If it were me I would spend the extra bucks and get an 85.5 or later car. They have many improvements over the early cars and will be worth more for resale.
I went through Leesburg last evening and saw a yellow 348 Spider for sale at the corner lot right across from Johnson's Char House. Toggie, any way to stop by and see what's up? COMPLETELY suspect car of course, but if it's cheap enough a very rare find for someone to resurrect.
***** Any one looking for a '05 F430 Spider TDF Blue/Tan interior, 6300 miles, nav,shields and extended Ferrari warranty, friend is selling car for $260,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you want details pm me asap and i will get you in touch with him. Robert
there was a yellow 348 spider that was on cars.com a little while back, which i inquired about. no records, not sure when the last major was done, around 40-50K miles, no significant info available from the seller. it was selling fairly cheap, but a really good PPI is important. john
Okay, I took on the assignment of visiting the used car sales place in Leesburg that is selling the 348 Spider. First of all, I am not a 348 expert and not up-to-speed on things to look for on that model car. Supposedly the car is listed for sale on AutoTrader.com but I couldn't find it on that website. The car looks pretty good to fair overall. It is a 1994 Ferrari 348 Spider. It has 29,452 miles. Yellow with black interior. VIN is ZFFRG43A1R0098131. Asking price is $49,995. Condition of the car is okay. Body panels look good, edges are straight. Wheels have no curb rash. Car needs to be detailed (dust, road dirt near fenders, etc.). Front fender could have been repainted (confirmed by dealer). Criswell dealership sticker above rear bumper is not a plus. Side bolster to driver's seat has quite a bit of wear. Area around shifter is sticky - could have had some sort of trim piece attempted to be glued there in the past (maybe carbon fiber or aluminium?) Dealer is a nice guy. Seems like a straight shooter. Has been in business for 12 years in same location. Claims to have no negative posts on BBB (better business bureau) which, for a used car dealer, is a major accomplishment. His name is Arnie Raley. His typical car is a used Honda or Toyota. He says he usually has $6k to $7k in cost on a car that he sells for $10k to $11k. He got the 348 as part of a 20 car deal with Criswell Chevy dealership in MD (all used cars). So, his cost on the 348 is extra low. He knows they typically sell for $70k to $75k but he is looking to move the car quickly. In a week or so, he is going to auction it off at the regional Manheim dealers auction for high-end sports and luxury cars. So he has priced the 348 similar to what he will get for it at the auction. The main reason he took the car as part of the 20 car auction is he knew it would attract attention for the 2 weeks he is going to keep it in inventory. His hope is that is would bring in the foot traffic for the kind of cars he typically sells. He believes the typical Ferrari buyer is choosey and it will take too long to make a deal happen, which is why he predicts he will likely end up auctioning off the car. He thinks the car is a good one and that at just under $50k it is a good value. He says everything works on the car. He knows the typical buyer will do a detailed PPI at FOW or some other mechanic and he is okay with that (at the buyer's expense). He's driven the car. He says it starts right up, runs well, handles well, no frame rust or issues, no mechanical issues he can detect, etc.) It passed the MD safety and emission inspection recently so he doesn't see any issues with that in VA or elsewhere. He has a full CarFax report on the car. He let me look at it and he pointed out the main pieces of data. Car has had 5 or so owners over the years. Sold new in San Antonio, TX then went to Coronado/San Diego, CA, then Scottsdaile, AZ, then back to Texas, then CT, then Criswell in MD. Car had the 25k major service done near 25k miles. Car was first sold by Crisswell at 27k miles. 2k miles later, car was traded back in to Crisswell in MD. I told him the asking price kind of made me nervous. It seems a full $10k lower than a typical "good price" for a Spider. He chuckled and said he agreed. He said, but from his point of view, the cash he has tied up in this car is equal to 8 to 10 times the wholesale cash he typically has in used Hondas or Toyota cars he sells, so he wants to move out the 348 quickly, one way or the other. So, the bottom line is the car is okay or even "better than okay" and doesn't look like the typical "fright pig" you see on used car lots. Obviously, get a good PPI if you want to buy this car. Here are some close up pics I took of the car today: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Is it just me or does the front bumper look a lil less yellow than the rest of the car or is it the pictures?
hmmm... this car does not offend me as much as I thought it would.... I hope it checks out. '94 was that a single disk or dual disk clutch? Also was it still a single timing belt for both banks or was it two belts?
Thats a nice looking car. Nice write up Ron, thanks... I think the price is OK, not too low. If that car could be had for 45k, I think it might be a really good buy. Yellow suits the 348 spider well. JB, are you looking?
nah.... i snapped out of it shortly after posting..... I'm gonna stay on track for a 550M once they get to the right price
Single Belt. Most Probably the dual disk if it isnt the original clutch (sometimes the superceding parts aren't put on...) 94 and the Spiders were the last of the 348s and had ALL of the upgrades. In fact, these cars actually have the 355 chassis. VERY stiff for a Ferrari Spider. Fun car without the usual chassis twist. Agreed. A good 348 with a fresh major could easily go for $65-70. Argue off 10K for a major and other "possibles" and that's a good car. PPI of course cause there could ALWAYS be valve guide (yes 348s have the troubles too) and liner issues, but... Toggie - The "sticky" is typical for 348s and 355s and should not scare off a buyer. Ferrari used what can only be described as a satiny rubberized plastic coating that at some point in its life decides to completely break down and get tacky. Easily cleaned off and when resprayed with a nice aerosol satin black it looks really tight. 'Course you could always replace everything with CF and look even cooler...
Do you think this ad is for the same 348 Spider that was for sale in post #57 of this thread? http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/car/478040341.html If it is the same car, it was previously for sale at $49,995. Now the price is $70,000. I thought the car was under-priced before, so maybe the $70k is reasonable. BTW, the same phone number is in this craigslist ad. http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/aos/478080614.html So maybe a local Leesburg mechanic bought it and is reselling it.
Same name too. 70K seems like a lot for a 348, you could get a much more modern (and better performing car) for that price. That of course is IMHO, which is only worth so much..
1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Red/black. On eBay. Being sold by Elite Motorsports in Rockville, MD. 45,077 miles. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1965-Ferrari-330-GT-2-2_W0QQitemZ170170261912QQihZ007QQcategoryZ6212QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem I have no connection to car, ad, or dealer. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Holy Cow!! Over $80K for a 2+2 with no books or tools? I wonder how extensive the service records are. Dayum, I passed on a good one four years ago at $40K+-. IT had some of its books and tools, too. WTF was I thinking??? ARRRGGGGHHHHHHH............
Do ya one better... We passed on one for $17K back in 1985. Yeah they are getting up in price. TDF Blue with a Red interior..... arrrrggghhh