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348 spider purchase

Discussion in '348/355' started by flyguyskt, Sep 28, 2009.

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  1. flyguyskt

    flyguyskt Formula Junior

    Sep 22, 2009
    443
    South Dakota
    Full Name:
    sean
    #1 flyguyskt, Sep 28, 2009
    a little back ground on me. i have owned lotus cars from europa tc that i totally restored to the new elise.a hopped up mr2 spyder and a lexus sc 430. i am now looking into a 348 spider purchase and have a few questions about a couple im looking at. probably the same questions every pre owner has... i have done lots of reading on here over the past few weeks and it seems there is alot of varied opinions about the maintenance of these cars, so im a bit confused. hope you guys can straighten me out as i feel a bit apprehensive about the purchase. I am not filthy rich but have my finances under control and can afford a car in the 50 k range without too much burden. the car would only be a summer driver.

    1... belt service intervals: actual vs. what ferrari says? apparently ferrari says 5-7 years or 30k miles on the 348.

    1a...would you feel comfortable buying a car that had been sitting virtually undriven since its last service 4 years ago, or would you want to get it serviced at the 5 year mark?

    2... what questions should i be asking the sellers? oviouly when the last service was performed.

    3... is there any thing to watch for that screams "stay away from this particular car"

    4... My nearest ferrari dealer is 400 miles away...should that be a concern

    5... I plan to drive the car 10- 15,000 miles a year...should i stay away from a 348?


    I may have more questions that arise from comments and I thank all of you in advance.
     
  2. Mitch Alsup

    Mitch Alsup F1 Veteran

    Nov 4, 2003
    9,744
    #2 Mitch Alsup, Sep 28, 2009
    1a Buying a car that has not been driven regularly is asking for a lot of insundry issues to show up. This is especially true if the car did not get all the fluids changed yearly.

    3 The bonnet area (front trunk) and the interrior are tell tales of how the engine and tranny were likely treated. Is the leather clean, soft, supple, or does the car look its age?

    4 It is likely that you will have to make friends with a mechanic who can service the F348 in order to deal with the remoteness of a Ferrari dealership. I found a race prep shop that also does Porsche work and he has been a great ally in keeping my F355 serviced.

    unask question: Where are you going to get the required PPI done?
     
  3. flyguyskt

    flyguyskt Formula Junior

    Sep 22, 2009
    443
    South Dakota
    Full Name:
    sean
    #3 flyguyskt, Sep 28, 2009
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2009
    well one of the cars is at a ferrari dealer that i have worked with before on a couple cars...the other is in houston...at a non ferrari(but used exotics dealer)

    so if the car has 30k miles on it but only 500 in the last few years since it major should the belts atleast be changed...major included belts, water pump cam tensioners etc, the usual stuff. how much to do just the belts $$$.

    if the car is at a dealer for sale it wouldnt really make sense to have that dealer do a ppi would it? what exactly to they do in the ppi?
     

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