Buying from a Non-Authorized Ferrari Dealer

Hi everyone,

Looking to get into the brand at 'entry-level' with a 360/430. Search and you get all these different independent non-authorized dealers. How do we feel about purchasing a car from such a group? Is there a recommended dealer enthusiasts call/visits first?

Thank you for the help!

 

There aren't many authorized Ferrari dealerships compared to independent high-end pre-owned dealerships. You should be able to buy with confidence from any place thats been around a long time, because they care about their reputation and one bad deal could hurt them moreso than an authorized dealership. Just look at ratings and reviews. Also, don't rule out private sales, because you can usually get a better car at a better price, just get a PPI, or search thus forum for profiles and post content.

 

I've bought many cars, and much prefer buying from individuals...particularly enthusiast. Any disappointments I've had have been exclusively from dealers.

 

Buy the owner not the car

I always try to buy privately and preferably a person on a forum for a while

 

This, and for me i can see how the real owner of the car treats it. With a dealer/garage buy you dont know how the previous owner treated it. I also always let the owner drive first in a testdrive. If he takes it to like 6000rpm with a cold engine with me next to him im already not buying it. If he does that with me next to him, he will probably redline it when hes alone with a cold engine, no thx! All things you dont get to see/experience/feel when buying from a (independent)garage...

 

Yeah +1 on buying the the seller / previous owner.

I was unable to really know that on either of my cars and one has been totally trouble free and the other was a big project.

the hard part about the first one is you really can’t know everything you need to know. If you have an FCA chapter in your area, I’d recommend joining since members will be a ton of help.

 

Most dealers have one goal in mind-- sell the car whatever it takes. The "it" usually translates to nothing positive. In my experience a private owner is the way to go. First hand history, opportunity to get a feel for how the owner treated the car, and most times a better price negotiation, are all things I have found dealing with a private owner.

You will likely travel to see the car you really want-- and maybe to more than one destination. Do your homework. Vet the owner as well as the car. Enjoy the process.

 

The only plus with buying from an official dealer is that the car has usually undergone some type of inspection or repair of small items, but not always. They also usually charge a premium over independents. Regardless, you can get a poor quality car at an authorized dealer just as easily as an independent. These are older cars and if they haven't been driven for a while, you'll be the first one to find out when something breaks right away from lack of use. Best to focus more on ownership history, service history, and anything that shows regular use and maintenance versus something that just sat in a garage and got sent to the dealer once a year for an oil change.

 

These are all older cars now (a quarter century on the earliest ones!), so they're becoming less likely to show up on the authorized dealer inventories these days. The best of them are usually not sold publicly. They're passed from club member to club member, or the service department at the dealer (or the local independent shop) knows of someone who's looking to sell.

Buy the owner, if you can. Get involved with the local club and get to know the people and places around you. Ultimately, understand the condition of the car regardless of where it's being sold, and be prepared to fix the something that is always there.

 

Don't trust anyone selling a car to be completely honest about it, no matter who. They want to sell the car. They wont tell you the belts are 10 years old and they used jiffy lube. You can "buy the owner" and thats good advice but mine is to "Buy the PPI"... and then you can decide if what they find is normal wear or something that needs repaired. If they dont allow a PPI then walk.

I bought mine from a mom n pop place that of course told me all the work they did and it wouldn't need anything for years to come. I demanded every receipt they had for everything they claimed and still got a PPI. of course it needed tons of other stuff to be "perfect" and worked that into the negotiations.

 

The only issue is that if you buy from an out of state dealer, you will have to travel back for the dealer to make good on anything you both agree needs to be corrected-- and that could be a long and expensive trip.

I had an experience with a dealer in Pennsylvania (a flight from Florida) to see a 360 that was a trade in at a Mclaren dealer. The car was a rat. Beat on and not even washed or detailed-- and this guy at the dealership KNEW I was flying in to see the car. Totally misrepresented. I was so pissed that he was not honest about the car and only showed flattering photos from flattering angles. But like I said "do whatever it takes to sell the car" seems to be the motto.

Ferrari or Chevy : always buyer beware

 

if you get a PPI remember there are two types, or at least there were at the dealership I dealt with. One was the cheap and quick one and the other one was the one that would authorize the car for the Ferrari certified preowned program. That cost something like $750 if I recall. the difference in the results is night and day. One is a quick "once over" and the other is a serious checklist with mandatory box checking by the mechanic and the manager. I definitely saved the cost of the CPO level

 

@herrer1 : Buy from a person who is well off and hasn't cut corners to save dollars; that is what I did and the car has been great.

 

I bought mine from an independent dealer. Did my own PPI.

The main issue that arose several years later was the throwout bearing failed. It might have been "predictable" given age/mileage.

 

WOW! you all are amazing! thank you so much for all the insights being offered here.

If we were to go a Ferrari AD route, do we have a trusted name to reach out to?

 

BTW, welcome to FC. Listen to the knowledge here.

 

Where are you (roughly) located?

 

Bought mine from Chicago Motor Cars sight unseen and was very pleased with it. I read just about every review on google about the place before pulling the trigger. The one that sold me was someone that bought a $500,000 car, took delivery of it only to have a CEL come on with some idle issues the day he took delivery. CMC took it back and refunded his money. The whole ordeal was about as simple of a process as I have ever had buying a car. I sent a wire transfer on Friday morning and the car was in my driveway (in an enclosed trailer) at 1200 on Saturday.