New Member Needing F355 Purchase Advice??? | FerrariChat

New Member Needing F355 Purchase Advice???

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by Diablo96, May 30, 2004.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. Diablo96

    Diablo96 Guest

    Hello All,

    I am a new member, and this is my first post. I am looking to buy a 355 for around 6-12 months, and then hopefully be able sell it on relatively quickly.

    In your expert opinions, what model/combination is easiest to sell?

    • GTB/GTS/Spider
    • Manual or F1
    • Colour
    • LHD v RHD

    I will, of course, due all the usual pre-purchase checks.

    Thanks in advance for any assistance you can offer.
     
  2. simon355

    simon355 Formula Junior

    Nov 23, 2003
    650
    W.Yorkshire, UK.
    Full Name:
    Simon George
    I have a 355 Spider,but personally if I would be buying again and looking to sell quickley,would go for an immaculate full history 355 Berlinetta in Rosso,manual in RHD. Reasons are the F1 transmission had'nt been quite perfected in the 355 and improved greatly on the 360,red always sells easily,the berlinetta is the most common and seems to be more popular than either of the other models.Also I think LHD will be harder to resell quickly,and I am not against them but the history I believe will be harder to check out thoroughly.I'd only buy from a specialist too.Good luck.
     
  3. tonyh

    tonyh F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Dec 23, 2002
    14,372
    S W London
    Full Name:
    Tony H
    There's nothing i can add to Simon's post and i totally agree. Best of luck with the purchase.
     
  4. simon355

    simon355 Formula Junior

    Nov 23, 2003
    650
    W.Yorkshire, UK.
    Full Name:
    Simon George
    Cheers Tony,take that as a compliment mate!
     
  5. steve f

    steve f F1 World Champ

    Mar 15, 2004
    12,119
    12cylinder town
    Full Name:
    steve
    hey what you after from tonyh
     
  6. Diablo96

    Diablo96 Guest

    Thanks for the input chaps. How much more difficult is it to sell a Giallo car than a Rosso one?

    Also, what are the most difficult colours to sell?

    Thanks again.
     
  7. simon355

    simon355 Formula Junior

    Nov 23, 2003
    650
    W.Yorkshire, UK.
    Full Name:
    Simon George
    well i'm trying to bond with the southern boys a bit more ha ha! Is your 512 complete with whippet going to Stanford hall on Sunday? I know Rik & mark are going?
     
  8. simon355

    simon355 Formula Junior

    Nov 23, 2003
    650
    W.Yorkshire, UK.
    Full Name:
    Simon George
    Fair bit more difficult than Rosso,but then again its the only other official Ferrari colour so I believe. I'd stick to Rosso if you want to sell quickly.
     
  9. steve f

    steve f F1 World Champ

    Mar 15, 2004
    12,119
    12cylinder town
    Full Name:
    steve
    i am going where are we meeting at [northwest rideout organizer] i am trying to get my neighbour to come in his 328gts but he has read a few reports undertaking at 140mph smiling for camera surrounding porsches then wasting them driving through towns in first gear and frightning grannys with tubis but i have assured him it wont be like that as [f308man] dave the loon is locked out the country in the IOM [alcatraz] so it should be a sensible day out as he thinks every sunday is mad sunday but you cant educate these islanders
     
  10. simon355

    simon355 Formula Junior

    Nov 23, 2003
    650
    W.Yorkshire, UK.
    Full Name:
    Simon George
    Funny thing about islanders,have you ever watched that classic film The Wicker Man with edward woodward? They have human sacrifices to the gods and that,and poor old ed ends up in this wicker contraption being burnt alive!
    You don't think they do all that on IOM do ya? Jesus
     
  11. Spyder-Man

    Spyder-Man Formula 3

    May 11, 2004
    2,087
    UK
    Full Name:
    Rob
    Any car will sell fast, if, the price is right!

    From what I've heard:

    Giallo does not sell as well as Rosso (dealer opinion)
    Better off sticking to non F1, as rumours out there about clutch's being eaten alive !

    GTB / GTS / Spyder ???

    Take your pick, at the end of the day, if you're prepared to lower your price a bit, then the car will fly out the door quicker than a jack rabbit being chased by a hungry fox.

    To prove the point, Sant Agata Classics had a LHD Gallo Spyder that went for £39 K Needless to say, the car was gone before the print had even dried on the advert! Now that was dealer price, so what the hell commission / profit did the dealer have in it ?

    Peace on earth and a bloody loud pipe. . . . . .

    R
     
  12. Diablo96

    Diablo96 Guest

    Spyder-Man,

    You are right. The overwhelming consensus seems to be that a manual Rosso car is the easiest colour to sell.

    I start looking for the right car from today…Mr Verdi, here I come…
     
  13. RF128706

    RF128706 Formula Junior

    Apr 8, 2004
    280
    I bought a 355 GTS in Rosso Corsa Red in Feb. '04. I visited several specialists in/around London.

    Concensus seemed to be that Rosso Corsa Red definately most sought after & therefore easiest to sell. GTS was very popular due to "best of both worlds", i.e. an open car without living in fear each time you hit the roof switch that something rare and expensive has gone pop in the hood mechanism (just as it starts to rain). The GTS is also allegedly less "seasonal" in terms of sales appeal.

    I personally prefer LHD since 90% of my driving will be done in Europe (in particular Italy) where I've got very small chance of getting nicked for speeding. In fact I'm heading down to Rome in it next month.

    All the dealers told me they had a growing demand for LHD from people like me, but I suspect shifting a LHD privately would be a nightmare. Interestingly, I could sell my car in Italy now for more than I paid for it, largely due to Euro/£ rates.

    Regarding resale -- I'd planned to get rid of mine in November but am now looking into the feasibility of keeping it forever and being buried in it instead of a coffin.

    You'll love it & unless you absolutely have to sell, I suspect you'll keep hold of it for longer than you think.
     
  14. exiges

    exiges Karting

    Feb 26, 2004
    199
    Midlands
    Full Name:
    David Brown
    My view (and to summarise some of the views above)

    1. Red is the colour

    2. Manual over the F1

    3. GTS best of both worlds

    4. LHD if budget is very tight, or much overseas usage.
     
  15. Robertb

    Robertb Formula 3

    Nov 19, 2003
    1,331
    South Oxfordshire, U
    Full Name:
    Robert
    Definitely rosso/crema rhd manual berlinetta/gts if you want a quick resale. I would echo that you won't want to let it go after six months- I am still very much in the honeymoon stage 8 months on!

    If it was me, I'd buy the best condition car available within my budget, so long as it is a colour combo that you are happy with. 355s are desirable, and a tidy car with no stories will always sell quickly for the right money.

    Good hunting!
     
  16. Diablo96

    Diablo96 Guest

    Robertb,

    Thanks for your input. The 355 is, without question, a lovely machine. However, I have set my my heart (and mind) on a Murcielago, and that is the only reason I would want to get rid of the 355.

    I drove a spider with the hood down last week, and I was surprised at how much body flex there was. Having said that, there is no denying the beauty of the car. Additionally, I have been told that good LHD cars do not present much of a resale problem.

    We shall see...
     
  17. Ade

    Ade Formula 3

    Jan 31, 2004
    2,102
    UK

    Ahh, another man following the 355->Murcielago trend!! Simon was the first to defect, I'm currently selling my 355 Spider (very regrettably - cant justify insurance costs on both) to make room for a Murci... and now you. Very interesting indeed. so what are your thoughts for the Murci ?

    LHD
    RHD
    new
    secondhand
    Colour?

    Ade
     
  18. newfer

    newfer Karting

    Jun 3, 2004
    90
    Hi guys,
    Just wondering, dont you go from 360>murcilago? You guys did not like the360?
     
  19. Robertb

    Robertb Formula 3

    Nov 19, 2003
    1,331
    South Oxfordshire, U
    Full Name:
    Robert
    There is an interesting pricing dillema here; a s/h Murci fetches about £150k, only a tad more than a new Gallardo at £135k, which is about the same as a 360 challenge stradale inc premium.

    Why would anyone buy a Gallardo, when for only a few more pounds a month on the homeowner loan one could get a Murci?

    Diablo96, why not buy Ade's car, then everone's happy! (ade, if this comes off, I want a go in the Murci!)

    Or if you are really only going to keep the 355 for 6 months I'd rent one from this lot when required. http://www.bespokes.co.uk.
     
  20. nickster

    nickster Karting

    Mar 5, 2004
    191
    The moon
    Full Name:
    nickster
    Good comparison between the s/h Murci and the Gallardo.Does anyone actually pay the 20 grand premiums or is that just people trying it on.I like the Gallardo but if the prices are to be believed,then I totally agree that for a little bit more you can get a lot more car.But then I suppose theres the servicing consideration too.
     
  21. Diablo96

    Diablo96 Guest

    Thanks again for your input chaps.

    Ade,

    I really want to see what happens to prices of the Murcielago's over the next 12 months. At the moment, there is around £40-50K difference between LHD and RHD. If that trend continues, and given my personal preference of how LHD lambos drive, I would go that way and buy an M3 with the change...

    In terms of colours: I prefer the dark colours (Nero, Grey) etc however, my wife loves Verde Ichate ever since we saw one at the factory launch.

    But first, I need to go on holiday and then get me a nice 355.......
     
  22. Ade

    Ade Formula 3

    Jan 31, 2004
    2,102
    UK
    ha ha.. I'm sure bespokes will love the plug! Apparently they have been struggling, I think the business has just been sold on recently as the owner got fed up. Offer them a really low price over long period - you might get lucky. Its a tough market that one - anyway thats an aside.

    On to the real topic of which car to buy. I agree with you Robert - the Murci is a better option if you want a pure 2 tonne beast of a car. I personnally think it looks much better than the Gallardo as well. The Murci is even better value when you look LHD ... currently there are 3 or so for sale around 105-115K. Personnally I think I'm going to hold out for a RHD and try to haggle down to 135-145, unfortunately it may involve lots of waiting as we only have 80 in the whole of the uk at the moment!!


    With regards to the question of why 355 -> Murci and not 360 - > Murci. Well I can only speak for myself, but even if I wanted one I couldn't afford a 360 a year ago (when I bought my 355 spider) as they were still 90K+ then, now I've saved up and can upgrade. However personnally I like very loud & angular aggressive looking cars (much like 355, 512 etc) - the Murci typifies that for me. Although I love the way all breads of the 360 drive, I'm looking for something a bit more stupid/ridiculous/phatt to waste my money on... ha ha!!!
     
  23. Ade

    Ade Formula 3

    Jan 31, 2004
    2,102
    UK
    Good luck with it. The grey ones seem to go for a cheaper price, so you are doing well with that choice. For sure the LHD ones are an absolute bargain considering I see many a Diablo for sale at 100K + still (not sure if they sell). Joe Macari has got two LHD ones at the moment - I think one is nero £117. I don't know where its imported from though...
     
  24. Ade

    Ade Formula 3

    Jan 31, 2004
    2,102
    UK
    I TOTALLY reckon dealers are trying it on still. There are COUNTLESS Gallardos for sale (10x more than Murci) and they aint shifting fast from tracking the websites.
     
  25. Robertb

    Robertb Formula 3

    Nov 19, 2003
    1,331
    South Oxfordshire, U
    Full Name:
    Robert
    There seem to be plenty of Gallardos for sale. Given that this situation continues, prices can only go one way...

    And I'm sure Lambo are looking enviously at the success of the 360CS, so I can't imagine that the Gallardo SV is too far away.

    If I was in a position to spend £135k on a Lambo (which regrettably I'm not!), I'd go the whole hog and spend £150k and get the scissor doors, V12 etc etc. I doubt there's a vast difference in servicing costs between them.
     

Share This Page