| Author | Message | ||
| Julian Pham (Julian_Blk348)
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Chris, It took me about a year of research to have enough b#$% to buy my '92 348ts. The first site that I learned about the differences of 348 models is: "http://ferrariclub.com/faq/348versions.html". And based on the author's input, I stuck to looking for '92/'93 models. Ended up getting a '92 because of budget. The price of 348's varies over a wide range and what I learned is to stay away from really cheap cars. For example: I found a red '91 348ts with 19K mies for $49,000 on eBay (from LondDeal.com). It so happened that the car is local and I was able to see it. The car was a "PIG" and has been wrecked but the crooks at Longdeal would not disclose the information. Never buy a car w/o record! The other extreme is cars from Ferrari dealers - guaranteed to be overpriced! You should be able to find decent to nice '91/'92 from $60,000 to $70,000(max). It took me 2 months to close the deal, so yes, if the car has been advertised for a while, then they're willing to negotiate. By the way, unless you're a ferrari expert, spend the $200-$250 to have an expert throroughly go over the car! trust me, you don't want to have the $5k-$10K headache that some of these 348 owners got stuck with! Good luck and feel free to email me directly with any other questions, Julian | ||
| Lawrence Michaels (Lxmichaels1)
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Guys, I live in the area close to Stanford University, in Northern California. Today, I took the little red car out for a spin and what do I see? Not one but two classics. 1-84 288-GTO 2-58 250 California Spyder On the road driving in traffic. just had to report this. Even in silicon Valley this is a very rare sight. | ||
| Danny R. West (Dan_West348ts)
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Those of us that have 348s know what fun cars they are to own. I have read where some people pass on the rumor that 348s have "electrical and mechanical" problems, some may. However, I know that when I am behind the wheel of mine, I feel great. The performance is great. I would not part with it. I believe we 348 owners are fortunate. They are great cars! Maybe that's why they are hard to find on the market. Dan | ||
| Chuck Rine (Chuck348ts)
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Michael, You're right. The "kids" on the block, who range in age from 8 to 55, have told me it's the "biggest" house on the block because of what's in the garage. | ||
| Chuck Rine (Chuck348ts)
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Chris- I looked at at black 91 348ts with 14K miles and 1-year warranty back in February at Ferrari of Washington. I had a trade as part of the deal and they played the game where they lowballed the value of the trade and gave me "$900 off" the asking price of $72,900. Fair enough, that's the way it works. However, even though I had significant equity to put into the vehicle, my credit union told me that what they were asking for the car was way more than the CU said it was worth. So I backed out at the last minute and found the second car (pictured) a month later at an independent. It needed a new side mirror which took 3 months to get (that's why it's been advertized for so long) and in the meantime, they did not budge on the price - their policy. If you look in the Ferrari NA "Marketplace", you will not see many 348's listed; there are a lot more TR's, 308/328's and scads of 355's but not many 348's and I've been monitoring FNA ever since they revamped their Marketplace. So maybe that's why they have the prices up on them. I don't know where all of the 348's are because there are supposed to be over 8,000 of them out there. Maybe they're all waiting to get fixed. I think you'll be hard-pressed to find a 348, even a '90, from an FNA dealer for less than $65K. I've read elsewhere on FerrariChat where some of the authorized Ferrari dealers will negotiate but it depends on the car. I think they're much more willing on something like a Mondial 8 or early TR than they are on a 512TR or 355 Spider. And this is the worst time of year to get a "deal" because the service depts. are busy and everyone is looking for a summer driving car. If you don't subscribe already, I would strongly recommend an online subscription to Ferrari Market Letter. It's only $35 for 6 months and Ferrari of Washington told me that's what they use to set their prices on used cars. | ||
| Chris Tanner (Ctanner)
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Chuck & Julian, As a prospective 348 buyer, I have been following the ads of 348's for awhile. My question is, without going deep into your personal finances, were you able to deal much on the asking price of the cars? Both of the cars you purchased have been advertised for sometime. Did these dealers get to serious negoiations when they found you were serious or are they willing to wait as long as it takes to meet their price? I'm looking for a 91 or later (s/n in the 90000's) but some the asking prices have really disuaded me from even looking a some cars. And Julian, I know Mark Spencer at Veloce. He is a very nice guy and really knows his Ferraris. Choosing him as your mechanic is an excellent choice. He's assisting me with 348 advice and I hope to be a customer of his soon. Thanks........CT | ||
| Michael A. Niles (Man90tr)
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Think of all the stupid clubs people are a part of -- The Ferrari bankruptcy Club is probably the only bankruptcy club that people would join up for voluntarily. It's got to be one hell of a club to join under those conditions. Good decision!!! BTW -- it ain't the size of the house that matters cause everyone wants the house with the Ferrari in the garage -- by default that is the "biggest" house on the block. Don't believe me, take a poll of all guys and teenagers in the neighborhood. | ||
| Chuck Rine (Chuck348ts)
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Julian- Thanks. Yes, it came from Rayco. It was an "almost" purchase for me and, as you may know, it has had an interesting "history" over the past 6 months. I was able to contact the previous owner and others who handled the car and it is mechanically (so far) and cosmetically perfect with a "complete documented service history" to use Ferrari NA lingo. Stu- Thanks and yes it is my house and not as big as it looks. The pickup truck has been kicked out of the garage to make way for Black Beauty. -Chuck | ||
| Julian Pham (Julian_Blk348)
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Chuck, Congrats! if this is the car from Rayco Eurospec, then it's the one I'd almost purchased. You can't go wrong with a Speciale. Welcome to our backruptcy club :-) Julian | ||
| stu cordova (Balataboy)
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Chuck- welcome to the gang and nice going! Congrats on an excellent and stunning choice. BTW - nice house too - is it yours? | ||
| Chuck Rine (Chuck348ts)
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David- I've been using some of your car pics as wallpaper on my PC at work (yesterday replaced with my own pics). I especially like your shot from the front quarter with the headlights popped up. My budget barely allowed this one, sold my soul so to speak as well as this summer's vacation. Sometime this summer I'll take it down to DC area - we haven't been to Tyson's in a while. I'll give a heads up. | ||
| David Albright (Dalbright)
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ALL RIGHT!!!! Beautiful car. The Speciale is my favorite 348 model and I just wish my budget had allowed it. I'm still extremely happy with mine though, and you'll see that you will be with yours. Best of luck and let me know if you're ever in the DC area. | ||
| Chuck Rine (Chuck348ts)
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Having trouble with the pic function, seems like everyone does at first. I think I get it now. Here's two more pics.   | ||
| Chuck Rine (Chuck348ts)
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Thanks to all you FerrariChat guys for great tips and advice. I've been monitoring postings here for the past 5 months trying to figure out which year and model to buy with my budget. At first, I thought a 328 would be good, but then I saw pics of David A.'s and Julian P.'s black 348ts's and thought - that is the best combo of style and color out there. So here I am 4 days and 250 miles later and no problems with 9300 miles on the odo.  |