Avoid the Garage queens!

There ya go!

 

There is a queen in my Garage. 1984 512 boxer, 2000 original miles. Thats 100 miles a year for 20 years....just enough to keep it in shape...sort of like wakeing up from a coma after 20 years and finding out your wife is still 19 and your 39. Love it!

 

Ugh,
I'd say Michael, you are still in a coma
and who knows what your 19year old wife has done in the 20 years (not to be taken literally)

 

My TR was built when I was 16. I bought it at 32 with 2,600 miles on it. I just can't explain why I love so much that everything is brand new & the car has been waiting for me until the day I could afford it. It's a dream & puts a smile on my face.

 

Here is a perfect example why this low miles crap sucks:

1984 Ferrari 308GTS QV red/tan

with 15,000 Miles worth about $ 37,000
with 40,000 Miles worth about $ 33,000
with 80,000 Miles worth about $ 28,000
with 120,000 Miles worth about $ 22,000

So the guy that waxed his car daily but never drove it gets more money! The guy that drove it 65.000 Miles more than his neighbor, the waxer, pays only $9,000 for those 65,000 Miles. That is 14Cents per mile of Ferrari enjoyment!

Oh and the major services in the meantime...well, remember they have to be done anyhow if you drive or not . Then most garage queens do not get a major every 5 years religiously, right? Neither do they get oil changes every 6 months, right?

 

Hey - I can't helped that the previous owners didn't drive it, just that I will drive it. My car had the 30k and I will probably get another in 2 years or so. Maybe I can put some miles on it before then.

 

WHO STOLE MY SOAPBOX?????

 

Hey but now you drive it!
BTW I love the blue! STUNNING!

 

Sorry, I am kindly returning, as you are my hero.

 

That's the same way I feel about my car. I've had it for a year now and I've put over 10,000 miles on it since. I flirted with selling it for a while but I really love it too much. It just fits me right and I think I'll keep it for ever. Who cares how many miles are on it? It's the right one for me. I'll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding when the time comes and then keep going. It'll never get old for me. I'll just add more cars over time. For now, this one will do nicely.

 

Sweet! You can follow me on the runs & call the tow truck if I break down.

Aug - Hurry up & get down here! We gotta do some driving!

 

Jerry,

I should be terrorizing SoCal by Sept-Oct. Don't worry. One of my first stops will be Irvine. We've got some serious cruising to catch up on!

 

my opinion is...when it comes to car collecting it is impossible to drive all cars as much as they should be...however, it is possible to maintain car in a heated/airconditioned garage and drive them once a month and keep them in decent shape. Regardless cars will not last for ever, driven or not driven. They all need service. Sometimes, the fact they are not driven causes lots of headaches (speaking from experience) but any time you have too many things to take care of, s*** does happen...

 

Regarding the speedo disconnect thing, it's pretty easy to tell a true 10K mile car vs one with 50K and 10K showing. All you've got to do is look at the interior and engine compartment. I saw several high mileage cars with low miles showing when I was looking years ago. The interiors of these cars wear very quickly.

 

Would be cool if I still had the 328 by then, but I really should try & sell it - We shall see what happens!

 

I agree - Everything about the TR screams NEW!

Behold the bubble TR! I didn't get the bubble with the car, but it's nice to know it was taken care of.
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HELLLLLLO! Ford GT, BMW MINI,Mustang 05,288 gto,Jag xke race series ,Carol Shelby Cobra new,BMW Z8, and so on. The major auto companies believe in the Garage queen theory...Who would not want a new model of the original inspired car. Its a dream come true...Its New but It feels as if its a 25 year old car of my youth, or younger days. I dont want a new mercedes with 30,000 miles on it, I want an old ferrari with 5000 miles. Imagine if Ferrari redid the Dino Body with updated mechanicals and called it the Dino 375GTS, as Ford did with the GT. It would sell out instantly for the next 5 years. Well, Buying a Garage Queen is as close as any of us can get till ferrari decides to do such Genious.

 

Slag, I haven't been keeping up lately... did you swap a chairo for chairo?

 

I still have them both, but will be putting the 328 up for sale soon. The TR was delivered on Monday. I posted some pics in the general section here earlier this week.

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15255

 

Well, you stepped into this... so, I assume you're open to discussing it... and I am very curious about your thinking...

First, here's my thinking: What a waste of a great car! You can't even get familiar enough with a car in 100 miles/year to even know it... let alone get the most out of it. In fact, unless that is less than 4 trips/year, you probably have NEVER even gotten it truly warmed up. You've owned the car for 20 years and have less driving experience with it than many F-chatters that have never even owned one.

And that is NOT "just enough to keep it in shape"... even paying $10K for that car would be a gamble. And you got your analogy wrong... its more like your wife waking up from a coma after 20 years, completely atrophied away, huge bed sores scarring her body... unable to walk, or lift anything, or do anything.

Of course, that's just my point-of-view... and is obviously different than your point-of-view. But, I cannot even guess your point-of-view... so, I have to ask...

What do you do with your Boxer?
Why do you even keep it around?
What enjoyment does it provide you?
Do you host museum tours for others to see your "preserved" Boxer?
Do you have it parked in your living room as a large piece of modern art?

These are honest questions... I am curious what motivates someone to own a Ferrari even if they have no desire to drive it.

Thanks for enlightening us,

 

Well! I was under the impression this thread was about purchasing a Garage Queen. In My case I purchased this car in dec 03, so it is only been Queening in my hands 5 months, It is my 9th ferrari in the past 20 years.I am fortunate that the car came with all records and the 3 owners B4 me were all established collectors that had their own dealerships to maintain the car, this is not the case with all queens, I got lucky that money was no object with upkeep in all previous owners, however the principal still stands.Who would not want a concours driver, Thats what its about... Its like taking H.G.Wells time machine back to 1984 buying a new boxer from FNA, and bringing it back to the present day.Anyone who tells you they are keeping their car for life and doesn't care about the mileage is lieing, for if they could have the same car as new they would, and Do I intend on driving it, Hell Yes. I can put 5 or10 thousand miles on it and its still under the mileage that makes it less desireable.From an investment standpoint its logical, from a drivers car standpoint its free mileage.All your questions might have applied to previous
Owners, but not me. At the moment I am preparing the car for the Greenwich concours event in June. I expect to win that class which will make the car even more valuable. and do expect to sell it by summers end at substantial profit... I have driven it about 450 miles in the last 2 months so it now has 2250 miles on it.I do this on a continuing basis as habit...Buy ..Sell..Buy...
etc...and have as much fun as all the rest!
BTW. If I were the original owner and kept it as a queen those questions would be quite offensive, for most likely the car would be keeping its 16 other ferrari stable mates company!
Just The Facts.

 

I agree with you Michael - Nothing beats a new car - Even if it's 16 years old - 20 years old in your case. It's a great feeling having a "new" car and enjoying it.

Keep on truckin'

 

msdesign.....

This is a great thread, and I have to digress a bit to here so for that I apologize, but maybe it will help with the entire context of the intention of the thread in any event. Boy...that said a lot of nuthin.....anyways......

Nice car you've got there. Enjoy it......I'm justifiably envious.

But I am also curious......

Considering that Isringhausen had your car for sale for a very long time if my memory of the last two years of DuPont Registry ads are correct......therefore the car would have been exposed to probably every single Boxer buyer for the said "long time" in this marketplace......which means that their asking price would have been well known to said prospective buyers......so having said that, how just do you expect to get $125K and from whom......if they could not do it ?

http://www.ferrariads.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=1282&query=retrieval

 

I second Brian's sentiments - these cars were never meant to sit-and-sit-and-sit.......many of you lucked out when you bought your garage queens. "The other Guy" spent the big-bucks to put the car back on the road. I wonder what your sentiments would be if YOU had to pay the expense of garage queen negligence. Your tune would be different. I bought a car that sat for over seven years, and had roughtly 600 miles put on it after a mini-restoration. Luckily, the PO had so much cash burning a hole in his wallet that he spent over $14,000 to replace belts, hoses, gaskets, seals, electrical components, wires, bulbs, tires, fuel injection work, ignition work, etc. etc. etc. All of it happening because the car just sat in storage. Even the fasteners will freeze up from sitting so long.

There are many low-mileage cars out there that have not had the kind of money thrown at them in the name of preventive maintenance - these cars are timebombs. Some of you people out there are buying them, and you're paying top-dollar for that car, too. Just don't come crying to the board because you spent tens-of-thousands over list price for a extra low-mileage car, and then find out that you have to spend tens-of-thousands more to get it roadworthy because all of the gas/oil/coolant lines/belts etc. need to come off the car. I'll be the first to laugh at your vain stupidity.