Fair enough...I think "bargain" can be best applied after you've bought and sold, though it's hard to predict if the $x you paid will ever become $2x later. Otherwise, "bargain" can equal "bang for the buck", but as that's subjective and depends on what you like, there's no way to have one model work for everybody. For me, I think a manual 355 spider can be that car. There's one for sale in the classifieds here for a little more than $100k that ticks a lot of my boxes - small Ferrari, gated 6-speed, fairly analog, looks great, sounds great, has good service history, spiders are much cheaper than coupe/GTS so unless fixed buttresses are worth the extra $50k or more - a relative "bargain", though who knows if you'll ever make money should you sell someday. It's interesting how there can be such value differences within a certain model range, and I think that's where opportunity can be found; the exact same car, in 2 different configurations, and one is 30% off or more. If I had a 355 or 360 spider vs coupe, or F1 vs manual, and went for a rip in it - would the experience be worth all those thousands of dollars less? (I'm an air-cooled 911 guy, and while I love coupes, I find myself looking at ads for targas and cabriolets as they're often way cheaper for essentially the same car.)
Well said my friend. Ive wondered from time to time about why Ferrari did not make a hard top conversion, kind of like the Mercs 500 SL does with its open top cars. You can buy an actual hard top that can be put in place of the convertible top and you cant even tell the difference . My friend has his sitting in the garage . It is heavy , but it looks great when on the car. Maybe that would have increased the cars price tag, because it would truly be , the best of both worlds. Im not sure if the new open top Mercs are made the same way, but his model generation certainly did. I have always loved the 355, I just dont think the 355 spiders look that appetizing . I think the 430 spiders look better then the 355s . I am much more of targa top guy than a rag top guy. If the 355 spider came with a hard top conversion at the same price point, now that would be a bargain ! lol
The 360 suspension is extremely reliable outside from bushings needing to be changed like every other car.....
You need to explain what you are looking for. The topic is best value Ferraris in the $75k-$125k price bracket. My list had cars that fit that bracket that middle class incomes could afford. Did you mean to quote someone else?
Well you live in Hawaii (as I did for 7 years growing up) so the cost structure is different for sure. Here is what Chat GPT says is middle income: "The 2025 middle-class income range varies by definition, but in the US, it is generally considered to be between two-thirds and double the national median income, which is roughly $53,740 to $161,220 annually for households." Certainly someone making the halfway income ($107,480) can afford a 360 if their finances are in order and they can save for a good down payment....maybe assuming the COL where they live isn't Hawaii.
IMO to do this would require a complete abandonment of everything except the car. Would you say that someone making 107K/yr could afford a horse?
IDK anything about horses. In my case, on my first exotic, I was making less than $107k when I first started saving and the car I bought was $120k so I know it can be done.
I was taking home 1100.00 to 1500.00 per week when I bought my Ferrari in 1999 . I paid 47,900 for my 89 with around 23k miles .
A friend of mine just got a 2012 FF 12cyl for 105k-- I don't see that car ever being worth less so I'd call that a bargain.
You mean upper middle class. Middle class still aren’t buying a Ferrari. The repairs and maintenance will tap them out in a year.
Why does the 360 crowd brag about the reliability then? You guys can't have it both ways.... I know from personal experience that a middle-middle class ($107k) guy can buy and maintain a up to $125k exotic.
Interesting. Well middle class or not, almost all Ferrari’s will become affordable unless they are limited production ones like CS, Scud, Enzo etc.
I would also vote for the 612 Scaglietti, it is indeed a bang for the buck for all the value it provides. Initial investment wise and depending on your geography, it is probably the most affordable path to get a V12 Ferrari, on par with a 456, with the upside that the 612 is way more dependable.
I believe the 1993 and 1994 348 models are at a reasonable price and will definitely increase in value over the next 5 years. Currently around $75K for a nice one with service records. The 93 and 94 models were much improved over the 89-92 models. I currently own a 348 spider 1994 and have owned a 1990 348 TB.. I still like the old school Ferrari look. Just my opinion.