Need some advice on my new 1991 Testarossa

Do a full major inspection and service. What is covered is listed in the service manual that anyone should have if they are going to undertake such a service - you or your mechanic. That way you start with a fresh car that you do not have to worry about. Without a service history this is the only way to go. I had a major done on my car on purchase, even though one had been done just a few years before. It gives me piece of mind.

CC

 

welcome to our sub-group. you will find a great many tr owners here and there will be lots of help for your taking.

enjoy your car as they are really special machines.

pcb

 

I believe you idle issue to be common. When I had my 86 brought up from Florida is behaved similar to yours, in the end a Ferrari tech got her dialed in.

Mind me asking what the shipping charges from Japan were? And where in Canada are you?

 

Im amazed at how people buy these cars sight unseen and with no records at all.. (shaking head)....congrats on your purchase. I hope you enjoy her in good health, but i need to be bold here for a second. The minimun you need to do is do the engine out service and do everything on the car (to start)...belts, hoses, waterpump....i think the money you spend upfront (though) alot will be well worth it. Then i think you can start to think of other things, tires, fuse box, shocks, brakes....i would be ready for a big bill, trs are high up there....and considering you have no history on this car, i would assume the worst (to be safe), and hope for the best.
Not trying to scare you, but i think you will need a ferrari guy to look at it, not just a poreche, benz guy, just to go over it correctly.
Just my .2cents.
Good luck !

 

i agree....
get a FULL service done..
when i got my testa it to had an idaling problem..
went to a ferrari specialist (not a dealer) 30seconds later problem fixed!!!...
that is the knowledge these guys have..
hopfully piece of mind once you have had the car fully checked/serviced!!
a real beauty though!!!

 

Congrats on your purchase. You went to Japan to buy a car? Are you crazy? You know how those guys drive? Ever see Tokyo drift? LOL

Seriously, you can look at Ricambi website (see sponsor page) major service parts kits. That will give you an idea what is involved. About 40-50 hours labor by a qualified F tech. Then look for threads on 'engine out service' in this subforum. Good luck.

 

What is a good website to surf the Japanese cars for sale? I have a sister who lives in Tokyo. Good excuse to visit her. Would I run into problems shipping a car into the USA vs Canada?

 

Hey man- congrats on the TR, you will love it more and more every day. I imported mine into Canada (from the U.S.) last year, and promptly had the major done at Ferrari of Ontario.

Food for thought: If you can arrange for relatively inexpensive shipping within Canada, have it trucked over to FoO in Toronto for the major and then sent back. I agree with others that you definitely want the engine out major done, with all required incidentals (tires, etc.), and you want an experienced Ferrari shop to do it (check with them first about servicing a Euro car, however). Sounds like you got a great deal, may as well spend the couple extra grand to make sure it stays that way.

Never driven a 348, but from what I understand it would be somewhat of a letdown after the TR. I gather it won't hold value as well either, say 10 years from now. I hear you about the 15-year rule, though, I'll be pissed if they raise it to 25 since I would definitely consider importing again, especially if the CAD remains high relative to USD. Instead, you should look for a 1992 512TR. Now if you see any F40s over there, definitely PM me...

Welcome to fchat, like many forums it has its fair share of A-holes, but most of the time you can get the info you need from good guys (and gals), especially here in this sub-forum!

 

If your stuck for service, ZR Auto here in Calgary is great.

And only $1800 from Japan, that is more then reasonable as I paid about that to have mine brought up from south Florida.

 

I must say that it is a misconception (although there are few hot heads) that owners here drive like mad. On the contrary, majority of the owners are people who buy F cars are weekend users, ie. garage queens. Legal requirements are very stringent also, thus on the whole, cars are in very good to excellent conditions. The only thing you need to watch out for are the dishonest dealers and accident cars. Most of you don't realize what bargains you can find, especially now that Yen is relatively weak against other currencies. I would say that one can purchase a nice TR in the range of under US$60ks now. As mentioned earlier, shipping fees run around +/- $2000 to North America. Just my two cents (yen ?). Jimmy

 

Great post, Jimmy. Nice to see someone post, from experience, about the market over there.

On that note, something that guys over here could really benefit from is establishing a relationship with a reputable agent or dealer that can perform a Pre-Purchase Inspection. Do you know of anybody?

 

I had my share of experiences w/ dishonest dealers in the past here. My learning curves' not the prettiest. If anyone's interested, I do know a few honest & reputable dealers, both private and official dealers in the Tokyo region, if anyone is interested and if I can be of any help. For example, there is this site that caters mainly to private party sellers and buyers, listing various makes and models. Right now in this site, there's three Ferrari Testas' for sale. 1986 Testa for 5,350,000 yen by private party, 1990 Testa for 7,250,000 yen by a dealer, and 1990 Testa for 8,600,000 yen by a private party. I don't mind listing the website, but it would be difficult for you guys to make any sense out of it (language). For example, earlier this year, one 575 was listed for sale by a private party here and it was listed for like half a year. The price was lowered two times and finally it got sold for like 14,000,000 yen. The condition was excellent and in my opinion, that was a good buy. Anyhow, let me know if I can be of help. Jimmy

 

Doing a quick Google search I came up with: http://www.terra2imports.ca/ferrari/

It would nice to have a few contacts / sources to access the overseas market, especially for prospective buyers.

 

Dear Ferraristi,

I too drive a 91 Testarossa. Congrats on a great car !

I'm glad you factored the major service in. That will give you great peace-of-mind. The idling issue will be resolved when you do the major. Both banks will be balanced and reset when the major is finished.

I would take the car to a dealer. I've had such bad experiences with non-dealers. For my 308 many many years ago..ok. A TR is really a different story. Give it to someone that has TR experience. I had the banks balanced 3 times by non dealers, Ferrari has a balancer machine + 3 hrs that does it just right. Sure you'll pay more, but my TR never felt better.

For parts you have ricambi and ferraripartsexchange.com I've had good expericence with both. Italiancarparts.com is expensive but great for replacement labels.


BTW, 1800 for shipping is great. I had my Lamborghini shipped from the dealer in Calf. to my home in FL and that cost me 2500 !

Shamile

Freeze...Miami Vice !

 

If you are looking for a service shop you have 2 choices.

Alessandro Import Motors in Calgary or Prancing Horse in North Vancouver. Do not go anywhere else. Trust me, been there.......done that.

Your car has no books and records.

So.......if you want to have a good Ferrari ownership experience, zero time the car, which means opening the wallet and preparing to spend $15-20K. Do not cut corners on experience. A mistake can cost you $25K +. I've seen timing belts put on 2-3 cogs off. These two guys are the most experienced with the older cars in the West.

Take the engine out, do the belts and tensioners, and since it is out and exposed, do the water pump and clutch. Also, do the plug extenders and look closely at your plug wires, since you may need those as well. Reverse flush the AC so you clean out the years of backlog and can be cool again. Also, you will probably want to buy a new fusebox, as mentioned, and get that done. And, if your brake rotors are relatively new, get them slotted and toss the OEM pads. Otherwise buy new rotors. Put in Porterfield pads and some good brake fluid. I used ATE blue in my TR. Buy your parts at www.ricambiamerica.com