Thoughts on this '92 512 TR

https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/1992-ferrari-512-tr-2

I was bidding in the auction, the winner might be backing out and I have the opportunity to buy it.

I will be importing the car to Canada (Montreal specifically). This will be my first Ferrari, looks like a nice one with some wear for it's age, but I do plan on driving it.

You guys are the pros, so thought best to ask here

 

That is really really cheap I would go for it

 

Well it has some kind of big time stereo in a car that you really cannot appreciate it in because it is a noisy car. It has halogen lights so I hope it has not melted down the fuse panel. They should be thrown away and LED's put in. Non stock muffler and steering wheel . Out of nearly 200 pictures they very carefully had a picture of everything but the dash top. The rest of the interior was a little tattered . If they spent half the time polishing the paint and spent that on the interior it would have shown much better. The spark plug wires look like the kids at the high school auto shop installed them and it has been exposed to salt The zinc hardware under the hood is all trashed from the exposure. No original parts available evidently and to me thats a big negative.

It may not be a terrible car but it sure isn't a top dollar one. I always ask myself why did the buyer walk away?

 

Be cautious throwing around the term “expert”. Many owners have had their cars only 2-3yrs and barely log 2k mi of driving, but are prolific posters around here and are self proclaimed experts and others don’t even own a car. A car driving enthusiast is not what I call an expert…. So value the opinions at the level you’re paying for them…as mostly unqualified opinions.

that said, the car cosmetically and visually looks fine but photos are often deceiving and cars tend to look better in pictures and videos than they do in reality. It is hard to see paint condition, body work, loose/broken tabs related to trim, sketchy electrical, etc in pics.

if you can travel and know what you’re looking at, you should do it (the one time I did not, I regretted it). Honestly - you should go see it with this type of money on the line. If you can get the engine tested do it.

 

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Very well said.

 

The photo are pretty much useless, I would agree with Rifeldriver's comments. go look at and drive. Car that go to Japan are generally abused, mechanically and totally crapped up with massive Stereo systems and alarms.

 

Having lived in Yokohama and personally seen their high end car show, I would disagree. Pristine.

In the mideast however, ‘abuse’ is too kind to describe what I’ve seen.

Exceptions in every location of course…. just a data point.

 

I looked at the first pic only and didn’t look any further. There is a reason why. Based on price only I like this car. Now, the bigger question is how is the overall condition. I would never judge condition off of pics alone as it’s easy to cover up damage that may not be seen clearly by a pic. Also wear and tear may not always be easily determined. I would have to see the car in person in order to move forward. If that’s not possible then realistically I wouldn’t buy this car at any price. Quite frankly buying an older car should not be rushed and you should have had time to do all of your investigations regarding it. This will save you from making a costly mistake. Oh by the way I only drive my 512tr about 500 miles a year lol.

 

here is a piece of free advice.....if rifledriver does not endorse even the pictures, then walk away.

 

What LEDs have you used on these? Appreciate your opinion in advance.


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Thanks for taking the time to look at the pictures and reply I appreciate it. Okay so maybe not expert but more knowledgable than I when it comes to this;-)

I'm a life long Ferrari fan but haven't pulled the trigger yet, the 512TR has always been on the top of my list along with a 328, when this one presented itself it seems like a good opportunity at the price. I'm not looking for a garage queen as I like to drive my cars, that said I live in Montreal so the season is short and I have a '31 Plymouth chopped hot rod, '35 ford coupe, '39 Ford sedan and a Factory Five Cobra... So I can't imagine I'll be adding more than 500 to 1000 km per year.

Rifledriver and Zeff I hear you! I will ask the seller more about the history and for service records.

I've read and heard the "there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Ferrari" expression, so that has me on the fence too;-)

 

I am no pro (and self-aware).

My casual observation would suggest it's not a pristine car, but if you're looking for a driver the concourse criticism (and pricing) need not apply. Not sure what price you're getting the car but my guess is that the car still needs $5-15k of mechanical ("get up to speed work") and the cosmetic improvements you can pick and choose what to do. If you wanted a pristine car, often the price of admission is cheaper than restoring a non-pristine one - but it all depends what you're after.

 

Several of the side strakes look like they are broken. Not a show stopper but something to deal with. I’d insist on a PPI including a compression check and leak down tests before I negotiated a price.


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A compression test tells you ‘if’ there is a problem.
A leak down test tells you ‘where’ the problem is.

Just do a compression test. No need to pay for the diagnostics from a leak down test.

As a buyer, you care ‘if’ its bad…. not ‘where’ its bad.
Bad compression - walk away.

 

no, discuss about a much lower price

 

Yeah, MUCH lower….

 

right, but no reason to just run away

 

Thanks for the advise on the compression test, I'll have one done asap. I am aware the car isn't pristine, which is okay, the price reflects that and I will be driving it.

I don't see the broken side strakes, they all look intact to me.

 

Picture 17, second strake from the top behind the door. The strake is pointing up and should be parallel with the other two. It could be that it broke and someone "repaired it" with epoxy but didn't get it mounted in the right spot, or it could be loose. Maybe it is an optical illusion and it's really ok - it doesn't look right in the picture though. You'll know they are broken when you hit a bump and hear rattling in the door. You can look at something like this as either a minor thing easy to patch up, or you can look at it as an indicator of how it was treated.

For what its worth I spent $500 USD last April having a compression test and leak down test performed which in my mind is cheap "insurance" even for a driver with issues. I'm in agreement with others that a bad compression test is either a walk-away or a dramatically lower price. Those with shops and more Ferrari experience than I have can give you an estimate on cost for a complete refresh.

Good luck!