308 + $ = Testarossa

After a dissapointing auction, I am most dissolusioned with ebay, and therefore am offering my 1987 TR to anyone with a creative trade in mind.

The expired listing containing my apparently far too honest depiction of an otherwise great car is here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=010&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=200188068293&rd=1


While the thread detailing the car's condition is here:
http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=179452

Please do not hesitate to run any crazy idea past me.

 

After a dissapointing auction, I am most disillusioned with ebay, and therefore am offering my 1987 TR to anyone with a creative trade in mind.

The expired listing containing my apparently far too honest depiction of an otherwise great car is here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=010&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=200188068293&rd=1

While the thread detailing the car's condition is here:
http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=179452

Please do not hesitate to run any crazy idea past me.

 

TRs are awesome but our roads ARE police states,and your car is just too fast,a ny 308 is more fun to drive between 20 and 90mph and I have thought about trading my euro308 for a TR for years but your car isnt more fun.Your video was OK,but where was the 170mph? In your video your car didnt look any faster than mine,308s pass SUVs like they are standing still,but what about those gas tanks? TRs are heavy on feul and insurance,parts are 2X to 7X as much and from a 308 owners perspective they SUCK. TRs are awesomebut......

 

55k seems really good to me. thats just a shade higher than the best 308s, in a body style ive always loved, and probably close to twice the performance (well acceleration anyway)

 

i just drove my friend's euro 308QV, and honestly, the interior, maneuverability, and maintenance are definitively plusses for the 308, but as far as power and sound are concerned, we're not playing on the same field. Seems to me that right off the line you're close, but that's about it. i love these 308 for what they are, much the same way i love the TR for what it is.

BTW collector insurance should not be much more (20+ year old car), and cruising fuel economy is not bad at all, but obviously, it's no corolla and ultimately who are we kidding here with fuel economy on a ferrari site.

 

Dont worry about being honest. Ive learned Id rather wait for the right buyer than lie to sell it quick. Thats just me, Im the kinda guy that would loose sleep over the tiny white lie.

p.s. thanks for the video of the 275 run. Havent made my way down in about a year, video gave me my fix for now.

 

OK. Two 1988 Mustangs, a POS 1995 Olds, a 1985 FJ1100, and $600 a month until it's paid off. (You did ask )

But seriously- if I had it right now, I'd buy your car. Need to save a bit longer.

 

"shade higher"= 25k?????????????????????????????????

 

well the best 308s ive seen, 84-85 QVs in mint, have been upwards of 50k. This testa is going for 55, so yeah, a "shade higher" i would say.

 

Asking and selling are 2 different numbers - show me someone who paid 50k and I will show you a fool. They barely make 40k.

 

there was one at marshall goldman that was advertised for 49 that sold. maybe in the end it went for 47 or something. i see a lot of advertised in the high 40s, but true asking and getting are two different stories. a lot of other members here though seem to think the good ones are cresting 50, least from what ive read.

 

He said the best. A average qv is a $35,000 car. A very nice low mileage car would bring $40 - $50 . By very nice I mean GENUINE under 10K miles 100 point car.

 

so whats the offer then ?

 

The buyer that's in the market for a 100 point car wouldn't be looking at that TR (no offense to the seller). A 308 in similar shape would be in the 30s

 

I did ask, and I do like those FJs, but after a long resuscitation of a rotting 1971 MACH1, i am now officially off the stang wagon... for good. i thank you for the offer.

 

I would assume that selling a Testarossa will take 6 months to a year. These cars just take a long time to sell, its the reality of it.

Also, white cars are a much harder sell (PS. I have a white Testarossa and love it). Mine sat at the dealer for well over 1 year before I bought it. A red POS sold almost immediately.

The the question comes up, what is your car worth without a major? The last batch of white testarossa's I saw sell on EBAY were sold at around $53,000-55,000 with a major within 2-3 years of sale.

I paid around $53,000 for mine, with 9000 miles, and a recent $20,000+ major, from a dealer. The red ones were $10,000 more. I keep reading that "good" testarossa's are $65,000+ cars, yet they hardly seem to sell for that.

I really hope you get $55,000 for your testarossa. It looks beautiful. Reality is, with the issues you mentioned and no major, I suspect $55,000 will be a hard sell unless you are very patient.

Good luck!

 

i found it difficult to sell my 1st testarossa as well. i gave up after a while and traded it in to the dealer. it was red/tan. these cars have a bad maintenance rep, so they are not easy to sell. be patient or be prepared to sell at a low price.

 

Thanks you. Actually, major was performed 3 years ago (that is 3.5K miles ago), and that is why i am discouraged with the ebay crowd, because i know that the TR on there for sale, that are described as anything less than concours, are no better than mine; they are just described "enthusiastically".

 

I actually had the reserve set at 49K!

 

Don't forget that an AVERAGE 308qv at Barrett Jackson went for $52k last year. It was far from a low mileage 100 point show car. (Wrong wheels as I recall too)
Prices are rising for nice examples.

 

I think the reality may be that a white TR with that many miles, needing some misc mechanical and cosmetic attention and a major is probably only worth in the low $40's. Might be best to just take that offer. Especially when it is doubtful that the car is even street legal due to emissions in most (if not all) states. It's a little hard to get fired up about bidding on a car you can't legally drive. I'd at least get the thing smogable so potential buyers can at least drive it. In CA you can't even legally sell a car without current smog, unless it's for parts (although I know CA emissions regulations are a bit more stringent than many other states). And signed by a Miami Vice star? Not a selling point to most of us, but rather a little tacky.

All this goes double when perfect cars of similar vintage that currently need nothing are under $60k.

 

I've got both the air pump and original exhaust in a box for anyone with emissions on their mind. Additionally, I dare you undermine the Great Tubbs, the patron Saint of all Sockless Loafers Wearers, and just for this trangression I wouldn't even consider selling you the car; you're an infidel.

 

All of the above is true as to the marketability of a relatively high mileage, non-red Testarossa with some outstanding issues.

Also, your sales pitch needs some work. Don't start out with all of the negative aspects of the car - be balanced but don't be your own worst enemy. Most people buying a Testarossa are buying a dream car and want to be excited by (or at least not turned off) by the ads they read. Also keep in mind that most people reading ebay auctions (or any description of a used car) will assume that there is some puffery going on. By providing so much negativity, most readers will assume that your car has significant issues and you're trying to protect yourself from liability. (After reading the ad, I thought that yours was a glorified parts car.)

Also, get some better pictures, taken with a high quality digital camera on bright, sunny day after you've thoroughly cleaned and detailed the car. The close-up pics in your ad make me think that you're trying to show some flaws (again to protect yourself from liability) but the pictures aren't clear enough to show anything.

Best of luck.

 

I comletely agree with your assesment. I have unfortunately not been endowed with either salesmanship or a propensity for "puffery", and consequently, depending how things pan out, I might seriously consider brokerage of some sort, or retaining the car altogether. i thank you very much for your insight.

 

One thing you will find is that official dealers will not put a car on their showroom unless they have done a recent major on it themselves ($$$$) to protect their reputations. I bought at LFSC, and they told me they will never take a car with a bad carfax/no major/ANY mechanical issues, etc. As they put it, it is "so not worth the aggravation" down the road.

As another data point, I asked while buying my car, what it would be worth as a trade in the following year, they commented "about $10000-$15,000 less. I appreciated the honesty. So, if a no stories recent major testaorssa is worth $40,000 to a dealer...figure they would offer potentially much less for yours...