I sent them an offer by email 3 days ago ($60K), LOL! no one even called me or emailed me back.
I'll try to call them tomorrow. The problem is the time difference (can't call from the office). And in the morning before I leave, it would be too early being 2 hrs behind. I'll try if I ever leave the office at a normal time!
Don't lose patience. You will regret it. Trust me. The second you pull the trigger your 355 will come on the market. I have never heard anything negative about Camissa. They are near the SFO Airport about an hour away from me. If you ask someone on the Regional section to look at it, I am sure someone will. There are a ton of F Chatters that are near the SFO area. I also know that they and other Dealers do a really thorough bolster refurbish. They sub the work out to a guy that does near matching re dyes so it looks low wear versus too perfect.
From the pictures, the interior looks like it is in good shape and consistent with the mileage. I noticed a wire dangling from behind and underneath the radio and resting on the center console. I wonder what that was for. Judging from the mileage, I doubt the valves and manifolds have been addressed. It looks nice though, but the price is too high for that year. I will try to call them tomorrow and throw an offer at them.
Here's another one, but not a 95: http://www.autoextra.com/vehicledetail/do-basic/adid-83223787/?CMP=AFC-Vast&vst_cid=2075285950035779041446&WT.mc_id=Vast
I am not understanding the prices on the exact color and year that I want. Had I wanted a black one, there is one right now with an asking price of $59.9!! This one is the IDEAL one that I am looking for: http://www.chooseyouritem.com/exotics/files/159000/159176.html This one would be second: http://www.autoextra.com/vehicledetail/do-basic/adid-64285574/?CMP=AFC-Vast&vst_cid=207529413375457830548&WT.mc_id=Vast
Don't worry so much about the valve guides, remember only 20% of 355's had this problem, and pretty much all of them have been fixed, unless it's a barn find. I'm sure you know this tho :-} Happy hunting. P.S. the black one in Oregon for $59.9 has an accident history, and IIRC there is a problem with the suspension. BTW it's been on the market since I was looking, which is about a year ago.
The owner of the 97 355 spider that was on ebay was arrested in California and brought back to NYC for taking a $25,000 deposit from a buyer that he duped and never delivered the car. The owner has more stories than Walt Disney. If someone could tell me how to post the link I will gladly post the article that was in the NY Post on Saturday. It also appeared in the Staten Island advance. If you google "Chris Miranda and NYPD" you will find the article. Chris Miranda is the owner of the car.
<<<<< A California man was busted and hauled back to New York for swindling a former NYPD sergeant out of $25,000 for a car he never delivered, authorities said yesterday. The victim, who is retired and from Huguenot, got mixed up with Chris Miranda, 38, of Santa Rosa, Calif., when Miranda listed a 1997 Ferrari 355 Spider for sale on eBay, law-enforcement sources said. Although the victim lost the eBay bidding on the car, he contacted Miranda and told him he was still interested in the vehicle if the deal fell through, the sources said. Miranda later said the original buyer had backed out, and the victim sent him a $25,000 check with the promise that Miranda would take the car to a San Francisco Ferrari dealer, have it checked out and shipped, authorities said. A month later, after not receiving the vehicle, the former cop notified the DA's Office about the alleged scam. Investigators reached out to Miranda to get the money back, but he soon stopped returning their phone calls. When the investigators flew out the California to collar him, Miranda allegedly said, "I didn't think you guys would come all the way out here to get me." Miranda was arrested and returned to Staten Island Thursday night, and is expected to be arraigned on a third-degree grand larceny charge today in Staten Island Criminal Court. The cops verified that the sports car exists -- unlike Miranda, it remains in California. "Just because you're far away doesn't mean the law can't reach you," Smith said. >>>> This one gave a new meaning for being read his "Miranda Rights"!
Did he pay for the rest of the car? If he had legal ownership of it, would he be required to deliver the car if only a portion of the balance was paid?
Sorry for just now responding Robbie, I can't give you threads but I remember reading the "20%" somewhere on F-chat, written by reliable sources. Saying that the cars affected have been mostly repaired was incomplete. I should have said that most cars that have been regularly driven, especially those with higher mileage, have most likely been either unaffected by the guides, or fixed long ago. Sorry for the mispost, I think I had a few too many that night! Cheers, H
*********** produces Buyer's Guides for many '70s and later Fcars ... requires a subscription. Go to *********** . com, and select the Library and Buyers Guides links. In the F355 one, 2nd Edition dated July'06, they state the following verbatim: "One myth on the F355 is that the valve guides are a major problem and must be replaced. In reality, the problem occurred in 20% of the 1995 models and a small number of '97's and '98's." There was a post here on Fchat, I think in '06, in which a member did his own research with several Italian factory reps (one requiring an interpreter), racing teams, and repair shops. His final conclusion, based on info from the factory reps. IIRC, that the key problem was incorrect seating of the valve guides during manufacture. If that were true, it may mean that their later switch to steel guides was more an effort to quell buyer concerns than an admission of a design problem. However, I believe many pro techs here state the problems are more than just incorrect seating of guides. I'm not sure what the whole answer is, but I don't blame any 355 owner with brass guides for having them upgraded.
CORRECTION: Go to the *********** website, and use the Articles and Buyers Guides links from the main page.
