Maybe I've been cheated with my ferrari 360

The question you should be asking yourself now is this: Do you actually like the car? Is it fun to drive? Has the mileage, condition or service records changed now that you know it a few years older than you thought?

The difference between a 2002 and 2004 Modena (there are no 2005 Modena's) are so insignificant as to be ignored. I suggest you turn that frown upside down and go for a long, spirited drive.

 

I agree he could absolutely go enjoy the car, but a dealer sold him a car advertised as an '05, so assuming it's a reputable dealer there should be some recourse.

 

I'm not so sure how things work in Denmark, assuming the model years transfer the same, but here in the USA, there would absolutely be communication and demands to the dealer...not necessarily because it makes a big difference in the experience of the car, but because I paid for something only to find out that I didn't get what I paid for. I would be raising hell and making t̶h̶r̶e̶a̶t̶s̶ promises to get some of my $$$ back.

 

In the US, the VIN would tell you what year the car was. No ambiguity. In Europe, as has been discussed, the official year of the car is the first year it was registered, which in this case was 2005 so the dealer is off the hook. Very weird but it's their way of doing things.

 

In case you have not been reading different countries have different methods of assigning model year. So the dealer may have been 100% correct.

 

I read it, but may have misunderstood some of the finer points. I understand the dealer may have gone off the day the car was first registered, which through some sort of technicality allows them to call it an '05 model rather than an '02 (and maybe that is how they do it), but coming from our experience here in the US that still seems pretty shady to me.

I'm one who wouldn't really care and would enjoy the car assuming everything else checks out, but I would also prefer to know the year the car rolled off the production line, and would prefer it referred to as that model year. Minor, but still..

 

It is no technicality, it is the law of their country. Its not the dealer making a choice, he is following long established law and protocol.

The US has an established way for the GOVERNMENT to establish model year of a car and other GOVERNMENTS have their own ways.

Quit conflating the two.

A car dealer here has no more authority to decide that on his own as a dealer over there does.

 

Got it, I've reread it now and it's making more sense. I was initially under the impression the OP bought the car and later found out the car had been misrepresented by the dealer through a technicality (trying to sell it as newer than it really was) allowing them to call an '02 car an '05 (and effectively changing the value of the car).

I'll blame 3rd shift frazzled brains on this one

 

The subject car of this thread could've possibly been imported to and first time registered in its current location country at a later date (let's say in 2005), which might've influenced its currently indicated model year designation, etc ...

30 some years ago I was involved in international trade of mostly older/vintage cars and mainly between various European countries & U.S. and saw an amazing array of differences in protocol & regulations from one country to another. I'd imagine establishment of E.U. has affected changes to many of those regs, rules, etc...

 

One of many reasons vintage Ferraris are generally referred to by number and not model year.

Some countries establish model year by when it was imported and some by date of first sale. If a dealer sits on a car for whatever reason its model year can differ from it legal year. The US has a very clear cut system that some others use but certainly not all.

 

In Germany the age of used cars is regularly promoted as "EZ 10/1997"
EZ meaning Erstzulassung: "first registered".
It's very uncommon to show off the date the car was actually built - the dealers don't care about it.

 

in the case of my 612, the car was ordered, and then unsold by the dealer, and stored in a facility with various other cars, the dealer had issues, eventually lost its right to trade, and Maranello Concessionaires bought the business, including all assets unknown. My buddy, then the GM of a dealers, bought several cars and sold them, including the 612 to me in exchange for a 575M I had, and as well as that car, I bought a Grigio Alloy 360 coupe (not from the same dealer stock). The tyres and all papers for the 612 were 2004, but because I registered it 1st September 2006 on purchase, it was registered as new, 2006 model year. He did have the guys upgrade any bits that were necessary to ensure I didn’t miss out. It was a rare manual car, Grigio Alloy (matching the 360), and I sold eventually in 2010 to buy a Grigio silverstone 599 F1

 

For me it would raise the question what happened to the car between its build date (2002) and the first registration (2005). Was it a dealer demonstrator, did it just sit somewhere etc etc.

 

Right. Fine that "over there" the car is defined by the year in which it was first registered. This exactly the bigger question in that how did an 02 spider go potentially 3 years without being sold and or registered.

 

Picture of OPs car
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

I wouldn’t if I were you then... don’t let them keep the car, you won’t see it again if it’s a Cloned rip off, your money will be gone and the dealership won’t take your calls. All sounds rather too much to me

 

Would you be willing to post pictures of the car and your evidence that causes you to question the legitimacy of the car? Lots of hawk-eyes on this site that would be able to help before turning it over to Ferrari.

Btw, I ran the VIN on a decoder website, it also comes up saying that it's a "2005", even though the build date is a few years earlier

https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/check-lookup/ZFFYR51B000128216

 

Hi Philip,

When the dealer says cloned car, do you mean like the VINs were swapped with another car?

Kind regards.

 

sorry to hear about your troubles, I don't know what the laws are in your country, but here in the States if a dealer sells a 'cloned' car, they are liable and will have to take the car back.

 

Dare I say it, something is rotten in the state of Denmark!

 

what's the status on the color change from blue that the op mentions?

 

What did Artie Johnson used to say? Verrry interesting?!