Yes, I know. So why do people keep saying you can't import a car under 25 years old. It's up to NHTSA to decide if it can be imported.
My thoughts are, based on photos I think at first glance I would buy it if I was in the market and looking for those colors. The blue is gorgeous and looks excellent. Doesn't matter that my interior preference is black, but this tan looks -MUCH- fresher than most. Just my opinion and you can ask for some more photos but when the dash, airbag cover and instrument binnacle look that nice my guess is it doesn't have a lot of UV distress. Finish it off with no US bumper marker lights and it's a 2.7, what's not to like? JMO
Prices are all over the place so hard to comment on that but their quote on "not sparing any expense" to make the car right I would question a little bit based on the picture of the Engine bay. Did anyone else notice what was not updated in there, its not a deal breaker but I would be updating it if I was planning on doing any spirited driving with the car. I will reveal it if nobody else picks up on it
Fuel distributor. I wasn't going to nit pick it, but no expense? Can't spend $50 for an AC overlay? HVAC cleaned but not vent look necessarily refinished. No arrows, etc. Ash tray??? Nice car, but not as clean as stated. Only thing pushing it towards $199k is Swaters Blue. Should sell for $140k. Worth $60k.
I'm tired of ads using the phrase "gated manual." It is pretentious and redundant. If a 355 is manual, it has a shift gate. The shift gate was not an option. It does not need to be specified.
Blue Berlinettas or GTS’ are hard to come by in the U.S. Not a single blue Berlinetta has appeared on BAT… ever. Blu Swaters is considered a top 5 Ferrari 355 Blu shade of the 14 shades. Blue is more likely to be seen in ROW 355’s, but still at only a 10% rate. Even less if you factor in the Blu shades most prefer (Swaters, TDF, Pozzi, Le Mans). Unlike the U.S, ROW cars tend have significantly less tan interiors. So if one is in search of a Blu 355 manual Berlinetta w/ a more beautiful tan interior, there aren’t much out there to pick from. Add the fact this is a manual and a 2.7 car and only 21k mi, it’s either underpriced or fairly priced IF Blue/Tan is your jam. There should be at least a $50k premium on these cars for a rare color/spec if one wishes to hang onto something other 355 owners would drool over. I think new potential buyers in the 355 market tend to focus on price (understandably), so when they see a spec like this, they don’t really realize how difficult it is to come by. It would take a strong understanding of the variations Ferrari produced and their rarity and perhaps years watching the market pass by to realize, “wow, that Blu Swaters Berlinetta I passed up on 5 years ago really was rare. I haven’t seen one for sale since. I should have paid a bit more to get something a bit more special.” Don’t listen to @JohnK. He didn’t think a white manual GTS was worth $75k in 2015 . It’s been 8 years. Has another come up for sale? The answer is, “no.” We could easily go another 8 years and not come across one for sale. In short, if you love the color, specs, and it is rare, pay the premium. Thank me later .
It is semantically correct because the "F1" setup is simply an actuator doing the shifting on the exact same "manual" transmission that is in the gated cars. Both are technically "manuals" based on the mechanics of the transmission itself. The difference is whether or not the gear changes are done by your hand as opposed to the actuator. Which, is much different than modern dual clutch transmissions. But yes, this word game is very much annoying
I’d like to add: 1. The tan interior on this car is in great shape. Most are not this good. This is at least an 8 out of 10 interior and can be further improved. 2. Get the stickies re-done correctly … hopefully by someone of Dave’s caliber 3. Passenger airbag looks excellent. You’ve already won the 355 lottery there . 4. Castoro OE period correct floor mats are unobtanium. This car has them. After-market floor mats don’t look the part IMO. 5. That head unit gotta go. I recommend Sony/Ferrari or radio delete for the period look. 6. Door sills/rubber look a bit tired (normal) and should be replaced. 7. Car has Tubi manifolds. $5k value. One less important thing to worry about. 8. Recent engine out service with engine mounts replaced. Car is ready to rock n roll. 9. Car needs a better engine detailer. Preferably someone who isn’t simply going to Armor-all everything glossy. Restoring blacks to original looking fresh matte/flat finish is the goal. 10. Wheels appear to be in great shape. Most are not. These wheels are highly sensitive to rock chips as I believe they are single stage silver paint. 11. Get period correct wheel caps. They go for roughly $500 a set. 12. Calipers appear to be in great shape. Calipers in at least 8 out 10 condition in the used market I would say is close to unobtanium these days. 13. Has 4 new high end Michelin tires. Has new wheel bolts. Nice attention to detail by the seller there. 14. Does not appear to have any drastic highly visible buttress stress cracks. You’ve won the 355 lottery. 15. Black anodized front windshield trim isn’t faded to chrome. You’ve won the 355 lottery. 16. Paint appears to be in great shape. Rear bumper has been repainted. It is missing the lower black trim. Why bodyshops all over the world fail to miss painting the black trim and owners letting them get away with it en masse is probably one of the biggest 355 mysteries. Front and rear bumpers do see rock chips over time. Most repaint just the front. If rear was repainted, I’d inspect a little further as to why… as in look carefully for any rear end collision damage. 17. Muffler brand is not indicated. Get a good muffler to enhance the 355 experience. Good luck. This spec is rare and nice enough for me to take the time to list what I think would make it better.
Even with the best detailer in the world, you'll still be underwater on that one - it doesn't have the correct blue oil filter.
Thanks for comments Re: the Blu Swaters F355. My gut says the car could be worth the ask if it was absolutely pristine, but it needs nearly 10k worth of work (if paying someone else) to get it there (stickies, door sills, rear valence trim, center caps, PS reservoir, and fuel block). Also have to factor in duty to bring it to the US.
Fuel block is no longer covered by Ferrari. Not sure you can even get parts. But not an issue if hose clamps are positioned correctly, Power steering is a red herring. Mine has the original. No problem. All of the 95's on Cargurus have the original. The only reason some fail is likely due to over tightening. If you must have the new style tank, $25 https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-power-steering-reservoir-32411097164? or is you're cheap, https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/bmw,1988,325i,2.5l+l6,1011687,steering,power+steering+reservoir,7378 as low as $8.
Sorry I should have it made it clear I was referring to the Blue Car with all the Mud/Water over it...
