Mondial on eBay

If you add all the little things up...torn top, no a/c, shocks....

 

Very interesting. Considering it's just had a major service costing $5500 it's just cosmetics and the ac that need seeing to. Sounds quite cheap for a 3.4t don't you think? A good one in the UK costs average £25000 which is approx $38000 USD. It seems prices here are higher on average?

 

The price is okay for $22,900 but lets add up some repair costs shall we:
1) shocks = $2500
2) ac = $2000
3) seats/console retreated = $1600
4) soft top replace = $1500
5) dings and dents repair = $ 400

Strictly from a number crunching perspective, total repairs that we know about = $8100 + $22,900 = $31k with 46k miles. And these are conservative numbers IMO and yes the DIY guys can prob do it for alot less. Also its important to know what recent service means, @35kmiles belts were done or 3 years ago? From experience, everyone has different definitions on this.

 

This car didst receive the care you typically see given to these cars. What other issues were not addressed in its time?

 

AND.....

If this is what we know it needs I would say there is at least 50% more that is unseen, likely to 100% more. A neglected Ferrari is a painful thing to the pocketbook unless you are looking for a beater.

I looked at the ad after I posted above entry. I paid 23K for my 3.2. It was a no excuses car, except the a/c was out of it, it had a few dings. Interior was nice. Minor oil leak. I put a fat chunk of my money into it but it's great now, and 9 months into ownership the top tore. Upholstery shop said it was not really fixable it was basically dry rotted. For a top down weekend driver in good weather the ad car might be a good driver. But to make it right, better to buy one that is already right. But it may not be as bad as I made out above. Although the shock settings not working could be a worry, I don't know what that repair could cost.

The only way to know is to go look.

Does this mean that my 3.2 is now a $18K car?

 

Plus all the bodywork required that was mentioned would also add extra cost.
It's a great deal for someone who can do all the work themselves that requires no labor costs (as in the Wheeler Dealers show) and just the parts to buy. It's a shame they get run down like that.

Does anyone have reference to the Cavalino magazine valuation mentioned in the ad? Would be interesting to see the other models too.

 

Does anybody know if the seats are interchangeable with earlier Mondial models such as Mondial 8, or the QV years, or are they specific to the T?

 

I believe the 8, QV, 3.2 share the same seats with patterns going longitudinal but 89 and up Ts are all redesigned with patterns going horizontal and will not work on older Mondials. Even within the T family, some have running mice belts and some don't 89-90 no mice but 91-93 has mice.

 

Couldn't agree more. This T is just another pig with expensive lip stick! Stay away...stay very far away.

 

In temrs of service, T's are more expensinve vs previous one ecause fo the engine out aspect too right?

 

almost everything correct, except '90 had mice.

 

Your right, I must have seen a 90 euro model t cab without.
BTW, is the mice thing only a North American requirement at the time?

 

Rachel's mice have names - - Melvin & Kelvin !!

Cheers,

Hank

 

I can't believe they comment on the recent engine out service, yet fail to show one pic of the engine bay.

 

I wouldn't discount it just yet. If its in your budget and you are a DIY, it would be a good project car to restore slowly. No one here really can tell you if its a lemon or not, you should at least go take a look and test drive it if possible. But what most of us are trying to say is if you can wait and afford a better example with less "issues", you should go for the best example out there within your means.

cheers and I bid you good luck!

 

Most certainly not PV, you have a fine car and have proven to us that the Mondial is solid when it comes to long distance driving!
Yours should command mid to upper 20s. Just remember to keep a "binder full of women", lol -no seriously well kept receipts and parts with photos of what you did to it for the next owner.

Enjoy in good health !

 

If you want a perfect car it's probably not the one to start with. If you want a first Ferrari and a PPI shows the mechanicals in good shape you might have a reliable driver. It's a matter of expectation.

I once saw a 308 with faded paint and shreaded interior and the guy drove it all the time. He was enjoying his Ferrari dream. The Ferrari world is full of mixed messages. I think the only rule is that there is no such thing as a cheap Ferrari.

Remember that they are just cars and they will get a door ding or a rock chip as easy as the next car. my car has a few door dings in it, and it stinks. But on my limited budget a door ding can't be a priority. I still get to drive a Ferrari on my days off though Even if it isn't perfect.

You will find that many Ferraris of this vintage have inop a/c.

 

This is such a true statement and I tried to convey it in my ebay listing. I wanted to set the expectation that this is a good driver which has had the major done 6 months ago but it is not a show car and I highlighted its warts BEFORE someone bought it or spent the money on a PPI rather than afterwards like is the case in many ebay sales.. Many of these warts do not have to be fixed for a driver level car. You can really enjoy a Ferrari even if its not perfect. 99% of the general public will be in shock and awe when you pull up next to them in ANY Ferrari, they don't know or don't care that the shock actuators will not toggle between sport and comfort mode or A/C doesnt work. The mondial is still an exotic sounding and looking car and it is still a Ferrari.

I had fun with this car as I dropped my kids off at preschool as the Moms and other kids in the generic minivans looked on enviously. My boys LOVED the sound of the motor and could not wait to take the Ferrari!!!! If only they knew that when I put the car seat in the front passenger seat it tore the seam and their seat beneath them was now flawed, but they DIDN'T care about it and they didn't care that the top had a rip in it as we only drove on it on mild sunny days with the top down. They didn't care that we got a few looks of disaproval for having one of the car seats in the front seat as there are no airbags to worry about. When I drove the 2 miles to school at 35 mhp they thought we were going the speed of light with the noise of the motor and the wind whipping in their faces. They also loved to wash it and are responsible for more than their share of dings on the car.

What I cared about was that it would make it safely to school and back so I did what I could to make it mechanically sound as possible which included the major service. My cousin visited from CA and I let her drive the Mondial on the Boardwalk Ferrari Fall Run. She had the time of her life and had a big grin on her face as she rowed through the gears and easily kept on the bumper of my 550 and delighted in passing me on more than a few occasions when she had the opportunity to open it up. She has never once mentioned (or even noticed) the warts of the car as she tells me what an unforgetable experience she had. She drove a red Ferrari at speed for her first time and was thrilled!!!

Sometimes we as a Ferrari community expect that ALL Ferraris must be perfect, restored, and as new. Then we treat them with kid gloves, can't park them without justifiably being concerned about the wayward shopping car or the jerk that wants to key a 1 percenter's toy, and shoo away the kids when they get too close. On the other hand, you can really get a lot of enjoyment and a HUGE bang for the buck out of a driver quality Ferrari Mondial if you drive it and don't worry about what it would cost to make it perfect.

No matter what Ferrari I have years from now when I ask my boys what their favorite one was I am quite sure it will be this one!
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Hey there PV,

Just for fun, I'd like to comment on the subject of A/C, which I find, either a positive or a negative note in the disclosure of the features of any particular vehicle for sale. If I live and drive in Stewart Alaska, I'll most likely not only misspell "A/C", but will not know know where the start button is for the system. But if I put my car up for sale, and someone in Southern Texas becomes interested, that A/C question will most likely be one of many "focal points" of my interested buyer.

We've read so often - "I haven't used the A/C in years, so it just needs to be charged up." Really??, well my reaction to that is, if that's all it needs - - then just DO IT, and you'll have no need for excuses !!! But it's not that simple, because it ultimately becomes a "can of worms" since it needs much more than a simple recharge. "Ka Ching!!" Have a proper tech look over these items - - to minimize the "Ka Ching" factor.

For me, the manner in which a car sales team or individual attempts to sell a car, has some very interesting built in flags ...... some are red and some are green. These are valuable indicators as to the worthiness of the car that you're thinking about buying and the integrity of the person from whom you would buy the vehicle. . We need to be able to separate and evaluate the many different flags. Each buyer sees these flags in a different way. Some look for basket cases, only because their magnificent talents allow them to bring back to life, elements of a car's makeup which they are focused on. Others, want a trouble free (regular maintenance accepted) ownership and driving experience. Maybe their "garage" has an on staff technician. Me, I don't have staff dedicated to the maintenance of my "stuff". Hey, it is what it is. Where do we fit? Where does the car fit? How do we make the family dynamics fit with this car stuff - and how do we make it not only fit, but be a positive and healthy mental and physical influence on all our lives ??

BTW, let the dings of many happy miles, pile up ............. because I'm confident that there is a paintless ding doctor close at hand. Also, I guess this was about more than just about A/C.

God, all of that felt like a day trek !!

Hank

 

Words of true wisdom, spend a day in the desert, or listen to Hank, either one is good for your soul, do both, and you have true enlightenment.

 

I almost flew up to see your car in late Dec. but when I mentioned it to my Ferrari mechanic he told me of a 3.2 that he'd worked on for years and thought might be for sale locally (it was listed nowhere he just thought the owner might want to sell---so I went that route and my wife got her first Ferrari for Christmas.
What might be of interest to you is this:
I remember thinking this about your car----that's a nice price point for an experiment. Let me explain: I've owned a 550 for nearly seven years and my wife's not driven it once. She's only 5 ft tall and never felt comfortable peering over the long front of the 550. She drives a very nice SL that fits her. But I'd thought for some time the short down sloping nose of the Mondial might work for her, but what if she doesn't like the experience of an older more Spartan vehicle as the Mondial would surely be (the SL is fairly new). The Mondial wasn't going to be a replacement only a fun car to have a very different experience in (a classic Ferrari experience). BUT what if she doesn't like it? Would It be of use to me? Clearly it would be a different Ferrari from mine. I thought it might be fun to "toss about" and perhaps I might feel less "protective" of it. So that brought me to: If the core mechanicals are sound my mechanic can sort through the smaller mechanicals I would want looked at anyway even if the car were perfect (disclaimer perhaps I think this way because I have one of that best and fairest Ferrari mechanics in the world, which means I'd have a great PPI going in) Second, I could look to the cosmetics over time. I thought what's my financial downside? Can't be 22K I thought. I figured my downside at maybe 10K in repairs, enjoy and then try to recoup 20 of the initial 22. So total downside of maybe 12K. So what's the possible upside? A Ferrari experience for my wife and a totally different Ferrari experience for me (after a few weeks with the 3.2 I can definately report it is a different sort of fun from my 550). I can tell you the experiment went great, she loves the car---and the car will be well loved while in our care. It has already brought more than 12K in great exeriences. So the rest is gravy.
The only reason I told you this story is that I think you should put the content of your post in the eBay ad --- you made a great case for owning a "driver" that can bring great joy. Having never seen yours I don't know if it is or isn't a great deal for someone else and lord knows my way of doing min/max equations is twisted but you really did make a compelling argument. It's hard to explain how great it is to drive a Ferrari.

 

Thanks for jumping in, your input means more than all of us judging from afar. That is the challenge with these cars. 5 minor issues can be 5 or 50 and without knowing the owner it's a guessing game. I went the same way with my car, mechanical reliability was tops and it's worked well showing 22K more miles on the odometer than I started with 3.5 years ago.

 

If it helps, my experience with the shocks was not a big $$$ item.

My shocks stopped working. Turns out the gears on the top of the shocks are plastic. They get brittle as they get old and start missing teeth. When that happens, you don't get proper rotation when the computer does it rotation check on startup.

Replacement gears are inexpensive and available. In my case, both rears were bad, the easiest to get at to fix. DIY is under $100.

Regards,
Jerry