Sure, he's in the Mojave desert outside of LA. If you're not a client and just looking to hang out, the easiest way to get in touch with him is through Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ferrari_1966/
Donny is still alive? He had some binders at his mothers house years ago Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Problem here is OP never intended to sell this vehicle and paid what he felt was fair to bring it to the level HE OR SHE wanted. Very unfortunately these repairs won't add anymore to the sale than a so called regular serviced car does as there are almost zero cosmetic enhancements that catch sellers eyes. Many many years ago I used to restore cars and I have very bad OCD. I am the guy who would blue a banjo fitting and copper washers and use a flat fine file till they were perfect. Problem with that mentality is you are overcharging you clients and doing unecessary work. You become this fake icon in the heads of your customers who actually bring you more work and delay their enjoyment of their own vehicle. It is odd looking back at it as now we do houses and I would never carry this OCD over and still deliver a product most cant touch. I know when to stop. I applaud Donnie for his lost art of craftsmanship and finding customers willing to pay for it. Though some restraint goes a long way. At some point one has to realize that a nicely maintained car gives the same joy but this seller felt differently and his or her joy came from going through this journey with Donnie but sorry people pay for cosmetic enhancements and will seek lower mile versions to eliminate most of the needed invoice. I wish seller luck and maybe Donnie who has a similar customer waiting might be your best buyer.
Yes, absolutely agreed, and I mentioned that in the very first post. I do appreciate non-buyers chiming in to add value to the post - I think that's a big value in sites like FChat and BaT. At the same time, feels like we're kinda beating a dead horse here, no pun intended, definitely given my family situation. If folks are interested buyers, please, by all means, feel free to contact me. Folks who are dropping by to say that I've paid too much to restore it should reread the reason why I'm selling. I have to deal with my father's cancer enough right now - I don't need to keep rehashing this. Thanks for your understanding.
First and foremost I send my thoughts and prayers to the OP for the terrible situation he finds himself in. It is more important than money or cars and I empathize with his necessity to sell his Ferrari shortly after getting it. In addition I think that it will be challenging to achieve the asking price and it would really rely on a buyer who places a premium on freshly completed work and values the time savings associated with getting a car that is sorted. While the money has been spent and there is no use crying over spilled milk, I will say that the amounts charged on the service receipts are shocking and downright criminal. Prices like the ones shown are what give mechanic shops a bad name and discourage people from owning Ferrari's. They are monstrously high even by the standards of a Beverly Hills Ferrari dealership let alone a one man show operating out of an airplane hangar in the middle of nowhere. I've seen a number of videos with Donnie and he strikes me as the typical big headed mechanic who is a legend only in their own mind. They will usually create this mythical aura around them and fleece unsuspecting owners who think they are getting something special. I mean no disrespect to the OP but urge everyone to take this as a cautionary tale of the kinds of charlatans that are out there.
Interesting - I'm surprised, given that this one with more miles and less maintenance work just went for $118k: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1986-ferrari-328-gts-53/ Why would you think mine would go for less?
While I think that's Donnies invoices are the most outlandish invoices I've ever seen for what he did, your car DOES have improvements over when it was purchased on BAT for 115K. For a car to sell at auction, it takes TWO motivated buyers to really have a car reach any value. Obviously when you bid on the car, there was someone willing to pay slightly less than you for the car. Certainly the car Brent just posted also had two motivated bidders, and it sold for more than 120k with BAT commission. While Brents car isn't worth what he paid for it plus the "restoration" costs- it certainly has added some value. What is a Black 328 GTS worth that hopefully is totally serviced with all new suspension parts, new seats and hopefully every nook and cranny looking like new? Is 150K too much money for a 25 thousand mile car that's ready to go? Hard to say what current values are. Brents asking price of 150K is a way better value than the 118K Bat car. Thirty grand to get all new suspension, shocks, brakes, hoses etc is MORE than fair. Donnie may be REALLY proud of his work, but the OP is NOT making the next buyer pay for it. BUT 150K for almost any 328 is very hard to do. Very few 328's have reached this amount in the last few years. TWO motivated buyers in a BAT auction for a Black 328GTB brought an astounding 320K- so values are all over the place. Pretty hard to argue that the Op's car is worth less than he paid for it a year later, after having a LOT of work done while another car that's NOT equal sells for more.
Thanks, I thought so too. I really raised my eyes at that 118K one - but then 328s keep marching up, and here we are. Agreed, especially GTS's. I'm curious to see where it ends up - I'll pick it up from Donnie's in the next week when I'm back in the US, get photos taken, and then put it up for auction. I really don't know what to expect - it'll be a wild ride.
Just going to mention this, but this Callaway guy looked at Matt Farah's very low mile Countach engine and said it needed a rebuild without doing a leakdown or compression test. That same engine/car was reviewed by a well-known classic Lambo mechanic in the area before Callaway or Farah had it who DID perform a leakdown and said it was an incredibly tight engine that just needed a service. Callaway in the meantime is not a Countach engine specialist. I pointed this out to Farah a couple weeks ago but I truly believe he's just going through with the rebuild for content purposes for his channel now. Great car though Brent. I'm sure it will sell well. Very sorry what you're going through with family, I have been in the exact same place and not long ago. Thought and prayers to anyone going through this.
I don't know if you'd get $150K, that'd likely be a bit high, but I bet it would do pretty well on BaT if the work done presents really well, you detail everything to the nines and (very importantly) it's photographed well. I've sold one car on BaT, it did OK, I paid for the BaT photographer package thinking that photos from somebody that does this would be a good idea - the pics he took were passable, but not spectacular at all - that's on me, when I saw them I knew I could've staged and taken better pics but went with the BaT pics. Lesson learned. Agreed that $150K should be reasonable for what started out as a nice car and had a good amount of work done, assumably to a high standard, but most GTS just aren't "there" yet - though there are dealers asking that and higher for nice (driven, low/average mile) examples. The $320K B is an outlier, even among Bs which tend to command a premium - hard to use it as an example of the actual variation in prices, especially as relates to GTS models. Like others, sorry to hear about your reasons for selling. Love the spec of your car and wish I was in the market, all the best with the sale.
Having owned a nice 328 for several years at a fairly economical total cost, this really resonates with me. The invoices posted makes one want to RUN, not walk, away from anything associated with an older Ferrari. The utterly abusive nature of it all absolutely boggles the mind. I extend my full respect and sympathy for the situation that Brett finds himself in. I sincerely pray that you are able to find your way through it in the best way possible.
$7k for "seat work" after spending $9k on what I assume are complete seats...is that more than just placing them and tightening the 4 bolts? Us 360/430 guys have been making out like a bandit every major! $3.2k for "engine cleaning"...Bring it to me, I'll do it for $2500. I'm in the wrong business for sure. $2k for powder coating...I've gotten my upper plenums, engine crossmember, ALL aluminum interior trim, all door hardware, and a few other things powdercoated...much more than you could ever powdercoat in a 328, I think I'm less than $800 into it. I'm not trying to dump on anyone here, it just absolutely floors and disgusts me that so many people get taken advantage of like this every day.
Bring a Trailer will always have comps that can justify just about any asking price. While I do not think you are being cheeky in asking 150K I continue to think that it is optimistic and relies on the right guy on the right day (much like an auction) to make it happen. If you generally look at 328 results on BAT you will see that my estimate of 100-120K is reasonable and not favoring either buyer or seller. That said BAT is full of the unreasonable so advertising it there could land you a big number. The HUGE problem is that if you list it on BAT people are going to want to see service invoices for the 130K of work. If you publish the invoices you showed here it will turn into a total train wreck in the comments section. With all of the nasty real world stuff you have to deal with that kind of annoyance is probably not worth it.
Yeah, I'm kinda resigned to just posting the service invoices and letting the peanut gallery go crazy, like it has here. I do need to let the car go to focus on family, and I haven't gotten any offers from here (not even lowballs) so I'm kinda resigned to doing that. I do appreciate the kind words though!
There are two types of Ferrari 308/328 out there. Those that are 40 year old, with 40 year old parts that are always in need of repair and those that drive like new because the consumable parts were updated recently I just took a 1982 308 GTSi (20,000 mi) that had been garaged for 25 years and did an update on it. Until you do this you can't appreciate how many parts are involved. While I managed the project myself, I did pay a mechanic to perform a lot of the work I am no longer small enough or strong enough to do my self. My bill was $50,000. This does not include any paint or interior replacement coverings. I imagine that a 328 probably costs a little more than a 308. Also, using a world class shop has more value than a do it your self owner.. I think those commenting on the costs are out of touch with reality or are comfortable with owning a car that isn't at its best. I find with classic cars and boats, the cheaper ones are more expensive in the long run. The cheaper ones tend to spend more time in the shop and less time on the road. If you just want to have a Ferrari in the garage, buy the cheap one. I you want to buy a Ferrari to drive across the country buy OP's.
