Looking to Buy my first ferrari (348ts)

Are you looking at the black TS in AB?
If so, it's discussed a few threads down.

 

Many of your questions are answered on my348.com (which I see you have found) and also here on previous similar threads so its worth spending some time looking around and learning

 

This one was also discussed recently: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/opinion-on-1990-348-ts-toronto.571551/#post-145871246

 

A 348 will always be a desireable car and I believe is becoming more desireable every year. With the 348 series, as with all Ferraris, the later cars 92-95 cars had many upgrades along the way to the motor, gearbox, electrical, brakes, and suspension. Buy the best car you can find and have an independent ferrari mechanic inspect and perform a compression test. There is value in buying a quality, well cared for example. Try to verify the service records. Most shops are happy to discuss service history. I would avoid buying the first car you see. Be willing to travel and inspect/test drive different cars. $70k Canadian may be high for a 1990 TS, but it all comes down to condition. The market for 348s now, values originality due to its age. Personally, I try to buy my cars from private parties because much more information on history can be obtained.

 

$70,000 CDN is $53,000 USD today. So that's not far off--I wouldn't call it "high".
Regarding Jerry's comment about 92-95 cars, keep in mind that many upgrades happened along the way, so looking at serial number and production date is pretty important if those updates are important to you. North America never got the GTS/GTB or the F119H Spider, so there's no difference there between the earlier cars and the later cars.

Very early cars for both US and Canada got the slimmer dashboard underdash parts along with the flush flip-down over the radio. For MY1990 US cars, they got the thicker underdash parts and the squared off radio cover including the model badge on it (348ts, 348tb, Spider, or SpecialeTS/SpecialeTB).

From that point, little changes happened over time. The ts cars lost their locking center console box. Battery moved from the left rear to the left front. Rear suspension pickups/geometry changed. Then later, the Spiders got wider rear tracks due to the offset of the wheels changing. But no North American cars got the full GTS/GTB treatment.

If you really wanted a GTS/GTB, then in in Canada these have been legal for 10+ years. They are just now becoming legal in the US.

 

I know this car very well and know the previous owner. PM me for details.

 

That's a US spec car-- you can tell by the belts. Looks like it may have Canadian spec fog lamps to comply with their DRL law. Aftermarket or modified exhaust to be sure. Not uncommon for owners to remove the heat shield after fitting a Tubi. Heat shields can be had for reasonable money off of eBay, so no big deal. Red carpet with that color combo is not unheard of-- a member here owned and sold one in the exact same color combo a few years back. It's even possible that this was his car, which would be a big plus. My suggestion is to go look at the car for yourself and copy down the VIN in the process. Then search it on the internet and post it here to see what history you can find.

I don't see any glaring issues with the car other than the potential for a A/C control panel problem. Definitely check that carefully and if there are any questions you might fold that into any potential deal (say, a 90 day warranty on the climate control). There's a "hidden fuse" that causes issues with the A/C and it's possible that has not been addressed.

Pics are pretty bad so it's hard to get a real sense of the car. The wiring seen in the center cubby is probably left over from a previous radar detector installation. Get a pic if you go see it with your own eyes and we can probably tell you more. The tool kit may be missing or it may just be in safe storage at the dealer-- ask, because they're spendy to replace and we 348 snobs expect to see them in a nice car. But other than that and the potential A/C panel problem it looks nice in those iffy pics.

BTW, Brian is right when he says the upgrades were phased in over time. A lot of sources claim that there were a number of upgrades done in Oct of '91 (or '92?), but in truth that's just when Maranello finally got around to sending TSBs to the dealers announcing changes that had been made incrementally over time, most starting with pretty early chassis numbers. With 348s you want to find the latest car you can, but condition trumps chassis number. A nice '90 beats a tatty '92 any day.

If there's nothing else wrong with the car (and there usually is) I'd guess it's worth $48-$50k US in today's market, but maybe more if it's really nice and the paint is all original, etc. Subtract ~$1500 US for a missing tool kit and ~$3k US for a faulty climate control panel. So I'd think the ask is somewhere in the ballpark, depending on condition. Best case scenario is that the car looks at least as good in person as it does in the pics and they're willing to knock $5k US off the price. But that's putting the cart before the Prancing Horse, because you need to see the car for yourself to determine its condition, or to have someone who knows these cars really well act as your eyes.

Good luck. Post up the VIN and I'll see if I have it in my records.

 

Likely a typo Daniel. Double check the VIN?

 

Nah, you dropped a 7. So sn 87721. One of the earlier links has a bunch of banter on it. It's relatively unique being tan with red carpets. It's a US car, speedo in mph, mousetrap seatbelts, has front fog light switch (but looks like Canadian front DRL lenses).
Go put your eyes on it....let us know what you think. Good luck!

 

I don't have any additional info on 87721. Sorry. As Brian says, take a look (and tons of pics) and report back. Seems worth investigating if it's within easy driving distance.

 

I love 348s! I'm on my second one and I'm holding onto it. Think it's a future classic. My first was a late '91 TS and my current is '94 Spider. Have to say the '94 feels a lot more usable. Overall driveability is better than the '91. Having said that the '91 felt more raw "hair on the chest" type of thing, which I love - so both have their strengths. With regards to buying any Ferrari - invest in a PPI. I spent $1,000 on an inspection for my '94 and it was worth every penny. Find the best example you can and get it at the best price you can. Avoid bargain hunting. I think any car late '91 and newer is good for you. Requires engine out major service every 5 years or so, which is why values are depressed. I think these cars will be worth $$ one day. They are last of a breed - analog, potentially deadly and look/sound great

 

Go for it, they are great. A plus point is they are reasonably simple, and a lot of things you can do yourself. Mine is mechanically good, but has a list of niggles to fix. Interior lights, central locking, passenger window all not working, etc. Picking them off one by one, and if your handy with a voltmeter reasonably simple to trace. These all kept the purchase price down, I like fixing them, and none of them really impact on the drive.

 

you can make free vin check, you will get all the information you will need about the car