hello all, newbie here, thinking of taking the plunge into ferrari ownership for the the first time. i have always had a soft spot for 4 seat ferraris and certainly anything with a 12 cylinder engine. i have found this RHD example here in sinagpore. there are only 2 left here and this appears to be the most original example. i have never owned a ferrai before, i am more used to old porsches, what i should be looking out for? is rust an issue, and if so where on the car is it most prone? http://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/i...119544&DL=1231 thanks mark
i read somewhere that classic cars magazine in the UK had a buyers guide sometime earlier this year - does anyone know which month this was so i can order a back copy?
There's a very nice writeup in the current issue of Auto Italia- the Uk magazine, on the 412. Most of the buyer's guides I've seen seem to be written by people who have never been near a 412. Rust is far less of an issue on 412s than earlier 400s- The biggest issue is lack of use- Most of these cars were driven fairly regularly by their original owners- and then most languish for years at a time at "Exotic" car dealers who expect them to fetch big money. You;ll find fuel injection issues, dried up seals, worn and collapsed front end bushings, corroded exhaust systems and of course dried up and shrunken leather interiors. Everything on a 412 costs bucks to fix- the difference in price between the world's worst 412 and the world's best is less than the cost for a really extensive service- so buy them best one you can. With so few made there are very, very few on the market at any given time- usually around a dozen worldwide. Luckily the engines and gearboxes are fairly reliable- The auto box is far less favored these days but the 412 engine has plenty of grunt and the car flies, even with the auto. Get a good one and you'll never let it go.
Mark The link is no longer active so I do not know which model you are looking at. 400 and 400i's have issues with the fuse / relay panel over heating some of the contacts and the circuit board. I do not know if any of this was resolved with the 412. Check the this panel under the passengers feet. Pull out a few of the white plug connectors (8-12 pins or there about) and see if any of the contacts are brown or worse. I have some solutions if the damage is minor. If all is white you are likely okay for now. Ken
thanks, sorry about the link http://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.php?ID=119544&DL=1231 it's an '89 412 (although likely MY88) in white with red interior. is there anyway i can check the original spec & colour from the VIN number?
Ken The 412 moves some of the higher amperage connections to just above the glove compartment. Not as much overheating issues from the proximity to the headers but the same plugs with the same chance of "blackening" a connector and melting the plug- My 412 had the entire system rewired and the back of the board resoldered at great expense about 5 years ago.
I really like 412's, but I wouldn't recommend one as an intoduction to Ferrari ownership. I say this because most people's expectation of a Ferrari is that of a high performance sports car, which a 412 is not. It's a grand tourer, with good performance and plenty of style, but it's not going to win any traffic light races. The 412 is also a complicated car which can be savagely expensive to fix, so buying a good car is essential as major repairs can amount to a significant proportion of the purchase price. They have a prodigous appetite for fuel - think 20-30 litres per 100 km's. Lastly, a 4 seater automatic Ferrari V12 in white is for most people probably the least desirable 'combination' available, so it should be cheap to buy, ( and also extremely difficult to sell) With all the negatives out of the way, the 412 is the last of the "old school" V12's and all that stand's for. I think they are stylish and there were very few produced (and even fewer left in good conditon) so you aren't going to see another one every day. The rear seat legroom and boot is bigger than a 456, and in comparison to the 400, the 412 has a slightly bigger engine and ABS brakes and many other sublte improvements. Also, i'm assuming you are in Singapore, your profile says "east coast" which could be anywhere.... M
The car you are looking at is overpriced by about $ 55,000. , it seems all the cars on that site are way overpriced. What is COE paid until 2018 ? what does that mean ?
The price seems to be in Singapure Dollars, which means 1 Singapure Dollar = apprx. 0,75 US$. So we are talking about US$ 42.000 - which still is quite expensive in my point of view...
COE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certificate_of_Entitlement Prices are in Singapore dollars, cars are very expensive there. M
yes i am in singapore, will change my profile. cars here are very expensive and road tax is also very high. but this one has a long COE (a bit of paper that lasts 10 years and allows you to have the car on the road) and new 10 year one coast about US$58k these days. they are asking US$75k for this car but i have it on good authority they will take a lot less as the 412 doesn't get any love here. US$75k doesn't you much in singapore, a new toyota prius will cost US$125k and new ferrari 458 will set you back about US$770k. so the 412 is almost a bargain! i am not looking for a traffic light drag car (i have a '76 930 for that) i am looking for cruiser with good performance that i can fit my wife and son in too. the auto box is particularly appealing as traffic here can be pain and most people these days only have auto licenses so it's better for resale. i love the lines of the 412, and the fact that most other people seem not to only increases the appeal for me. there are no 456's here so that's out of the question and the only other 4 seat ferraris here are a couple of mondials and one 308GT4 which don't appeal as i really hanker for a V12. there is one testarossa for sale but that is of course only 2 seats and is more than twice the price http://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.php?ID=218592&DL=1000 i will go and see the car and find out what condition and history we are dealing with. thanks for you comments.
Gee i don't know- I think a WHITE 412 with red interior is a deadly looking combo- NEVER EVER buy a 400 or 412 with ANY thought of resale value- Buy it cause you love it.
Hello Jay, What is on the cover of that magazine. A Red Maserati 5000GT cover is on sale at the in the UK now. Was it last months?
this is the only other on in singapore http://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.php?ID=79434 also an auto, but doesn't have original wheels and the interior has been recovered. the colour combo is definitely more traditional ferrari, but i think i prefer the white/red! anyway this red on isn't for sale, so it's wither the white one of no ferrari at all.
What's the matter with its front styling? It isn't the orginal style of a 400-front - is it a special "asian style"?
You know I just looked at the car- WTF?? 348 style fornt end AND 348 wheels?? Woofers cut into the CENTER CONSOLE?? Billet shift knob on the auto tranny?? Wow how is that car NOT in LA?
I remember reading something about that car but can't remember where it was. I'm pretty sure it's a 348 front. I think it looks good on the 412 but would look really bad on the 365.
