DO BUSINESS WITH STEVE AND SPORTAUTO

Barney has sold more Ferraris than 95% of ALL the current franchised dealers over the last thirty-five years. Here's a guy who gets summoned to a meeting with the Old Man more than once while selling cars in Italy and goes on to found Foreign Cars Italia in 1978, populating not only the Southeast, but many other parts of the country with F-cars. When he's done with the franchise thing, he keeps going, picks up the Lambo franchise and BRINGS RESPECTABILITY to a heretofore unrespectable marque, (around here, anyway) but Steve's a Ferrari guy lock, stock and barrel.

Sure, he's a Vermont Yankee and his short and to-the-point manner doesn't always sit well with those needing a little extra "hand holding." But there are very few who've been in this business for longer than the OP who wouldn't commend and recommend Steve for being about the most straight up car dealer selling these type of cars. He leads Sport Auto from the top down, which is why everyone there, including my old friend and colleague Tom Jones, is a credit to the business of selling, maintaining and repairing F-cars in general.

I'm no Sport Auto fanboy, just a hater of ignorance. And that's just what we've seen rear it's ugly head in this instance.

I stand by what I said to people for twenty-five years as that shop's closest qualified independent PPI provider. You can trust what Steve and Tom say and you can buy a proper car at Sport Auto.

 

I just bought a car from Steve and it was a great transaction -- exactly as represented. I traded him my 328 which he promptly sold. He is in the business to make money and I am glad that is his motive because he is likely to be around when I need another Ferrari. I cannot imagine a better experience when you are buying a car that is, by anyone's measure, full of fragile and tempermental parts.

 

I called SportAuto years ago re. buying a car.

They were always very helpful and knowledgeble.

I would not hesitate to buy from them.

 

Nothing to add. Just thought this needed a bump.

And my 328 has been the best car I've owned, bought from guess where...

 

Eurocars International in Dublin Maine?

 

An astute and impressive guess, but think further south...

 

MDM Eurotics?

BT

 

The New Auto Toy Store ???

or was it....

The Newest New Auto Toy Store....

 

If I were in the market Steve is the first guy I would call.

 

+1 !

 

Actually it was Bubba's Bait and Exotics. But I've heard Sport Auto is also pretty good.

 

Another vote of confidence for Sport Auto & Darrell Kimrey, Tom Jones & Steve Barney. Got my car from them and hopefully will get another. Great website too, I check it out often!

 

+1

 

I'm sure I'll look like another mindless lemming when I say this too....

+1 on SportAuto in my book.

The only time I sensed their dealership was literally full of crap was that one time Luca unloaded in his diaper while we were looking at my 348 on the hoist. Happily, they had a nice changing-station in the restroom.

 

i'm glad you did not do the diaper change by the cappucino machine!

 

LOL, probably not the best descriptive, but damn funny though!

Cheers!

 

+1

 

HAHAHAHA!

 

While everyone is praising Sport Auto, I wonder if anyone else is wondering why they haven't returned to the thread to answer my two, simple, valid questions. It seems they do not at all wish to be scrutinized. They basically came to the thread, made their declarations, and left. No matter how you look at it, it's pretty evident that they stretched the truth a little. As Steve Keller said, Steve Jones didn't involve himself at all in the dialogue between Sport Auto and Steve Keller. Then he comes to the thread carrying the torch of greatness.

Many partisans on the side of Sport Auto have said, "well, at least they didn't just sell him the car as it was." This is to be rejected absolutely. THAT IS ILLEGAL! IT IS ILLEGAL FOR A DEALER TO SELL A BUM CAR! The reprehensibly low standards of some people have no place whatsoever in the standards formulated by people who claim to be decent. We don't call ourselves good people because some people are murderers and we aren't. We're not supposed to murder people.

Many partisans have also said, "well, the car needs a service anyway since it's been more than three years." This argument is also untenable and is to be rejected.

Using that argument, every dealer selling a Ferrari could just say, "Hey buddy... we can't sell you the car at this price because we found a problem that we are going to need to fix. Accordingly, the price is going to have to go up." They could do it every time. They could also employ all kinds of clever methods to pressure the buyer into paying full retail or partial retail price on the cost of the service.

Besides, it's up to the customer to decide when he wants a service and by whom. If a dealer is intent on doing a service, that is fine and dandy. In that case, they typically do it before putting a car up for sale and obtaining signed agreements with a clearly stated price.

It isn't so easy, you know, to just walk away sometimes when the car you are looking for is only 1 of 32, or one of 100, etc. These are rare Ferraris, not BMWs or Toyotas.

The main point is that it was the absolute stupidity and rapacity of Sport Auto to not properly check out the car in the first place. Where was "the best Ferrari technician in the country" when the car was acquired? The absurdity of passing the costs of that stupidity and rapacity on to a customer with a signed agreement seems, to me, so simply recognized.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The first encroachment opens the door to future encroachments.

 

Maybe because the thread is three pages of much ado about nothing?

 

Why don't you get off your soap box already.
Sport Auto doesn't have to answer your questions.....no one does.

 

I agree, we're splitting hairs.

 

I've had 3 cars from SA. Never had any issues with anything.
Including the transactions....

 

I want to join the Sport Auto Fan Club too!

I've purchased two cars from them. My experiences have all been very positive with SA. Local feedback that I've personally witnessed around our local Ferrari community in NC and SC is currently at 100% positive. In particular I'd like to sing the praises of Tom Jones, Jim Schubert, Tom Jones, Steve Jones, and Tom Jones again. My wife is Tom's #1 fan!!!

I'm still waiting on my SA Fan Club T-shirt. Has anyone else received theirs yet?
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