Opinions on LHD Supercars
Discussion
What are people's thoughts on LHD?
They are generally cheaper than the equivalent RHD counterparts and have obviously come from another country so could be harder to do research on it but what (if any) are the good points?
I'm not looking to buy one for me personally but just curious as to your opinions on them.
They are generally cheaper than the equivalent RHD counterparts and have obviously come from another country so could be harder to do research on it but what (if any) are the good points?
I'm not looking to buy one for me personally but just curious as to your opinions on them.
For me the biggest downside is that importing a car makes it easier to hide a murky past. Physically being LHD isn't too much of an issue - carparks/barriers/intercoms being the biggest challenge.
The positive side is that a LHD car gives you a wider global resale market which in turn protects your 'investment' in real terms against any fluctuations in the value of sterling.
The positive side is that a LHD car gives you a wider global resale market which in turn protects your 'investment' in real terms against any fluctuations in the value of sterling.
I wouldn't touch one myself. Too much hassle just to save a few pounds to drive a car that's not configured for use in your home country.
Over-taking swiftly but safely is one of the joys of owning a fast car, much harder in a LHD where you can't easily monitor oncoming traffic.
The only reason I would buy LHD was if I spent alot of time with the car on Euro trips and could justify the drawbacks in the UK.
Also much harder to sell unless it's a very rare and desirable model.
Over-taking swiftly but safely is one of the joys of owning a fast car, much harder in a LHD where you can't easily monitor oncoming traffic.
The only reason I would buy LHD was if I spent alot of time with the car on Euro trips and could justify the drawbacks in the UK.
Also much harder to sell unless it's a very rare and desirable model.
marky1 said:
Can't imagine they are any cheaper now given how weak the pound is? They must get snapped up pretty quickly by European buyers.
I am looking at RHD cars at the moment thanks to the low sterling - have owned lhd and rhd and driven both types on the continent and in the U.K. And never found it to be an issue. Resale and history check clearly another matter.
Craigwww said:
I wouldn't touch one myself. Too much hassle just to save a few pounds to drive a car that's not configured for use in your home country.
Over-taking swiftly but safely is one of the joys of owning a fast car, much harder in a LHD where you can't easily monitor oncoming traffic.
The only reason I would buy LHD was if I spent alot of time with the car on Euro trips and could justify the drawbacks in the UK.
Also much harder to sell unless it's a very rare and desirable model.
So you wont ever be wanting an F40, CGT, Enzo then...Over-taking swiftly but safely is one of the joys of owning a fast car, much harder in a LHD where you can't easily monitor oncoming traffic.
The only reason I would buy LHD was if I spent alot of time with the car on Euro trips and could justify the drawbacks in the UK.
Also much harder to sell unless it's a very rare and desirable model.
Personally, as an owner of multiple LHD cars I wouldn't listen to any of the above.
1. Just make sure you buy from a reputable dealer (bought my Scud from Charles Pozzi Paris - Ferrari main dealer) and they couldn't do enough for me and the car came with full history and 2 year warranty.
2. Sure, over taking can on the odd occasion become more of a challenge. Simple fix for that - don't over take till it's safe! lol.
3. As mentioned, the re-sale market is bigger (although Brexit may put an end to that) so selling on has never been an issue.
4. Savings can (could - see same Brexit / Stirling rubbish) also be significant, saved circa £50K (I bought three years back) on my Scud like for like against a RHD.
Personally never been an issue and would 100% recommend.
rich12 said:
So from a purchase POV, checking its history seems to be the biggest hurdle?
I suppose the only way to be confident is for it to have Lamborghini history that you can check directly with them?
There are also many very good independent dealers in Europe, Germany especially. Check the car has decent service history and if buying something like a Lambo / Porsche / Fezza pay the £150 or so and have them take it to a MD for a full inspection and have the MD email you the report directly.I suppose the only way to be confident is for it to have Lamborghini history that you can check directly with them?
Slickhillsy said:
1. Just make sure you buy from a reputable dealer (bought my Scud from Charles Pozzi Paris - Ferrari main dealer) and they couldn't do enough for me and the car came with full history and 2 year warranty.
2. Sure, over taking can on the odd occasion become more of a challenge. Simple fix for that - don't over take till it's safe! lol.
3. As mentioned, the re-sale market is bigger (although Brexit may put an end to that) so selling on has never been an issue.
4. Savings can (could - see same Brexit / Stirling rubbish) also be significant, saved circa £50K (I bought three years back) on my Scud like for like against a RHD.
Personally never been an issue and would 100% recommend.
Same experience here, and have owned 2x LHD Stradale, 1x LHD Scud, 1x LHD 575HGTC and 1x LHD 964RS...next maybe a LHD 997.2/991 GT3RS or 964/993RS or again a 575HGTC2. Sure, over taking can on the odd occasion become more of a challenge. Simple fix for that - don't over take till it's safe! lol.
3. As mentioned, the re-sale market is bigger (although Brexit may put an end to that) so selling on has never been an issue.
4. Savings can (could - see same Brexit / Stirling rubbish) also be significant, saved circa £50K (I bought three years back) on my Scud like for like against a RHD.
Personally never been an issue and would 100% recommend.
Currently at home we still have 1x LHD Stradale, 1x LHD G55 and 1x RHD SL300 R107...and both my wife and i don't see any difference going from one car to another in terms of driving in Central London, parkings, etc.
Edited by 911Thrasher on Thursday 14th September 11:51
I have 2x LHD and one RHD
Never had an issue with where the steering wheel is positioned
I am one of those that just don't get the premium thing with RHD which seems to be substantial. I would understand if it was 5%-10% max for the convenience but I would rather max out my budget to get the best car I can afford and therefore LHD makes sense to me. Also if I have the money for a LHD I just could not wait until I found the extra liquidity to buy a RHD.
Having said that, I've never sold a Ferrari I bought ... This week I celebrated 20ys since buying my 308 from Switzerland and looking forward to taking her out this weekend for a spin
I did sell my LHD Porsche 993 C2S manual to buy my CS a couple of years ago. I had 4 strong bids and sold within a couple of weeks at asking. Two were from UK, one from France and one from Germany.
Never had an issue with where the steering wheel is positioned
I am one of those that just don't get the premium thing with RHD which seems to be substantial. I would understand if it was 5%-10% max for the convenience but I would rather max out my budget to get the best car I can afford and therefore LHD makes sense to me. Also if I have the money for a LHD I just could not wait until I found the extra liquidity to buy a RHD.
Having said that, I've never sold a Ferrari I bought ... This week I celebrated 20ys since buying my 308 from Switzerland and looking forward to taking her out this weekend for a spin
I did sell my LHD Porsche 993 C2S manual to buy my CS a couple of years ago. I had 4 strong bids and sold within a couple of weeks at asking. Two were from UK, one from France and one from Germany.
Good stuff.
So obviously there are mixed opinions on them but not as bad as I thought.
The reason for the question is we have a really good customer of ours who lives in the UAE and has very good relationships with people in the 'car world' (powerfully built director) who has been asking us to see if it would be viable to bring them to market over here.
The financial side is fine as there seems to be a big enough difference in cost once fees/duty etc are taken into consideration. It's just whether you can actually sell the bloody things that i'm not too sure on.
Our main business is surrounded by Supercars but not selling them so just need to make sure this could actually work.
So obviously there are mixed opinions on them but not as bad as I thought.
The reason for the question is we have a really good customer of ours who lives in the UAE and has very good relationships with people in the 'car world' (powerfully built director) who has been asking us to see if it would be viable to bring them to market over here.
The financial side is fine as there seems to be a big enough difference in cost once fees/duty etc are taken into consideration. It's just whether you can actually sell the bloody things that i'm not too sure on.
Our main business is surrounded by Supercars but not selling them so just need to make sure this could actually work.
There is a difference I believe in the perception of European LHD vs other markets based on anecdotal evidence from my conversations with friends and other petrolheads ... but by no means indicative or comprehensive.
Specifically from UAE, I have heard that the UK market is a bit more reticent in buying UAE speced cars. They do have a different spec due to weather/road conditions over there and I think the fact that the history may be even less traceable and possibly books, bills etc in arabic alphabet may be a deterrent to some buyers. There is also a reluctance for Japanese cars for similar reasons.
Having said the above however, if a UAE/Japanese car was even cheaper than a European LHD I would personally be tempted assuming all the checks were done. I do not however see this price differential in asking prices so what I suspect is that they will be less liquid vs the european counterparts and the possible additional profit you may be expecting from selling at European LHD prices may not be easy to achieve.
Specifically from UAE, I have heard that the UK market is a bit more reticent in buying UAE speced cars. They do have a different spec due to weather/road conditions over there and I think the fact that the history may be even less traceable and possibly books, bills etc in arabic alphabet may be a deterrent to some buyers. There is also a reluctance for Japanese cars for similar reasons.
Having said the above however, if a UAE/Japanese car was even cheaper than a European LHD I would personally be tempted assuming all the checks were done. I do not however see this price differential in asking prices so what I suspect is that they will be less liquid vs the european counterparts and the possible additional profit you may be expecting from selling at European LHD prices may not be easy to achieve.
Edited by 355fiorano on Thursday 14th September 11:20
Edited by 355fiorano on Thursday 14th September 11:21
rich12 said:
Good stuff.
So obviously there are mixed opinions on them but not as bad as I thought.
The reason for the question is we have a really good customer of ours who lives in the UAE and has very good relationships with people in the 'car world' (powerfully built director) who has been asking us to see if it would be viable to bring them to market over here.
The financial side is fine as there seems to be a big enough difference in cost once fees/duty etc are taken into consideration. It's just whether you can actually sell the bloody things that i'm not too sure on.
Our main business is surrounded by Supercars but not selling them so just need to make sure this could actually work.
From what I remember Middle Eastern cars might be seen slightly less favorable in Europe / trade at a discount to say an Italian car So obviously there are mixed opinions on them but not as bad as I thought.
The reason for the question is we have a really good customer of ours who lives in the UAE and has very good relationships with people in the 'car world' (powerfully built director) who has been asking us to see if it would be viable to bring them to market over here.
The financial side is fine as there seems to be a big enough difference in cost once fees/duty etc are taken into consideration. It's just whether you can actually sell the bloody things that i'm not too sure on.
Our main business is surrounded by Supercars but not selling them so just need to make sure this could actually work.
355fiorano said:
There is a difference I believe in the perception of European LHD vs other markets based on anecdotal evidence from my conversations with friends and other petrolheads ... but by no means indicative or comprehensive.
Specifically from UAE, I have heard that the UK market is a bit more reticent in buying UAE speced cars. They do have a different spec due to weather/road conditions over there and I think the fact that the history may be even less traceable and possibly books, bills etc in arabic alphabet may be a deterrent to some buyers. There is also a reluctance for Japanese cars for similar reasons.
Great bit of info. It's not something i've come across to be honest and whilst I see the potential issue, we would only bring cars over that had full main dealer history and we have a contact at Lambo/Ferrari who said they would help if need be.Specifically from UAE, I have heard that the UK market is a bit more reticent in buying UAE speced cars. They do have a different spec due to weather/road conditions over there and I think the fact that the history may be even less traceable and possibly books, bills etc in arabic alphabet may be a deterrent to some buyers. There is also a reluctance for Japanese cars for similar reasons.
In regards to the different set up, do you have any more info on it? different being camber etc or different being different suspension/tyres?
rich12 said:
What are people's thoughts on LHD?
They are generally cheaper than the equivalent RHD counterparts and have obviously come from another country so could be harder to do research on it but what (if any) are the good points?
I'm not looking to buy one for me personally but just curious as to your opinions on them.
Not alwaysThey are generally cheaper than the equivalent RHD counterparts and have obviously come from another country so could be harder to do research on it but what (if any) are the good points?
I'm not looking to buy one for me personally but just curious as to your opinions on them.
Government and Army surplus vehicles can be LHD mostly Land Rover
Durzel said:
What's the deal with modern EU-born Ferraris and headlight adjustments for the UK? Surely you don't have to stick tape over the lens in the year 2017?
Electronically adjusted in the dash? Mechanical switches behind the lights?
Mechanical switches behind the lights i believe on G55, 575, CS and Scud (my experience with my garage)Electronically adjusted in the dash? Mechanical switches behind the lights?
agreed totally with 355fiorano here: i personally wouldn't touch a EUA/Japanese car by a mile, unless it was significantly cheaper than a european LHD.
EUA cars also are sand sensitive, Japanese cars good luck with the history (and if there, understanding it) (i had a look at a Japanese CS, totally put me off)
EUA cars also are sand sensitive, Japanese cars good luck with the history (and if there, understanding it) (i had a look at a Japanese CS, totally put me off)
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