400i Your Thoughts

Welcome to the board. While the 400/412 arent liked by some people, I love both models. I think they are a steal at the bottomed out priced they are at right now. Im not an owner, but I have heard that one of the problems with the 400s is the electrical system but I dont know any details about that. I have heard nothing but positive comments about the cars from owners though. Aparantly very reliable!

 

I myself have been looking for a 400i myself. a few of the problems that i have heard about is the self leveling rear suspension can be of issue and also getting parts since they were "grey Market" cars here in the US.

The one i am looking for is the 5 speed over a Automatic transmission just due to the fact that they are the more rare of the breed.

Here is a picture of a 400 GT that was seen in the FCA parking lot at Indy this year.

 

It's a GM TH400 with a custom bellhousing and tailpiece. The internals of the tranny should be familar to any garage.

There's a yellow GTA for sale at this url: http://www.tomandkarenspage.com/cars/84400ia.html

 

I know nothing about the cars so I can't really help you. This is a car I have always liked though. I tend to like cars that are just a little different. A local guy had a silver one I used to see every now and then. Is that the model that Tom Cuise drove in Rain Man in the begining?

I'm not really a fan of this car in yellow. I think it looks best in dark colors, I would like to one in dark green w/tan.

 

AS i am on this board right now ,i am watching Rain man(UK) and yes Tom was driveing a blue 400.

 

Only seen one, just a month ago on Beverly Blvd. in L.A.
For the most minor indication as to how much of a Ferrari it is, I immediately recognized it as a Ferrari. Know what I mean?

To see pages 2 and 3 of this enthusiastic essay/overview, simply change the "1" in the address to 2 and 3, respectively. ie - p2.htm p3.htm
http://www.qv500.com/ferrari365&400p1.htm

Here's qv's price guide:
http://www.qv500.com/ferrari365&400mr.htm

Downside: Maintenance will be the same as on a similarly-engined, more expensive car. It is up to the individual to decide if the quandary of maintenance exceeding the value of the undervalued car itself is an ends to a means, or a means to an end. Or both...

Primarily because of it's undervalue, and the natural desire to get the most return on total investment/expense upon resale, (read: cost per mile, when all is said and done) it is perhaps even more important to get an undervalued ride that doesn't have issues, than on one that is overvalued. Therein lies the quandary. Bonkers!

 

Exactly as above! Make sure its basically solid cosmetically and mechanically, because you'll have the worlds most expensive one if it needs major work. A new engine for your 275 GTB is a pain, but a new engine for a 400i means the junkyard.
Some of them have been maintained without regard to cost...find one of those.
I think they're great cars though.

 

Even though they have been generally unappreciated, I've always really liked them. Here are two links to check out. The one at Symbolic is for sale (nice except for the tinted windows), the one at Cavallino is sold but both Bill and Martin are very knowledgeable FChat members - you should talk to them.

Bill Noon: http://www.symbolicmotors.com/frames/images/Contemporary/Vehicles/2688/2688.html

Martin: http://www.miamioffices4rent.com/cavallino/invent/8_5_400A.htm

 

There are a couple with 5 speeds in this months Hemmings Motor News. Personally,I really like these cars. Seem to be underappreciated,as the other poster said,thus,a great buy. I mean,come on, a 12 cylinder FERRARI that the whole family can fit into and enjoy! Whats not to like!?

 

ditto red81308! its a ferrari..... and a v12 !!! the 400... the " dino 246 " the 308 gt4 all were at one time a ugly duckling( to some people) but i would love to have one at my home. good luck to you.... i have several people in several places looking for a car for me, if i see anything i will PM you asap! michael

 

I used to have a 400i 5-speed. Great car, but since all cars were grey market, you have to be careful with the emissions test in your state. I sold the car because it would have been "impossible" to pass.

Go for a 5-speed. The 3-speed GM auto is horrible in combination with a V12 (you can never let it rev)

The rear shocks are self adjusting Koni's and do not exist any more. A rebuild cost $1200 per.

I love the understated looks of the 400/412

Rijk

 

As long as you realize that maintenance is going to be more than a daily driver and you are dealing with a car that is around 20 years old at this point, you should be okay buying the best one that you can find or afford. If you have to have a manual, look for a 365 GT4 2+2, they all came that way. They are a lot of car for the money, better put together than the boxers and much better than the 308's (remember, these were the top of the line model (al a the 456, 612, etc...) and were designed for daily use.

We drove our 365 over 530 miles to Hilton Head Island, tracked it at Roebling, and drove home with nothing more than the power steering fluild cap leaking a bit after ~5 hot laps (retighten and off again - needs a new gasket). What other Ferrari of this vintage could we have made this trip with two helmets, race gear and luggage in (with my wife not exactly being able to pack light). Everything except the cell phones, her purse and the GPS fit in the trunk.

 

There's a red 412 at www.ferrariofatlanta.com. Asking $53k.
It looks nice except that the rear suspension looks "lowered."
Worth looking at. Good luck

 

Hi GaurdsRed

I have a 1977 400 Auto that I have owned since 1997 and that I've been restoring.

Have a look at my website at http://www.400register.com/ especially at the Register section and at #21557 where you will find lots of pictures of my rebuild. I think you will find that the areas that needed attention on mine are pretty standard problem areas for the model range.

Do ask here or PM me if you need any further details.

Simon

 

One word RUST

doesnt matter if its the body or any other parts, huge money to put right.
Other than that great cars, especialy if you don't mind the 10-15mpg,

Do a search on the old board lots of similar questions about them

 

Hi Simon,
Haven't seen you posting for a while. Since I mostly lurk in Tech Q&A it must mean that things are going well with your car.

 

Hi Verell

I've been really busy at work since around July. I bought a 365 Boxer in April and that has kept me busy too.

Simon

 

I've owned a 1983 400i 5 speed for five years and really enjoy it. My twin daughters get to come along with my wife and I, and the car has more than enough performance to get you in trouble big time on any public road in the U.S. if you're not careful.

I specifically looked for the 5 speed for the performance reason and also because I felt that a Ferrari should have a manual transmission. They are rarer than the autos, but they are out there and worth searching for. Production of the 400 series cars was:

400 145 5 speeds out of 500 total
400i 424 5 speeds out of 1,308 total
412 270 5 speeds out of 576 total

I wanted the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection because I felt it would be easier to maintain and also would pass emissions more easily. With cats, my 400i passes CT emissions with no problems.

Problem areas mainly are in marginal electrics and the costly rear self-leveling suspension. There is a guy in Arizona who can rebuild the Koni shocks, or some people have replaced the air suspension setup with conventional shocks. The engine is very strong and seems to be pretty durable. The main maintenance item on my car was replacing the alternators. Other than that, just normal maintenance items like oil and anti-freeze, rear brake pads etc.

A thorough pre-purchase inspection is essential, as it would be for any Ferrari. There are lots of deferred maintenance issues out there with the 400 series because of their low purchase price.

I really like the car and I always get a thrill every time I turn the ignition key and the engine explodes into life. The roar of the V12 as I take it up through the gears is just spectacular.

John

 

There was a writeup about a 1978 400A sold at auction in the June 2003 issue of Sports Car Market magazine.

 

I had a 1977 400GT with a five speed and enjoyed it very much. I put about 15k miles or so on it in 2 1/2 years with no problems.

 

Haven't had too much difficulty in parts availability, but then all I have needed are filters and rear brake pads. I did explore getting a new coil since my has a chip out of the top part covered by the boot of the coil wire, and found that they are pretty difficult to locate. I haven't really pursued it because the coil seems to work fine as is.

I would imagine that body and trim parts are pretty much NLA except off of a wrecked car.

As I mentioned, I like the injected cars because of the lower maintenance. Some will prefer the carbed versions because the sound is supposed to be better. Around 1981-82 they changed the dash vents from the top of the dash to the front and "modernized" some of the switches.

The 412 has ABS, 340 hp (vs 315 in the 400i) and a better stereo, but I didn't want to pay the higher price that was being asked for them versus the 400i. Also, I found a car that met my requirements and that passed the PPI, so that was most important to me.

Prices? Well 400's have asking prices in low-mid 20's, same for 400iA, maybe a bit more for a 5 speed, 412 asking prices are all over the lot from mid 30's to low 50's. I know of a 400i 5 speed that sold for less than $20K, but it had more than 60K miles and ended up having the Dinoplex ignition replaced with MSD and the self-levelers replaced with air shocks. The MSD replacement (circa $600) is a reasonable substitution for the $2,000 Dinoplex. Don't know how much the suspension work cost.

Condition is key. Really good ones sell for not much, if any, more than not so good ones. Some of the cars on the market have been passed around from dealer to dealer for the last several years, accumulating few miles and probably not receiving the service that they need.

John