Missed the "perfect" car - am depressed

(Warning, long post)

Ok,

So I've only been on FChat for about 4 months after looking at a GT4 and not buying. Since I'm not a mechanic, everyone said go for the 328.

I thought I found the perfect car for me, it is 87 328 Black / Red at FOW with 24K miles. Posted to the list SEVERAL times about questions on the car. The major thing was the "missing" service record for the last major done at FOW.

Several of the FChatters in the DC area knew the car, at least 2 drove it. One was there, called me while he was there and described the car and even took pictures and emailed them to me.

Everyone said it should be in the lower 40s and that they were too high at 49.9 even 47.5. The lower 40s matched my budget, so . . . . .

After a loooooong period of me questioning whether or not to buy it (without a PPI btw even though everyone recommended it), I got a loan secured (one of those blank check deals from CapitalOne) and was ready...... All I had to do is make the offer.

So.... I call today to make the offer after waiting for a fax this weekend of the "missing" service record. The dealer just told me it sold on Saturday.

DAMMIT! I mean this car sat there for a WHOLE YEAR. I was not in a hurry, I figured I did things right, took my time, researched the model to find out the nuances. And I missed it :-(.

Dealer sold it for 45K, good money, and a bit more than I was going to offer.

It would have been the perfect car for me, it was not the traditional "Ferrari Red", I liked the idea of being unique. The red interior was awesome, but I think thats why it was there for a year, it was harsh to the eyes if you didn't like it.

Oh well, the search starts over.

James in Denver
http://inventory.fwash.com/car/site/site.php?view=pur-information-f&context=inventory__1&vid=76

(Yes Rob, I know your car is still available, but its a bit high for my budget range if I include taxes / title and shipping. I'll still consider it though.)

 

If you want it you have until Oct. 6th to make a deal---after that she is headed to Chicago ---What is your budget??? I may be able to work the numbers a SMALL bit...Send me a PM if your serious--I will flat out tell you whether we can work some thing....

 

james,

if you're ever in the wash dc area and want to see the car, stop by my dad's garage! sorry, i guess i sniped it from right under you!

the second car on my list was 285ferrari's car. the red/tan combo was really the only reason it was no. 2.

but don't sweat it. i've missed the "perfect" a few times myself. the good thing is, another will pop up at some point. be patient.

john

 

I wouldn't worry about it very much. I learned a long time ago that there's a deal for cars, boats and houses around every corner. Some deals that I thought were very good deals turned out to be otherwise. Just keep looking and don't get in a hurry. There will be another deal that comes along and you'll forget about the one you lost.

Bob Wassam

 

I once missed a perfect 1986 red 3.2 Mondial in Florida that had 7K miles on it and looked like it just came fresh out of the factory. Even the tan leather in the driver's seat looked brand new. I called the guy who was nice and courteous over the phone and answered all of my questions. I sat on it for three days, called the guy back and the car was gone!!! He sold it four hours prior for less than I was willing to pay him! That was the perfect car to me and I let it go. I then decided not to beat myself up over it, because unless you have owned and driven the car for a while you will never know if it indeed was the "perfect" car.

James in Denver, there will be another opportunity. Keep looking!

 

At least I know another FChatter got it. Sending you PM.
James in Denver

 

Hang tight, another one will come along.

I actually hemmed and hawed on the 328 I ended up buying last year (was still thinking 308 at the time), and it sold to one of the dealer's neighbors/friends, who kept it a whopping 5-6 months or so. After it was marked 'sold' on the web site, I came up with all kinds of reasons why it wasn't the right one -- all b.s., by the way.

When the car reappeared on the dealer's web site after a don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it stay with the dealer's neighbor, I rubbed my eyes and knew that St. Enzo was up there looking out for me. I bought it, and the car's been a dream.

BTW, I know it's counterintuitive, but don't quibble over a couple thousand bucks next time. It's a Ferrari. Your two front driving light lenses cost that much.

 

Don't worry, another car will come up.
When I first brought my Ferrari, same thing happened, but the one I eventually got was better than the one I missed.
Don't overpay but don't quibble over a few thousand if it has everything you want on it.

 

plenty of deals like that around. why do you think it sat so long? if it was the perfect car or deal you never would have even heard about it.

 

Interior color was bright lipstick red - not appealing to everyone.

 

Yeah, I think the color did make it sit for a while. The "missing" service was the other issue.

However, the more I thought about that color combo, the more it appealed to me.

Alas, it wasnt meant to be. I'll keep looking, found a lead on a 348 (posted in the 348/355 area) and we'll see how that turns out. If not, I'll keep looking, I'm not in a hurry, to many "bad cars" or "misrepresented cars" or "salvage cars" or "cars that the owners think they're all that and a bag of chips cars" out there. Finding the right car can be a b*tch and I've only been looking for 4 months.

James in Denver

 

One thing about taking some time to look is that you will get past the "holy cr@p it's a Ferrari" giddiness that most of us experience and take a harder look at the different models and colors. I started out looking at a black/red 85 308, but never warmed to the colors (it sat for a while). The first 328 I looked at was black/black. I loved it, but the paint was mediocre, records were missing, etc. Next one was blu chiaro/crema and I realized the black interior wasn't my cup of tea. Then white/tan. Red/tan, which surprisingly disappointed me, although I liked it on the 308. (I'm in the tiny minority about red 328s.) And so on. Finally black metallic/tan, which just bowled me over.

Also, I staggered back and forth between the 308, 328 and 355, which were in my price range. I spent time here and in the real world asking about costs and such, went over and introduced myself to the local Ferrari guru/tech, emailed another tech up in LA, and generally got a lot smarter about which models had which weaknesses.

Basically, I think if I had found the Right Car the first week I was looking I would have been a naive owner who didn't know enough about, or properly appreciate, what he was driving. So, don't be depressed about it. Part of the fun is learning about the cars.

My two lira...

 

First thanks for the "words of encouragement". I'm ok with it taking a while, I want a car that I can keep for a while, not buy on a whim then want to sell it a year later cause the "excitement" wore off.

Curious, why not the 348? I saw your post in response to mine in the 348/355 with some of the issues that the 348 may have. Was it the appearance? The "reputation" for being a maintenance nightmare? The performance (as compared to the 355, but that seems counter-intuitive since you were looking at 308/328s)?

James