Buying a Ferrari online - How do I "check it out"

Are you worried about mechanical flaws? Have a PPI done before you buy the car if you are worried about that.

 

Mods are usually pretty easy to identify just from pictures. Anyone who does a thorough PPI will certainly point them out.

 

First I would get the phone number and actually talk to the owner (not text or email) as this will give you an idea of who the owner is. Second, I would run Carfax or similar service. Carfax is not a "tell all" but it will at least give you an idea of an accident and the car's owner history (how many owners and for how long). Next I would negotiate a price then have a PPI done. Hope this helps.

 

After the PPI, I would personally fly out to see the car. The cost is minimal for the peace of mind. Many people don't but I would. Also be prepared for the car to blow you away when you see it. I've yet to see pictures do these cars justice.

 

Call us. Automotive International | Automotive International
We can help with the process. Please call or just stop by and we can talk. We have done many PPI's on Ferraris over the last 15+ years. We are very familiar with 430's. We can help you through the process to understand what to look and to expect from a properly done PPI. Also we can help you understand the significance of any findings, normal or not and how critical to the decision. Of course if you would like to have someone travel with you to inspect the car we have done this several times for clients. Look forward to meeting you.

Sean
Automotive International
704-521-2886

 

if you find a car in another city have a thorough talk with the dealer...if you have serious interest, ask the dealer if he will agree to a local PPI. Then go to one of the sections for that city here on F-Chat and ask the members for PPI suggestions. I bought a 430 from Houston and a 328 that was in Boise Idaho and had no trouble getting a professional, inexpensive PPI on each car

 

I concur with everyone's information. That is exactly the routine I followed during my buying process. The only addition is try to get your hands on service records. It will not only give piece of mind the car was taken care of, but will help in the resale process.

Good luck and let us know how things turn out!!

Deiger

 

Welcome to the site! I am assuming you're looking for a particular spec? Just asking because there are two F430 Spiders I know of for sale from established dealerships in the Charlotte area.

 

I second Sean's suggestion! The team at Automotive International is great and if it were not for them, I probably would not be a multiple Ferrari owner here in the Charlotte area. Just last weekend Sean and I travelled up to Connecticut to look at a 246 Dino that I wound up buying. His opinions and knowledge of the cars are invaluable and the things he will find on a PPI will more than pay for the trip by either helping you negotiate the price down or just passing on the car because of too many issues.

 

I traveled to Charlotte and Raleigh from Hilton Head to look at a couple of Ferraris (in my case 360's) because I'd never sat in one (I'm 6'5") let alone driven one. The more 430's you can look at, walk around, crawl under and hopefully test drive, the better you will feel about buying one remotely. I easily spend 9 months looking for the Spider I currently have. I even put a few offers on the table before doing my deal. I have to say, talking with the owner is a must do. I rejected more than a few cars because the guys were absolute jerks on the phone.

Do your due dilligence on a particular car but also do your homework on 430's as a whole. Stupidity is expensive! Travel is cheap!

Which guy in white pants would you buy a Ferrari from?
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Post on the Texas section. There is a good chance one of the members will go check out the car for you. There is a good shot to get a 430 owner to go look at it.

 

I bought mine sight unseen from a south florida used car dealership!

I didn't sleep for like a week!

The photos of the car online will give you a 20% idea on the condition of the car. The PPI will confirm it and give you another 75%. That last 5% are things that they're not going to see in the PPI. But the major things will be covered. Use this site and as above in the section where you're looking at the car to source a PPI provider and others on the ground so to speak.

When you buy it they may use a registration and title service. That's what the dealer did with me and it was easy to work with. You send them documentation and they register it for you. Again.. I never did this before and it made me nervous.. but it worked out fine.

Payment for me was FedEx'ing them the check and then for the transport I used FedEx car service (passport). USE YOUR OWN CAR TRANSPORT SERVICE SO IT GETS DELIVERED IN AN ENCLOSED TRAILER!!!!! So many on this site have used whatever the dealer recommended and the car arrives a few weeks later on an open transport with leaves and god knows what else on it, surrounded by dented Civics and Buicks on either side. Make sure you use a reputable carrier. I really liked Passport, intercity and others listed here on this site will work well. It's more expensive but you pay for what you get.

Good luck! When it arrives at the house in the big white box, take lots of pictures. Its better than Christmas!

 

Mark Darragh Sphere 832 277 7062. PM me if you want more info Keith

 

Isix. Lots of good advice above. The seller will most likely "suggest" method of payment. I wired the dough. I had good previous experiences with InterState although TX to NC is usually a two week minimum wait with them. Reliable is another good carrier and insist on closed and covered, no chain tie downs, etc. have your insurance in place prior to shipping. The Texas temp tags are good for 60 days and you will not need NC inspection to register it here (wait until last possible date to register).

 

Ah, I see. Can't argue with you, I'm a manual guy too. Keep an eye on Metrolina Auto Group's site...they get some manual exotics in from time to time, and just sold a manual F430 coupe a couple months back.

Also, MAG usually lists F1 cars as automatic and three pedal cars as manual, something that isn't very common among most dealerships today...

 

Here is a manual F430 Berlinetta with low miles:
Ferrari 430 Coupe | eBay

Not cheap, though.

 

Isex

Thank you for the kind words. Sean and I appreciate it. She is GORGEOUS!!

Peter

 

Isex , nice rig congrats bro ! Enjoy !

 

Wow! Now that is a sweet setup! Hopefully I'll have a chance to see it around in Clt either at the 'Ferraris at Morrison' show or otherwise just driving around on the streets like it's meant to be!