Importing a car from US to France question

The mind boggles :blush:

Especially if its loud enough (I’ve got the top of the range sound system):slightly_smiling_face:

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Many of these valuation sites do not take into account the reality of model worth. Like the Cayman et al, one can pick up a good Levante - depending on engine size - as low as 31k€ and I think the Douane will look at this and accept quite a low value. Malus will not change though. Nice cars if you like SUVs - I know one in Toulouse with cream leather piped with burgundy and it looks a million dollars.

This might be the rare case where it MAY be worth the money to import it. Prices for this car appear very depressed in the US (<$30K) and much higher in EU. The question would be what needs to be done, for how much and is it worth the huge hassle. But then the tax and malus and the actual value in the EU? I would sell it, myself.

https://www.edmunds.com/maserati/levante/2019/

You’re right, I’d regard Argus as the top price and generally not achievable. However I suspect the Douane will use it or have their own matrix.

I’m not a fan of large SUVs. I think they should all be crushed - preferably with the owners inside. Especially yummy mummies on the school run with Jocasta and Quentin onboard. Take a look at the pedestrian injuries stats for these antisocial barges. Paris was right to do a job on them.

Show any of them a sniff of an off road track and they’d collapse in a mound of air suspension parts and descent assist wiring. Even the Discovery my wife had in Dubai fell to bits. We should have bought a Land cruiser. Shitty Range Rovers particularly give me the pip :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mggJ6WhEus0

I think I would extend it to all SUVs used as playthings. Either get a van or if you really need 4WD then something utilitarian like the Land Rovers of the 60s and the like. Never owned one or a pickup truck that resembled anything like what passes for the family grocery getter in the US now.

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I actually did what the OP is considering. I had a 1970s European classic and a four year old US car. The resale price of the US car was poor and there was space in the transporter for both so we brought them. Having seen what appeared to be the same vehicle on the roads in France the thought was that it would be straightforward - wrong! The classic car was a doddle certificate from FFVE CT off to the Préfecture €140 carte gris received two days later.

Four year old US car - nightmare! Got it CT tested OK after changing out the rear light clusters ( originals had red direction indicator lenses) Then got a partial CofC from the manufacturer but not accepted as sufficient. Off to the DRIRE for examination - failed on all glass, all lights (although they were correctly aligned they did not have CE certification markings) seat belts ( not CE ). If all changed vehicle would still have needed official noise tests and full emission testing. Estimate for changes €7000.

After the DRIRE report I called it a day and disposed of it.

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This is truly an honest question, because I don’t know anything about expensive sports cars, but I am wondering where one would drive a Maserati in France? My driving experience here is mostly in small villages or towns with medieval-sized streets, and tiny farm roads where you need to go off-road to pass an oncoming car, and the speed limit is usually 80 kph. Forget parking anything larger than a sans permis. Obviously my experience is quite limited, so I am wondering if there are lots of places in France where driving this sort of car would be possible, and indeed enjoyable. Please enlighten me.

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I think it could be fun in the Morvan. Streets are a little narrow in villages, but in the countryside the roads are winding, passing through woods and farmland, down valleys and over hills. It wouldn’t be practical to push the performance envelope, but driving a nice car in those circumstances would be rewarding. I’ve never felt my mid-size SUV was too large (though that’s true everywhere I’ve driven in France).

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There are a lot of places in France to enjoy driving good cars but I’m not sure that the Maserati in question would be considered a good driver’s car. France is cross crossed by roads for everyone, from the gravel trails I have been riding on this afternoon to the autoroutes with probably some of the best road surfaces in Europe. Then there are the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Massif Central. The list goes on…

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Thanks for the responses. In our local villages, streets are not just a little narrow - I have to be careful, if I’m turning a corner, not to scrape my side mirror off on someone’s house. Good to know that there are places where driving is a bit easier!

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They’re not all shitty. My other car is (still) a Range rover sport, nearly 17 years old and still going strong. Mind you, the sound system ain’t as good as that in the R5e, but the V8 engine tone is much better :wink:.

Yes, there is a decision to make depending on DRIRE. Thankfully, it doesn’t always “cost a bomb” to meet DRIRE requirements.
We thoroughly enjoyed zipping around France in our own “import” once it was legal. :+1:

Depends on the Maserati, they have Ferrari derived engines. The SUV IMO would be most at home on the autoroutes, can’t see one blasting through the Col de Turini :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

Maserati is owned by Stellantis which also owns Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, FIAT, Jeep, Lancia, Peugeot, Ram, and Opel/Vauxhall. Stellantis have a big relationship with Ferrari through FIAT and the Agnelli family, who used to own FIAT back in the day. Hence the Ferrari engines in the Maserati.

There are a fair number of these big, fast SUVs around. The maddest I’ve actually seen, on the autoroute. a few weeks ago, was the Lamborghini Urus (your arse?). An insult to the renowned marque name and very expensive for a tarted up Volkswagen. Another tarted up VW is the Bentley (he must be turning in his grave) Bentayga. But first prize in porky SUV vulgarity has to go to BMW for their Rolls Royce Cullinan, a turd of a car :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

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Thanks. I guess I don’t spend enough time on the autoroutes…I think they’re boring and usually go departmental roads. Interesting that one company owns so many brands.

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They all look like they were designed by troublesome 12yos to keep them quiet in maths, and bought by people with more money than sense.

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I agree. It’s only the big, top of the range (no pun) mothers that get my goat. Back in 1982 a friend of mine bought one when they were a stunning vehicle, combing comfort with real off road capability. Thierry, my pal went quartre quatreing (probably after a well lubricated lunch) and ended up in river. They escaped but le Range (a he called it) was swept downstream. Some days later it was recovered, spruced up, started and back on the road. Now that was when Land (Range or otherwise) Rovers were tough.

As an aside, Thierry had a pal who was a qualified mountain pilot. After another well lubricated lunch we went landing on glaciers :slightly_smiling_face:

Remind me to never go drinking with you.

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That’s how it is these days. Platforms are so expensive to develop they need to be used across multiple brands. People don’t even realise how widespread it is. Audi owners look down on VW owners who look down on Skoda owners who look down on Cupra owners who look down on SEAT owners. And they are all driving the same car just with a different badge. And even mighty Porsche. You spend 200K and you get a car with VW Polo buttons (and nothing wrong with those buttons IMHO :face_with_hand_over_mouth: ).

IMO It’s the marketing and accounting (Finance must always be kept in their box, they’ve screwed Mercedes too) departments rather than engineering that dominate in VW, which has sadly become a badge engineering company. Just like British Leyland was with Austin, Morris, Riley, MG, Wolsey etc. and we all know how that ended. :roll_eyes:

Since the acquisition of Audi/NSU rescued them from their last existential scare fifty plus years ago and the resultant advent of the Golf, I’ve been a VW buyer, but now they are now in serious trouble, all self inflicted. They need a bit of a miracle to turn this around.

Am I getting older(er, yes obviously) or are car designs changing faster and faster. It only seems like yesterday that the enormous grille appeared, only to be replaced by the enormous piece of plastic as cars went electric, and now suddenly the illuminated slit seems to be everywhere