Where did you buy your first used Ferrari

My 997 is the first rear engine car I've owned (bought last november). I much much MUCH prefer the mid engine feel of my 360. It's a different dynamic, but if you like the 911 the 458 will be amazing.

 

Fwiw , I recently purchased my 458 spider from an authorized Ferrari dealer and the main reason was to buy the extended warrantee . I had a bad experience with my 430 spider by not getting a warrantee and having a 15 k repair bill. So there is my 2 cents. Good luck with your purchase man. PS. The car is a beast , scary fast.

 

Kirt is right the 458 is a beast but the red colors is faster than the black

 

Auction. 550. 2000. $52,000. Had 1,800 miles. Cost $25,000 to fix. I still have it

 

Shop all places. Let your local dealer know what you're looking for. Scour the internet regularly until you find the year color and options you want. Obviously best to buy locally if possible. Take your time and find exactly what you're looking for.

 

Ebay. Do your due diligence and you can get a nice deal.

 

I bought it through Ferrari ads on this site.

Nice thing about it is that you can search the prior posts of the seller to see what concerns he had / discussed while owning the car.

 

I bought my car at a local independent exotic dealer. I was actually interested in a similar car at the local authorized dealer, but those guys wouldn't give me the time of day.

That was a long time ago. These days, there's plenty of options, and more visibility into what's on the market. Pro Tip: the service department doesn't care where you bought the car.

The best bet is to get to know the local Ferrari club/people. Great cars are often passed privately without ever being "for sale".

 

My car found me.

I had no idea that I was looking for a blue GT/4 until I saw it at a local show. Fell in love with it before I knew that it was for sale.

 

I purchased my first Ferrari, 550, from Ferrari of Seattle sight unseen, half way across the country. Great experience, enjoyed the front engine V12, traded it for a 911 Turbo. The 911t is a great car, but nowhere near the driving experience of a Ferrari. Traded that and bought my next Ferrari F430, from Ferrari of Denver, I enjoyed the mid-engine V8 more than the V12. It was just more fun to me. I have a 458 ordered because I wanted the technology upgrade in the 458 to the 430, and the performance is amazing as well. Good luck with your search.

 

Mine was a pile of junk sitting on a trailer behind an Italian car repair stop owned by a friend of mine in Phoenix AZ. It was the first one I had ever seen in person.

I asked him how much for the crapped out 246 Dino gt. He said 8 grand. I bought it the next day.

I was 22.

By 24 after 2 years and 10 grand to get it looking good again and running, I was driving it -- the first Ferrari I had ever driven.

 

I'm probably a bit strange, as I've only ever bought through one dealer, all the cars, so the emphasis was that on a turn over basis, the dealer took a lot of care of me (I had at least six maseratis, six ferraris, an Aston, several Porsche, lambos, range rovers, bmws, etc, all through them or their group of companies, over 50 in a six year period)

Great cars, and the dealers rewarded me with great pricing, very fair servicing costs, plenty of 'away days' at tracks here and in Europe. God I miss those heady days before heart attacks and recessions!

My latest 458 was from the same dealer, who gave me a great price for the 599 to change!

Just my 2 bits, but the 458 is the best handling I have driven, and that includes the F12, but my bias is spirited, fast all the time driving, I suspect the F12 is a better tourer and is that bit quicker on roads. 458 is easier to handle fast on tracks and twisties due to its size and the dynamics of mid engines

 

1st Ferrari (328); Purchased from local Ferrari dealer, after test drive. This was the first time I had ever driven one. Sales person was awesome and really drove the car hard, before handing it over to me. Definitely made a positive impression. This was back in the '90s and the dealership is quite different these days.

As always, I prefer a front-engined Ferrari for the open road; mid-engined Ferrari if your into track work or just want to be seen.

 

My first Ferrari was 21 (I was 40 ) when I bought it! Private from an airline captain. I was meant to have a professional inspection on the car but it kept getting put off to the point I thought the owner was about to 're-sell' it.
I did have many issues with that Mondial (common faults) and I believe even with a PPI it would have still faulted.

My F355 was from an exotic(ish) dealer and I had a PPI. Car has been perfect so far.
That said the 1997 F355 is a lot newer tech than a 1983 Mondial.

 

I purchased mine used from a private seller about 90 miles from my home. They key is in the search criteria.

When I decided to buy a Ferrari, I made a list of color/condition/history/mileage/options that would be non-negotiable to me. That narrowed the pool of available cars considerably. When I was lucky enough to find a car that met my requirements so close to home in Ohio, I bought it within 5 days of the first listing on AutoTrader.

You should decide if/what your own list is, and what you might be willing to compromise. For me, I searched carefully for about 1 year.

 

Denver dealer.

 

I bought my 1979 308 GTB back in 1998 at a dealer. Out of interest, my then GF and I stopped by to have a closer look at an F40 he had on display - came home with the 308, and without my 964 I did not dare buying such a car from a private seller back then. She now resides with her current owner in Spain

 

Drive the 458 and the california will no longer be an option

 

Lusso from a private party in 1970. Spent the next 30 years storing and maintaining it.

 

I bought my used 430 Spider last September. )n3 year after I joined Ferrari Chat. Do your homework and shop all over. Internet, Ferrari Dealers, Exotic Dealers (as opposed to exotic dancers - that's another story), individual owners. It took me sometime to clarify what I wanted, and the price range that I wanted. Looked at a lot of Ferraris, drove a few, spent time on the internet - don't regret a minute of it.
In the end, you will end up with a list of 5 or 6 cars, and then you will attempt to make a comparison of them to justify the one you want - but you have already chosen the one you want.
I bought mine from an exotic dealer, Phillips Auto on consignment. After the PPI, Phillips stood by me to get the car brought into Spec before I purchased it (new clutch and few other things).
But what ever you chose.
Best decision you will ever make! There is no comparison to other cars and other brands, even though some of those others are great/fantastic cars, they don't have the passion or emotion. Alone, driving your Ferrari - you cant help but smile.
Don't take as long as me, go find your Ferrari and be happy!

 

Sport Auto in Summerfield, NC back in 2003. Steve Barney is the owner and has been dealing in Ferraris for over 40 years. Plus, his longtime technician Tom Jones is one of the most knowledgeable in the U.S.

They have maintained a stellar reputation and you can have complete confidence dealing with them.

Sport Auto => The European Car Specialist

 

Used or pre-owned?

 

I've only heard positive things about the dealer in Philly: Algar. (and I just noticed they are the sponsor for this forum) I would start there. Definitely look on line and look around.

I think the safest thing would be to buy pre owned from them. I also agree with your idea of buying pre-owned. All these cars will depreciate, but the brand new ones depreciate fastest. And there are so many excellent examples of these cars around.

I bought my first Ferrari over 8 years ago at a dealer, pre owned. I have not looked back. Since I've bought several from different sources. I have had no problems with any of them but thats in part because I've developed my contacts for people to do inspections etc.

As to 458 v California. I am sure the forums are littered with comparisons. To begin with both are "real" Ferraris. But- the 458 is more of the traditional sports car Ferrari. The California is a Ferrari with a new mission, which is to bring people into the brand who don't want such a hard core experience: less servicing, less attention grabbing styling, less edgy handling, less exhaust noise. I would go for the 458 because its more what I want Ferrari to be. For what its worth, I think the 458 is utterly brilliant.