Hello everyone, I'll keep this quick and simple; I'm really fortunate enough to be in a position to get hold of a 348. I've always wanted one and am so excited. But I want to get the right one. Before I even ask what I look out for when buying could I ask your advice on; What model? Targa or hard top? Which will appreciate? Which are most sought after? I'm in the UK should I battle for a RHD or are they as desirable as each other? Ideal model year and why? All these things are spinning in my head and I just don't know! Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated. My budget it £50k so I've limited choice. Thanks in advance!
Get the one you like, and then don't concern yourself with anyone else's opinion. Except, of course, if you're buying to flip (which I surmise by your questions). Then lots to consider.
Walkersport have a nice black one which may be over your budget but its always worth talking to Tim Spend some time at www.my348.com for lots of information including buyers guide There may well be a buyers guide here too
If you join www.clubscuderia.co.uk and ask on there there are quite a few 348 owners and there is at least 2 owners selling theirs at the moment.
What part of the country do you come from (does it rain a lot there?) I've had my F355 spider for over a year and I haven't driven with the roof down yet.
For a 348, get the newest model you can with the most detailed and historical service history. Fill out your profile details so we know where you are from. That makes a difference on the 348 models you will have to choose from.
Id go look at some in person and get a feel for what you like. No one has a crystal ball on future values if I did I would have bought a few cars I thought were over priced a few years ago.
I agree with phrogs and check them out in person. If you're 6'-3" or taller, the targa/ convertible is the way to go because it's much more comfortable
LOL, you still won't be able to see out the windshield without crouching down. This is my problem too.
It's funny you should say that, I was filling up My 348 TS once at the petrol station and someone passing by glanced at it and said: "Nice Testarossa mate!................I always thought they were bigger than that!" To which I replied with a smile: "It was bigger but then I washed it and it shrank!" (They couldn't have had a clue about Ferrari's as I had the roof panel off at the time!) Let's be honest here: Every household should have cheese-graters! (If I had the money though then I'd have both a 348 and a 355! - Love them both! )
The later years 92-94 GTB will be the most desireable in the UK and Euro market. Good luck finding a UK RH drive GTB, very rare.
There are a couple of GTB's for sale here in the UK right now, but a £50K budget is nowhere near enough to buy one. With that budget, the OP is firmly in the TB/TS market in the UK.
There is a LHD F355 Berlinetta for £60k on eBay. RHD start at £90k. They are (like most Ferraris) a bit pricey currently compared to two or three years ago. I'm not sure they're actually selling though.
We're talking about the 348 GTB - Not the 355 GTB. Right now there are three RHD 348 GTB's for sale in the UK: 1993 54K miles £69,995 1994 53K miles £64,995 1994 39K miles £P.O.A And there are two 348 GTS' for sale: 1993 38K miles £78,995 1993 54K miles £69,995 By comparison, RHD 348 TB's and TS' are on the market with similar mileage for @ £45K ~ £70K. The UK market is also currently flooded with LHD 348's , many of which have been for sale for the best part of 3 years now. (A lot of sports car dealers [not the independent Ferrari specialists though] saw the Ferrari market take off two and a half years ago and decided to try to cash in by buying cheap LHD cars on the Continent to sell for twice the money in the UK - The plan has backfired big time though as hardly anyone in the UK wants a LHD car, leaving the dealers with cars that they cannot shift). The fact is, the 348 in the UK peaked last year and prices are starting to slide backwards again. Some dealers are refusing to lower their prices, hoping that the market might "kick off" once more next Spring, or hoping they might find someone who thinks that because the car they have for sale is priced so much higher than the rest, it must be so much better, but I can't see it happening. If they continue to refuse to lower their prices, they'd better invest in some dust covers and battery tenders! Two things that haven't helped the 348 market are Brexit, due to the uncertainty of what it may entail, and the fact that so many owners saw the higher values that 348's were priced at, and tried to cash in on it by selling their cars. When I bought My 348 TS two and a half years ago, there were only 2 RHD cars for sale, and @ 8 LHD cars. Today, there are @ 15 RHD's for sale, and @ 18 LHD's, and it's starting to drive the price down. Certain people on here were happily chatting last year about 348 TB's/TS'/GTB's and GTS' fetching over £100K in the UK soon (Pound Sterling - Not Dollars!), and I made a prediction that they never would. I received a bit of grief for being so negative, and not knowing what I was talking about at the time, but guess what? - None of those models ever sold for £100K or more! (Some Spiders sold for @ £100K, but My prediction was for the non-Spider models). Right now in the UK, the market's pretty much gone into hibernation for winter (very few people buy old/classic Ferrari's in the winter when they're rarely going to be driven), and there are more cars for sale than buyers for those that are on the market, so it's a buyers market right now. When it comes to the UK market, the bubble hasn't burst - But it is starting to lose air!
My bad, I had seen F355 as an option earlier and incorrectly assumed that was the question asked. I guess GTB and not Berlinetta should have been a clue but GTB does get used to describe an F355 Berlinetta. There is only a handful of 348 GTB's RHD anyway. My thoughts currently are (and I hate to say it) but buyer beware in he UK. Unless you are already in the currency (Ferrari) it might be worth while waiting a bit. Easy for me to say of course and I keep expecting the prices to drop but the traders/specialist/dealers seem to be holding out in many cases.
No worries on the 348/355 mix up! The dealers are trying to hang on for the moment (and a couple seem to have completely buried their heads in the sand!), but the market is slipping back now in the UK. Trump and Brexit could have an effect on the Ferrari market yet, either good or bad. If the market reacts negatively then people might decide to put their money into cars again rather than stocks and shares, or they might decide not to invest in anything whatsoever due to being too nervous about what might happen. If the effect is too negative then we could be heading for a financial crash and all manner of classic and sports cars bought as investments will flood the market, crashing the prices right down - Just as in the late 80's (Great time to be a buyer though!) If Trump and Brexit turn out to be great for the markets then happy days! - People will have loads of money and will be looking to spend it on nice cars again. Right now, I see the Ferrari market in the UK slipping back to somewhere around where the prices were @ 3 years ago.
Points to consider... £50k should easy get you a RHD car. Wouldn't bother paying a premium for a GTB/S over a TB/S as they only have 20BHP extra which I doubt you'd notice and the all the minor improvements made over the years are just that - minor. Certainly not worth a extra 20K etc and could be replicated for a lot less. At the end of the day whether it's a 1989 or 1995 they are all old now LOL Price is no indication of condition - you need to go and see all the cars your interested in as there are a lot of chancers out there asking big bucks for rough cars.
