New member here. Very informative site. I'm looking at a 1993 512 TR euro spec with 15k miles on it. The current owner is asking $250K. I looked at the car and it appears to be in good shape. Excellent paint, interior in good shape with some slight wear on the carpet. It does have a few issues that need to be addressed. 1. The air conditioning blows, but it's not cold. 2. The speedometer is working, but isn't registering correctly. It appears to be 10-15 mph less than actual. The last major service was in February 2015 at Ferrari/Maserati of Central Florida where the timing belt and starter were replaced. The air conditioning was also repaired at this time. They determined the compressor was leaking and it was rebuilt. The car has had only 1,200 miles put on it since the last major service. I would love to hear any opinions or advice on how much it might cost to fix these known issues and anything else I should watch out for. I plan on having the car looked at by a respected Ferrari inspector prior to purchase. Thanks for the help.
Well, for starters, the engine out belt service will be a minimum of 12,000-15000 and could be more from a reputable Ferrari service facility. It sounds like you need a new a/c compressor unit. To replace that all the parts are about $1000-1200, plus the labor (I just bought all the parts as spares for my 512M, most are the same for the TR)
Please proved the VIN. A 1993 Euro might be a 1994 by USA standards - does it have the ABS switch and what is assembly on the gearbox? The engine out belts vary a lot, but it will definitely need the service. Budget at least $10k for the first bill, but in general any "just purchased" old Exotic will need about that level of work.
Yes need to do a full engine out service. $15,000. probably tires every 6 years min. Michelin P4s are great. speedometer is either the sender, or the unit itself. Not bad to pull out and replace. I just bought a new speedometer for $600 as I changed form KM to MPH. Go over every switch and light to make sure they work. Glove Box door.
The VIN is ZFFLA405000094139. Tires were put on in the last few years and are like new. Since only 1,200 miles have been put on the car since the last service would it need a full engine out? It was seven years ago, but not many miles. Pics can be found here: https://www.centralclassiccars.com/vehicle-details/1993-ferrari-512-tr--testarossa-coupe-db91bb1d8fd742d59965fb0ca12e24e7 Thanks for the feedback. Appreciate it. I'm going to buy one of these, just want to make sure this is the right one.
What is your risk tolerance? Kind of depends on what they did to it in 2015 also. There are engine outs and then there are engine outs+. Look if all hose were replace especially fuel, as the car is now 30 years old. water pump, idlers etc: Personally, if the car is driven regularly, I don't have a problem with 8 or 9 years. Setting, i would be a little more cautious ! Aaron, just looked at photos. 2 heads up 1. some moron has removed the flip door on the radio and put in that rediculous screen. hopefully they include that original leather covered door, because is not available anywhere. Since it is a euro car that is good as it has normal seat belts, but I notice that speedo in in MPH, So orginally it would have come with KPH, This means it has been changed and therefore the car may have considerably more miles on it than indicated. Also check for rust, as the underside is alittle questionable. Finally the one invoice shows it was service with 20,000 KM so should add that to milage.
EZORED- Thanks for the info. I have seen the service invoices but I'll ask the seller to scan them to me. The one large item I noticed was the timing belt was replaced. Great point about the KMH to MPH speedo conversion. I didn't think about the mileage. I looked underneath the car and I didn't notice any rust, but I'm going to have someone who knows these cars well inspect it soon. Also, I'm willing to take some risk, but the more I can reduce that risk before the purchase the better. Thanks for all the info.
The car appears to have some light corrosion from the photos. A car thats sitting will still need lots of things replaced (rubber hardens). Mine sat since 2006 when I bought it (2021) and lot's of little things needed replacement. A car that's used regularly is a happy car. The vehicle is also a very early car, so doesn't benefit from the stronger diff or ABS. I think it's fine to buy for the right price, but $250k IMO can get a nicer car.
I believe the story on this car is that it was imported in 2002 (service records start then) and was kept in Florida. The owner passed away and his estate moved the car to Michigan. They decided to sell the car to a dealer they knew. This dealer also restores older VWs. The VW dealer is about three hours from where I live so I drove to see the car on Wednesday. Based on what they said they want to sell the car themselves, but if they don't get much interest they will put it on BaT. I'm not sure what reserve they set on BaT, but based on what some of the other 512 TR's are going for lately I don't think they get $250K for this. This one https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1993-ferrari-512-tr-15/ sold for $286K, but is clearly a nicer car. Given it's current condition what would this car be worth?
Aaron, Probably the most concerning thing about the car is the rust issue. That photo at the base of the windshield is very disconcerting, To have rusted there the car must have been kept in a very moist environment. So look very closely everywhere else. Also the dash issue is not easy to resolve as I know having been thru it. I really believe the car has a lot more miles on it. May they have some documents from when it was imported. $225k
have a look at ebay, for example here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255675330909?hash=item3b876ff15d:g:nfEAAOSwwJZi98Px&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoJHoPgcJU9vyUrhGg7bgvwTyOi4jI5nkH820osJTy3wfKLFK6vPOjz%2FdJvgLTmwvP6pXU3WctmaHQFMzl1WFx30kq7hdom23%2BVwl4sJ37qKA9oHG1BTTCKvVULu%2FKmDudaQJOo3LE7UjmtKroF73ibZHWlYO258u6GWRON6%2FJ46Is7krQoZez9vcemLCXuo%2B2v3kt3ft8oAEGCK%2BxX%2BOVFc%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9DetL_XYA
A word to the Wise... DO NOT PURCHASE..without sending a very qualified pre purchase inspector with PAINT METERS and COMPRESSION test equipment.. 512's can be an asset or a liability...you can choose. PAINT METERS ...can tell you all you need to know.
What is a paint meter? I only can think of a device for measuring the paint (clear coat) thickness. If that is what you mean, what exactly can it show except if a panel has been resprayed or not?
BTW...TR's from factory never had clear coat A respray in certain areas would lead me to believe there is Bondo beneath. Just how much Bondo would lead me to investigate , Just how much damage.. When you are spending a quarter mil...You should know whats what. I recommend Eddy Fiuza in south Fla. He is a paint Expert...he has X ray vision on paint and body damage. He inspected my 94 512 for its current owner. https://www.instagram.com/eddyfiuza_/
The seller has agreed to lower the price to $215K given the known issues with the car. I've arranged for a Ferrari specialist to inspect the car early next week. It will include a compression test. I'll ask about the paint meters or anything else they can do in that regard. Pending the inspection, I'll be the owner of a 512 TR. Thanks everyone for the advice. Please pass along more if you have it.
Just to finish off this story, I had the car inspected today and received a good report. Most of the things that need fixed we already knew about. No big surprises, so I purchased the car. The shop that inspected it is going to do an engine out service, A/C repair and a new muffler. My last question is what type of muffler should I put on this car? I'm ok with something louder, but not extremely loud. Thanks for the help.
Congrats. There is no way you can make a TR extremely loud by only changing the muffler, no matter what type of muffler will you choose.
Good for you! My recommendation is to approach that engine-out service with an open wallet. They will discover things you didn't know about. Just fix it, all of it. You paid a good price that lets you do that without being foolish, so just do it right so you can have confidence and peace of mind with the car. I think you'll spend about $25k getting it perfect, which is money well spent IMHO. Disclaimer: compared to most folks here, I am not experienced with these cars.
