F355 Market

The Seller/BAT ad made no mention of how rare a Rosso Barchetta 355 is. You've got to make an effort to "sell" the car if you care for a solid number. I didn't get the impression the seller cared that much. His reserve seems low as well.

The market is only as efficient as the information readily available to potential buyers. Sh * T info, Sh *T results. Why else you do you guys think I'm out here spittin' facts ?

 

Last 6 months on BaT, 6sp manual GTS:

$300k, 17k miles
$136k, 75k miles
$235k, 19k miles

$130-$160k is not the market, at least for a clean GTS with non-astronomical miles.

Coupes are much lower.

 

I thought I saw the Price of $350k? Was that on another 6k mile car?


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You’re thinking of a red/tan GTS with 8k+ miles posted on Facebook.

 

Almost bought this one back in 2011. Couldn't come to terms. 13k miles, 95, perfect paint, perfect leather, very sticky, 3 yr old major, bypass rattle, driver's door seemed a little misaligned. The ask back then was $65k. Guess what my offer was.

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6k?

 

Not every 95-97/98 355 has bad valve guides. A leak down and compression check will determine the health of them. If the numbers are in line with the specs, why spend $15k to replace them?

I get the whole peace of mind argument, but to me it’s a waste of money.


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they all have the issue - just hasn't happened yet.

 

I don't think anyone has advocated replacing guides if the leak down is good. Of course there are always though who say, "while you're in there".

 

i absolutely wld do valves even if leak down is good. ever see what an engine looks like when a valve goes?

 

It would be a valuation mistake at this stage not to address the guides, especially on a 95 car, if you’re already doing the engine out. Come time to sell, buyers are going to ask, and the pool of interested will be bigger. Just one less thing a new owner has to worry about.

 

I don’t know about you guys, but if I were selling a car in a strong market, I would make sure all boxes are checked to give no reason for the market to ding the car outside of mileage. This removes the “what ifs” from the end result and I got what I got doing everything I could to make the car a 9/10 at the minimum.

 

… In the same token, if the car is nicely/desirably spec’d, well presented, and sub 15k mi… I think you can get away with not doing the guides and still getting good valuation.

 

Doing valve guides just because (without addressing the exhaust heat management issue) is like replacing stickies with OEM plastic parts. Where are all these failing valves? I havent seen any in years (>10).

 

I would like to add.... In today's environment, everything car related that needs to be done ... whether it be waiting for quality/desirable car parts or getting service done by a reputable shop has a massive wait time. Try ordering Tubi headers or muffler. Try getting stickies done. A paint job on a bumper by a decent shop. An engine out service by a reputable shop. An inside out restoration by a reputable detailer. The world has changed. Not to mention prices of goods and services seem to have upward pressure.

I would like to think there's more value to having something now. Isn't this the reason manual-converted F430's command a higher premium than if you were to send your car in to have the conversion done? Why? Because some are willing to pay a premium for not having to wait 1-2 years to have the car converted.

It could take 1-2 years to "fully sort" a 355, if there's even such a thing. Why shouldn't a seller command a "have-it-now" premium for a worry-free and beautifully presented car in today's environment?


I don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't be satisfied taking a haircut on time, effort, and $$ put into the car. I see nothing short of a premium for presenting a worry-free car in today's environment. Don't sell yourself short. It's time to lift the 355 tide higher.

 

I resemble that remark lol. OK, if the heads are actually off then yes may as well. Taking heads off to do it when there is no reason, I don't think so.

 

My Rosso 95 had valve guides fail at 18k mi. There's also signs of a failed guides on my 29k mi Nero 355. The issue is more prevalent in 95 cars for whatever reason, but I've heard to several cases where guides failed on 96-97 cars. It's not a myth if that's what you are implying.

 

What I am stating is that a reasonable approach to ensuring that the 355 tide rises higher is to employ fact based thinking. How long did your cars have the stock exhaust and factory cats? Treat the disease not the symptoms.

 

I am not 100% sure how long my cars had the factory cats and stock muffler (under previous owners). Are you implying the heat from a stock muffler and stock cats leads to valve guide failure? Is there discussion/evidence of this? Or is it simply a coincidence?

 

My $400 bumper job, finished 2 weeks after delivering the bumper to the shop. Of course, I did the prep work. Shop had to seal, base coat, clear, color sand and buff.


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What year ? 80% of a paint job is in the prep work. C'mon John .

I own a full car-sized downdraft spray booth as part of my manufacturing company. I have fully prepped (myself) and painted (hired painter) 2 of my own cars (full paint inside out including engine bay) along with a bunch of other things such as wheels, bumpers, etc... for my cars. I actually only trust my own prep work. Spraying paint is another matter and I only hire the best around. I know exactly what it takes to paint something .

All the good paint shops here are packed to brim with work.

Don't get me wrong. I fully respect your effort to do what you can on your own and it appears you did a great job. I say that because I actually know what it takes.

 

That was last summer. Great shop. Been around since the 70's. And local guy too. Does classic cars mostly. Charges $60/hr for collision work. I'd have done it all myself, but no spray booth. But that doesn't stop me from smaller work. You may remember my rocker repair. This is what happens when a 35 yr old blond waves at you as you pull into a Dunkin Donuts.

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and my 308 "chip fix".

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Love this stuff. Let me say, I taught myself to paint in the 60's while building my Model A hot rod. Today's paints are so simple compared to the lacquer we used back then.

 

Did you spray that 308 in your garage?? There must be overspray everywhere .

I've had some of the best painters around here rent my booth to paint. Learned quite a bit from them. I'd put in the work as a labor of love for my own cars just to ensure the results, but you couldn't pay me to paint someone else's car or do it for a living. It takes a certain level of discipline to get everything right from A to Z. Paint jobs are worth every penny when done to a high standard.

 

Well more power = more heat. I'm sure it's not related

 

I build a little spray booth with rolls of plastic drop cloth. Walls, ceiling, floor. A couple of air filters and a fan and I was set.