Beware of Ebay Mondial QV in New York

"Sunroof needs a new cable - this is a common Ferrari issue and the unit is a Mercedes Benz unit so the cable is not hard to get and have repaired."


Is this true? The sunroof motor (and/or other components) are MB pieces?

Thanks

Sid


P.S - The bids look shady. It seems the same bidder drove it from $12K to $15K.

 

Stephane,

Thank you for the heads up. One great example of Mondial brotherhood, safeguarding the community from moneypits. Unfortunately as time goes by, I have come across an incresingly bigger number of unscrupulous dealers/private sellers. Behaviours one wouldn't expect from a guy selling a car like a Ferrari. You can never be too careful. And unfortunately the kind of money a Ferrari costs to buy attracts all sorts of ideas to people who only care about making a buck with the means justifying the ends.

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

Plus, this never sounds good:

Vehicle History Report Not Available.


The seller didn't enter the vehicle identification number correctly.
The vehicle is too new to have a history report.
The vehicle was manufactured prior to 1981.
The vehicle didn't have a 17-digit vehicle identification number.
The vehicle wasn't intended for the US market (such as limited production exotics).

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

This is a euro version I believe. Mine also is a 1985 on the title but I have always thought it to actually be a 1984 because it is a 3.0 and other subtle parts differences. car fax and others do not recognize the vin for some reason. I see he has good feedback but not for car sales. We always have to be careful.

 

There is 7 Mondial's on Feebay now.

 

Further to this....the verbatim answer I get from the seller @ the VIN and sunroof assertion..

I read this on the Ferrari forums and I also heard that the Porsche 928 cable will work as well and I own a 928 and that sunroof unit is definitely a MB unit. I have never done the swap so cannot be certain but there are a few guys out on the forums who have and they have posted the methods. As for VIN I am away and will not make it back home prior to end of auction. The plate is there you can do a carfax search that way if you like sorry. Remember the car needs the 50K service right now, All belts (Time etc.) cam seals, valve cover seals, lower pan seals, valve adjustment etc. which requires you pull the engine. Car will start and drive right now but you are playing with fire if you do not do the 50K service very soon.

Walk away....

 

If I read his ad correctly, then the timing belts haven't been changed in 30k miles, which probably translates to 10 or 15 years given the mileage. I wonder what else has been neglected......fuel lines, suspension, etc.....

 

It is a euro version Mondial QV (K-Jet without Lambda).

 

QV manufactured before 1981??????

 

Mark,

I (or rather ebay) listed several possibilities (by default) to account for the missing VIN in the ad. That was just one of them, that in this case doesn't apply.

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

Don't the yellow lights indicate that the car was originally for the French market?
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Probably, but like wheels, such things are easily changed. I was more commenting that the reason eBay couldn't recognize the VIN is that it is a non-US version car, not just a "european car" as the Seller suggested (i.e., anyone selling a european version F in the US who doesn't mention DOT/EPA documentation is already a little to the bad side IMO).

 

the lights almost don't look like Ferrari. My lights are clear. The front side lights also look dot because the euro lights are very thin. This also has the rear fogs lights. the north American cars I believe did not have them. also the exhaust was covered by a sort of louvered cover

 

The thing is: Mine is a Euro version and I checked the VIN against several formats (comparison of each letter/number with Ferrari's VIN format) and every number/letter matched. Mine's an '85. I also sent the VIN number and my "new" owner registration to Maranello, so I'm on record with Ferrari as the current owner of XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. Point is: it's Euro and it's an '85. Don't understand what's going on with this guy and e-Bay.

 

Ebay's system does not recognize euro VINs or non 17 digit vins in one of the steps of the listing process. It's not a big deal. if the VIN has been provided in the description one should be able to decode it no problem. It's simply a compatibility issue with one of the steps in the ebay process...

 

Hello, seems as the seller is providing what a seller would need. He added this to the Ebay listing:


On Mar-20-15 at 10:03:55 PDT, seller added the following information:


TO ALL BIDDERS WHO HAVE NEVER OWNED A FERRARI BEFORE!!!! JUST BECAUSE THE MONDIAL IS THE INEXPENSIVE ENTRY LEVEL CAR INTO THE WORLD OF FERRARI OWNERSHIP DOES NOT MEAN ITS AN INEXPENSIVE CAR TO MAINTAIN!!!! IT COSTS JUST AS MUCH AS EVERY OTHER FERRARI TO MAINTAIN!!!!

IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE YOUR RESEARCH ON THE COST OF MAINTENANCE FOR THIS CAR AND FERRARI'S IN GENERAL AND PARTICLUARLY THE COST OF THE 50,000 MILE SERVICE AND WHAT AMOUNT OF WORK IS REQUIRED THEN ...

DO NOT BID!!!!!!!!!

IF YOU CANNOT MAINTAIN YOUR OWN FERRARI'S THEN I ADVISE THAT YOU EITHER HAVE VERY DEEP POCKETS OR YOU BUY A LESS EXPENSIVE COLLECTOR CAR TO MAINTAIN!!!! I MAINTAIN ALL OF MY CARS MYSELF FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS AND THAT INCLUDES A TOTAL OF 27 PORSCHE'S, 5 FERRARI'S, 3 LOTUS', 6 BMW'S, CHEVROLET CORVETTE. I OWN ALL THE TOOLS AND HAVE MULTIPLE GARAGE SPACES. IF YOU WANT A MONDIAL THAT NEEDS NOTHING YOU NEED TO PAY INTO THE $25K AREA. MY CAR IS IN GREAT SHAPE BUT AS THE AUCTION STATES THE MAJOR 50,000 MILE SERVICE IS REQUIRED RIGHT NOW.

 

This seems to support what the OP posted about the guy being rude! Some of what the seller says is true, but no need to say it in this way imo. Obviously he's not very happy with some of the inquiries and questions he's been receiving, but he's gotta remember that these are "customers". You have to be nice and entertain them no matter how stupid the questions are. When I sold my 308, I had some questions that I couldn't believe I was receiving, but I kept my cool and just answered them as nicely as I could. It's all a part of selling a car imo. If you don't wanna deal with it.......sent it to a broker or car dealership and put it on consignment.

 

"INEXPENSIVE"? "ENTRY LEVEL"? The irony would be these cars skyrocketing in value, the year before all fossil fuel consumption is banned But I'm not cynical

What does the 50,000 mile service entail anyway? Basic major +???

 

Usually yes -> legislation at the time. I kind of have a soft feeling for the French nuances. Either your like it.. or not.

 

No it doesn't. A Mondial is cheaper than most, which imho is a huge plus. A V12 is more expensive. Even in the V8 world, a 355 for instance will blow away a Mondial bill. A Mondial may not need an engine out service, doesn't have exhaust manifold issues, etc, etc. Parts aren't as hard to find as, lets say, a Daytona. Even within the Mondial family, a cabriolet in terms of maintenance has other issues that a coupe may not encounter. "Every other Ferrari" is a term difficult to grasp, as most have their own idiosyncrasies. He himself seems to fail to understand this, and yet tells inexperienced prospective buyers to go and educate themselves. Ironic.

Great marketing skills.

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

Agree with Alf. It is obvious that the Mondial is one of the more affordable Ferraris, this allowed me to own one. And no, not all Ferraris cost the same to run and maintain. Looking at parts costs alone, there is even a significant difference between the 8 and qv. Is this not great news? The mondial gives you a great piece of kit at a reasonable price, technology which isn't intimidating and 80s style! 3 ticks! If I am comfortable with what I own, the joy of driving is not tainted.

There is no saying that the car being sold is a bad one, past care it has had is far more important than the seller. Though I don't think the ad does any favours