Upgrading Your Ferrari Without Spending a Cent!

ThunderHill · Nov 9, 2018

I just wanted to share some advice and encouragement with other owners out there. I'm sure a few of you have had your 360/F430 since new or nearly new. You have all your receipts. You know every drive it's been on. It's always, only, been your car.

But nearly 20 years out from their introduction, some of us are getting into these things very late in the game, and if we actually intend to drive our cars at all, the sensible thing is to buy one that's a bit rough around the edges, with 20,000+ miles, maybe a mild fender bender or, most commonly, less than perfect documentation.

My gated 360 is a 2002, and has had a fairly high number of owners. I knew I wanted to experience a gated Ferrari before gas was $25/gal and we were all driving soulless Google cars with no steering wheels, and although I have the tools and the chops for engine-outs at home, with a new human baby, I didn't have the time, so a 355 or 456 was out.

So I got one with a clean title, clean inspection, and very clean presentation, but bad documentation. When I got her, she had three receipts: for annual services and a new battery. That was it in terms of paperwork. Three receipts. She was missing any original sale documentation. She had only two black remotes and, most brutally, no PIN code.

At first I lamented that I'd never know the car's past, but my mind was changed by a letter I got in the mail. The new owner of a 2002 Final Edition Viper ACR I had owned a few years ago had found my name and address among the receipts, and sent me a polite letter asking if I would be willing to call and fill in some gaps in the history of the car, while assuring me that he respected my privacy, and if I didn't respond to the letter, he'd never bother me again.

I was happy to talk, so I called and we did, and I filled in a lot of the blanks, and was even able to direct him to the dealers that had my service records and give him permission to get copies. It didn't bug me at all. I was happy to help another car guy.

Inspired by him, I decided to try the same approach of polite letters to people who had signed my service book. I've been following a trail of bread crumbs: Business cards found in the glove box and in the tool kit, the dealer name on the license plate frame, a sticker left on the inside of the windshield (!), and cold calling about 10 different dealers/mechanics who operate in the locations near where I know the car was inspected per CarFax. I have spoken to dealers, and gotten in touch with two previous owners, who have been absolute class acts and very helpful to me, especially as a young owner without any prior connection to the Ferrari community or to them.

The results have been outstanding. I now have:

Unbroken service history showing very routine maintenance (2x+/yr) from licensed dealers or widely known independents dating back to just 9 months after the car was purchased, which may actually constitute a complete service history, since I'd hope a 2002 wasn't back to the shop before that.

The original signed delivery sheet from the truck driver.

Some photos of the car throughout it's earlier life.

The alarm PIN paper and red fob have been recovered (yes, you read that right. Not replaced, recovered--from a guy whose trade in offer from another marque's dealer (and their ignorance about the PIN/Fob) was enough to make going home and finding them not worth his time.

Bot the previous owners I talked to weren't active on FCHAT, but I have to say a huge thank you to all the people who have helped me, and to encourage other owners who bought a less than concourse example: You can do a lot with the internet, a phone, and the kindness of strangers.

3POINT8 · Nov 9, 2018

very cool. nice read. thanks for sharing

360trev · Nov 9, 2018

Glad you're happy and have recovered your lost pin and patchy history file. Good job.

There is a serious point I'd like to stress too, the most useful service to look at is the last one done along with current condition being absolutely the most important. Most people worry just way to much about what happened 10+ years ago when it really makes very little difference other than to " perceived value ".

It really is surprisingly how many dogs i've seen with full service history. Buy on condition and that's not just about how nice the paint looks!

I am the exception for sure but over the years I've changed all the suspension , springs dampers, all the bushes (several times), wishbone ball joints, wheel bearings, rollbar bushes, brake discs and calipers, gearbox and engine mounts, you name it, list is almost endless. If you don't see parts like bushes have ever been replaced (they technically aren't part of servicing until they fail) the car simply won't be driving anywhere near as good as it left the factory with slop in many areas. When was the geometry last checked? Etc.

These cars are sports cars intended to be driven quickly, too many simply have been driven to cars and coffee events and look shiny but have saggy suspension, spongy brakes and 5+ year old (hard as a rock) tires...

vrsurgeon · Nov 9, 2018

Glad that you HAD your service book. Mine was MIA.

ThunderHill · Nov 9, 2018

the most useful service to look at is the last one done along with current condition being absolutely the most important.
Click to expand...

Yeeeep. Don't be afraid to get in there too if the shop will let you. I saw one thing during the PPI that the tech missed.

djempire · Nov 9, 2018

Cool story. Alas most people will not have the courtesy to respond. I'm glad you found a good soul who did (as you did - Karma?) Enjoy in good health.

neil e dale · Nov 24, 2018

ThunderHill said: ↑

I just wanted to share some advice and encouragement with other owners out there. I'm sure a few of you have had your 360/F430 since new or nearly new. You have all your receipts. You know every drive it's been on. It's always, only, been your car.

But nearly 20 years out from their introduction, some of us are getting into these things very late in the game, and if we actually intend to drive our cars at all, the sensible thing is to buy one that's a bit rough around the edges, with 20,000+ miles, maybe a mild fender bender or, most commonly, less than perfect documentation.

My gated 360 is a 2002, and has had a fairly high number of owners. I knew I wanted to experience a gated Ferrari before gas was $25/gal and we were all driving soulless Google cars with no steering wheels, and although I have the tools and the chops for engine-outs at home, with a new human baby, I didn't have the time, so a 355 or 456 was out.

So I got one with a clean title, clean inspection, and very clean presentation, but bad documentation. When I got her, she had three receipts: for annual services and a new battery. That was it in terms of paperwork. Three receipts. She was missing any original sale documentation. She had only two black remotes and, most brutally, no PIN code.

At first I lamented that I'd never know the car's past, but my mind was changed by a letter I got in the mail. The new owner of a 2002 Final Edition Viper ACR I had owned a few years ago had found my name and address among the receipts, and sent me a polite letter asking if I would be willing to call and fill in some gaps in the history of the car, while assuring me that he respected my privacy, and if I didn't respond to the letter, he'd never bother me again.

I was happy to talk, so I called and we did, and I filled in a lot of the blanks, and was even able to direct him to the dealers that had my service records and give him permission to get copies. It didn't bug me at all. I was happy to help another car guy.

Inspired by him, I decided to try the same approach of polite letters to people who had signed my service book. I've been following a trail of bread crumbs: Business cards found in the glove box and in the tool kit, the dealer name on the license plate frame, a sticker left on the inside of the windshield (!), and cold calling about 10 different dealers/mechanics who operate in the locations near where I know the car was inspected per CarFax. I have spoken to dealers, and gotten in touch with two previous owners, who have been absolute class acts and very helpful to me, especially as a young owner without any prior connection to the Ferrari community or to them.

The results have been outstanding. I now have:

Unbroken service history showing very routine maintenance (2x+/yr) from licensed dealers or widely known independents dating back to just 9 months after the car was purchased, which may actually constitute a complete service history, since I'd hope a 2002 wasn't back to the shop before that.

The original signed delivery sheet from the truck driver.

Some photos of the car throughout it's earlier life.

The alarm PIN paper and red fob have been recovered (yes, you read that right. Not replaced, recovered--from a guy whose trade in offer from another marque's dealer (and their ignorance about the PIN/Fob) was enough to make going home and finding them not worth his time.

Bot the previous owners I talked to weren't active on FCHAT, but I have to say a huge thank you to all the people who have helped me, and to encourage other owners who bought a less than concourse example: You can do a lot with the internet, a phone, and the kindness of strangers.
Click to expand...

..........................Cool ,have thought about doing that for mine albeit I have most of the records fr 3 owners? ( i'm # 4 ) ? my 08' 430 spider w/ 6,500miles !

338Lapua · Nov 24, 2018

When I bought my 430 the previous two owners had all the documentation. I then made sure to document everything I did to the car including detailing/clear bra/sticky refinishing, etc. When I sold it, the person who bought it called me (dealer called me first to see if it was OK for the new owner to contact me) and we talked about the car and I told him everything about it. Since then we have become friends. For these cars, I would say that people really appreciate if someone takes the time to document everything. It's great that you were able to find the documentation you were after and talk to the prior owners.

dang2407 · Nov 27, 2018

Glad to hear it worked out for you. I had the opposite experience with an L-car. Had all the stamps in the book, but was missing receipts. As I had the previous owner's name and address from the owners logbook, I sent him a letter, requesting any docs and info with a few more questions, and included a stamped addressed A4 envelope. Never heard back from him. I sure hope karma works...

shifter · Nov 27, 2018

@ThunderHill

Thank you for this bit of motivation and validation. After reading your post, I took the time and contacted all the dealers that serviced my car based on carfax and MyFerrari records and all have given me the information requested. I now have almost complete history. The selling dealer purged all records earlier than ‘09, so I’m only missing 2 years and a couple thousand miles, and unfortunately the window sticker. For this I plan to write the original owner (a Lawyer/Developer in Key Biscayne FL) and hope for a positive (or any) response.

Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat

Themaven · Nov 27, 2018

360trev said: ↑

Glad you're happy and have recovered your lost pin and patchy history file. Good job.

There is a serious point I'd like to stress too, the most useful service to look at is the last one done along with current condition being absolutely the most important. Most people worry just way to much about what happened 10+ years ago when it really makes very little difference other than to " perceived value ".

It really is surprisingly how many dogs i've seen with full service history. Buy on condition and that's not just about how nice the paint looks!

I am the exception for sure but over the years I've changed all the suspension , springs dampers, all the bushes (several times), wishbone ball joints, wheel bearings, rollbar bushes, brake discs and calipers, gearbox and engine mounts, you name it, list is almost endless. If you don't see parts like bushes have ever been replaced (they technically aren't part of servicing until they fail) the car simply won't be driving anywhere near as good as it left the factory with slop in many areas. When was the geometry last checked? Etc.

These cars are sports cars intended to be driven quickly, too many simply have been driven to cars and coffee events and look shiny but have saggy suspension, spongy brakes and 5+ year old (hard as a rock) tires...
Click to expand...

Trev,
Interesting. I have an 05 430 (10k miles) and an 04 575 FHP (30k miles) and I know the 05's ball joints have been replaced, but nothing else on the suspension front, because I have all records. Would you replace as you say, springs, dampers, all the bushes (several times), wheel bearings, rollbar bushes? The cars drive well but I can't compare them to factory fresh, nobody can. With OEM parts or others? What's the most important of these? Bushes?

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