Still hoping to find a rosso corso or nero with under 5,000 mi. Maybe Spring will pierce the veil... So far I have focused on internet info: Ferrari Market Letter, Craigslist, Vast Auto, DuPont Reg, etc. Where else should I look? I wish there was an easy way to contact a bunch of Ferrari clubs all at once. Maybe FML? Thanks for your thoughts.
I found a 19k mileage 85 through yahoo autos two years ago. I paid 30k for it and then had to do a full major. I thought that was pretty low miles. I think the lowest I saw in my search was 10k asking 41,000. Good luck. The complaints about lack of use are overblown so long as the car is run regularly and serviced.
I think there's a difference between a car with 20k and 5k at that age. 5k might well not have been run regularly at all. That would be my concern.
A 328 GTB with around 8,000 miles was sold through Ferrari of Denver about a month ago. They are out there but hard to find. Frankly, anything under 15,000 miles at this point would be low miles. I think the adage that 328 with low miles are rife with problems is not based on historical fact. If anyone can point to a problematic low miles garage queen 328 I would love to see it. That said, it is good to drive them every now and then. -F
This looks like a contender. Tan seats though. http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/ferrari/328gts/1410791.html
There was one with <10k miles sold in Marin County, California about two years ago. The one with 64 miles is impressive. Another data point on low mile cars: My time-capsule car has been great to drive. I bought a 1995 F355 Spider with 124 miles on it in March 2010. It has ~4,350 miles on it now, and has been very well behaved. I've just done normal upkeep, and fixed one of my seat potentiometers (cost $3 for contact cement and took about 2 hours). The dealer did a complete major on mine, before I got it, which included replacing old brake lines and I think they had to replace the ABS pump as well. I don't think they had fun bringing it back to life.
Thanks for the many references. I ultimately bought one with a little higher milage, but I can see that this board has a lot of smart, communicative members. You'll likely be subjected to raft of newbie questions after the car arrives. Again, thanks.
That is exactly like my 89...except that mine has had a little more fun in its life over the 33K miles its got. Ha, mine might not be that clean though. Pretty sad that it has been just sitting there. Someone could really enjoy that car.
As for myself, I sure would like to hear from people that have indeed bought such a car. Because it is not that rare; one or two pops up every year. I have already posted that, to my knowledge, at least two late 328 with very low miles sold in the past 18 months or so here in France: - a very low miles "B", Rosso Corsa / Black Leather / Red carpets with about 90 miles on the odo (=150 kms) - a Yellow / Black Leather / Black carpets "S" with about 800 miles (= 1340 kms). Of course, we don't know at which price these actually traded...("price on application"...) What I find odd is that, considering the very low number of 328 adds these days here in France, and the fact that with all owners forums we have, with the owner days from time to time, etc...you never have any news of those cars after the sale: - nobody ever see these in the flesh, on the road; - nobody pops on a forum saying "hi guys, I am the proud owner of car n° XXXX and would like to know what I have to do regarding maintenance", etc...in fact, they do not seem to be driven more regularly now than before! This also seem to be here peculiar to the 328 only, so the stories about cars been bought just as a speculating investment after Enzo Ferrari's death must have been true. I mean, I have never seen any add for such a low-miles 308 QV, for instance, or for a glass 308 for the matter... Best,
Possibly, yes. It could have been run 50 to 100 miles per month or so, perhaps each weekend. Or it coup have been stored for years. No way to know without checking mileage records and owner reports. My only point is that I don't see any way a car with 5000 miles that age could have been run regularly. I mean, 200 miles a year seems pretty thin. Might be a great car, but I think I would be less nervous about something that has had some miles and commensurate services over the past 25 years. To each his own, though.
I have a red/tan 87 with close to 60k miles, so I'd have to charge you a premium over the 5k cars you're looking for!
I could see myself buying one of these "time capsule" cars if one came up. Sure, there are likely to be a whole lot of issues with a car which has not been driven regularly. I dont care. I would work through and replace what needed to be replaced and fix what needed to be fixed. This would likely be a rather pleasurable activity. No logic to this of course but is buying any F car a rational decision?
Of course, if you manage to get your hands on a car with -- hmmmm 28k miles? -- that was owned by passionate people who did whatever it took to keep the car in the most pristine state it could be in, but still drove it (even on the track)... All major and minor service done on time everytime... Perhaps with a unique/rare color combination... And maybe a new interior... A few recent platinums might help out... Did I mention the new leather? I did, sorry but it smells so nice... Let's just say I'd recommend that route.
Not sure why you think a 23+ year old car with higher miles would give you less to be concerned about than a car with low mileage. At these ages whether a car sat or was driven a lot the cars will need to have various things done to enjoy and be safe. Anyone buying will want to make sure the car has undergone a major (belts & bearings, cam seal gaskets, and maybe shift shaft seals) in recent years (plus regular fluid changes thereafter), and a buyer will want to see receipts that the fuel lines and brake lines have been changed, AC might need a recharge, need new tires, and various other hoses probably should be replaced. But these are things that would get done at various points in the cars life whether it has 5,000 miles or 50,000 miles. Not to mention there are many "home mechanics" doing there own work on the cars, some with less talent than others. Personally, with the exception of a handful of people I wouldn't place any value in work done by "home mechanics." So I'd feel I need to get the work done by a pro anyway. I have a low mileage 89 GTS. When I got the car in 2006 it had 1358 miles (and it had been in storeage for 10 years). Today it has just shy of 4,200. When I got it I had a major done, replaced the tires, battery, hoses, gaskets etc. When I saw the car with various components removed everything looks brand new. Some years its cost me $700 in service and there have been no issues, in years when I changed the brake line and fuels lines it cost more. This year I had a major and a wire to plugs 1-4 went and had to be replaced (which is unusual for low mileage) and I think I once had to replace the ignition. Thats about it. Cosmetically inside and out it looks like new. Most cars with 40,000 miles are probably having to consider replacing carpet and interiors, and possible paint work. Best regards, Dino
Thanks David. I should also mention that after chatting with with a few low mileage 328 owners (some from your shop), no one seemed to experience anything out of the norm.
Your experience is interesting; my 328 GTB has been a sleeping beauty for six years, and even if not particularly low miles at the time she was awakened in 2006 (22.000 miles) she never had any problem since; she is still perfectly healthy. The GTS had 13.000 miles on the odo when I bought her, and except for a rear left suspension problem that had not been corrected by the previous owner, is also perfectly healthy today. So I tend to believe that these cars are mechanically proven and very sound. But, as told in my previous post, I never heard of anyone actually owning one of these cars that has not run at all for 20 years or so. The GTB that was sold last year here in Paris with 90 miles on the odo has not been seen since; only out of sheer curiosity, I would have liked to hear about it (what about wheel bearings, for instance? How expensive to put the car back in shape, etc...) I'm a bit like Andy I like those cars so much that I could see myself being tempted by the next one that will appear! Best
