I wish I was sly like a fox. lol. Thank you for all your advice. Yes I don't understand why it is not getting any action, all though there are 31 people that have it on there watch list. I also did list it on cars.com for 60 days and did not get one call. As I would like to sell it now, money is not the total issue and I can wait until spring. At that point, I think I would certainly heed the advise on this board and offer it at a higher price, but most likely not through ebay. Addtionally, the car does have a Tubi, but not a challenge grill. The headers were replaced as well as the Water pump, clutch, both cats, the interior was redone with all the sticky switches replaced. The only interior blemish is a tiny bit of shrinkage where the small slot passenger vent by where it meets the windshield. The car is really in great shape.
Most people who are looking on ebay are trying to find the the best deal out there. Your car may be perfect but most people will not buy a car for $60k knowing they are going to have to spend $8-10k within a year. Most buyers in that price range are not cash buyers, so if they are financing or leasing, what are the odds they have the cash on hand to pay for proper service. Your best chance is to have the service done and list it for more money. Just my $.02 Good luck
I wish you good luck. I think it is a pity that you sell such a beautiful car, but you must have a reason I guess.
Price it right, don't drop the price, be patient, skip ebay. If you are going to give it away, trade it in (at least it's hassle free). If it's priced too low or you keep dropping the price, it either says you have something to hide or you are desperate. When I sold my S4 last year, I priced it right and it sat for what seemed like an eternity. This guy kept calling trying to get me to come down on price. It finally sold to another enthusiast who was many states away but was looking for exactly what I had, and he paid a few hundred under my asking price. When the low baller called back and I told him it was sold, he was pissed and called me a liar. I couldn't help but laugh... Good luck with the sale.
Why were you a "liar"? Did you initailly tell the low baller that you were not coming off your asking price and then let him know that you did?
Most people looking at 355's are aware of the valve guides issue. If you have replaced the headers, cats, chances are that it will need valve guides and your compression is low in a couple of cylinders. The best way is to get a leak down test. If the results are good. you should post them along with the other information. That will take the fear factor out of the equation. Valve guides are an issue on all 355's, not just early ones . I have seen 98's and 99's with this problem. Your price is right!
I understand the valve guide issues, but I also understand from information on this board that a car with 31,000 miles should be well sorted out and if the valves were to be an issue it would have happened already. That being said, there was a compression check on this car before I purchased it and most were between 3%-7% with one cylinder being 12%. I also just contacted a local exotic car dealer near me who mostly specializes in Porches, however they do sell a couple of Fcars and I am bringing my car up to them today for evaluation and they will either offer me dollars or arrange a consignment deal.
As a non-FCar owner who was looking, I'd say the service is a deal breaker for me. When I was serious (and yeah, I remember bobaer Posting about his 355 in a thread I started), the having the service done was an indicator to me that the owner took care of the car. I mean, if you can't afford to service them, don't own them. If the owner couldn't service it, what else did he skip. That said . . . Valve guides / manifolds are a huge issue for the 355s according to everything I have read on FChat. FFCobra had his Black/Black 355 for sale for quite a while @ $69K and I just couldn't have afforded it or I totally would have jumped. New manifolds, new service, new guides and it still sat. He even put up a similar thread (something like "if not a dealer, then what"). Once I got my actual financing and missed the 328 I was going after, I quickly emailed him, but he had sold it. Do the service, get a PPI/checkup for the valve guides and assuming its good, the car should sell. I can't believe FFCobra spent nearly 20K in services plus all the previous work done to the car and he had a hard time selling his. Here was his car: http://www.ferrarichat.com/ferrariads/showproduct.php?product=1434&sort=1&cat=11&page=6 or http://tinyurl.com/ujegh Damn, thats 2 NICE Fcars I've missed. James in Denver
James, the cost of entry (i.e. the purchase price) is not your biggest hurdle. Many used F-cars, and I say this as someone who is extraordinarily passionate about the Marque (witness my web page), will have more in Service costs than in purchase price if kept for any length of time. If you are financing, expect your monthly repair bills to exceed your monthly payments. This can be mitigated. If you do your own repairs and are willing to purchase cross-referenced parts (Ferrari's use lots of industry-standard parts) rather than Ferrari-in-the-yellow-box parts, then your monthly servicing expenses will obviously be lower. The other way to lower your short-term expenses is to just park the car. And many, many Ferraris do not see much road time. Check the polls on mileage in this thread-section, for instance. What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't be hung up on the purchase price of the car. That may not be your largest expense.
IMO, that seems like risky advice. cars that sit could develop other issues. i just replaced the fuel lines on my TR for $1200. it had sat a while before i bought it. the best thing you can do to lower your short term and long term maintenance is to drive the cars. that is what i do. i drive them every chance i get. you know the old saying..."a drive a day, keeps the mechanic away!" a 328 i recently purchased had to be moved 25 miles away from where i live due to a storage situation...i am now going to sell it rather than keep it and have it sit and cost me money down the road. john
I have a hunch No Doubt meant to limit road time, not literally park the car. Driving it 25,000 miles a year isn't going to save you money over driving it 3000 miles. And the point about purchase price is well put. Not true for most "normal" cars, but for exotics it's a different equation.
I am sorry, but at 60k for this car, all the service is priced into the car. A major for this car brings it to 63500 which should still be under market value.
You are correct in the fact that the price of maintainance is factored into the asking price, but the fact that someone is going to have a bill that is 10%15% of the purchase price within the first year of ownership is a big deal for most people. I have owned a 355 and I did the 30k service on it before I sold it. I more than made up the cost of the service in my sale price. I would love to know who quoted you for the major service, but if you don't buy any parts it will still be more that $3500. When I had my car done there was close to 40 hours of labor charged along with belts and belt tensioners. then there is the time to check clearances on the valves and the timing adjustment. I am convinced that you should do the service and then ask for more $$$. Good luck.
While I disagree with your assumption that repair bills exceeding monthly payments (see thread started in 308/328 about budgeting for maintenance), I understand the point. However, comparing 69K for FFCobras (and his didnt sell for a while) and bobaer's at 60K, why would I, as a perspective owner (if serious), spend 10K less and have to do the major myself THEN worry about the manifolds and valve guides which would total upwards of 10K or more to fix? 69K and drive (albeit black/black) or 60K plus immediately spend 5K plus MAYBE spend 10K more, but hey, I'd get a resale red. Seems like a no-brainer. That of course assume that the cars otherwise are equal, which they may not be. For all I know, FFCobras may have been salvaged or have major structural damage. Thats different. I'm not trying to "rag on" bobaer's car, it looks like a NICE car and someone it going to get a good deal! I'm just trying to say that an informed buyer (well, as informed as I can be reading FChat) may make another decision. Same decision is going on with the Red/Tan 328 listed in Castle Pines. Its price is LOW (and an FChatter may buy it) but it WILL need the service. Current price is 32.9K for an 89 328 w/43K miles. The 87 328 (black/red) I was looking at FOW sold for 45K with 24K miles and MUCH nicer with recent service. However, an uninformed buyer OR a buyer with alot of disposal cash may buy a Red/Tan 355 just because of the color. In that case, he/she wouldn't care about putting the extra $$$s in later. Just my 2 cents as a NON-Fcar owner. Admittedly, I was seriously looking but at a lower price point. James in Denver bobaer, I'm seriously not trying to insult your car, it is NICE!!! just making a point. PS Ask johng about the black/red 328, he bought it
James, funny thing is, pricing in life is never proportional to value. Especially with cars. Pricepoint makes all of the difference in the world. If a nice 355 is 70,000$. One needing 35,000$ worth of work should cost what? Logic dictates 35,000$, right? Nope. The market dictates that it will sell for 50,000$ or so. Many reasons for this. As the price of the car creeps down, your potential client base is bigger, so the car sells faster. Secondly, everyone always believes that they can "fix it for next to nuthin" and come out ahead. Logically, you are better off buying the car for 10,000$ more that needs absolutely nothing. Reality is, for most buyers 10,000$ is still a lot of money, and they will buy the cheaper car...and worry about possible repairs later. I see this with homes alot of the time. A perfect house is 200,000$. A shack is 175,000$. Guess which one sells first?
LOL you got that right ! I think it is a normal human tendency that is rectified as one grows in experience.
I have owned two 355 and have worked with a Ferrari mechanic (independent) that has been working on these cars for 22 years, and he charges 3500 for a complete engine out major.
That is a great deal!! That is almost what they charge for a fluid and filter change here in California.........well it seems that way
If you can get a major done for 3500, why not get it done and ready for the new buyer. I am sure youll recoup your $$$ back and plus some more. That would be the best idea. Youll sell the car alot faster. I dont think you can get a major for 3500.00 Parts alone are 1600 and then the mechanic is only going to charge 1900 for labor? Thats unheard of and very cheap.
get the major done for 3500$and that would be a plus but with that high mileage and the valves not done would be a big negative. as is 50k and the car sells other then that wait till spring
Low-baller assured me I would never sell the car for anywhere near my asking price, offered 5k less. I refused. He called later and I told him it had sold. He asked for how much. I told him. He didn't believe me and said I was lying about the price I got just to piss him off.
I guess I think too logically then. Maybe thats why I didn't pull the trigger on the 87 328 I was looking at until it was already sold. As mentioned before, same principle is going on right now for the 86 Red/Tan 328. See thread: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124625 Also played out for a 88 silver 328. Also see thread: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118751&highlight=houston Both were/are priced mid/low 30s, both appear to be bad examples. Both appear to be still available. Good 87 328 43K miles = SOLD 45K (Black/Red 87 via FOW sold to Johng) Good 89 328 35K miles = SOLD 49.5K (sold via 285ferrari to lizard1) Bad 86 328 43K miles = 33K UNSOLD Bad 88 328 55K miles = 35K UNSOLD 10K difference and unsold. However, Good 328 78K miles = 35K SOLD (via Fchat from FChatter Husker??? to FChatter) BTW All of these transactions have taken place within the 4-5 months I've been on FChat. Do the service, then put it up for sale @ 63.5K James in Denver
I also just noticed on Ebay that the same year car 355 with similar milage just sold on ebay for $59,000. But its a SALVAGE TITLE. Does that make any sense?
