Wow..2 400i 5-speeds on ebay right now...

My thoughts are that I'm a little bit jealous. <grin> Wish I had the extra cash right now to put into it.

 

Nevermind....

he want's $34,500 for it.

Should got it when it was at stanford for $24k

 

So what? If it's the car you want, then is it too much? One of my criteria (living in lovely EPA-heavy CA), is that the car I buy be in CA so as to make the seller get it to pass smog. I assume, matteo, that you're also in CA so this might be a plus for you. I think I probably set the high $$ mark for a 400i when I bought my car a couple months back - but, hey, it was EXACTLY the car I was looking for and the time was right... tell you what: you buy the car, and I'll buy the tool kit out of it from you to help offset the expense. Sound like a deal?

 

Definitely a high price for a 400i but if it checks out with a thorough PPI, it may well be worth it. Buying a "cheap" 400i with needs can become an expensive 400i real fast if it needs much work.

Just make sure that whoever does the inspection knows Ferraris and ideally 400 series cars (or at least 80's Ferraris) in particular, extremely well. Unless there has been a lot of work since Stanford European had it, one might ask how it could sell for $34K if no one bought it for $10K less?

"The satisfaction from high quality is remembered long after the sting of high price has worn off"

John

 

So if you do go look at it, what is that red light below the heater control valves? Looks like an after-market alarm. I'm still tracking mine down and trying to get it out.

 

Yeah...$34k is too high. Stanford had it for $24k and it didnt' sell at that price....maybe the right buyer didn't come along...but that 400i isn't an over $30k car in my opinion. The price will fall....

 

That is why I am balking on the price.

two month ago it was a $24k car. This month it is a $34k car with nothing done to it except a change in dealerships.

Neil, from Chequered Flag said he bought it from a broker a couple of months ago, I am going to assume for about $24k.

Price isn't an issue for me for $34k. JUst that it was $24 a couple of months ago leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I overpaid for my 308, however, it just had it's engine rebuilt and it was from a authorized dealer. I see no reason to overpay for a 400i with a red enterior just because it had a 5 speed.

I am still going to check it out later.

 

Not to stir up anything here; afterall the view is pretty good from the cheap seats...
I ask myself a question every time I buy a car. Is this a car I'm going to keep, or is this a car I'll drive a while and plan on selling?

If I'm going to keep it then it doesn't matter what I pay for it. Eventually, if I pay more than current market, the price will catch up. If not I don't care because I have a car I want and I'm not selling.

If it a car I'm going to drive and then sell; am I willing to pay the cost of ownership. That cost for me is the care of the vehicle while I own it and the difference between what I paid for it and what the market will bring when I sell it.

I "overpaid" for a really nice European car once. I owned it for a few years, drove it and had fun, then sold it. It cost me around 5 grand to have a blast and be able to say I owned one. That cost spread over 7 years is minor. Over the course of a year I spend way more on dinners out than the cost of owning most cars.

I'm not sure I have a strong point to make here, but cars should be viewed as toys. If it is THE car you want and you can afford it, go buy it and have a blast. Grin really big when you drive it and shout out loud with joy at your good fortune that you're able to afford it.

 

I know cars are money loosers. Afterall we are not talking about a daytona or anything of that nature.

I like the car however, the fact that the dealer is charging 10k more then what it was 2 months ago and the market on the cars has not gone up is annoying.

Maybe when I see it in person I will change my mind and see if it's worth the 34k. But if it is now worth it, why was it not worth in 2 months ago?

 

Well...that silver on black low mile 5-speed example (someone on this thread too...can't remember the name and too lazy to search back) and he paid around that price. It had 25k thereabouts. This car has 70k. That's a large difference.

I think you could walk into the dealer with that information and make a case in point. Or you could say..you know, no one is going to pay that amount, I'll wait it out a bit and maybe offer $27k or something.

I agree, that is annoying. I bet Chequered figured they could get more than $24k for it and told the owner. Owner pulled it from Stanford and sent it to Chequered. Pretty sure they didn't buy it at auction...but who knows.

 

Well said, dstacy!! I guess this is the point I was tryig to make earlier, but didn't have the right words. I can understand Matteo's concerns too though, and the idea of making a lower offer and waiting is probably prudent. ChecqueredFlag may have sold the owner a bill of goods, knowing that my car (the '84 silver/black 400i mentioned) sold for higher - they had the high bid on my car ($~32k) before I bought it.

My car is one owner with all maintenance/import records, $5k in engine work, near-perfect original condition, low miles, BAR sticker, etc. I guess that's why I was willing to pay a little more than average.

 

So did any of you guys buy the grey 400i with red leather? I noticed it is now sold. Looks like a beauty!

 

Matteo, perhaps? He was pretty hot for that car...

Kraig

 

I wish.

I never made it down there to take a look at it. I'll keep looking.

 

Wonder what it ended up selling for?

 

We sold the 400 i for mid 20's. I told Matteo he could buy it in the 20's without trading his 308. We bought it from the owner, he didn't fall for a story about how we could get him more for it on consignment, you guys spend way too much time conjuring up theroies when all you need to do is call and ask. Neil

 

$29,000 is not the 20's and there was no mention of additional markup from Standford Motors

I don't want to split hairs however, I have the email where you said you got it from a broker and were afraid of what it looked like until you got it on your lot.

Neil, I would have bought the car but for some reason, the difference in price from Stanford and Chequered Flag was not explained. I understand your position to make money. I am not fauting you on that. What unsettled me was that once I told you it was for sale....cheaper in April you dropped the price several thousand dollars and offered me the car for $29k rather then the listed $34500.

Having $45k in reciepts is not a selling point. It is one of the selling points but the the sole reason.

 

Matteo, As I explained to you, I was unaware that this car was for retail sale at all prior to me buying it. As soon as you explained you thought I'd be asking the same $24,900 that the last place was I told you I'd get into the 20's and maybe I did say high 20's, but on your thread you keep talking about this "unexplained mark up" which you know I had no knowledge of after our first call, it just seems a little disingenious. I was pleasantly surprised when the car got here, buying these cars long distance is a bit of a crap shoot to say the least. Of course I'm going to try and price it higher than if I were unhappy with it ( which happens a lot ). Neil

 

Niel,

I have no interest in prolonging this, BUT.....

You may not have know that it was for sale at Stanford BUT, in the email you sent me, you said you got it from the owner and then the very next email you said you got it from a broker. I can post it if you like. With that being said, I doubt they (Owner/Broker) would not have mentioned that it was not already for sale. They may have, they may have not. I don't know.

Once I let you know it had been for sale for $24k, you offered me the car @ 29K with no trade and $34k with trade. Again, if nothing was done to the car, why the 10k pop? While it my seem disingenious to you that I keep mentioning the change in price (which is your business to charge that), I still cannot see a 10k over market for a 400i with a 5 speed and 40 some k in reciepts and a BAR sticker unless something major was done to the car. Based on the pictures on ebay and your site, It did not even look like the car was washed.

Regardless, the car is sold......

Moving on

 

Matteo,

If your point is that the story wasn't straight, I see your concern. The discrepencies in the emails probobly resulted from the seller having multiple transactions going on and he mixed up his facts, but who knows.

If the concern is the mark-up, 400 5 speeds are the best value for the money in Ferraris right now. If the car had considerable recent work and was in great shape, then it was probobly underpriced at $24k. Neil took a gamble, jumped on it, and flipped it for a good prtofit (especially if he got it for less than $24k). If he has already sold it, either his assumption about the value was correct or his credibility as a dealer added the value. Mind you, I don't know anything about this car nor the dealer besides what I read here.

I assume you had an opportunity to buy it at $24k but Niel beat you to it. The car was probobly worth Niel's selling price but I understand your reluctance to buy considering you had an opportunity to buy it for considerably less just a little while ago.

Good luck in your search,

Art S.

 

Matt:

There's a 400i in Thousand Oaks for sale, at California Cars. It's an 83, I believe, but I don't recall if it's a 5 speed or not. I would guess not, but at least it's close enough to go take a look. I called on it last month, but never got a call back.

Kraig

 

Kraig,

Do you have the address? Wanna go look with me on Friday?

Matt

 

Matt:

Here's a slate gray 83 in Tustin, with a 5 speed, for $29,900:

http://cars.buzztrader.com/showad.cgi?1163&1983714154CA_299_9427.dat

 

And here's the one in TO, another 83, with an automatic, for $29,900:

http://www.collectorcartraderonline.com/addetail.html?81901778

Sorry, going out of town on Friday for 12 days

Kraig

 

"Here's a slate gray 83 in Tustin, with a 5 speed, for $29,900"

I'm pretty sure this is the car that an Fchatter has bought and was enquiring about getting it through the CA registration (catalysts, etc.)