Maserati Ghibli Prices

Chuck,

I have sold 4 Ghiblis over the last 12 months and I can tell you a lot depends on condition, features, color combination, how original the car is, how well documented the car is, tools/books/receipts, etc.

If you are looking at selling at the end of the year it makes little sense to do much research now as the market might drastically change. Prices might be as today, or they could double or the bubble might burst and your car worth 30% what it is today .... impossible to predict. Feel free to contact me offline ([email protected]) when you are ready to sell and I can advice you at that time.

I recently purchased a Ghibli SS that I am looking to sell in about 6 weeks. I will wait to the week before the car goes on the market before I price it. The market is that volatile.

Ivan

 

I didn't think Ghibli prices were high enough to be considered "in the bubble".

Most of what I've seen are relatively good deals.......but I'm not aware of what cars are trading for privately either.

Hopefully they're getting their due soon!

 

Asking prices today on autoscout [ and some have been up for a good while too ] in Euros of course

Its always good fun to search the sold selection on Gullwing Motorcars too to see how the basketcases seem to be getting up there too


http://www.gullwingmotorcars.com/sold-inventory.htm?limit=25&offset=450&order_by=&d=backw

Julian
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Hi Ivan,

Without talking about each specific car you have sold , would it be possible to tell us the appoximate range that you have sold in and the condition of these 4 cars? [ from and to ]


Julian

 

Hello,

I am about to spend quite a significant amount of money to restore my 4.7 Ghibli (1968)...

Apart from the joy of having a beautiful Ghibli, I was also wondering whether this was a sound financial investment. Given the figures I see today on the market, it seems so but your views are welcome.

In addition, how do you think the market appreciate the change of color of the car? Mine was originally rame metallizzato (copper) with white interior. However, a previous owner, for some reasons, changed the interior to red (it is brand new) and it does not match very well with the exterior color. So I was considering changing the color to a Azure celesto.

What do you think?

 

While it is not very efficient to give advice, over the internet, I'll try to give my opinion.

Once the original leather interior has been lost, then it doesn't really matter what you do from now on. The original leather is all that matters and with that lost then someone looking to buy an totally original car, will move on. So I believe that it depends on the buyer. Most buyers want an interior that has been replaced with the proper period-matching leather (same "grain", etc) and some others also care that the colour is the same as it left the factory.

 

here's one and a link to a few other results

Viewing Auction #400683893229 - EARLY 1967 GHIBLI 5-SP COUPE 73K ORIG KM CAL BLUE PLATES #MATCH SOLID ORIG FLRS | Keith Martin's Collector Car Price Tracker

Automoible Price Guide

 

It really depends on if you plan on selling it once complete? If yes, then the question is how fast can the work be completed to get the car on the market, before the bubble bursts. Make no mistake about it, if history tells us anything it is going to pop and it is not going to be pretty when it does.

If you don't plan to sell it, then put the money into and enjoy a great car.

 

Even if it weren't, the receding tide will lower all boats. If a million $ Countach were suddenly $350k again doesn't mean a $250k Ghibli will stay at $250k.

 

If you can afford the cost of the restoration then do it. if you have to justify the cost by what the car might be worth when its done then you might want to stand down... There are no guaranties the cars present values can be maintained, this is essentially a commodities market right now. Cars have been up and down before....
I'm one of those who thinks 100% or greater return in a year is a bit crazy...

I am restoring a Sebring S II, I started the project with a restorer years before the run up...i don't really care what the car is worth when I'm done, I'm just after a really nice Sebring.....

 

Think Ghibli's and cars in general are in a bubble/ over priced? Go check out a modern art auction, 90% of this modern art, and i use the word "art" loosely could be reproduced in a week or less, some in an hour or less. I guess i missed my calling, i should have recognized the paint i spilled on the floor well painting my lambo would be worth more in an art auction than my car in a car auction, foolish me..

 

Although I've been owning classic (old) cars for over 40 years, I've only recently moved into the world of Italian cars. Last year I spoke to a Maserati expert who mentioned that Ghiblis in the late 80's were valued at over $150K, as I remember. They took a steep dive in the early 90's and stayed low for about 20 years, until recently. If that's correct, it could happen again.

 

Ghibli spiders got as low as $40K and not all that long ago either. A lot of coupes got chopped for conversion back then. I wonder which is more valuable to today a top notch chopped coupe or a top notch coupe? I'm not certain that Ghibli coupes got quite as high as $150K at that time though. Certainly that was not typical like it is now. The spiders were the big thing. This is a huge bubble.

 

If you choose to rely on historical cycles you need to consider other economic variables prevailing at the time the markets crashed.

High interest rates is one way to crash a market, but unlike the 1991 crash, interest rates are at record lows.

Therefore it is essential to analyse who the current buyers are.

Are they wealthy with cash reserves or credit funded?

For instance I do not believe the 1962 Ferrari GTO will be subject to a crash because the current owners and future owners seem to be well endowed and will continue to be.

I have no idea when and if the market for Ghiblis and the like will crash because there are just too many variables to consider before one can express an informed opinion.

Everyone wants to be the hero who predicts the market crash.

My opinion is that everyone is just guessing and take comfort in historical cycles to support there view without undertaking a proper analysis of the current market and comparing the economic variables with those prevailing at the relevant times of past cycles.

A comparison of economic variables, and more importantly a comparison of the economic wealth of buyers for particular marque and model at the relevant times is a necessary precondition before embarking on a prediction as to what the market will do.

For the past 20 years until recently Ghiblis and Espadas were undervalued by the market.

Are they overvalued now, perhaps they are or will be, but they should never be undervalued as they were for the past 20 years again.

 

I agree with that. But there are light years separating a Ferrari GTO and Ghibli.

The Last time around most of the Ghiblis, Espadas, Boras, 400GTs etc never got top notch restorations before the crash and so with a very low market bottom yet huge expenses faced for a restoration all of these cars languished. In my view the crawl out of that bottom has been rather slow for the ugly step sisters of Ferrari with the Miura being the big exception. Then as some of these models became too expensive people looked elsewhere and so some of the earlier "others" marque's models began to rise. But once I saw $200K Espadas last year I became convinced that we are in bubble territory. It will be hard to pick which ones will drop precipitously and which do not. It's not all about how rare the cars are either. Miuras are not rare, neither are Ghiblis. I don't expect Miuras to ever bottom out again. Your guess is as good as mine with respect to Ghiblis. I think Espadas are very cool but I wouldn't consider their meteoric rise in the last year as money in the bank quite yet.

Interest rates were not at record highs in 1991 but what and how the Fed has juiced the stock market here has a lot to do with this bubble. I don't for a minute believe that there's an incredible surge of interest in vintage Italian cars as much as I think wealthier people see the quick gains and think this is an interesting way to make some money, for now ...


When it sours there will be a huge exit because enough of these folks are not hard core car guys like us nuts. There will be some great opportunities then.

And more cars got restorations this time around so that should help quite a bit for Ghiblis.

 

If you spend 100K just for the restoration, you will not give away your car for the half of its cost unless you are in financial trouble.

20 years ago the prices on these cars reached their top (for the time), but don't forget that in 1987 you needed $100k just to buy a 308 GTB. Now you see that only the most beautiful or rare cars have increased consistently their prices, but the "normal" classic cars remain stuck on low prices. Of course even these cars are trailed up by top-end cars prices but the trailing effect is way weaker.

And, don't forget that the classic car bubble of the late '80s, started when Ferrari passed away, lasted only 4-5 years. Now there are 10 years that the price growth raises continuously, and that's because two main reasons (IMO):

- Why invest in stocks after having seen what's happened six years ago? Better to invest in something that, at least, you can behold in your garage

- 20 years ago there were 150 million less of rich people (russian, India, China) who influence markets.

 

- 20 years ago there were 150 million less of rich people (russian, India, China) who influence markets.[/QUOTE]

In my view, this is a key factor in the "rising tide". With a huge surge in well heeled individuals who can influence markets of finite objects of desire like our cars, the bubble may have much more room to inflate.

 

I think we will all find out how much air is left in the bubble with the Monterey auctions. There are a number of very rare cars ( or cars that rarely come to auction ). Aside from the GTO there are 2 LM's, an original 3000 mile Daytona Spyder ext... This is the time for the " big boys " to open there wallet.

 

In my view, this is a key factor in the "rising tide". With a huge surge in well heeled individuals who can influence markets of finite objects of desire like our cars, the bubble may have much more room to inflate.[/QUOTE]

Seems like a sobering reality…and not too many Maseratis to go around.

 

Most of the car buyers in the BRIC countries with their new found wealth are more buyers for modern cars as opposed to Vintage collector cars. Except for Brazil and maybe a few in India there simply isn't a large experienced network to service and maintain Vintage cars. With the modern era cars the manufacturer is there setting up the network.

If you live in the US or Europe and just bought a Ghibli or Daytona, are you taking it to a Maserati or Ferrari dealership for service? Probably not, few of the techs at the dealerships have ever seen one yet alone worked on one. (Some dealerships do have vintage experience) But more than likely you will use an experienced independent with a long history of servicing the cars. Now imagine you live in China or Russia and just purchased a Ghibli or Daytona where are you going to go?

 

If you make a quick tour of the most known coackworks and mechanics (Sport Cars, Toni, Brandoli, Candini near Modena or at Dino “The artist” Cognolato (near Padova), you will see they’re plenty of cars (mostly Ferrari) sent by their owner from the USA just to have their bodywork done or just for a full service. I’ve seen with my eyes, around 20 years ago, a Ferrari Daytona Spider at Officina Rossi in Varese (near Milano) with its owner (and wife) from NY who brought the car there just to have a full service and then for a tour across Italy. Money resolves a lot of problems.

 

I do not really get this discussion.

First... you want to have such a car for the pleasure to drive and watch it. We are just care takers for the period we do own them.
Second... you can waste your money on so many things which seem to have importance for you... so why not for a beautiful car
Third... if you are only showing interest in not loosing money... you are the wrong care taker... then try to gamble with shares or gold or properties.

For me it is a question of attitude. A life-style.

Surely the Ghiblis were underestimated and that already only out of the reason that you need a lot of money to maintain them. You can see this with other cars where restoration or maintanance costs will be always bigger than that what you can achieve when selling (or must sell). Therefore you can find many Ghiblis in a very desperate state... as people did not invest enough to keep their state. Once their value is reflected by the prices to be achieved on the market... you can also see good samples running around. But then the next topic comes into the game... what about originality?

 

It is simple. Some people don't really care about the cars or the driving, it is just business to them, they buy them and sell them like any other thing. Others use them as alternative investment methods, like art pieces. Then there are those who offer services to the cars (paint, mechanics, spare parts, all kinds of crooks, etc). The actual "driver" owner is just a small piece in a very large pie.

 

I have more respect for s.o. making business restoring cars in perfect original cond. than for another one who keeps jealously his gem in a barn. Worse, in a field.

As we use to say down there : "Chacun voit midi à sa porte".