best year Testarossa?

In the opinion of the members of this forum. What is the best year Testarossa? I am in the market and want to be armed with knowledge based information.

 

I'd say 1959.. Opinions may vary.




Darrell.

 

I guess I should narrow the span of years. Same question, but between 1987 and newer. Thanks, but I'm sure I couldn't afford the 1959.

 

Try the "Boxers/TR/..." subsection, you'll probably get better help there.

 

lol, you re right man

 

tr/boxer section will help...if you can stand the "cat fighting"

IMO though..... on style alone....85/86 High mirror

Most will say last year TR if you can't afford 512

 

I really like the '95s...then the '94s, then '93....

 

Ferrari did not make a Testarossa in 1959. The made the Testarossa from 1984 - 1991. In 59 it would have been a Testa Rossa.

 

1991 is the best , unless you like the flying mirror and the single lug wheels then I guess the last year 87 - early 88 would be the best

 

Technically not a Testarossa but a 512 TR or a 512M

 

LOL!

 

I know, but they are both still unmistakably Testarossas.

 

I know you know I just wanted to make it clear for the originator of the thread, he's too new for me to know what he knows. (you know if I put a few more you and knows in that sentence it could be a quote from just about any professional or college athelete, you know? )

 

LoL!

 

I'm looking at an 87. Sorry for my ignorance. What is it about 87 - early 88s that you liked? Is there any particular issues I sould look out for?

 

I think a little searching through the Boxers/TR forum will help you, but the first milestone in the modern "TR" series was the relatively minor update in 1988 (?) when Ferrari went from a single-lug wheel to a conventional five-bolt pattern and fixed other minor bugs from the first generation.

The real leap was in 1992 with the 512TR, which is a substantially worked-over version and generally regarded as a better car (much in the way the 328 looks like a 308 but has numerous differences under the sheet metal).

In 1993, at some chassis number (search here - I don't know it offhand), Ferrari began using a single-piece casting for the differential housing to cope with the increased torque that can cause the earlier welded housing to fail, expensively ($15K+) and spectacularly, under stress. To answer your original question: if I were going to get into the "TR" market, I'd look for the latest 512TR (properly maintained, and verified OK by a pre-purchase inspection or "PPI" -- essential in the world of used Ferraris) that I could afford.

The final move was the F512M, which is a rare (125 or so?) car and largely saved by collectors.

Apart from that differential housing issue, I believe TRs have problem-prone motorized seatbelts that are expensive to put right (and fail often) and some lesser issues. You'll want to acquaint yourself with normal service parts prices for TRs before making the leap -- price out ignition wires, distributor caps, etc., to get an idea of the routine expenses. You can easily spend $7K+ on the major service (engine must be removed for this), and Ferrari specifies every 3 years for the timing belt replacement. There's a lot of controversy around that 3-year interval, but that's the official word and it applies to all TRs and 512TRs, IIRC.

 

Follow the link: http://www.red-headed.com

 

The well-known motorized seat belt issue has a recall campaign currently on going, so Ferrari will fix the seat belt system free of charge, if it hasn't been fixed already.

 

I'd say 1988

 

I stand corrected, thanks.

Is it a one-time fix and are the seat belts more reliable afterward?

 

My car had the seat belt recall 2 years ago and so far (knock on wood) no problems at all....I'd still rather have the manual belt system though.

 

TRs are no different than buying any other ferrari.

Make sure you start off with the following.

1) Physically look and drive 5 of them to compare

2) Get a second opinion when a mechanic and or service records are viewed

3) Chech the VIN and see the least amount of ownership, and make sure the warrenty card and tools and paperwork come with the car

4) Buy the best one you can find (no stories) upfront. Better to spend 10-15K for a better car, it will cost you less in the long run if you are not a mechanic by trade.

5) Finally, ebay is not the sole search for a Ferrari.....dont make this purchase without physically seeing and touching the car.

As for models, the 512TR and 512M are the new and improved, its up to you if you feel the 30-50% price increase gives you the lift in enjoyment.

The one to have, seems to be the single fly mirror, and single bolt without the "Mouse" seatbelt era. As for manufacture defects, the cars are old enough now that these issues would have been addressed by preivous ownership...if not, (thats why you need service records), take money off the purchase price.

You could probably buy a great 86 fly mirror with 30,000 miles, full ownership, and clean, no BS and fully serviced for about 75K taxes included and on the road.

PS....there maybe an fchatter or two selling, so this would be a great starting point. Odds are it would be a better car since many around here would know the car longer term.

Hope this helps.

Good luck on your search. Let us know what you find.

Welcome to Fchat !!

Happy New Year !

 

LOL, but you would need to throw in a bunch of, "You know what I'm sayin'?"

 

You know, sometimes you know, that is you know done, but you know I don't you know think it is really necessary , you know.

 

+1 , other than the seatbelt issue which is a recall item. A engine out major is an easy 7 -10K, also they have a problem prone fuse panel which I haear the part is now several thousand dollars, I replaced mine in Jul/Aug o6 for 900.00, the dash also tends to warp so look for that and also dash leather shrinkage. I think the differential is a abuse item I don't think they all fail but they all have the potential to fail, and it is a used car so you don't know how it was driven everytime it was started up, this fix can range from 10 -15K ?.