400/412 price trends

Personally? The 400/400i manuals are the cars to get. Carbs being glorious, but I admit I like the series II 400i interior, exterior details, and wheels better.

I am not a huge fan of the 412--I think they kind of aesthetically ruined it. BUT, I'm sure they drive wonderfully.

So for me, a 412 wouldn't garner any premium at all over a comparable 400/400i.

My ranking:
400 manual
400i series II manual
400i series I manual
412 manual
400i series II auto
400 auto
400i series I auto
412 auto


Condition, records, gearbox, and color combo are going to be the true harbingers of how they are valued.

 

I somehow prefer the 400i v1 as it has a more reliable electric panel and the original wood console with ammeter. The auto-leveler can be an issue but that's all. With an auto transmission That's the cheapest of the whole serie, but probably the best value for money.

The 400 with carb and a manual transmission is probably the most valuable, and some of the 400i upgrades are easy to retrofit (cooling and TRX) making it the most efficient of the lot (performance wise). This comes with a premium!

The auto tranny does not match well with carbs in my opinion. Not worth the carb premium.

 

value is in the eye of the beholder. I happen to agree with Bjwhite - carbed manual 400 IMO is the coolest. I waited years for one and one finally came my way.
Rarity can be looked up by the historical production numbers; same with colors etc.
I think it's most important to buy what you like... even if it's not necessarily what the market is blowing up...

 

For recent pricing in US see Ferrari Market Letter: Ferrari Market Letter | Find the Value of Your Ferrari.
Prices in Europe are somewhat higher in spite of much higher fuel costs!
Ken