Pre-buy research and thoughts

I would not buy a car I haven't driven.

On the other hand, I'm very sympathetic to a seller who doesn't want to hand out joyrides.

I wouldn't be offended. But if the car ticks all the boxes and you're serious about purchasing the car, I'd insist on a drive before handing over the check. Make sure it feels good in your hands.

 

The Ferrari and Porsche dealers I do business pretty much do a PPI before they put anything pre-owned up for sale- But technically no PPI per se- if I were to seriously consider purchasing from a private seller I would have a PPI done by one of the dealers- or a trusted independent

 

Keep us updated on the search. Hopefully you find something that works for you. Really nice, unmolested 355's and 360's that are in the spec you're looking for are not as common as people think. I bet you'll find less than three of each to consider purchasing.

 

I'd like to know a little more about OP. Will there be any DIY work? Is there any room for imperfection? Some people want a perfect car on the onset versus good enough.

I never drove a Ferrari when I bought mine and bought mine at a distance in Florida after a PPI was done. My 360 was the perfect car for me. High miles, imperfect, needing help, sport seats 3 pedal car with 50k miles. Of course cars were ALOT cheaper 13 years ago.

I think a ride along is fine if you know you want the model. You get to see how the prior owner treats the car and it's just reinforcing what you see mechanically. My only question when I bought mine was.. "does it run and drive?"

 

In the end it's a piece of metal, plastic, rubber and metal. I'd find the best example in the right color with a PPI and roll with it. Big stuff is key. Just watch for the unobtanium parts like front fog lights.

For me it was a 348 or a 360. The 355's looks were too toyota MR2 for me...

 

To me a recent 355 belt service is a convenience and bonus of in theory not having to do it soon. Its an emotional bonus and not a dollar difference. Belt services dont scare me and its a chance to go through everything. I also dont put much stock in the prior work unless I trust whoevers been in there before. That all said living with a 355 , tire cost of replacement is the least of your concern.

 

ok, well if you drop the money for a PPI, then I understand the need for a test drive...before that? Nope, I'm not interested in a buyer that can't put some skin in the game before demanding a drive...otherwise, after the PPI, sure let's go for a ride....

 

Personally I wouldn't let a buyer behind the wheel without some real skin the game. I rather like the idea of just taking a ride to feel the car operation.

When I bought my 355 I drove 16 hours round trip to meet seller and view car. I was prepared to hand him a cash deposit while we worked the transaction details out with our banks and a weekend. He tossed me the keys and said take it for a spin on my own. Must have felt pretty good about it I guess.

 

Please continue to update us on the journey. I'm genuinely curious what you find. It's not the easiest thing to find the right car. Seems like they are either low mileage, high priced garage queens offered by dealers or sketchy, molested versions parked on the driveway, offered by some random dude.

Not to mention BaT, which I assume offers no ability to test drive or PPI.

 

tbh part of the whole game is at the start it's really hard to get test drives, once you've bought a few cars from a few places it's much easier