ZFFXR48A2V0108024 ???

This car is on E-bay and the owner says he knows nothing about the reconstruction title, Any thoughts?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trkparms=tab%3DWatching&viewitem=&item=280230970813&_trksid=p3907.m32

Thanks

 

Just one. Run like hell away from that car.

 

Hes a BIG fibber
My brother in law looked into that car and also found the re-constructed title issue and advised the seller.

That was about 4 months ago ......Hmmmmmmmmmm!

 

Well it has "low miles" .......... ................ so it must be good .......

 

Ok....maybe I just have a different perspective.... but WHY?

It is substantially less than a clean title car... Hey, If I really wanted a 355, and that's all the money I could spend, why wouldn't it be a viable option?

I know.... if you can barely afford the car, you can't afford the maintenance.... I understand the concept... but, jeez... if the work has been done properly, what's the problem?

I'm just sayin'.....

Mike in Kuwait

 

I realized that when I asked him if he had any details on the re-build and he told me he has NONE AT ALL, So I will be looking for a non crashed, But I was just curious, what do you think he will get for it?

 

Well he offered me to come and drive it, but with NO INFO at all about the reconstructive title, I am going to pass... Thanks

 

I went to see this car 6 months ago.Real bad paint,this car has been around for a long while.
I understand its cheap but i would pass.Plenty other cars out there.Food for thought....He did
all the repairs himself with the help of a shop manual on CD.I hope that gives you some insight.

 

I smell a track hound!

 

not this car again.....

 

Yup this one has been around longer than Pap...

I spoke with this gentleman way back in 07 I believe his name was Bill anyhoo he seemed nice enough and was very forward when asked questions but you had to ask the questions.

 

I call BS ..........................
























No one has been around longer than "THE PAP"




On topic: Run. Run very quickly. Run very quickly in the other direction. No such thing as a cheap Ferrari, pay now, or pay more later.

 

Not sure but I think this guy was but I could be wrong
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LOL Yeah ok, maybe him. I have to be careful here, Pap is only a year older than me.

 

This is a super old thread but google brought me here... this car is now in Ohio for $31,9k. Looking at the Carfax its been salvage since a month after it was brand new. Sold/registered as a corporate car in Tallahassee on 7/17/1997 and registered salvage by 9/3/1997...

I know Florida is one of the states that issues salvage-rebuilt titles for stolen vehicles... is it possible it was never in an accident and just stolen? One of the comments says the paint looks awful and everyone says run away from the car... but over the last 10 years perhaps its been serviced enough times to be a somewhat mediocre deal at under 28k miles and $32k.... I mean, its been salvage since 273 miles, so the last 27k miles it's been driven by 4 people.

Thoughts?

 

https://topcheapcar.com/car/Used-1997-Ferrari-F355-Spider-for-Sale-in-Sarasota-FL-ZFFXR48A2V0108024

Just Google the VIN.

 

That's quite a web site!

Look what I found! A 1997 red "Ferrari" F355 Spider with Lucas electronics! Better act fast...
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Just be aware if you buy it and want to sell it later you'll be in the same prices range. The car color looks off to me, maybe its the lighting though.

Ok given that fact, it is possible it has never been serviced either and had been driven with speedo disconnected. Panel gaps look good so that's good at least. If it was serviced by bmw dealerships and what not that is the same as it never being serviced, it was almost certainly done incorrectly/improperly/missing key items. So get any records you can with it check on those.

If it was me and I wanted a project car and wanted to get in a at low price the I would do compression and leak down, yes you need them both, that's it, then if good throw a FULL + service on it and then fix issues as they come up.

Most people would run, I would consider it, I actually considered the same thing with 348's but the prices were closer to 50K and pristine ones were 65K and 15K gets you no where when trying to bring a tattered car up to spec. So I went pristine but at 25K I would have given it serious thought. To me the car is not an investment it is something to be used and enjoyed.

Good luck with your choice!

 

IMO.

1. If it's a properly done fix (cue Bradan thread), or restoration level reconstruction, it'll be fine. I'm sure there's a few 'clean title' cars out there with unreported / worse fixes. I've had 45 year old cars where both floors and part of the firewall had to be replaced, but they were clean title.
2. Figure financially on creating your own 'zero point' for maintenance. It's wearing two continentals and two pirellis after all.
3. What's your real reason for buying the car? You love it? You'll never sell it? It's your daily? It's a toy? It doesn't matter that it may have some downtime if something breaks?
4. Do your homework. A cheap Ferrari can be (is likely to be), an expensive Ferrari.
5. If you have the money for an expensive Ferrari, but want a cheap Ferrari to fool around with and tinker, go for it!
6. Make sure the fuel block recall is done. Don't be a Hoovie.
7. Don't think you'll get some money back out of it. The salvage stigma will hang with it forever and affect future sale value...probably. The best thing to do is some detective work before or after you get it to see what might have really happened. Try to find a police report or insurance report.

sjd

 

Thank you for the suggestions, tips and varying thoughts and perspectives. I was thinking it would be a fun project and I have no issues with downtime if repairs arise... the recall and a onceover would surely be on my list of to-do's, it looks the like interior needs some help also- sticky plast is and a bent dash emblem are obvious from the low-quality pics. Definitely will have to examine it in person.

Re: that one guy -- I did Google the Vin and check out every search result which gave me all the info I commented from the free carfax report -and it also brought me to this 10 year old thread! haha...

Thanks again.

 

Steve makes some good points. I needed talking down off that ledge, and since Steve did it, I didn't even need to talk to my husband!

 

First, thanks for doing the research.
Posting as a reply to the original thread makes life much easier here. Wish more folks would do that.

Second, If you like turning wrenches and have some capability, a "fixer upper" can be fun.
Lot of support from owners like that here.
But be aware that parts can be a killer. What a rational person would expect to pay $50 for can cost you $500, BUT! it comes in a pretty black box with yellow horses on it.

The upside to all of that is the mileage on the car is meaningless.
You can drive the living **** out of it and do ZERO damage to resale value.

If you buy it right, can do (most) of your own work and have reasonable expectations if you go to sell it, it is just fine.
Just do your homework and make sure what ever caused the "salvage" on the title is long gone and corrected.

 

https://topcheapcar.com/car/Used-1997-Ferrari-F355-Spider-for-Sale-in-Sarasota-FL-ZFFXR48A2V0108024
$44,500....

https://www.autoblog.com/used-detail-8840322285171708365-Ferrari-F355-1997
$31,999

Make sure the top works (I doubt it does) but that can be a VERY expensive fix for a car dealer.
Options exists for full manual or partial power that can be DIY.
Beat them up and take the discount.

Now....

That dash will need attention. The HVAC panel is wrong.
The entire interior is a wet dream for Dave at StickyRX or Sticky-no-More.
FYI: That can add up quickly.
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Seats are toast....but that can be fixed.
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Not liking the bumper to hood gap here at all. Your research suggest a left hand side hit?
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Thanks for the notes including the pictures from the posting.

I did notice the hvac panel was weird, I can't tell from the pictures if it's peeling, sticky, or a mixture of things making it look so bad. The seats didn't look too bad to me, but the trim panel between the headlights and bumper definitely stuck out to me.

I can't find anything about an accident or any reason why it's rebuilt, but this is the second one I've looked at with a wider gap on the left than the right - the other was an Argento '98 with a clear title.

Like one of the 2008 comments said, the previous owner said they had zero info about the title which was a red flag, and that the guy did his own maintenance with a shop manual cd? hmmm...

 

A break in the case... no thefts reported.

Reported "total loss" due to collision in September 1997.