Am I expecting too much?

https://www.boardwalkferrari.com/used/Ferrari/2008-Ferrari-F430-for-sale-Dallas-5ccec3b40a0e09b00c490e41ea2eb697.htm


….,if you’re looking for a perfect, no questions car, the one above could be your answer ….

…..but then you have the other side of this discussion

no matter who you are planning on purchasing the car from whether it be a Ferrari dealership or a Ferrari Owner , you’re gonna have to balance out the quality of car you’re looking for versus the price you’re willing to pay

I’m not excusing the condition that you described the cars you were shown, but different sellers go to different efforts when preparing a car for sale

Most Ferrari for sale have not been 100% reconditioned so the price should reflect that.

Good luck in your search hook the one that link above. Fits your expectations and budget!!

Steve

 

Probably better this happened. Let’s just say the opposite occurred. Dealer took a more dishonest route, took a dog of a car, detailed it up, fixed the obvious cosmetic flaws eg sticky buttons, and sold it as a premium example despite deferred maintenance and mechanical issues.

Only way to prevent this is to have a comprehensive regular service history, where most/all of the common issues have been addressed and the car hasn’t been in for recurring issues. Even good PPI may miss a lot.

When u buy a Mercedes, it’s all about the lifestyle, so you expect all the bells and whistles with the dealership and experience. When you buy an old Ferrari, it’s for the passion and experience, but being aware of the headaches and cost, so best to focus on the practical things that will positively affect the experience, like making sure you get the car that will give u the least problems, and ignore the foofy ancillary stuff

 

This is what i would do. Go through @Yellow Compass and you will get a great condition car.

 

wonder what the price is of that 08 471 mile spider is... obv love the condition but that can't be a good thing that it just sat for 15 years without ever being driven or brought in for any type of service....

 

But, I wouldn't buy this car. Ferraris are kit cars. They are not ready for prime time.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/FMfcgzGtxKMwfsKJdqlRqwjJJnHWwbbf

 

On the other hand, if you buy the cheapest car on the market, you’re likely to get the one in the worse condition. If you buy the most expensive car on the market, you’re likely to get an average condition car that the owner is trying to signal a perfect condition with a high price.

My advice is to just pick the car with the set of colors and options you like the best, and on average you should be getting an average condition car at an average price.

 

I wouldn't worry about exterior colors. A wrap is maybe $5 grand?

 

I could never drive a wrapped car. My ocd would know about all the wrong painted bits that aren’t visible.

 

I had the same thought. All dealers must not be created equal. I can't imagine something like this happening at my dealer. I know my rep would be mortified - he loves these cars like we all do.

Hold out for a good one. It will be worth the extra work. Besides, the hunt is part of the fun!

 

Yeah, while you're dealing with CELs and who knows what else, I'm cruising down the road.

 

I haven’t had any significant problems in the blue Ferrari, the blue Jeep, OR the blue BMW.

 

I'm kinda partial to blue bmws.

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The e36 is a fantastic driver's car.

 

This one just crossed 40k miles. Thanks, Scott.

 

I’m curious, when was the last full fluid & filter service performed and whom did it.

Would you know?

S



p.s. While I believe complete service history is important, it’s only as good as the last one. Even more so an ultra low mileage example.

 

Correct, these are not rare cars.....shop for the car (including color) you want.

 

I spoke to dealers all over the US when I was shopping. The experience from dealer to dealer was quite stark at times. Ultimately, I bought my Ferrari from Casey at Ferrari of DC and he was by far and wide the most helpful person I spoke to during my search. OP isn’t too far from them, if this 430 is to your liking I would highly recommend speaking to Casey.

https://washington.ferraridealers.com/en-US/a/used-ferrari/f430-spider/ZFFEW59A170152152-1693450175314

 

YMMV

 

Try posting a Wanted ad in the classifieds here. It works.