Need advice on Dino before purchasing

are you looking for a dino or are you looking for an alloy bodied car?

let me warn you that there have been a couple of threads regarding interest in buying a dino...it has become a little bit like crying wolf. so, be prepared to be hazed or be prepared to present some detail to qualify your legitimacy or you may receive little to no help here.

that said, you may want to do some research on your own to better understand the differences and subtleties of the various dinos and model years.

dinos have always been among the prettiest cars on the planet and are very collectable w/ the alloy cars being among the most sought after.

 

Don't know what it is but a 1968 246 GTS doesn't sound very plausible. A modified 206? We have a lot of experts ready to chime in. GO!
John

 

Its just a misprint by the folks that put up this ad not knowing that a 1968 would be a 206. I know for a fact that this car is a 206. This car is well known and was owned by an FCA member in Las Vegas until just recently.

 

The 206s were just regular aluminum not some special alloy and were a little bit shorter by an inch or two. they didn't have as many horses but they were lighter at the same time...

 

The VIN no. is a givaway, it contains a 206 no. What gives? and I am not sure of the question source, maybe a farce, are we being led?

 

Its not a farce.. It is one mistaken digit... The car is well known.

 

Limited history to the car, the car is obviously a 206GT.

I get nervous when facts do not match up.

Check http://www.dinoregister.com/search.php?detailsearch=00144-6

The milaege was 44,000 miles.

Did they make a 206GTS? As far as i am aware they didn't witrh only 150 models made, but no doubt someone will correct me!!!

Tony

 

Really? I think it is well known..

Absolutely not. I heard it was customized in Germany many years ago... Next repaint, I would try to fix it back...

 

Being well known and having a good accurate history is completely different. If there is documentary evidence then fine, but the DS register is rather incomplete. Perhaps time should be given to updating the file.

Any car modified that much would get me very twitchy especially carried out by the wrong people. You would definately need to know who did it at least!!

 

Quoting from the ad, "1 of only 7 made with 2-piece Targa top" certainly implies that it's a factory job, which of course it is not.

 

Again..this car was purchased about 6 weeks ago for around $130k, then traded in to Champion on a Porsche 904.....no Dino GTS was made in factory, and this car has been modified in more ways than one. Why they didn't sell it for $180k on e-bay is beyond me, if it in fact was a real bid. My 206 GT can be traced to original owner in Italy and I wouldn't sell it for less that $225 IF I considered selling.....which I am NOT..

I know of one for sale in Suisse in the low 200's that's supposed to be in great shape......206's are few and far between

Gregg Blue
00350

 

www.classicthrottleshop.com.au

 

Holy cow! Isn't that like $260,000 U.S.?

 

henry by any chance does your last name start with sha? anyways i know of a very very clean restored dino silver with black interior for sale. pm me if interested

 

I think the answer about how this particular mutilated 206 (tin snips and a Webasto roof) reached $180,000 (and why it was a no-sale) may in fact be pretty simple. For expensive items, eBay now automatically protects the eBay identities of bidders, supposedly to protect their privacy interests and to shield them from aftersale offers from others (which, of course, would take fees away from eBay for transactions that might otherwise have gone through eBay), shill bidders know what it would take to meet a reserve, and then VOILA - WELCONME TO THE WORLD OF SHILL BIDDING ON EBAY. (Oh, and what appears to be a typo error REALLY was when I typed it, but when I caught it before submitting this reply, I decided that it fit right in).

MARK
(No shilling on Mars)

 

"I AM CURRENTLY OWNED F430" Nice to meet you. (Hmmmm.)

Assuming you are not an F430, and that you meant to say that you currently OWN one, then you must have some idea how to make a decision between several possible cars as to "which one is good to purchase." Unless, of course, you are another WANNABE POSER.

Here are some very simple and straightfoward INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO BUY A DINO, that I have posted elsewhere. PERHAPS THIS SHOULD BE TURNED INTO A STICKY???


This whole thread has a certain and all too familiar ring to it (DOESN'T IT? - I mean, isn't this about the BAZILLIONTH time some has jumped in here "wanting to buy a Dino" who claims pretty much absolutely NO knowledge???)

Purchasing a Dino, in the end, is a pretty simple process, assuming someone TRULY has the money. Just follow these steps (step one is pretty much essential, the other steps (such as 5 and 6 can obviously be reversed) but in general, the other steps all seem to be required if one is serious, otherwise, this is all idle chatter):

1. Make an effort to buy a couple of books about Dinos, and take the time to read them.

2. Subscribe to the Ferrari Market Letter (or at least Hemmings), and read.

3. Buy a few British car collector magazines like Thoroughbred and Classic Cars, and take the time to read them too (notice a trend here?).

4. After you have done what you can to inform yourself about Dinos, THEN post on FCHAT (or in this case, post again on FCHAT).

5. Make the effort to show up at an Italian car show and talk to a few Dino owners and look at their cars - and probably, if you ask nicely, they'll give you a ride.

6. Make the effort to visit a dealer or two and take a few test drives.

7. Narrow your choice down to two or three cars that you can afford, and pay for the PPIs.

In the end, you will have set yourself a realistic goal, and you should feel confident in simply having bought the one you liked and were able to afford.

You will often come across talk about finding the "PERFECT," or "BEST UNRESTORED," or "LOWEST MILEAGE" Dino. I think that in GENERAL, such talk is nonsense. 33 years on, it is highly unlikely that there is a "PERFECT" Dino -- there never really was one, even fresh from the factory. All of the Dino owners here know exactly what I am talking about - bad 2nd gear synchros, fuel starvation on tight turns, bad Dinoplex ignitions, the list goes on and on - but owners still love their Dinos. And, I'd rather have John Corbani's Dino (with what, 250,000+ miles on it now?), then a Dino that sat in a time capsule with all of the rubber, brake lines, hoses and gaskets having rotted out, suspension having sagged, mechanicals having frozen up, etc.

The search for perfection only serves one purpose, and that is to give cover to posers, who continue to explain that they haven't bought a Dino because they haven't found perfection.

If someone TRULY has the money, then they should simply buy the Dino they like. If the car runs and drives well (and of course has had a PPI done by an experienced Dino mechanic), hasn't been wrecked (minor fender benders that haven't damaged the frame/chassis don't fundamentally matter in my book as long as proper repairs were made), isn't a rust bucket, and you have title and service histories, you won't be making a bad purchase. Of course, there may be a "better" Dino that subsequently appears for sale, but if you really have the money, then what do you care? Buy that one too, and sell your other Dino.

In the meantime, while continuing to search for your SECOND Dino, you will have had the pleasure of driving one of the world's all time great cars.

Otherwise, this thread belongs in the dustbin with the rest of the "LOOKING TO BUY A DINO" threads.

Please, don't be a poser like so many others. Do what MRONY did -- do some research, take a chance, buy a Dino, and then post your photos and drive it like you stole it, but take care of it like you love and own it.

Mark

 

i can speak from personal experience, buying a dino isn't that hard to do. simply make a phone call, arrange a ppi, determine what a fair price would be and make an offer. sometime, just sometimes, this works.

 

Well, saved by the fact you post quite some time I suppose you are not this week poser or fake.......

Some good sites are anamera.com and classicdriver.com both have quite some cars for sale. But mind you, the queeste itself is (big) part of the fun. Take your time and enjoy. A Dino is not one of the hardest cars to buy, but you should know what is original and what is not. There is NO 206 GTS, interiours have been molested many times (radio/speakers/mousehair dash (that sucks anyway....))....Ask bills for the engine/gearbox/suspension maintenance and valves must be set at least every 15k km....
Body and chassis can be checkes on a lift, panels should all be alloy.
Drive it, buy it enjoy it......Bring some cash and go, and any new dino buyer, read all the previous posts.....

ciao
oscar

 

My dad would always say this.

I remember when I was a kid seeing 308s in the showroom that had issues.

 

Hemmings.com has 5 GTS cars, but they are probably the same ones Dupont has.

From the photos it would seem it this one has had a fresh restoration and is a beautiful car:
http://www.dupontregistry.com/autos/Search/DRauSearchDetails.aspx?itemid=444732

But you'd still need to see what was rebuilt mechanically and get an inspection by a local expert.

 

But for the $70K difference in asking price I'd be more interested in this one if I were looking for a GTS:

http://www.dupontregistry.com/autos/Search/DRauSearchDetails.aspx?itemid=402354