Mondials For Sale

A very wise choice re Dave H!! You may recall Alex that you recently posted that you had just got your baby back from Dave H and I said something like “and she has probably never run better.”

 

Yes; as I noted too no solid data re Valeo production, even Ferrari doesn’t seem to know (or doesn’t care enough to try to find out!!) Does Dave have an SD1?

 

Yes, he has an SD1. They are funny to see, remind me of playing Oregon Trail.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I know you are on the East Coast and all Alex but I think you’ve found your principle/main mechanic. The couple of people who I have spoken to re Dave H swear by him!! And I know that he, and his products (SRI), are often loudly “dissed” on f-chat (cost)

 

I think having a Ferrari tech is similar to having your favorite restaurant. Everyone thinks theirs is the best until they've had a chance to experience what else is out there. I've had experiences and posted about all of them on here, but I will say that the service I received from Dave is a 5-star meal in the finest restaurant, whereas the others can be compared to McDonald's. All serve food that will fill your belly, but what would you rather eat?

If someone (SRI) is able to engineer a product to superior specifications than the industry standard, has gone through the research and development, and made the time and investment, they are allowed to charge a premium. You know exactly what you are buying when you make the purchase. People think that if a product does not have the little horsey stamp on it, it should be discounted, whereas I believe the opposite for the points made in my previous sentence. The same people approach their "techs" with an open checkbook and get some strange sense of pride in writing checks for services that are substandard. I've seen a 6-hour labor charge for "extra due diligence" on a major service.

For argument sake, let's say there's 50 Indy shop technicians in existence in the USA. I would bet that 10% are proficient in what they do and the rest are hacks. That doesn't stop the other 90% from being in business and proving second tier service.

 

Another Unicorn up.for.sale at Silverstone

https://www.motoringresearch.com/car-news/features/silverstone-auctions-ferrari-sale/

 

Haha!! Yes Paul, definitely a unicorn (2100km- that brand new!!), but not MY unicorn. My unicorn is a Valeo t-coupe in non-red. But WOW!! look at the estimate!! A EXTREMELY low-mileage t with an estimate of 50,000-60,000L? With the love Mondials are seeing here in the US, particularly t’s, maybe I can buy this “cheap” and flip it here in the US!! Lol!!

 

I agree Alex. I had extensive conversations w/ t-man (Steve S.) re his t coupe a couple years ago (car ended up where else but Atlanta, sold through BaT) and discussed at length the car’s service history. It’s “service” history was one of mis-diagnosis after mid-diagnosis. And not just from one repair shop/Ferrari “expert”. And the “funny” part? Every “expert” was a dealer supported, fully AUTHORIZED Ferrari repair shop!! T-man said that ONLY after Dave did the service did the car drive “as Enzo intended”!!

As a result I made the decision that IF I am ever able to find and purchase “my” unicorn that Dave H would be her “principle/main mechanic”!! And I live in Portland, OR!! As I know you know Alex, but others here may not, Dave H/SRI is in Colorado. Thus anytime the car needed to be serviced would necessitate a 1,000 mule journey. Like you Alex I think it’s worth it!!

A last word, and to echo Alex here, I believe in “truisms”, e.g. “you get what you pay for”. Dave H/SRI may charge a “premium” to service one’s car, but with that “premium” price comes “premium” service!! In my mind there is no question he is worth it!! As you do Alex!!

 

one more...

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1990-ferrari-mondial-t-cabriolet/

 

I know prices are heading up, but not even a coupe; this is mighty optimistic for the first half of 2018!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mondial-T-Cabriolet/123107994682?hash=item1ca9ceec3a:g6kAAOSwqpha5z-B&vxp=mtr

Regards,
Jerry

 

That car was l isted less than 2 months ago for a few months. It was marked "Sale pending" for some time and then sold. Now it is back by the same game playing dealer.

 

I read a great maintenance and info write up of the Mondial by Bill which is one of the reasons I bought one. Definitely a great chance to obtain a Mondial if he lists it.

 

IMO all of their cars are priced at the top of, if not over, the market. They have nice, shiny examples with a bit of sticker shock. The fact is however, that they do sell these cars at these prices, eventually. This is comparable to Enthusiast Auto Group's strategy of selling BMW. Hit one or two homeruns a year vs. several ground ball singles.

We also know the talk of rising tides

 

Ok fine, but I remember this car, and I am sure you do too. You follow the market. I was stunned when I saw the 80K price months ago, then it said "Sale pending" then is said "Sold." And now miraculously it is back. What was that?

 

I haven't really followed this one. Was it listed elsewhere previously? The sale pending, sold, and back for sale sounds a little fishy to me. I wonder what the reasoning is behind it.

 

Yes, it was at the same dealer. Same price.

 

I like rising tides, but the pricing on this convertible (nice, lower miles, but nothing extraordinary) is more like getting hit with a tsunami!!! Pricing is a little ahead of its time IMHO.

I think coupes will sell for more than convertibles because of the scarcity of coupes. And I don't think coupes are at that level......... YET!

Regards,
Jerry

 

I agree with your assessment, though if we are valuing scarcity, I can think of a certain type of cabriolet that might have the coupes beat but as they say, "there's an ass for every seat."

 

Yeah, the number of Valeo cars imported in to North America (cabs only) can probably be counted on two hands. That would make it a pretty rare car!!

In Europe, there were also a handful of coupes, probably 92 or 93, towards the end of the model run. Can't 25 year old cars now be imported without going through all of the federalization rules?

Regards,
Jerry

 

Not sure, but that would be awesome!

 

Well, here is some reading for those interested (no affiliation....):

http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticles/ID/3198/Vehicle-Importation-Understanding-the-25-Year-Old-Rule.aspx

Unless you live (or want to register the car) in California, you can ignore that portion of the article. But check with your state just to be safe.

Regards,
Jerry

 

My understanding is that once a car is over 25 y.o. importing a car into the US- the Republic of California possibly not- is relatively easy and straightforward. I would def recommend that whomever does decide to take this course that they have an experienced freight forwarder. Perhaps WilyB can tell us of his experiences, although the “laws” then may be very different from those now.

 

Generally speaking Mondial prices in Europe are approximately $10,000-$15,000 above those of the US, so I would say this really not too bad of a price. I check European Mondi prices every month or so because while my “unicorn” (non-red t coupe) is certainly a unicorn in the US (where only 43 t coupes made it “across the pond”) in Europe they are not. I would hesitate to even call them an endangered species (in Europe). lol

 

Also because the US got so few t coupes quite a high percentage of the number of t cabs came here to the US. As a result the number of t cabs in Europe is much lower; not “unicorn” low, but substantially lower than the number of t cabs. And as we all know scarcity generally leads to higher prices.

Re the number of valeo t cabs in the US- as Alex and I both pointed out the number of Valeo cabs (and coupes) seems to be relatively unknown. That being said I too also think the number of Valeo t cabs would be somewhere around 10. I can think of 6 or so that are f-chat peeps.

 

**** I too also think the number of Valeo t cabs IN THE US would be somewhere around 10 (and very possibly less). Definitely a “unicorn” (but not my unicorn).

Again my “unicorn” is a Valeo t coupe: I would guess that number to be 5-10. My “ultimate” unicorn is a Valeo t coupe non-red. In the US that a extinct unicorn. In Europe I might guess the number of “ultimate unicorns” as 3-5.