Dreaded wannabe questions....sorry!

Hello,

I'm thinking of buying an older Ferrari to have a bit of fun with, but the learning curve is steep. Forgive me if these questions are ridiculous or naive....

The late '80's TR and the V8 cars are close in price. I expected the Testarossa to be twice the price of the 308/328's. Is there a reason that the price difference seems to be too close for what you get?

I'm looking at a 1988 Testarossa and the owner says it has a "TR package". Was there such a factory package? It has the 18" wheels, but I assumed these were added at some point in the car's life.

The car is a driver, and I'd buy it to drive it. It has over 40,000 miles which seems quite high for a Ferrari, but other than adjusting the price down and expecting some maintenance issues, is there any reason that I wouldn't be able to rack up a few more. I'm not expecting low cost miles and expect (hope) to get my hands into it.

This is a USA car, but I've also located a 1991 Euro to look at. Is the European model much more valuable, and/or a much better car?

I know it's all subjective, but when I first got it in my head to look into a Ferrari (as the prices dropped) I never expected a TR to be within reach.

Thanks in advance.....

Richard

 

And you've come to the right place. Others will have to pitch in as this isn't my area of expertise.

I would advise to buy the car you are strongly attracted to. Drive as many as you can to see what they really are like to drive. Which is different than to live with. Ask a married guy.

I'm torn myself. I like the prestigous 12s but the 8s are so strongly seductive.

Good luck.

 

Use the search function and do a lot of reading.

Best,
Stan

 

A euro anything is always a better performer because typically it has more HP and less weight. I prefer a euro and would pay more for one, others look at them as a grey market car. That term means nothing if the car is legally in the country so ignore those comments. If a euro TR is available and its comparable in condition, meets your needs etc buy it over the US spec car hands down.

The TR is in a dangerous position price-wise. The unsuspecting buyer that sees the purchase price as affordable can be in for an unpleasant financially devastating surprise if unprepared. If the car is not checked by someone that knows TR's then you're gambling big time. Even after a proper PPI there are no guarantees you wont have any expensive failure that comes close to half the value of the car. Go in eyes open, expect costly bills as part of the experience.

A similar priced V8 car like a 328 or 308 will be less expensive to own and maintain - also more reliable or less likely to have any significant costly failure. The down-side (to me) is the V8 cars lack the power, the sound, the thrill and the respect a 12 provides.

 

The rule of thumb I started out with after owning a 308 and looking at prices and maintenance on TR's, regardless of the market, the TR is and would be double to triple the purchase and maintenance of a 3x8. So far it is holding true barring catastrophic failure of the differential carrier, then add another 12k or so with a phone call to Newman for a new carrier.

There are some cheap TR's out there right now. The trick is to weed out the few good ones by "motivated sellers" from the "Pigs with Lipstick".

I paid high market for mine because of the thorough service and the included upgrades and options. After adding up the numbers I could not have purchased a "cheap" one and added what was on the one I bought for the then asking price.

The other rule of thumb in general, always try to buy the very best car you can. In the words of "Rifledriver", "The most expensive Ferrari to buy is a cheap one"

My 308 was great car for me but I was too tall for it. It wasn't geared for long trips and the power wasn't enough for me. The TR fit the bill for me (for now). More room, more power, and it is a great long distance car. (as per design)

Can't beat the sound of that flat 12 with Capristo level 2 exhaust!

You might want to review what you plan to use the car for. If you want something for short weekend jaunts on twisty roads the 308 is a blast. If you want a car that can run out on the open road for days at a time the TR is built for just that, 100 plus without breaking a sweat.

 

Thanks for the plug! Its only $3300 cdn though

 

......................plus labor and "while you're in there". (You're welcome)

I hope I never have to call you.

 

There was no such thing as a "TR PACKAGE". The fact that was said sets off alarm bells. I happen to love TRs but a bad one can kill a bank account a 401k and a marriage. Be very careful. There are no deals in the Ferrari world. Good cars cost a lot of money and bad cars cost a lot more. Just like a good mechanic is expensive and a bad one is more expensive. Find your local club and get to know who you can trust for advice. Find out from them who in your area that works on Ferraris knows TRs and have him help find a good car.

 

Well, the one about timing belt intervals comes close...

The exception would be if the OP lives in California, where we smog test our cars hourly and the governor sticks a white hankie up our cars' tailpipes.

 

If you are mechanically inclined get the TR otherwise have deep pockets for repairs. If not a 328 is a better choice.

 

I feel for you guys. I don't have to smog any of my cars where I live. Ten miles south is another story.

 

When I was shopping for a Ferrari I too compared the testarossa with the V8 models and asked similar questions and took the time to get them answered. This is what I found:

Yes. The reason for the similarity in price between the testarossa and the comparable V8 models is the high cost of maintenance of the testarossa suppresses the value of the car, even if it is "twice" the car in terms of performance and prestige of the V12.

As Rifledriver stated, there was no such thing as the tr package. The only wheels offered where metric wheels during the first couple of years of production (MY '85, first half of MY '86) and then 16" wheels after that.

No. As long as the car has been well maintained over those 40,000 miles you would be able to enjoy 60,000+ more miles with fastidious maintenance.

Not more valuable to the general US buyer but there can be advantages to Euro cars. As bullfighter mentioned, if you are in California, forget a Euro car.

The purchase price is within reach, but is the cost of maintenance within reach? For me, the purchase price was within reach, but a $9000 bill every five years wasn't. Actually it was, but I wanted to keep my marriage intact.

My question is, why is the testarossa's arch rival, the Countach, nearly twice the asking price considering it's similar high maintenance cost and lower quality build?

-F

 

Good news, I was considering a lowbody lambo not too long ago - who knows I may still but I was told the bottom fell out of that market and to not pay more than $75K for a perfect example.

 

I have 2 Countaches (Countachs? Countii?) and just got a 91TR. Completely different animal. Would not say that build quality of the Lamborghini is worse at all (the Countach engine is built like a, uh, tractor while with the TR I worry more about things like fuseboxes and timing belts). The Countach body is a bit fragile but mechanically it is a simple, robust 1970s car. I have not seen any at $75k yet (but have not been looking). Both are expensive to fix, but the TR has better parts cross reference to other makes and with over 7000 made there are more people who can help you.

The TR is smooth, reasonably quiet with better aerodynamics and is more like a Mercedes in comparison. Nice, easy to drive, better for touring with rubber in the suspension joints and more sound deadening. I would drive a sorted TR for a few days road vacation quite happily. Strapping the Countach on is more of an event. More exhilerating beacuse it is more difficult. Once you get to your destination you feel like you got away with something illicit. As an experience it is probably more like a carbed 365BB (though I have never driven one, I tried a 512BB once, similar, but easier to drive). A good running carbed Countach is raw, thrilling, makes surreal noises and good in small(er) doses. You don't want to commute in it, even if you could see out of it.

 

Wow, thank you for the supportive responses. I was expecting to just get flamed with a bunch of, "If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it" posts.

So, the "TR package" is just the owner's wheel upgrade, and since I'm in Canada (no smog testing) the Euro car is at least slightly preferred.

I plan on doing my own maintenance as I have trust issues.

I hope to use the car for a few weekends and the odd commute to work (90% freeway) so power steering and cup holders are not a high priority.

Didn't every kid reading a Road & Track in the 80's have to choose between the Countach and the Testarossa?

 

Wecome to the forum Richard!
For me the choice was between a Countach or Boxer, and I went with a 1979 carbed Boxer, and haven't regretted it even once.
If you can swing the extra purchase $$$, you might look at them as well. TR/Boxer upkeep is about the same, but the Boxer is argueable a more exciting drive. If you're going to do your own maintenance, the Boxer is a pretty simple car with no computers to complicate things.
And yeah, no cup holders or power steering.

Bullfighter, mine just passed smog last week, white hankie test and all!!

John

 

A very popular wheel upgrade. The 512TR built between 1992 and 1994 used the 18" wheel with a 5 spoke design. A nice way to freshen the look of a "regular" TR and still look OEM.
The advantage of the 18" wheel is the wide variety of modern rubber compared to the limited choices of 'Z' rated tires in 16".
I wouldn't mind going to the 512TR wheels in the future but for now I have nearly new tires and really don't need to make the move for a while.

IIRC, one advantage of Euro cars is NO "mouse" belts