| Author |
Message |
Martin (Miami348ts)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 8:58 am: | |
I can feel my car acking when I have it in the shop for aa week or longer and it does not get moved. Everything is stiff. Needs 10 Miles to losen up and be open again. That is the tranny imagine what it does to all the other parts.
JP I think you are wrong on that. That is certainly not enough for a Ferrari. I would be worried if I were you. Drive it and beat it and it will love you! |
Frank Parker (Parkerfe)
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - 8:36 am: | |
J.P., I'm so sorry to hear of your condition, "Aversion to driving your Ferrari". It's so sad. It's symptoms often start with an owner thinking of his mass produced, 1980s/90s Ferrari as an investment . If not soon treated , leaks develope which require extensive repairs to remedy. I hope you're better soon. |
J.P. Foliguet (Jpf)
| | Posted on Monday, October 29, 2001 - 8:55 pm: | |
Paul:
You are reinforcing the theory that I might be able to make a living swapping high mileage ferraris for low mileage ferraris.
I purchased a '95 348 spider in '97 with 2000 miles. It now has 9700. I use it every other weekend. In the winter--maybe not for a month sometimes. I have done nothing but change the fluids each year and did the 15k service last year. My neighbor only uses his during the summer and gets a fluid change on Memorial Day and that's it. No worries.
Your theory may be right for 250 or a 275 but not for a 90's ferrari. |
Paul Sloan (Sloan83qv)
| | Posted on Monday, October 29, 2001 - 8:48 pm: | |
10 to 30 miles every other weekend wouldn't maintain most lawnmowers let alone a Ferrari.
Sarcasm aside 10 to 30 miles every other weekend is not near enough to maintain mechanical integrity, most garage queens sit for months at a time espically durning the winter months. Anyone who buys a low mileage older ferrari and expects to drive it better plan on having a real good roadside assistance program and a large amount set aside for repairs. (I always thought you buy a Ferrari to drive it.....Silly me).
To think otherwise goes against the realities of engineering. |
J.P. Foliguet (Jpf)
| | Posted on Monday, October 29, 2001 - 8:26 pm: | |
Touche guys. I was referring to the 15K service. I paid $3500 for the 15k from a great, but unauthorized dealer. This week's FML editorial is spot on but the sellers are still in major denial.
Example: the 355 GTS on ebay for $135k |
Martin (Miami348ts)
| | Posted on Monday, October 29, 2001 - 8:23 am: | |
Just did my 30K service. I bought the parts in Germany $2000 (incl break pads), plus a waterpump at Nicks $ 800, which saved me there right away $3000 in just parts. Between taking the engine out of the 348 and have it in pieces and put it back together and back in the car there were another 45h of mechanic to be paid with little parts, tax and there was another $3000. So in all the 30K will cost at Ferrari in the US $8000, I saved some money and only paid $ 6000. The break pads were not a 30K service item, so I paid really for the 30K only $ 5300. The waterpump is something not everybody changes when they should at the 30K. That is why some have lower 30K inspection costs. The pump is $1700 when bought through FNA. |
Frank Parker (Parkerfe)
| | Posted on Sunday, October 28, 2001 - 8:45 pm: | |
You may be correct that some low mileage owners do drive their cars a little every few weeks or so. However, there are others that seem to only drive their cars a few times a year, if that much. Especially non-enthusiast owners who think of the car as an investment. How else could you explain 20 year old cars with less than 10,000 miles ? Or the two year old 360 mentioned in the FML with less than 300 miles ! And , I'm not sure that driving a car 30 to 40 miles a month is enough to keep the seals and gaskets in good condition and maintain the over all intregity of the car. As far as rock chips and spoiler damage is concerned, that's just some of the price of enjoying your car on the roads. That's what bras and touch-up paint are for. And cosmetic repair cost are the least expensive of Ferrari repairs. By the way, where can you get a 30,000 mile service on a 348 for only $3500.00 ? |
J.P. Foliguet (Jpf)
| | Posted on Sunday, October 28, 2001 - 6:09 pm: | |
I am not a Ferrari dealer. I am an enthusiast like most of you with a strong grasp of my local
market. Specifically for 348 Spiders. The reason why there is such a great disparity between low mileage and high mileage late models ferraris is for two reasons:
1. An abundance of low mileage Ferraris. For most, a Ferrari is a third or maybe even fourth vehicle and the owners use it as a "fair weather ride" On Sunny days they drive in a circle and rarely park it in public areas.
2. Cost of the 15K service. In urban areas, a 15K service can be +$3.5K This tends to knock off $5K in market values (don't question the math, it is just the way it seems to be.)
Please note that given the driveability of the 355's with the easier 6spd manual and the F package there is less variance here. Owners have been driving them more given this level of user friendliness. The 355 market, while still mileage sensitive, is not as linked as it is in the 348 Spider market.
Additionally, the 348 Spider is not a Lexus. The build quality is average. High mileage ones +15K, tend to have damaged spoilers, lots of paint chips (due to the weak factory paint jobs,some rattles and are not as tight as the < 10K cars. It is rational that low mileage late model Ferraris trade at a premium.
The argument raised on this forum by F. Parker that low mileage cars have more problems than higher mileage cars is only relevant to owners who keep their cars in their garages for months at a time without use. Most low mileage owners use their cars every other weekend or so (10-30 miles) to maintain mechanical integrity.
To the non-believers, I will gladly trade your low mileage Ferrari for a high mileage one if you believe it would provide you less mechanical uncertainty. I am ready to entertain swaps for any model. |
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