Negotiating thoughts?

Well titles are washed all the time, and a PPI is helpful but not definitive as to condition, so there is that....LOL

You may not care about the number of owners, but a lot of people do so it may be something the OP cares about.

While I personally care about that (worry about how hard a 6 year old car has been driven or how poorly maintained if it has 5 owners already), some don't and no biggie to me.

On my Diablo, the car was a well documented single owner car....but it also has a accident on CarFax. And believe it or not, there are people who would rather buy a. 6 owner car with no history and a clean CarFax, that's crazy to me.

BTW, the "accident" on the Diablo only caused $6k of damage.

 

I agree some of the accident baggage is silly as well as documented minor damage that totals a car therefore branding a title. Minor damage cars don't scare me but Then there are cars I have seen that have a branded title that have basically the entire front of the car rebuilt and they ask within 10k of a clean title car. Might be a good car, but it's now got a black mark and will be a real pain to get rid of.

I also agree on your point on the issue of ownership to some degree and I was more referring to some of the 360's and f430's that might have 4 or 5 owners. I seen several that had 3 owners in the first 2 years. That wouldn't scare me too much. Neither would a car that has a bit of mileage on it assuming PPI and maintainance records are ok. At the end of the day any of these low build cars can reach out and bite you at the drop of a hat.

 

Here’s my 2 cents. If you are going to spend that kind of money on a car, figure out what you want and don’t get swayed into anything else. Unfortunately your perfect combination is probably someone else’s too and so multiple people may be competing for only a couple of cars in the US. If getting the best “deal” is the biggest factor for you, then you may miss the car you want repeatedly. I agree with another comment on the thread that said “establish your budget”. If your perfect car comes up in your budget, grab it. If you wait to make the best deal, you may miss it several times over and be kicking yourself in the end. Ferrari’s are a much different car than a 911. You can wheel and deal on a 911 all day and if you miss it you have 10 more exactly the same to choose from. Never hurts to ask for $5-10k off the right Ferrari but if they say no and it’s the perfect car, you should probably jump.


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Very well stated Sir. Constructive advice.

 

You are worried about offending a car dealer?

 

Along with the OP mention of the "Internet and Worldwide Marketplace" there is something else I've learned. I can't buy a car that I haven't approved of and the Seller can't sell one I still have to approve of. In other words... Talk about the car and determine the fit not the price. Decide on the next steps you should or shouldn't take. I've often said that "The best money I've spent is on pre-purchases for cars I didn't buy and airfare to meet the seller of a car I did buy".

Don't get twisted up on the price but determine the value ... Both to you as an owner and the relative value in the market.

You mention that (to paraphrase) there was little room to negotiate. Everyone has a phone and a computer. We all look the same to a seller using either. Figure out how to express your sincere interest in the car and your viability as a buyer.

 

I'd expect that to slow down or maybe go the other direction here very soon since the start of the driving season is coming (in winter weather areas). More and more folks are buying play toys now so they have em in hand for those odd nice days and then once it's full on spring can drive whenever they desire. Will probably soften back up come June or so and then by September-November start to nose dive again until next February-April.

For sure find the car that has the right options for you, and then set a reasonable budget for the car since they tend to range wildly on some cars. To me low miles is to be somewhat avoided since some of the bugs may not have been worked out and I plan to drive what ever I buy and the common theory is that cars that have been driven tend to have fewer issues.

No doubt these are fun and enjoyable cars to drive, making the proper selection for your needs and doing some background checking on the car as well as ppi will do everything possible to ensure you are buying a decent example and won't get stuck with a money pit.

 

Setting aside intra-year seasonal price fluctuations, 458s will continue to depreciate. So of course prices are “falling steadily.” (Not picking on 458s, it’s the same for all non limited edition, recent Ferrari’s)

For some idea of when it slows down or even flattens, the only guide might be it’s predecessors (430, 360) and their depr curves/history. My take is that flattening is not anytime soon for 458s.

 

Let me put this in perspective . These cars , 488 , 458 , spider or coupe will all depreciate. I think you can drive yourself nuts trying to buy one with that in mind. Make it easy on yourself. Have a budget , find the right car that ticks all the boxes and be done with it. Worrying about depreciation is not going to make the buying experience fun. That said I owned my 458 spider for three years and put 18,000 miles on her and lost ~ 90 grand. You do the math.
Half of the fun is the purchase so go have a good time and forget about the depreciation bro. Enjoy , all the best ,Kirk.

 

Agree with Kirk. All the newer cars will depreciate. Figure out how much you want to/can pay and then go for the best one you can find. I have 9400 miles on my F12. I drive it every chance I get. I used to worry about miles piling up. Now I just display the fuel odometer so I don't see the odo and I don't worry about the miles. I saved too many cars in the past for the next guy.