Well guys I've had a good time lurking and posting in the last few weeks. As some of you know, I was basically forming a costing to see if now was a good time to buy a UK testarossa within my means, and import it to Australia. As said, it's a car I simply MUST own in my life time. It's a love that wont go away that's for sure. However after getting all my calculations together and doing some soul searching, I've come to a hard decission. Doable? Yes Sensible? For me... at the moment...no. I WOULD be streching our budget and to be honest, I prefer being able to sleep at night knowing the bills are EASILY paid. So for now, I'm going to stop teasing myself. Will probably be buying a nice near new 350Z convertable to replace the 300ZXTT which is showing it's age. But dont fear. I'll be back. I'm still young (35) and so I'm simply putting the idea off for a time. I figure I'l revist this in anouther 10 - 15 years, when the kids will be that much older, and I'll hopefully be thinking about downsizing and kicking back a little I just hope that they're still pulling the black gold out of the ground by then Thanks to EVERYONE that volunteered help and information. For anyone else in Australia thinking the same kind of thing, feel free to download the import calculator I put together. Needs some tweaking here and there with the numbers but gives you a real ON THE ROAD cost picture of things. ( http://www.amnet.net.au/~chriswinter/cars/THE_Calculator.xls ) Thanks again. One day Chris.
Dear Ferraristi, Ugame, you don't need to bow out. If you have something to offer....post it! If you have a question...post it! Hang around the forum...all TR fans are welcome....we send the boxer girls to the 308 section....more in common with them over there. Only you can answer your financials but....this is THE time to buy anything. Because of the world economic collapse, you really won't find a better deal then now. TR's are really cheap....I can't believe the prices myself. I think if you wait too long, the rising economy will lift TR prices, TR prices will also rise as TR/Miami Vice folks are now in the buying range. Don't forget, near-future inflation will just push the price up as well. Remember, there will always be a reason NOT to buy. Just don't end up on the side lines saying " oh see that TR....I coulda bought one for $xx way back when.....really? you're kidding" ....just like the Daytona, GTO, Dino folks say now. ...hope you'll still stay around. Shamile Freeze....Miami Vice !
Well put, I know plenty folks that coulda and shouda, and they all regret having not pounced at the right moment, I tend to take the chance, and so far have never regreted going with realising my dreams. I also had the same fears but went ahead and bought my testarossa,every time I drive it I just smile and think OHHH YESSS,nothing comes close to the feeling, dont go to sleep tonight and think coulda,shouda
Chris - life is short. Just lost an aquantance your age to a freak accident. One never knows. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Don't put it off. If the world goes to hell in a handbasket, you can drop your standard of living and sell the car. Life goes on.... You'll never recapture yesterday. Rgds - good luck, Vincenzo
Agreed 100% sample: 1983 police auction - drug bust seizure orange county calif (not Miami Vice) 354 GTB4 silver over black.... high, winning bid = $42K I was cash strapped back then - just got out of school. Couldn't do it. Even now, as they are in the 375 range - i still can't afford one! :-( Oh well... Rgds, Vincenzo
whilst only you ultimately can decide on the financial viabiilty, if its" doable "then now is probably the best time to do it! since youre contemplating importing from uk, i can only assume the mkt price of a local oz tr is higher- so even if touch wood u needed to liquidate , your base resale price shld not be too much of a freefall. also uk pound is really really low now. u only live once!
What is the price of the near new 350Z convertible ? I bet it's pretty close to what you can get a driver TR for!
Probably. And if you're still undecided get in the game with a 308 or 328...Like i did. Sorry Shamile but if we want the guy to stick around we have to make him understand that he's better off with a 3X8 than a Elevator-Ninja-car.
RULE NUMBER ONE. THE WORD FERRARI AND SENSIBLE CANNOT BE USED IN THE SAME SENTENCE. Seriously, buying one is never the "sensible" thing to do. If you want to be sensible go buy a Holden. I heard this talk from an acquaintance of mine and I told him, "If you were spending this money on a BOAT instead, nobody would blink an eye." Plus, the Ferrari would get used more and you wouldn't take as much of a beating if you sold it. I understand the concerns about budget but I seriously doubt you will find better prices for better cars. They will only go up from here and it will be harder to buy in the future.
Well boy, do I ever wish I'd read all your comments lol. You were all 100% correct and I've now turned into a "coulda, woulda, shoulda" You wont believe the number of times that, already, the sentence "I could have purchased a testarossa" has been used The 350Z was fun, but it was also a life lesson. The "Sensible" thing to do is not always the right thing to do. TR would have cost me ~ $85K at the time (purchased from the UK, imported, landed, complied (Australia) and on the road. Oh that's WITH insurance and a $5K (fix something) fund. And it would have been worth $125K instantly on the then, Australian market. So I'm putting this update on here for anyone else on the edge of living the dream as a warning. If you CAN do it, DO IT! Sure the 350Z seemed like the more sensible option. But that's "normal person" thinking. "Ferrari's are too expensive to maintain" etc etc. Well, sure....but they also don't DEPRECIATE, by $20K in 2 YEARS! Life has been good though. I got to drive the ex-Eric Clapton TR in Perth when it's new owner kindly let me, in thanks for returning the "CLAPTON" number plate that had fallen off during the Italian car event we were at. I was riding in a Alfa GTV behind him when the plate dropped. It was a wonderful experience that still to this day, feels like it was a dream. Brought a tear to my eye if I'm honest. I was driving a Testarossa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g23Bl14tYE0 Or jump to the end to see "the testarossa moment" via this link. https://youtu.be/g23Bl14tYE0?t=4m36s I did have fun in the 350Z (I need to keep reminding myself that) and did a 2 day classic Rally in it. The Ferrari dream is still alive. Several cars I'm considering but now, I want to be in a cash buy position. Watching 348s, 360s, but also, now that the 488 has come out, I'll be watching what the 458 does with interest. The TR is the great white Buffalo for me now. It IS the "one that got away". BUT If I was 16 years old right now, I know the 458 poster would be hanging on my bedroom wall. If only there was a manual. Is there a thread about that? For now, the toys are an Alfa GTV 2.0 TS, and an Alfa 147.
Keep one thng in mind.......As time passes so does the market. What is today gone may reappear again in a few years. It is wise to look forward and to keep one eye in the rear view mirror. That TR that you missed may be coming up from behind in the years ahead. It did for me!
Chris, what's a decent TR going for in Oz? PS there's NO WAY the 458 appeals to teenagers like the TR did back in the day
Ha! I was sooooo right! Sorry Ugame. But, I would still say buy one if you can. TR's are rising as they have come back into vogue. But.... I would have never foreseen the demise of the stick shift and the over reliance on computers literally taking away from the driving pleasure. Mechanical problems can always be fixed and mechanical parts can always be made. When they stop making a computer module, good luck with that. Just a reminder why I love the Testarossa.... Freeze....Miami Vice! Shamile Freeze...Miami Vice! Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hard question to answer right now as they've all been snapped up. None for sale (on carsales.com.au) but on last check, anywhere from $150K. There's 1 (one) 512TR for sale for around $250K. I really like the look of the 458, but I also totally agree with the comments re computers. When the time comes I'll look at all 3 I mentioned, and I dare say I bet I'd end up in the 348. I know it's apples and oranges, but the closest comparison I can make is the $3K Alfa GTV I've just purchased. Compared to the 350Z I had, and the 300C I have now (for sale), it's an under powered hunk of junk. But I can't stop driving it. It's just raw and engaging and.....FUN.
