So You Have $100k to Spend....

365GTC hands down. Has all the right bits and has been under rated for a long time. Just now starting to be appreciated for what they are. Also a great touring car. Drive it anywhere.

 

I would go 550-575. Personally 550 for me, puts a gorgeous classic v12 car in your garage with a nice cushion for maintenance or upgrades. That or a CS. I like something a little different. All depends on your dreams. I respect the boxers and testsrossa's, they weren't my dream so I would go newer. It's all what makes you happy.

 

ah! you are a couple of weeks late. This was THE ONE if I had your budget.

http://www.millermotorcars.com/2003-ferrari-575m-maranello-6-speed-c-264.htm

It was listed at $115k which was more than fair IMHO

512BBI if you like raw, classic stuff. So sexy.

 

F430 is great bang-for-the-buck at about $120K

 

Yes, something newer. Read this thread for some insights on leasing a Ferrari.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=326275

 

If you can stretch a bit more, 360 CS.

Otherwise a 550 Maranello.

Both have fully depreciated, and, if you care about that sorta thing, in about 10 years they'll both be worth more so it's a good investment as well.

 

Boxer
365 GTC/4
308 Vetroresina Euro dry-sump

 

Two four post lifts x 2. $3200. Still have $17,000 left!

And an impressive looking garage! Imagine the neighbors seeing THREE Ferraris in your garage?!

;-)

 

550 Barchetta hands down; for all the reasons you all know!

 

I would look for a 246 Dino in need of restoration - then sell it for $185 K in 12 months.

if you want some thing to drive & pay with immedately - then 575, or 360 ( but neither are Great looking cars in my opinion for Ferrari's.)

you could find a Boxer but in that range you are talking about 20-30K resto cost, and the performance is not like todays cars, but they are Thrilling to drive, and gorgeous to look at!

 

Big +1. If you can find an early example(no serious changes through the years anyway) you won't lose much money, and won't need much for repairs. Its got to be the best car for 120k you can buy.

My choices,

430- stick or F1
575- stick(if you can find it)
360 CS(if you can stretch it, although I have seen some in the 130s)

 

100K for a Dino, wishful thinking, + 80 for complete resto, good luck.

100K for a Boxer, +80 for complete resto, Ha, good luck.

 

You could utilize the 120k + OPM and go for the Enzo.

If I had to buy an f-car with that cash I'd go as new as possible ~F430 or classic 512bb.

Edit: Also forgot the idea of going to the nearest casino and betting on, of course, red. Then we're talking 458 territory.

 

Not to get too far off topic, but do you see the 430 "bottom" being still in six figures? If a 2005 coupe example today (say in normal condition, average miles, and common color) is $120k, where would it be in say, four years?

Based on history, I would guess the bottom would be well into five figures for a 10 year old 430. Once the 458 becomes widely available on the used market, the prices for older cars will continue to be pushed down. I would think in 2015 the 430 described above will routinely sell for $80k, and push the 360 down further toward the $50-60k mark they are currently heading toward.

And once the 458 is replaced? Forget about it, the 430 will be viewed by many as the 355/360 are today...out of fashion.

 

Since you said $120k, another vote for 430.
430 = most modern and Best driving experience.
For me the car is about the passion of the driving experience.
(would have said 360 CS but can't get one for 120k)

 

Boxer is the only one going up in this price range. Last of the hand formed cars.

Or a 360 as a driver.

 

I do agree that the 430 will follow a somewhat similar depreciation curve that the 360 did, but not as quickly. I say that he won't lose that much cash because the initial buy in is not that high. Lets say he keeps it for 3 years and loses somewhere around 6k per year. Making the car 100k from 120k in 3 years. Thats only $500 per month. Pretty cheap when an E class Benz costs $650+. If he buys a stick the car might even hold some ground.

These numbers are just an average of what I've been seeing lately. 458s are still ridiculously expensive, allowing 430s to stay in a nice range.

But I do not see 430s bottoming out in the 6 figure range. Some are almost there now.

 

C'est la vie.

Depreciation on all of these vehicles is a certainty. Some will depreciate more, some less. Even an F40 has significantly depreciated over the years once you factor in inflation, and the fact that most of them were not originally acquired at their MSRP.

IMO both the 360 (CS incl) and 430 are still-depreciating cars, but I'd rather go with the newer, higher performance and chain-driven model, theoretically saving on maintenance and enjoying the newer car which should both offset the potential increased depreciation.

The 458 will eventually be replaced. And the car after that. Eventually, 30-40 years out they will be "classics" but you still would have done better investing in the S&P500.

Pick your spot along the depreciation curve 348, 355, 360, 430, 458. . . and the inverse maintenance curve 458, 430, 360, 355, 348. . . and the personal enjoyment curve 458, 348, XXX, XXX, XXX, XXX.

 

I am probably one of the few who thinks like this but just because you have $100k or $120k, it doesn't mean that you have to spend all of that to be happy. Sometimes the best car for you is the one well below the limits of your budget.

Personally, I would go with a 328GTB if you love the feel of driving something special and incredible fun. If you want to drive something super powerful, versatile, and reliable, get a 550. If you want to buy something in between the two, get a 355 (but know the finicky-ness goes up and keep enough to get it dialed in) or get a Boxer (but you know it would take all of your budget and you won't have anything left to get it properly dialed in).

Long term money, the 328 and Boxer are good bets. But if this is your first Ferrari, sometimes it takes a few tries to see exactly what it is you like and don't like.

 

I wouldn't buy any of the cars mentioned if I already owned a 360 (which I do), I would come up with another $80k-$125k and buy a nice 246.

While I like (and owned) the 3xx look, there are too many of them around to be unique.

My $.02

 

The 430 will eventually bottom where the rest of the 8 cylinders are going - in the 40-60k range. They won't bottom until the 15-20 year old mark. All of the 8 cylinders have and are continuing to follow that path. A good fiberglass carb'd 308 is worth more than a run of the mill 355 now, so I don't see how the 430 will escape that same depreciation curve, especially considering how many they made. The spread for a low mileage mint condition 308/328/348/355 is like 15k right now. I don't see how the 360 or 430 escape that as they made even more and they will be irrelevant performance wise in another generation or two. Every car hits it's low value point in the 15-20 year old range, the 348 is there now and the 355 will be there in another year or two. In 5 years the 360 will be 50k, in 10 the 430 will be, too.

Go back and read posts regarding 355 values from 4-5 years ago - they were at 70-80k then and everyone was saying there's no way they'll go lower. Whoops, of course they did, and they're probably not at the bottom for another 2 years. Even then some variants may continue to creep down like some of the less desireable 308 i cars (the spider f1 cars seem to fit that bill, oddly enough).

In terms of losing money, the older car will be further along the depreciation curve so has less distance to fall, so you'll always lose less that way. Some special or limited production models won't bottom as low, but they cost more to get now so overall money loss probably won't be much different.

Contrast that to values of the 365gtc4 and the BB's and you see they've hit their bottom and are coming back up. I remember about 10 years ago a gtc4 was 30-40k, now they're over 100k. Boxers bottomed around 80k and are now around 100k. I don't think they'll rocket up like everyone is saying but I do think they'll slowly appreciate as they are 'rare' by modern standards where they make more of a v8 model in a year than the whole BB production run.

 

If you are into modern Fcars, then spring for a Stradale (140k). If you want an old Fcar, i would look for a Boxer.

 

What he said. 360 is nice entry level, safe and fast -- will still depreciate, but not more than a new Boxster would.

Boxer is a potential classic.

I tend to buy cars thinking about what I would get out of them financially if/when the love affair ends, so prefer the classic over the more modern/mass-produced. But, you wouldn't want to drive a classic every day, so it depends what your Ferrari goals are.

I completely agree with this analysis. We're all biased by what's new or what's classic. I remember people falling over themselves to pay big markups for the 360 Spider when it was new. Now they're nice used cars. We see this cycle over and over, and in the tech-driven/souvenir edition era it's not clear that we'll see a "next Dino 246".

Anyone buying these as an investment is misguided.

I agree (except on the 355 -- the build quality is inexcusable) -- no reason to spend it all. And, if you buy a top notch 328, you'll likely get most or all of your money back if you decide that you want to get into some serious Enzo-era hardware or get something more modern/faster/technology-focused.

 

No Lambo fans here?

100 will get you a good Gallardo, little more will buy a nice Diablo. Recently drove a Diablo SV and its a great car.

Agree with others on the 512BB but at the 100k level you'll likely find a car with a few needs or one that's due for its major.