Thanks to all that responded to my many questions, I had the 1991 348 PPIed in Fla. by Tim S. He was wonderful. He found extensive damage to the frame and front control arms, He said pass on this which I did. The seller has a sweet 355 which Tim S. will check out hopefully tomorrow. Vin 103302 355 Berlinetta Yellow. I feel this car was the best deal of the 2 but was a few grand , I did hear the 355 is the complete machine but lets see what Tim has to say. I was told the 348 was a gem and it certainly was not. I am getting very excited but I will try to stay low key until Tim gives me the thumbs up or close to it. If anyone has any comments or suggestions about the 355 I would welcome them. Thanks captglen
It is good that you are taking your time and getting a good PPI before making a decision. I am sure that there are some that would have let there excitement get the best of them and get the 348 only to find these issues later. Good luck on the F355!
I may be speaking out of turn here, but if I understood you correctly I am wondering why you would consider buying a 355 from a seller who tried to sell you a 348 with extensive frame damage.
Especially when Robbie is selling his yellow 355 just a state away from you. Why go to Florida when there is a gem in driving distance?: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/vbclassified.php?do=ad&id=1632
The first time I read this post, I must have missed the fact that both cars are from the same seller. I agree, if they lied about one of them, they will lie about the other. Personally, I would not waste my money for the PPI on the second car. I would look elsewhere.
This thread is a continuation of the original premise of a swap plus some cash for Glenn's QV. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=252109 If this was a private seller, I'm totallly on board and would never give it a second thought. Not sure if you can totally blame the seller for the newly uncovered condition information as they may be an agent reseller of someone elses car. The new information about the 348 makes the seller "less than" informed about the car they are selling but I'm not sure it constitues fraud. Would I be skeptical, Ohh yes, Would I request they pay for the new PPI of the other car, for sure. But that creates a problem with a third party PPI. The integrity of the performer can become in doubt as they are accountable to the invoice payer only. If the PPI comes out clean on the 355, I MIGHT continue with the transaction but would be VERY cautious and if possible, present for the new PPI execution.
I agree. The seller may not have known about these issues. So either the seller was lying or he did not do his job and check the history of the car or have his own inspection done before selling it. You do make a good point about who is paying for the inspection. That being the case, I would be there during it as well. The 355 could still be a good car but I would be looking for any red flags no matter how small.
I hate to say this but lots of people do not really bother to do much research on a car before they buy it. While one here always mentions a PPI some people do not really care. My gf would buy a car and has, based on the color and how shiney the rims look. She will also happily drive it to the mall grocery store where ever. If the car broke she would fix it no questions asked. I have bought cars with out a PPI as well, if the car appears to be nice and looks decent I would buy it sight unseen. The cars are getting cheaper I may not do something like that on a $150000 car but one for $75000 or so I have. It depends on a persons comfort level I guess and ones ability to pay for the item.
Update: 355 finally arrived at PPI inspection facility, I called at the end of the day and he ws in the process of doing compression test. I have not heard back since. I hopefully will know something tomorrow and will post tomorrow night. The question is, did the seller knowingly know about the damage ?? His Car reporting company showed no accidents,,Carfax showed an accident which we looked for right off the bat before checking the engine. Seller acts and says he didn't know, I gave him this benefit and told Tim to check everything on the 355, he is an expert so I really didn't need to say a word, He does thinbgs the right way the forst time as it should be. THANKS TIM, Tim has been great and charged a very nominal fee for the lookover on the 348. It Had major front end/frame damage and was not repaired correctly is what the auto body guy said. They shopuld have cut the rails back further, Has evidence of being on a Frame straightening machine, (just to let you know why I passed). If you looked at this car on the sreet you would think it was mint. I will never buy a car without a PPI again., I feel so far I have been lucky but the cars were cheaper then. LOL Captglen
Given the fact that the 355 has reached the compression/leakdown point of the PPI is a good sign, usually the last phase of the PPI This would mean the car has passed all the safety and body inspections. We're still waiting to hear about or see pictures of the QV you are trading......
Here are some pics Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Glenn...That QV is gorgeous. Are you sure you want to change to an unfamiliar (querks and issue's) higher operating cost car?
Make sure they check the CEL! It should turn on when you turn the key, then turn off. My seller had removed the light so it wouldn't be obvious it was on, and my car even passed PPI at Ferrari of central Fla. Fortunately for me it was an easy fix...
Excellent point. I am just wondering how and why somebody would risk their reputation and credibility on someone else's car by not knowing anything about it.
