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I remember in the early to mid-1980's,imported,"Grey Market" cars being the "thing".Most of them were BMW,Porsche,Mercedes cars that were either "higher performing",or simply performed better due to less smog restrictions,or sometimes just cooler due to different sheet metal,maybe Euro spec lighting,or something else that set them apart.(Yeah,I know most of them needed the lighting changed to conform to US spec's).
Having worked on Volvo's since January 1989 I've only ever seen ONE of these cars. Does anybody have a "euro" 240? Not just a US spec car with "Euro" stuff adorning it,but a real one?
I'd love to see some pix.Hear about what differences people have found compared to US spec cars etc.
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"Does anybody have a "euro" 240? Not just a US spec car with "Euro" stuff adorning it,but a real one? I'd love to see some pix. Hear about what differences people have found compared to US spec cars etc.
I do not know anything about US grey market cars, but over here in Norway I have a 1987 240 GL sedan that should qualify as a "Euro 240". From what I have gathered after reading this forum for a number of years, here are a few differences, a few photos at the end of my post:
Interior:
My 240 GL did not originally come with options that I believe were standard in the US, like central locking, power steering and power windows (later added on my car). This, and A/C, were available on special order. I believe that not all cloth options for covers and door panels made it across the Atlantic.
Engines:
Apart from differences in selection of cams, emission control systems etc., an important difference is that in Europe, carburetted engines were available until 1988/89. Mine has a twin port 34/34 Solex.
Body:
E-code lamps, lamp wipers and amber blinkers, of course. And front fender side blinkers. Also, the new front that the US cars got from 1986 and up was introduced in Europe in 1981. I seem to have noticed that the US 1986- rear bumper protrudes more than the Euro version.
This is what immediately spring to mind, I do not claim that this is a complete list. There are also national variations within Europe.
Some photos of my car -
Carb'ed engine and slimmer brake booster:

E-codes, washer/wipers and amber blinkers:

Slimmer rear bumper (trunk handle optional extra):

Herringbone interior:

I hope this is not too inaccurate!
Regards,
Erling.
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A few years ago I had a maroon 1985 stick-shift 244 that had come from Sweden. The PO's grandfather bought it new there while he work for the US Dept of State. I had records for 2-3 years of service work over there.
I don't know if that makes it a grey market car per-se. If grey-market means a car purchased extra-US specifically for sale back here.
Also, one can buy US-spec cars in Europe and bring them home so it might have been one of these. It had an odd-colored interior but otherwise didn't seem more Swedish than my other 240s ie. the gauges were in English; the lights were regular 240 lights; the radio played in English.
On the East Coast where I'm from I had a few of these kinds of cars in the 70's: a 1960's Taunus brought in by a Sea Captain; a Sunbeam Arrow; a 2-stroke Saab 93 and a V6 Saab 96; A Toyota Stout pickup; a right-hand-drive MB 190SL from Hong Kong. And a 50's 544 Volvo.
But Ohio isn't this exotic.
--
240s: 2 drivers and some parts cars
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As an owner of a genuine grey-market vehicle, I can say that the term refers to cars that were models that were not marketed in this country by the manufacturer/dealer network. So bringing in a Volvo 240 (or other make/model) from Europe doesn't count if you could buy the same car from a dealer here in the states.
The grey-market car I own is a 1984 Mercedes-Benz Gelaendewagen, a 280GE (W460 chassis, M110 engine) -- it was imported by a Registered Importer in New Mexico, named Europa Int'l. And it wasn't until nearly the year 2000 that M-B dealers in this country started selling this car themselves, called the GWagen here.
A R.I. is a company that not only brings it into the country (either on speculation, or for a customer that orders it) and then subjects it to sometimes considerable rebuilding and modification to make it comply with some (but not all) U.S. regulations. The R.I. has to be licensed by both the U.S. DOT and EPA, to ensure that the modifications were done right. And the owner(s) subsequently have to keep the certifying documents (issued by the DOT and EPA) to submit to state Motor Vehicle agencies when they get their titles and registrations, plates, etc.; without the documents, such a grey-market vehicle cannot be licensed to be operated on public roads.
Until about 1986 or so, U.S. citizens could, one time in their lifetime, bring such a new car into the country (through a R.I., to be modified) and subsequently have it road legal. This is why most grey-market cars are at least model year 1986 or older.
[BTW, this whole discussion applies to the original gey-market importation of new cars -- old, used cars that are imported are subject to different regulations that I'm not familiar with.]
After ~1986, the rules for grey-market cars becomes murky, and essentially impossible to navigate. Manufacturers/dealers in this country would rather have you buy a car (built to U.S. specs as if it were sold in the U.S.) through their own "overseas" sales network, and the U.S. government would rather not address the concerns of cars that do not comply with U.S. EPA and DOT regs. The pre-'86 grey-market rules did not require full compliance, but only certain select things -- e.g., regarding DOT's purvue in crash safety, the model didn't have to be crash tested, but it had to have door beams installed; and other things like that. However, certain other features, such as a unique light switch*, did not have to be converted to U.S. specs.
~~~~~~~~~~
* My headlight switch allows me to turn on the lights on one side, or the other side, of the car, if I wish, rather than on both sides. Can you imagine the feds allowing this on U.S. cars?
BTW, the reason is that it allows, when parking on the side of the road (e.g., in narrow streets in European cities), the lights to be lit on only the traffic side of the car to halve the rate of battery drain.
~~~~~~~~~~
Hope this helps.
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Ken, do you have any pictures of this car? I would be interested in seeing it.
drew
On the topic, I found a 1986 or 87 240 at the junkyard, adorned with stickers from a dealer in West Germany, and the first couple years worth of services were done in West Germany. Don't know if this belonged to a serviceman or something, it seemed to be pretty much US-spec to me, but I was in a bit of a hurry and didn't look too closely. It donated a rear caliper to my current 240.
--
formerly non-registered at drew b. green 1993 240, 164k 'Cream Puff V,' formerly: blue 1988 240 DL 'Cream Puff III'
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re: "...Ken, do you have any pictures of this car? I would be interested in seeing it...."
Lots of pictures, but I haven't had any luck lately posting to the Brickboard gallery. I've done it lots of times in the past (I must have 20 or 30 already in the gallery), but the past couple of months I've tried and consistently failed. Something weird!
But if you send me (click on the envelope next to my username), I'll send a half dozen or so directly to you.
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hello
its not rare to see grey market mercedes in the junkyard. well now and then.
usually they have headlight adjustment built into the headlight switch for the e-codes, vacume operated to adjust beam height when more weight is added in the trunk or carring extra passengers.
i have found that you can post pictures in your post, not in the image url box or label box but right in the message portion of the post.

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I just called Crutchfield and they don't have radios that play in anything other than English. I think it would be cool to have something exotic like that in my car.
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Where I live I've seen and heard several cars outfitted with a Spanish/English radio. I don't know the specs, but they're often mated with a very loud exhaust, perhaps for cooling.
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I have a source (black market, of course) that sells converter/translators that will make your english speaking radio talk in spanish when you take it to Mexico. 500 bucks, send me your credit card info.
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