512 TR Buyer Questions.

I am getting ready to take the plunge and buy a 512 TR this winter/spring. I drove one last week and going from a 328 GTS, the car was amazing. My observations: nimble, quick, not as big as I have read, comfortable for my 6’0 200 pound frame (like it was made for me), and all around a quantum leap up from my 328, what a car! My question to all you very experienced chatters out there is that is this car going to eat me alive? The agent that will help me look for the car was very explicit about “we have to find the right one”, so we will take our time. Perfect that is just what I wanted to hear however, as I have read in recent posts how rare are these cars parts becoming? I don’t think I will have the car for more then 3 years but is this a big problem? Also how problematic are the seat belts, starter, fuse box, and the dreaded gearbox? I was figuring $4,000.00 per year on maintenance averaged out over 5 years including the major – what do you guys all think. I have spent 10k on my 328 88.5 this year so I have experienced the “cost” of Ferrari ownership, but I know the 10k this year on the 328 was very unusual and I bought the 41K 328 that needed 10k in work. My strategy on the 512 I will buy the best 12-17k mile car with detailed history, recent major and pay top dollar for it.

Thanks,

Andrew

 

Hi Andrew,

Just a few random thoughts- Some parts are hard to find, but I had a major done this year without any problems, however some misc parts are NLA (no longer available) from FNA, these can usually be found at the guys that are sponsors on this board. There have been several recalls on the seatbelts, they seem to be fixed but with a lot of use they can be a problem. I've found that if you turn the key on, let the belts complete their travel and then start the car it avoids most problems. Cars that have problems with the fuse box all seem to have options added that add a lot of draw on the system. Starters can go off for several reasons- heat, low voltage or misalignment of the drive, this can be fixed but it seems to be a continuing problem. Don't bother changing the hood supports, they'll cost you $500 to change and will only last for six months- get a support post from Groitts instead. $4,000 a year for maintenance is not out of line, unless you're going to do 20K miles a year. The 512 gearbox, half shaft combination is better than the TR but not as good as the M; what a shock!Dump the clutch a few times and you'll be looking for a new tranny, but get the clutch fully engaged before the right foot hits the stop and you shouldn't have a problem.

I don't mean to sound negative, there is not another similar Ferrari I'd rather have- I've had mine for 5 years and can't see selling it anytime soon.

Good luck with your search, all the best. PM me if you have any questions.
Norm

 

This is the best advice u can get. There is one on EBay ocassionally in Philly, white, that is a nightmare so watch out for it - it has its own thread here. It will be priced seductively. Good luck in your search.

 

I agree!
I have my 512TR now for a year. We resolved some cluch problems at the beginning, but furthermore the car is a dream. I drove her from Belgium to Italy twice (!) last year. The TR has it all. It has stunning looks and performance, but drives like a real GT on long stretches.
Make sure that you find one with a full history. The engine is very reliable and usually without problems. Nevertheless a major service in the future will be a lot more expensive than on a 360 or a 550. In my opinion it is worth every penny.

Ton

 

Thanks for the help. What would people look for on old recites? New fuse box, all service, seat belt recall, starter issues?, recent major? Any more help will be much After driving the car it really was “the car” for me it seems that every is perfect with the exception of the price is expensive and the service is expensive – however it’s less then a boat!

Andrew

 

Got my ’94 last year with 11,000 miles. The only major maintenance issues have been a broken engine release cable and a leak in the A/C unit. The cable was simple and the A/C leak is upfront by the condenser. Hope it is just a loose fitting. Purchased a Freon detector to locate the leak. Freon 12 is still readily available.

Oil change is do it yourself. I understand changing gear oil is simple also. I bled the brakes last weekend and used Shell Donax UB fluid. Pressure bleeder is easy to use.

Unfortunately the first time I had the old Pirelli P Zeros balanced the Hunter 9700 indicated two bad rims which cost about $1,200 to replace. Thanks for getting the rims Daniel

Replaced all the tires with the new Goodyear Eagle F1s. Price was $1,376 total with road hazard warranty and Hunter 9700 balancing.

The Goodyears are very quite and do not tramline like the P Zeros. I also feel like I have much better road feedback from the car.

Added Hyperflow cats and Tubi exhaust. Car went from sounding like a sewing machine to nirvana. Working on installing a Hyperflow pre-cat system in 1st quarter.

Also cleaned the mass air flow (MAF) sensor and replaced the O2 sensors. Bosch universal O2 replacements are about $50 each. Universal sensor part number is at the Bosch website under 512TR info. Will eventually replace with OEM type because I don’t like the inline connection necessary with the universal.

Lastly, did the Easyoff oven cleaner and Plasticoat process on the center console parts. Two hours of labor and $12 worth of materials. Talked to the son of a 512TR owner in Houston who said his dad spent $3,000 to have the parts replaced. Wow!

I bought a new Porsche 997 Carerra S about 6 weeks ago. Really nice car but I now appreciate the 512TR even more. I never forget that I am driving the Ferrari. I forget in the Porsche.

John