Seriously Considering 1995 456 6 speed - what am I missing?

I bought a '95 456 GT 6 speed one year ago, and while I like the car I haven't had much of an opportunity to drive it, as it still needs to be "sorted out" to my satisfaction.

It is plagued with electronic gremlins, specifically recurring Check Engine Light and Slow Down 7-12 light, with it once seeming to shut down that bank of cylinders.

I bought SRI's fix for the electric problems, the gold pin connector kit, but gave up on doing the installation myself.

So, I am waiting to ship the car to SRI's shop in Boulder for Dave and his daughter to "fix it."

I really like the car, except for the electronic issues, and am cautiously optimistic that once it is "fixed," it will provide lots of reliable service.

This has been extremely frustrating to me, because I am a competent shade tree mechanic, but this car demands more expertise than I can provide.

My advice: be prepared to pay for competent help.

"If you want to run with the big dogs, you have to lift your rear leg up high."

 

A few pointers: belts should have been done no later than every three years...

Early cars ( and this is an early one) ran into valve guide problems. This usually occurred somewhere around the 50, 000 km mark (30k miles). Very expensive to fix.

Electronic gremlins are more a pain than anything else

I would largely recommend an M ( had one and did 20,000 kms in 2 years trouble free) but you need to make sure the valve guides have been done!!

Good luck

 

I have an early 456 and do not have valve problems.
As far as I know, there was only one member here who had a documented valve problem.
Window issues can be addressed and solved relatively inexpensively.
Check engine lights and slow down lights do come up from time to time: the best cure for those is to get armed with patience and start from the least expensive possible component and work your way up the list.
The devil is never as bas as it appears to be!!
Do not expect the local F dealer to be able to solve your problems.
They are typically trained on the more recent cars and often do not go beyond plugging the computer and reading what the computer tells them to do.
You need to find an independent that is capable of using his brain, that knows what he is doing and that is able to think outside the box.
Ferraris are no different from other cars: what makes them tick is what makes other cars tick.

 

Agree with above. Have a 95 456. Bought it with lots of little things to sort out. Look at it as fun. Dont take Ferraris seriously, enjoy the drive ,the power train is great, the chassis leaves a lot to be desired,but mine runs quite reliably now. Be prepared to occasionally come home on the back of a towtruck( like Walter Mattau in the old movie, a new leaf). Buy a workshop manual and enjoy.

 

what you might be "missing" is that, beyond what you've mentioned, you'll be maintaining a $200 000 Ferrari...not a $40-50 000 Ferrari.

you may not be "missing" it, but if you are, you need to be aware of that fact.

 

About the 456 vs 456M: I would reccomend you to go and testdrive both of them. The cars look pretty similar (I like the std 456 better when it comes to looks), but I believe the interior is a lot more modern (in my opinion). The M also does have ASR/anti spin. It is very handy when driving in wet conditions. The V12 can spin those rear wheels at 70+ mph in 3rd gear!

About the quality: I personally feel the 456 is a very robust car and should not get you in trouble if you find one that is perfect. Ware on brakes, tires etc is like any other car, except that it is more epencive to replace. But I guess you can afford that if you have a 200.000 USD supercar. Because it is really an outstanding automobile. Unlike the 308/328/348/355. This is a quality car that I would compare with cars like BMW and Audi. (but they also have their problems!)

Good luck with the purchase!

Erik

 

Just be aware that maintaining the car can be a very pricey proposition, 456 or 456M. A car with 30K miles may have the beginnings of valve guide problems. (Over the summer, of necessity, I had my guides replaced and new valves custom-ground from Manley blanks, along with the 30K service, including belts. I also had my motormounts replaced with the improved 575 mounts. The cost was well into the $teens of thousands).

You'll need to look at leather shrinkage/cracking issues, sticky hvac control surfaces, the early 456's variable spoiler, alarm siren battery status (cheap but annoying to replace; use a corvette module), shock actuator wire twisting and the suspension failure light, be sure to have the red as well as two black fobs; know the radio alarm code and lots of other things you ordinarily wouldn't think about in a car purchase. I'm sure I forgot some issues, but those are the ones that most readily come to mind.

 

While I, too, would prefer the involvement and sense of connection that comes with a manual gearbox, I still chose an automatic M over a manual 456 given my driving environment (more importantly, I didn't come across a good manual M until years after my current purchase).

The manual is great if you will primarily be driving on winding rural or suburban roads, but the stop and start slog of city or commuter traffic can take a lot of the joy out of a manual box and, on long interstate runs, there's no difference. The automatic can handle the torque just fine and, properly maintained, has not shown any problems; the stories are mostly "what if" urban myths. I know of only one reported case (Hong Kong, I think) where there was a reported auto failure.

 

Have you considered this car?
http://inventory.racperformance.com/web/used/Ferrari-456-GT-1995-Dallas-Texas/814176/

This is a well-respected shop by the local Dallas guys. Talk to Jonathan.

I have seen this car and know that it is very nice.

 

I have just purchased a 97 6 spd 456 GT but don't have it yet, so can't answer your questions. I did purchase it with a view of using it as a DD though. That won't mean a lot of use for me as I travel a lot, so maybe 3-4,000 miles a year maximum.

I do love that colour combo and wished I could have found one similar, I took the next best option IMO with LeMans Blue over Tan.

I couldn't find an M either and this was a response to my initial queries regarding one that I thought I should share here

So that left me with waiting for an M for I didnt know how long, as there are even fewer RHD versions, buying an auto or finding the best 456 GT I could find. I really didn't want an auto and didn't like my chances re waiting so I took the plunge with my 97 456 GT.

Unfortunately I can't tell you how its worked out yet, but I can't wait to get a hold of it to find out.

 

Congratulations Darren, I sincerely hope you will enjoy it, I think you will. Great choice for a DD car, especially if you don't drive much, you might as well. How many people can say that they have a Ferrari for that purpose? Post some pics as soon as you have it!