would be great for Euroland that would also command a premium if I were to sell it there later? Maybe a Subaru WRX or something? Anyway, since my current car has 220,000 miles on it and is not going to make the trip, I was thinking about buying a new/used car here that I could eventually sell in Europe and do well on. Any thoughts/recommendations from the collective (especially the Euro tribe on here)?

    Thanks,

    Rusty
    "Girl, let us freak."

  2. #2
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    Best Euro ski car ever.... 1991 Slaab 900 Turbo. Bought this baby for two beers at a bar in Germany, drive the shit out of as a ski car, passed it onto my brother who then drove another two years on ski adventures across Europe. Windows didn't roll down (hence the duct tape), the exhaust had a massive hole that fixed with a can from time to time, and the radiator would not hold coolant. Would still do 220kmh on the autobahn, went every from France to Hungary and back many times.... ahhh I miss her.


    Might not be exactly what you're looking for though...


    Flying the Bluehouse colors in Western Canada! Let me know if you want some rad skis!!

    "He is god of snow; the one called Ullr. Son of Sif, step son of Thor. He is so fierce a bowman and ski-runner that none may contend! He is quite beautiful to look upon and has all the characteristics of a warrior. It is wise to invoke the name of Ullr in duels!"

    -The Gylfaginning

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rusty Nails View Post
    I am moving to Europe this winter and staying for a couple years. I may bring a car with me (free of charge). Is there a car that would be great for Euroland that would also command a premium if I were to sell it there later? Maybe a Subaru WRX or something? Anyway, since my current car has 220,000 miles on it and is not going to make the trip, I was thinking about buying a new/used car here that I could eventually sell in Europe and do well on. Any thoughts/recommendations from the collective (especially the Euro tribe on here)?

    Thanks,

    Rusty
    Most people here drive turbo diesels these days because fuel prices are so high. I can't see any US car (bar a Corvette Z06/ZR1) that you'd be able to sell for a profit in the EU.
    "Nothing is funnier than Hitler." - Smokey McPole

  4. #4
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    How about cars not sold by the official importers? Might be worth looking into for some cars, especially given current exchange rates, even if not diesel powered.

    Friend bought and shipped a Toyota FJ Cruiser from the California to Italy when these came out in the US.

    Current prices for used FJ's in Europe start at about 23,000 euros (www.mobile.de)
    If I am not mistaken, new ones in the States start at $23,000. There seems to be at least a break even possibility there. No idea on how easy/difficult selling the car might be.

  5. #5
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    Subaru legacy.

  6. #6
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    roo is THE car expert here. Follow his words.



    psss... if you get a lamborghini from him, please bring it to verb for a demo ;-)

  7. #7
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    its a bit difficult to sell used cars in europe at the moment, or it is at least in germany, because you can get new cars really really cheap these times.
    there are some people which are especially interested in some special american cars though, but i dont know much about sutff like that^^
    and you were the one going to stuttgart? you wont really need a 4wd there...

    freak~[&]

  8. #8
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    The FJ Cruiser isn't a bad idea. The speculator's market is really tough at the moment. Mustangs are done (not that you'd probably want one as a ski car etc). Most SUVs are falling out of bed pricewise over here. Something specialist, all-wheel drive, which isn't too thirsty and isn't offered in the EU would be the best bet. After you've paid shipping, taxes and import duty, it probably wouldn't be worth the bother TBH.

    Plenty of good cheap cars in Germany. www.mobile.de is your friend.
    "Nothing is funnier than Hitler." - Smokey McPole

  9. #9
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    It's kind of a pain in the ass to import a car from the US into Europe. It's possible but it will take some time and money. If you can buy a car in the US with EU specs and a EU certificate of conformity it will make life easier. You will probably end up changing some of the lights and lens covers at a minimum to meet the EU specs. Also, check which country you will want to import it into to find out the exact requirements.

    There will probably be some import duties that you will have to pay as well unless you can prove that you owned it for a certain amount of time prior to moving (yourself, not the vehicle) to the country in question (6 months in Switzerland, can't remember what it is for the EU).

    Insurance will be an issue as well as most companies will want the car to be imported prior to issuing insurance. You can get insurance with US plates but it typically will only be valid for a few months and will be kind of spendy.

    I imported a Mini Cooper from California to Spain a few years ago and it was not a fun process. Monetarily, it was probably about break-even if I were to sell it and buy a new car here but it wasn't worth the headache. As an investment, I doubt you'll find bringing a newer car over here worth the hassle. Maybe you could look into bringing over a classic car though as the import regs could be easier and the resale price could be higher (though it probably won't be an enjoyable ski vehicle to drive around in the Alps).

    I've got a nice ski vehicle for sale: 2005 Skoda Octavia Combi 4X4 (1.9 TDI) with about 45,000 kms. Comes with summer rims/tires and winter steels/tires. Also a big Thule box on the roof. Currently registered in Switzerland but was bought/registered in the EU so could easily be transferred there.

  10. #10
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    www.mobile.de
    www.autoscout24.de (both for germany, austria. switz. is a bit "special" in almost every aspects )
    afaik the best deals you get for a skoda. pretty good cars (made with vw-parts) for 12.000euro on (new).

    afaik prices here are a bit higher for cars. nobody drives amarican fuel suckers.
    you wont need a 4wd. except you live in a lonely hut in the mountains.
    fuel is atm ~1,00-1,10for diesel, 0,90-1,40 for normal/liter. depending on country - so if you are not that rich, that could be an issue. if you are, i suggest f.e. the a6 between frankfurt and mannheim or a5 from mannheim to basel on a sunday morning . 25min to frankfurt (105km) and 60min to basel (240km) could be your goals

    and let me note the most interesting word atm which you have to know in germany "abwrackpraemie"!

    btw: here you can rate your used car: http://www.dat.de/fzgwerte/ just fill in the dates, and you get the official dealer puchase price for germany.
    btw2: you have to visit one of the big automarkets in the ruhrpott or berlin. thousands of cars and very interesting cultural aspects. everybody there tells you some heartbreaking storys about their familys/kids/wifeS/grandmas which got nothing to eat and are really sick...

  11. #11
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    A couple notes followed by questions:

    I will only be in Stuttgart for six months. After, I will be in N. Italy. I don't have to pay shipping or any import fees/duties, so that is not a concern and may make bringing a vehicle over there more viable.

    Karpiel -- what is the price for a new subaru in Germany? Are they desirable options given their limited gas mileage? Would ordinary wagon be good or would a WRX with much higher horse power be better?

    Roo -- Do you know what you would have to do to get the VW TDI 4Motions converted from Euro specs to US? If I did buy something like that over there, I would love to be able to bring it back to the US eventually. Same with Skoda if anyone can drop some knowledge on that.

    Patxi - PM me some more info about your car. Sounds like an interested option. How does it do on gas and can you post a pic?


    Thanks for all the info so far -- this place, no matter how off the wall the quesiton is -- remains an amazing resource for getting pointed in the right direction!
    "Girl, let us freak."

  12. #12
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    From my keen observations around the French Alps the ideal Euro ski car is surely a rusty 1.0L Fiat Panda.

    I would be surprised if you can get vehicles of this refinement and quality in the US but they come with a magical ability to rocket up blind hairpins and confer immortality on their drivers. They will also squeeze into parking spaces smaller than any other vehicles as owners scoff at such concepts as body panel preservation.

  13. #13
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    Just another to add that Roo is THE car authority here. Don't you work for the automotive press, dude?

    How are the roads in Euroland? Could you use FWD? If so, wait till you get there and get a golf or jetta wagon TDI. Actually, I think there are AWD version over there.
    No longer stuck.

    Quote Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn View Post
    Just an uneducated guess.

  14. #14
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    Where are you going to sell it in Euroland?

    Scandiland has different needs/wants then the rest of Europe. Big trucks, i.e. turbo diesel trucks sell well up north, as do any American 4WD pickup. (Not in the urban centers, but out in the farmland/mountains/fjäll)
    Flying the Bluehouse colors in Western Canada! Let me know if you want some rad skis!!

    "He is god of snow; the one called Ullr. Son of Sif, step son of Thor. He is so fierce a bowman and ski-runner that none may contend! He is quite beautiful to look upon and has all the characteristics of a warrior. It is wise to invoke the name of Ullr in duels!"

    -The Gylfaginning

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn View Post
    How are the roads in Euroland? Could you use FWD? If so, wait till you get there and get a golf or jetta wagon TDI. Actually, I think there are AWD version over there.
    Roads are generally good and well kept. If the conditions are shite,it is chain time and if they dont work,it´s a no go no matter what you drive.There is practically no high mountain passes that are open in the winter so most of the commuting is done on the motorways down in the valleys and small roads up to the valleys/resorts. They are either open or closed, very rarely you find the roads with 30cm of snow...
    Done 95% of my driving in the alps with fwd no prob.Chains get hand once in a while though.

    The floggings will continue until morale improves.

  16. #16
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    VW Toureg, V10 TDI. Discussion over
    Whoa, what you gotta say?? Whoa, girls turn 18 every day!!!
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  17. #17
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    Escalade -- rollin' on 24s.
    "He was skiing the french technique two years before he knew what it was....."

  18. #18
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    just whip out the f350 dually, with the stripper mudflaps and a big ass american eagle painted in the rear window. you'll be pulling EU tail quicker than you can say "jack robinson"

    we drove a small skoda in spain and i liked it a lot. reminded me of the late 80's subaru sedans... good pickup, lots of legroom, i crashed in the backseat without too much difficulty.
    Top of the Food Chain for White Trash America

  19. #19
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    Well, I was the proud owner of a 2006 Impreza WRX STI when I lived in the US and thought long and hard about shipping it to Europe when I was moving here and decided against it. When you say you are not paying shipping or import taxes, that would certainly be helpful, but this is only part of the process / cost. You will likely have to ensure that the car fits the appropriate Euro specifications so that it can be registered - there will be a ton of little things that would not fit starting from emissions and going to the color of the turn signal light. All of this could be fixed, but it will be costly and likely a huge pain. I was planning to import the car into Bulgaria, so for me there was always the option to get it registered as is for €50 (without a receipt) and a bottle of vodka - that may be more difficult / costly in Germany.

    Couple of other things on the WRX specifically:

    1. Vehicle tax is computed in direct proportion to horse power - for anything above 170 bhp, it gets pretty egregious (older WRX is 220-230 bhp, new one is 260, STI is 300 bhp).

    2. A WRX would be considered a specialty vehicle and certainly not a ski mobile. A typical ski mobile here is small by US standards, FWD with snow tires and chains in the trunk and it does >40 mpg. I have seen some subies in Chamonix, but mostly older non-turbo Foresters, not WRXs.

    3. You could theoretically fetch a good price from some rally fanatic for instance but finding a buyer will be difficult. Keep in mind that in Europe the recession is probably 9-12 months behind the US, so the economy is still plummeting and people are generally not it the mood to blow money on toys.

    4. Any modifications on the car would make things more complicated

  20. #20
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    VW T3 SYNCRO
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  21. #21
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    Rusty, are you affiliated with the military (I'm a contractor)? If so, bringing a car over is cake and it doesn't have to comply with EU standards. I brought over a 2000 Jeep Wrangler that I bought in Hawaii and then had with me in Alaska (I lived in Haleiwa also for a spell - left after 1.5 years because the snow sucked there!)

    After two years with the Jeep in Germany, I realized it wasn't the best vehicle for traveling. When I advertised to sell the Jeep, I had more inquiries from locals than I did from affiliated US military members. Since I was in a hurry to sell (had new job starting) I bypassed selling to a German in order to avoid all the customs paperwork. I still got half of what I paid for the Jeep originally and it wasn't in the greatest condition since I beat the shit out of it in AK.

    I then purchased a Toyota Rav4 from military auto sales and have been extremely pleased with it as a skiing and travel vehicle. I've slept in the thing a few times in ski area parking lots and it was quite comfortable. It gets great mileage and is very comfortable to drive long distances.

    One car to look in to is the Honda Element. Yes, they are goofy looking as hell but they don't sell them in Europe. I have two friends who brought them over from the states and they've had a lot of Germans ask to buy it from them. They both ski/snowboard, climb and bike and have been all over Europe in their Elements. Just some food for thought.

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Meathelmet View Post
    Roads are generally good and well kept. If the conditions are shite,it is chain time and if they dont work,it´s a no go no matter what you drive.There is practically no high mountain passes that are open in the winter so most of the commuting is done on the motorways down in the valleys and small roads up to the valleys/resorts. They are either open or closed, very rarely you find the roads with 30cm of snow...
    Done 95% of my driving in the alps with fwd no prob.Chains get hand once in a while though.
    exactly this way it works. if you are powderhunting. maybe/maximum 10times a winter chains are necessary when you go over the (limted) passes that are open in winter. normal route are cleaned 0-12h after snowfall.

  23. #23
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    Audi still produces the Allroad for the european market. The new ones are THE SHIT!!!

    http://www.automobilemag.com/new_and...tro/index.html
    “How does it feel to be the greatest guitarist in the world? I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher”. — Jimi Hendrix

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gnu View Post
    Escalade -- rollin' on 24s.
    lol, that was in front of Quality Supply the other day. The REAL Montana!

    Quote Originally Posted by Joey Bag O' Donuts View Post
    VW Toureg, V10 TDI. Discussion over
    Sure, let me just pull this $80k out of my ass and uuuuuugh, yay new car.


    They've killed the all-road, and that makes me sad in the pants
    No longer stuck.

    Quote Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn View Post
    Just an uneducated guess.

  25. #25
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    Thanks for all the insight.

    Deutschbag: Yes, I am DoD affiliated. I'll look at Elements, but really don't want one at all.

    BGST: Thanks for the Subi info. Good info.

    Many others: I will branch out and look at FWD as well now, but AWD would be preferred since I want to keep the car for a decade or so.

    I want a car, not an SUV of any type.

    Was looking at Audi A3 TDIs with quattro. Am I correct that VW Jetta and Golf TDI models have 4Motion AWD as an option? If so, does anyone know what can be done to get them to meet US Specs? I can find no info about that. Roo????
    "Girl, let us freak."

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