Hey all - Excited to be making my first Ferrari purchase and wanted to stop by to get some advice from those of you who who have gone through the process before or owned several F cars. This is new to me as I'm moving from Porsche cars to my first F car. I'm a huge fan of the V12 Ferrari's, particularly the F12 although I have never driven an 812. I've spent countless hours reading through chats on the website and watching YouTube videos to learn more, but would love some thoughts / advice on what to look for before finalizing the deal. I found a 2014 F12 with 13.8k miles for $240k - the car is CPO'd and will come with a 2 year warranty + 2 year service package (car is being purchased from Ferrari). Based on comps, I feel as if this is a pretty fair deal. Is there any known issues to go on with these cars? Coming from 911's, I never really had to worry about things going wrong and having to pay out of pocket to get them fixed. I plan on really enjoying this car and driving it rather than just keeping it in the garage. A close friend of mine looked through the service records and said everything seems to look good with the history of the car. I've seen some chats saying people recommend buying a 16-17 to get an updated car (tech, a few performance changes, etc). Are these changes really worth the extra $ on buying a later model? I don't care for the tech, I'm really buying this car for the performance element & just want a little piece of mind with such a large purchase + this being my first F car. Thanks for all of the thoughts in advance.
I have a 2014 with about 13k miles on it. I got it with 6,500 miles. No issues at all. Just an oil change once a year. I know there is an issue with water getting in the hatch and then paint bubbling by the rear mesh but my guess is based on the age of the car that is likely addressed already. I am not aware of any real changes between model years. You may want to search this forum as all these questions have been addressed numerous times. I will tell you tech is delightfully non-existent on these cars and I would not see any reason paying more for any "upgrade" because its probably still terribly outdated and not that useful. These are great cars and a ton of fun to drive in all types of conditions. Good luck.
Thank you for your feedback and input. Is there anything specific I should be looking out for / questions I should be asking the dealer?
None that I am aware of. I would just search the forum and you'll find pretty much anything you need. I believe there was some type of recall on the brakes I think a year or so back. May want to make sure that work was done. I got mine done free at the dealership.
As 3POINT8 mentioned, there can be a galvanic reaction between the body and grill that sits adjacent to the back hatch. This has caused paint bubbling along the circumference of the grill opening. Here is the thread on that subject: https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/f12-paint-bubbling.547557/ I don't know the frequency but it is something to be aware of.
Thanks all. Are there any known mechanical issues that are pretty common what wouldn't be covered by the 2 year warranty from Ferrari? I guess my main concern is having an idea on what to be prepped for in terms of potential issues that wouldn't be covered by warranty.
Since you've done your homework on the updates can you say what few performance changes you have identified? Year doesn't matter. Condition, spec, service history and mileage does drive value. A two year warranty and service package is worth over $16k so I'd say you have a great deal assuming the other factors I noted are there.
If I'm correct, biggest things seem to be the tech change, paint corrosion issue & grill fix. I've read a few threads mentioning a few mechanical items that have better durability (drive belt or bushings I believe?) but not sure how true this is. I plan to really drive this car - so I didn't want to pay top dollar for a 16-17 with super low miles. Also, i've been told it's better to pick up a car that's been driven with age rather than something that's been garaged for 5 + years with very low mileage.
There are no performance updates on the F12. The grill issue is also the same on every F12 and better to have one with the fix by the dealer. A belt change with a roller was made but not an issue with all cars. Get the car with the condition, spec and history first. Low mileage is not an indicator of reliability in such a modern car unless extremely low miles. Have a private PPI done on any exotic you buy.
Thanks for the insight. Do you recommend to get a private PPI even when buying CPO from a Ferrari dealer?
Yes. There may be issues that are not covered under the CPO that you can negotiate and two years goes very fast for a warranty. I'd pass if the grill isn't done yet though.
Good to know. How does one go about finding a good place to do a PPI outside of the dealership? The car is out of state for me. What exactly is the issue with the grill so I can figure out if it's been done?
I've not purchased outside of neighboring state. You can post on FChat for references. The vent issue is linked in post #5 above. Good luck.
MY 2013 and 2014 may risk transmission speed sensor failure (which got fixed in later years), but since you're getting a warranty, you shouldn't worry. Like others mentioned, get a thorough PPI done (by an independent shop) before purchasing the car. One thing to check is that the dashboard leather hasn't shrunk (if it has, ask them to fix it). Same with other cosmetic stuff since it's not covered by CPO.
All Ferrari DCT boxes are at risk of speed sensor failure, regardless of model year - it’s simply age/wear related. There was a brittle tie wrap problem which caused premature failure of the sensor but this only affected early Calis, 458s and FFs and was fixed by the time the F12 came out.
Warranty and service plan are the most important thing on these cars after 7 years old, so you are doing the right thing. I would suggest having the alternator checked, corrosion on all the grounds addressed, and a new battery installed as part of the purchase. Keep it on the correct battery tender at all times when not driving and open the hood after driving (if parking in a garage) to let the heat dissipate from the engine bay. I personally bought a high mileage 2017 when I bought, but it was purely on spec, not model year (and the fact I was going to put even more mileage on it).
They sometimes have leaky valve cover gaskets (think drips, not gushes of oil) that need to be replaced and are not a warranty item. Otherwise, a fantastic car.
I have a MY 2014, now with 7500 miles. It’s been a great car really no issues to speak of. I did have to replace the rear shocks (one leaking) but I think that was pretty random. My personal opinion, you’re buying car that’s now 10 years old most of the typical issues would probably be sorted out by now. I’ve heard of the paint bubbling but in my opinion if was going to happen it would’ve happened already. Water getting into the trunk lid is common but it’s a very easy fix. You can do it yourself in 1 hour. Happy to chat anytime about my experience.
One other thing to watch out for is that the front flaps that open to increase air flow to the brakes can seize or stop working. I have a 2014 which i have had for just over a year and have had no problems with the car. Spark plug change was amusingly expensive but that’s part of the experience I guess. I’m in the UK so can’t help with recommendations on PPI but it is a spectacular car.
Nice, I’ve gone through the same journey. 991.1 4gts cab and panamera turbo s. Now a ‘16 f12. Just get it checked. Dealer and seller (very well known Ferrari exclusive seller) the f12 is pretty solid as long as you don’t touch the engine / exhaust. The other little known issues mentioned above. The corrosion was addressed in the 15 update as well as update tech. Not sure any other updates were applied. As to the warranty there is a difference with porsche. With porsche they simply cover your car. With Ferrari they don’t. There’s a limited list of items they cover at quite an expense. Other Ferrari owners I met all told me that all had issues claiming the warranty when they really needed it and advised to save the money for may potential issues. Enjoy the ride. Such a difference with the porsche. I loved it, never thought I would own another car. Till I started this car…
Even if the grill has been done, it's not a guarantee the problem won't happen again (don't believe anyone that says otherwise, including dealers. They are not necessarily misleading you, they may just be uninformed). There are several examples in the fchat threads of multiple recurrences. The standard (if you can call it that) Ferrari fix is to sand down the corrosion, repaint a large area, and then reassemble it as it was before (which doesn't solve the core problem, it just resets the clock until it happens again). To prevent reoccurrence you need an air gap between the grill and the body panel. In the early days this was never fixed correctly, but over time some people and some dealers and body shops have come up with fixes (some of which are documented on fchat threads). Most seem to involve some combination of adding a gasket between the grill/body, adding nylon washers to the nuts that secure the grilles to create an offset from the body panel, and/or replacing the nuts with a different metal/non-metal. If you inspect the car and the grille is flush/touching the body panel all the way around, then the car is at risk of corrosion occuring/recurring. Water accelerates the process: humidity, rain, car wash (recommend using deionized water and blowing the car dry). If you are going to negotiate with the dealer I would try to get them to pay for the preventative fix if it has not been done yet.
I wouldn’t get overly hung up on the mesh corrosion thing. It was an irritating problem when the cars were new and definitely caused by a design fault. But the cars are at an age now where you’re just as likely to find paint bubbling from poor prep as your are from the meshes, particularly on the bonnet (hood), door and tailgate seams. So, inspect all areas for paint bubbles/blisters and negotiate accordingly.
I would make sure the negative terminal is updated because otherwise you will have lazy start issues when the car is hot change the battery if it hasn’t been changed in 3 years same for tires… make sure you have the updated alternator belt because sub 2016 the car was known to thrown the belts off at 9k rpm. Bosh alternator couldn’t handle the v12 2013 and it took them till 2015 to issue an updated version the can handle the high reving v12 Most likely the brake pads haven’t been changed since new if your going to track the car I would change them and bleed the brakes
