if you are serious about a top level car, nick soprano is very capable of getting you a great car...you should fly to white plains to see the car yourself. pcb
Planning to fly over but need to locate someone to assist with the inspection. Does anyone have any referrals in the White Plains area to do a PPI?
This one? http://www.motorclassiccorp.com/Marquelist.cfm?Marque=Ferrari For the price I think you should get more options of leather interior, tools, books, pouch, etc
i actually think the car needs to be better detailed to ask that kind of coin. i just spent some time looking at the pictures. i would like to see some pedigree as in recent platnum award at a significant show. that said, the car may have all of that. with regard to a ppi, call bill pollard @ 860.350.1515 and ask him who is really qualified to judge a dino at the higher price range. pcb
Great looking car. Notice the black paint is closer to the bottom of the door on the passenger side than the drivers side. If this is factory original paint it makes me happy as I went through a lot of pictures of Dinos trying to see what was correct when painting my car. I don't know if there is a truly correct paint line for the Dino, only a range. Mine is very close to that on the drivers side.
This whole thread has a certain and all too familiar ring to it. Purchasing a Dino, in the end, is a pretty simple process, assuming someone TRULY has the money. Just follow these steps: 1. Make an effort to buy a couple of books about Dinos, and take the time to read them. 2. Subscribe to the Ferrari Market Letter (or at least Hemmings), and read. 3. Buy a few British car collector magazines like Thoroughbred and Classic Cars, and take the time to read them too (notice a trend here?). 4. After you have done what you can to inform yourself about Dinos, THEN post on FCHAT (or in this case, post again on FCHAT). 5. Make the effort to show up at an Italian car show and talk to a few Dino owners and look at their cars - and probably, if you ask nicely, they'll give you a ride. 6. Make the effort to visit a dealer or two and take a few test drives. 7. Narrow your choice down to two or three cars that you can afford, and pay for the PPIs. In the end, you will have set yourself a realistic goal, and you should feel confident in simply having bought the one you liked and were able to afford. All of this talk about finding the "PERFECT," or "BEST UNRESTORED," or "LOWEST MILEAGE" Dino is nonsense. 33 years on, it is highly unlikely that there is a "PERFECT" Dino -- there never really was one, even fresh from the factory. All of the Dino owners here know exactly what I am talking about - bad 2nd gear synchros, fuel starvation on tight turns, bad Dinoplex ignitions, the list goes on and on - but owners still love their Dinos. And, I'd rather have John Corbani's Dino (with what, 250,000+ miles on it now?), then a Dino that sat in a time capsule with all of the rubber, brake lines, hoses and gaskets having rotted out, suspension having sagged, mechanicals having frozen up, etc. The search for perfection only serves one purpose, and that is to give cover to posers, who continue to explain that they haven't bought a Dino because they haven't found perfection. If someone TRULY has the money, then they should simply buy the Dino they like. If the car runs and drives well (and of course has had a PPI done by an experienced Dino mechanic), hasn't been wrecked (minor fender benders that haven't damaged the frame/chassis don't fundamentally matter in my book as long as proper repairs were made), isn't a rust bucket, and you have title and service histories, you won't be making a bad purchase. Of course, there may be a "better" Dino that subsequently appears for sale, but if you really have the money, then what do you care? Buy that one too, and sell your other Dino. In the meantime, while continuing to search for your SECOND Dino, you will have had the pleasure of driving one of the world's all time great cars. Otherwise, this thread belongs in the dustbin with the rest of the "LOOKING TO BUY A DINO" threads. Please, don't be a poser like so many others. Do what MRONY did -- do some research, take a chance, buy a Dino, and then post your photos and drive it like you stole it, but take care of it like you own it. Mark
Mark, I was thinking along the same lines when I responded to Bluestone's similar thread in the Vintage section; though I didn't make quite as strong of a statement. Regards, Art S.
Right On Mark. If you don't drive it, there is no point in buying it and all the PPIs in the world won't make you happy. When you drive it, you will then find out why you bought it and will fix it anyway. If you only want to show it, there is not much help for you. Might have invested in housing and let it go at that. Fascinating car, worth the foibles you find, a keeper. John
If this car got any kind of award, the standards must have been pretty low that day. Because of the carpet and engine bay, I would be ashamed to put this car in the city car show at the park.
I think you guys are being too hard on Bluestone. I love my Dino of 20 yrs, but having read it, I personally don't find the story behind it all that fascinating. So not reading a bunch of books about it is no crime in my opinion. And not everyone has the time or interest to learn about all the little details about a car. Sometimes you learn stuff you wish you hadn't if it has to do with weaknesses. If you have the money to fix them, who cares? He is basically asking us what years or features to look for, which is reasonable. For many cars there are big differences between one year and the next, and the Dino 246 is pretty much an exception in this regard. There are GT and GTS, Euro and US. That's about it. Personally I like to know as much as possible about a car before I start shopping for one, but if a guy just loves how they look and sound, what's wrong with that? Regarding the car in question, it seems to be an example of what I said earlier: how much fade, discoloration, and general shabbiness are you willing to put up with for the sake of knowing that it's exactly like it left the factory? Jim
Other than not liking the fact that I suggested Bluestone might want to bother to read a little about Dinos (and Ferraris in general), what part of my "advice" did you think was being "hard" on Bluestone? [NOTE: I didn't say read a BUNCH of books, nor did I say that it would be a crime to not read a "bunch of books." Elsewhere on FCHAT (Vintage section) Bluestone suggests that s/he (I can't recall, nor do I care, if Bluestone indicated whether s/he is either male or female) has $500,000 (maybe more?) to buy vintage Ferraris, so don't you think that maybe s/he might want to know a little about what s/he is thinking about buying, other than reading through a bunch of posts on FCHAT????] I didn't see anyone being "hard" on Bluestone in the Dino section (although someone in the Vintage section suggested s/he might want to buy a collection of models, presumably scale, instead). My point wasn't to buy books about Dinos (or other Ferraris) to read them as if you were reading a fairy tale (well, in the case of the Dino engine's design story, it might very well be a fairy tale), but rather to be aware of model differences, problems, etc. Have you read his/her posts under the VINTAGE section? If you had, you'd wonder . . . . Be that as it may, assuming s/he's got a modicum of money in his/her change purse, AT LEAST BUY A COPY OF "THE FERRARI BUYER'S GUIDE." Mark
Pantdino posted: "If this car got any kind of award, the standards must have been pretty low that day. Because of the carpet and engine bay, I would be ashamed to put this car in the city car show at the park." Following up on that, I ask: What hath God wrought in that engine bay? Looks like a bunch of pieces are missing, hoses cobbled, etc. Has anyone here driven that car? Mark
Jim, Either Bluestone is someone buying Ferrari's as home decoration / investment or he is a troll. Similarly, if he really had money to burn but no time to do real homework, why has he not jumped on something? If he was serious, why not hire Tom Shaunessey or Mike Sheehan to hunt down a car for him? I could be wrong and he'll post that he just bought Sheehan's Superfast, but I kind of doubt it. Regards, Art S.
I must be a true "sicko" because when I get interested in a certain car the first thing I do is buy the parts manual, owners manual and the shop manual. Same with the Dino. Dino caught my eye so I bought those and they fueled the fire to get one.
I brought my car from the U.K after nearly a year of looking everywhere ( that includes every book, magazine and website i could find world wide).When i found it i had a professional check done on it and received a 72 page report detailing everything with dozens of photographs, based on the report and his recomendations i haggled the price with the owner paid and had the car in a container within a couple of weeks. It sat in my garage for nearly a year before i could get it legal for road use here in NewZealand.The first time i drove a Dino was just over a month ago ,prior to that i had never driven one. Whats more i actually turned down the opportunity to drive one when i was offered because it didnt matter to me .I have wanted it since i was a kid and now i have it and about 750 miles later we are learning how to treat each other.I dont have the luxury of a big bank balance like some of the people on here so to me this car represents a major financial investment i brought it because of a passion so all i can say is if your not buying it for the same reason i got mine. Stick a pin in the list of serious cars that all these good people have been pointing out to you slap you money down.Then drive it ,store it or show it but for gods sake get on with it. As for me i am off on the FOC X mas lunch run sunday to put another couple of hundred miles on. But what do i know ?
Danny, Welcome to the club! It's going to be an interesting ride while you two get aquainted. Let us know how it goes. Pictures are always welcome. John
I wonder where Bluestone is. Probably busy buying many vintage Ferrarai's, and looking for that really special low milege Dino.
ya know what. who cares if this guy is for real? a lot of the stuff we write is used by people that are researching a first purchase anyway! onward...
Your probably right. The only problem I have is how much people here are willing to help. It's really a collective waste of a lot of peoples time, when someone is just BS ing the board. But what the hell else do we have to talk about?
lol...bluestone now has a new business card..."dino market maker!" and guys, don't send him to mo, the guy is a tire kicker at best.
