On the verge of getting my first Ferrari, 458

I corrected it in a subsequent posting ; bridjit.com


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Oops. Sorry.

 

Hey guys, I've been contacting dealers for a 458 spider as I posted last month. I have two new questions, if you would be kind enough to share your experience:

1) I contacted Boardwalk Maserati in Plano, TX about a 2015 458 spider for sale. They told me the owner had the car for sale on their lot on consignment. I see how many dealers are just moderators connecting owners to buyers. Anyways, when I asked about inspection, the dealer said that whenever somebody wants to sell their Ferrari through Boardwalk, the owner pays out of their pocket to have the car inspected. 'Solid State' commented on my thread a while back and told me to insist on a PPI. My question is thus, does this count as a PPI? I'm not looking to buy my car off Ebay, but would rather go through a licensed Ferrari dealer as I feel they are more legit. If the dealer makes the owner pay for an inspection, I think it would be redundant for me to pay for another inspection. Thoughts?

2) It just dawned on me that since I'm in the market for a 2 year old car, some of these cars may have been rentals (I know renting Ferrari's is popular in Las Vegas for example). As I look at Ferrari's on the duPont registry, I notice that not one Ferrari is described as 'This used to be a Las Vegas rental', which seems odd since those rentals I'm sure are sold somewhere. If the Ferrari dealer says it was owned by 1 person, should I take that at face value (I would hope a licensed dealer wouldn't flat-out lie)?

PS: About the friend who told me about his 'friend' who owned a Ferrari that broke down every 3 months. My friend said that Ferrari owner friend clarified that he was exaggerating about that, and that in reality he only spends about 2K/year on maintenance. Thus, you guys were right, that was just a bunch of BS.

 

1) PPI on a 2015 that is still under warranty most likely isn't needed. PPIs are always done at the buyers (your) expense.

2) I don't think you need to worry about a spider variant being used at Exotics Racing or any of the other places in Vegas. I have never seen a convertible/spider offered for use on the tracks, only coupes. Just scroll through the options...you wont find a convertible...not even one with a hardtop. They are more expensive to begin with and just don't make sense for dedicated track use.

3) Definitely exaggerated. Sure things can go wrong, but every 3 months, c'mon. Many owners don't see problems for years outside basic maintenance.

 

Thanks for quick reply. Just clarification about 2. I'm sure that spider variants are not used for 'Exotic Racing' rentals. What I was concerned about was regular 'Exotic car rentals' https://www.royaltyexoticcars.com/ This is a link to a company in Las Vegas that rents exotic cars (Ferrari, McLaren, ect) to regular people who just want to drive around the city of Vegas for a few hours or a day in a car that they will never be able to afford. These companies do rent spider/convertible cars. There are similar rental places in Los Angeles and other big cities. I would rather buy a used Ferrari from 1 person who owned it, not one of these exotic rental companies who let hundreds of people drive the car, as obviously renters don't respect the car as much as an owner.

 

Get the VIN for any prospective car and run a CARFAX report on it - while it won't name owners, you will see how many owners, where it was registered, and more.

 

As HH11 said, a 2015 will still be under warranty.

With regards to Boardwalk Ferrari, they are top notch to deal with. I dealt with them when I purchased my 08 F430 and I would do it again, without hesitation.

I personally liked to purchase through a dealer, because you start to develop those relationships. I know some may disagree, but I have had nothing but great experiences dealing with Boardwalk and Cauley Ferrari. Just my .02

 

Ahh, I see what you're talking about now.

The dealer should be straight up about the prior use. I know, cough cough, an honest dealer!

Mileage would also be on the higher end with a rental like that, given that its driven more than the typical personal car. Just an assumption of course. If the car you're looking at has <5k miles it was probably just a weekend car for someone.

Other indicators:
Bolster wear-very common in cars that are rented out or sat in by many people.
Steering Wheel- in my experience, the steering wheel of rented/high mileage cars tends to look more "used" and shiny than an individuals car.

 

Guys, I have finally bought my Ferrari. It's a 2014 458 spider. I attached pics, hope you guys can see them. I drove the car around town and got some positive feedback. Thanks for your help!

Not sure why pics are sideways...
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Congratulations & enjoy