F Owners and multiple owners... Biggest Lesson Learned?

When I owned mine the biggest problem was not knowing anything and with no one to ask. Now with f chat any question can be answered. I sold my 348 in 2000 the clutch needed to be replaced and probably the belts. I would of never, ever done an engine out service in my garage or a clutch change. Then I saw pictures of shanb who did both in his garage and thought what a loser I was. I could of done those myself. You live and learn.

The other biggest lesson is, I wish i would of driven it more. 14k miles in 3 years, if I had that sucker now I would drive it everyday.

 

The lesson I learned was that even if you do your homework, and even if you have a ppi from a supposedly reputable/independent source, you may still not be protected. I'll try to make this brief. In fall of 2001, I located and L-series Dino in New England. The seller had a good reputation, affiliated with an exotic car dealership. The car was presented as clean and with no stories, and with a recent "top engine rebuild". I elected not to make the trip from my home in Nevada to Boston to see the car and personally oversee the ppi. The ppi was done in Boston; the facility will go unnamed, but they represent themselves as the biggest and best exotic car service facility in NE, and commonly advertise in Forza and Sports Car Market. The car passed the ppi with few issues, including engine compression test; price was agreed upon and the car arrived as planned in Reno. First thing was to attempt to get it to pass Nevada smog for licensing. No matter what my local shop (who I trust as competent and honest from prior dealings with other cars) did, it could not be adjusted to pass NV emissions. One thing led to the next, and the compression test was repeated- one cylinder was 70 psi, and with the head off you could wiggle this piston with your fingers! Thus began what ultimately resulted in a complete engine rebuild, many "while you're at it" repairs, etc, ultimately costing about $30K. Smog and NV titling were completed after that without further event. I delayed presenting all of this to the seller until I had an approximate total on the engine-rebuild part (about $15-17K) of the repairs. When I did present this documentation 3-4mos later when the work had been done, he basically blew me off, wouldn't send me a nickel, and told me to take it up with the Boston ppi facility. When presented with the facts, they demeaningly told me that my facility in lil 'ole Reno didn't know how to properly do a compr. test on a Dino, and they would in no way be responsible, and essentially to f___ off. The good news was that other than the mechanical issues, the car was pretty much otherwise as represented by the seller. I've since done considerable other resto. work on it, it runs great, finally got the broken turn signal lever fixed once (and I hope) for all, and at the end of the day I love the car. It's not, and was never and probably will never be a concours-level car, but it is a Concorso Italiano capable car and we showed it proudly there last summer.
I was bitter about this whole thing for most of two years as the bills kept rolling in. I kicked myself for not having gone to Boston to physically see the car and oversee the ppi before the purchase. But if I had, I would still have had a ppi in my hand from a (supposedly) reputable facility showing a good compression test. Since the car was otherwise as represented, I likely would still have bought the car. I would then have been at the same endpoint with a beautiful but unsmogable car back home in Reno. For a while I considered legal action, but gave that idea up w/ regard to the 3000 mi distance involved. Ultimately I have tucked my tail between my legs, licked my wounds, quick castigating myself, and look foreward to, I hope, many happy years with my dream car.

 

Great thread, thanks all, from one still searching for his first Ferrari.

I would reduce my offer for a car that hasn't been serviced at a dealer or reputable independent mechanic. No question about it.

 

Although not an F car but still relevent and practically the same thing happened to me too.I came here looking for help locating a Porsche C2 Turbo and was quickly informed by a very reputable person on this board to contact this guy in TN who keeps porsches for sale all the time ( little did i know they were friends working together including exchanging cars between them ).
The guy ( hobbyst exotic car dealer/racer ) lied to me from the get go ( paint work,# of owners and blah blah ) and to top it off the PPI at a local Porsche dealership was a complete waste of time too.I was told by the dealership that this was the finest Porsche of that era they have ever seen ( probably the only one too ) and was strongly advised to purchase the car.Yes i did see the car but since the PPI was A+ and the seller was a REAL CHARMER i unknowlgly let my guard off and ended up buying the car.
The very first week of my ownership the car died on me in the middle of the road,had black smoke on and off & jerky acceleration when nailed hard.While the car was at the local P dealership i found out the PPI dealership didn't change the plugs ( yes i paid for that ) so i guess the compression and leakdown was never done either ( Luckily they came out perfect ). To say i was furious would be an understatement but i was able to make that dealership pay for the plugs,compression and leakdown but 'coz of the way the PPI report was written i couldn't pursue them for questionable resprayed panel.Unfortunately 'coz of the PPI i couldn't go after the selling dealer either.
Lesson learned:
1)-Do not trust any one especially the dealerships.If you question them suckers they will simply say sorry didn't see the damage or the oil leaks,blah blah.I was told by the recommending guy that the dealer didn't have to mention about the paint work as it could have been from the factory.
2)-Pay attention to the PPI report to see what's examined and better yet give them a list and have them check all the items including what they routinely check
3)-Have the car looked at by a professional body shop for any repair work
4)-Bring a friend,onewho is familier with that particular model,who could check the car for you with out getting too excited about the car
5)-did i mention not to trust the dealer...
In my case the car mechanically turned out perfect but had i know about the paint work i would have never bought the car.However since the car is not perfect,even though it looks perfect,i'm driving it the way it's suppose to be driven.

 

Jon,
I don't know how many would share your opinion, but I think many would--I think I would, too. I also think that 'self-service' concerns would be greater when looking at a 355 as opposed to a 328. Agreed?
I think, too, that I would be affected by how the car was presented, i.e., in a clean garage as opposed to being kept under a lean-to alongside a pile of firewood and scrap lumber.
Given good PPI results, by how much (in % ?) do you suppose you would reduce offer for a self-serviced, well-presented car?

 

Since I just bought my 308qv a few months ago I can say the things I've learned are:
1- find a good F car mechanic BEFORE buying the car.
2-PPI and or personal inspection.
3-expect to put some money in the car even after a perfect PPI !- tires, brakes, etc. Something will need to be fixed or replaced.
4- AVOID cars with modifications ! (if you are concerned about resale value) many have butchered wiring from bad stereo or alarm installs etc.
5- plan on doing most of the work yourself or have DEEP pockets.
6- don't be afraid to work on it ! (I was intimidated at first, even though I'd worked on cars as a hobby for 20+ years) I love to tinker on it now.
7- have good tools and a clean, safe, well lit, work area.
8- use the search function on Ferrari-chat !- a great resource for solutions to common problems.
9- Drive and enjoy it !

 

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That's how they do it....Texas Style.

I bet Rob does not miss his old house

 

In regard to DIY mechanics, I don't think it would make any difference on things like oil changes and minor stuff. If someone says they did a major service, on any 308 and subsequent Ferrari, I would want serious documentation (i.e. pictures) and I would probably lower my offer, if I made an offer at all.

When I bought my first Ferrari (a 365 2+2, which I still have), I went to the owner's house to look at it. His house was very small and in a sketchy neighborhood, with an old Geo Metro out front, and I think a pickup or something on blocks in the yard (as I recall).

Behind the house was an old barn, with a bit of lean in the structure. It looked like a good gust of wind could blow it over. Inside was the 365, a Porsche 911 speedster, split window corvette, and various other collectible cars. All under covers, all immaculate. Seriously immaculate. He spent all his spare time polishing and cleaning his collector cars, and working on them (mostly cosmetic stuff). They were amazing.

In fact, I have to admit that the 365 now, after many years of my ownership, does not look nearly as nice as it did when he had it!

 

If you're not trying to sell it, don't worry about that...

 

Exactly!

 

My lessons in no particular order:

- You get what you pay for. Barn finds are far to rare to count on so buy a good car and pay a small premium.

- Even the BEST Ferrari has issues. If you like to tinker, buy a good car. It will still give you lots to do.

- When going to go see a car, go with someone who knows about cars but will not get all exctited at being so close to buying a Ferrari (been there done that)

- Do not get wrapped up in spec sheets and magazine articles. Buy the car you like and not the one with the best numbers. Chances are you are not among the 1% of drivers that can exploit these differences.

- Remember it is your money that you earned. Who cares what anyone else thinks on any level.

- Do not buy a car for the next guy. Drive it and enjoy it. If you are afraid of depreciation or repair costs and don't drive because of it, you have wasted your money.

 

Tillman,
My apologies! I am assuming that's yours under the lean-to. I certainly meant no disrespect.
And, yeah, I'm pretty new here. I lurked casually for a couple of years, but the 'Lurkers, Come Out And Play' thread sucked me in...

Around here, a car parked like the one in the pic would be immediately commandeered by possums, raccoons, rats, mice, squirrels, bats, cats, rabbits, crows, pelicans, seagulls, snakes, and lizards.
What was left when they were through would belong to the fellow who owned the car!
I hope that's the 'red-face' icon I put up there. That's what I meant.

 

bought 3 cheap ferrari's .


never had aPPI done on any of them



loved all 3 cars for different reasons.



bought a Lamborghini and had a PPI.



ppi showed me what i need to learn about Lambos that i already knew about ferraris.

bought Lambo anyway.




i am not done with ferrari's.






i have only just begun to REAP and SOW.








REAPER out ..................

 

Reap, my man. Have you been talking to the Bart?

 

lol just tryin to be cool like you DR. WHO

 

Nope, not mine. It belongs to a multiple Ferrari owner and still looks very nice: probably better than mine. I'm trying to remember the name of the owner, it's laying right there at the tip of my tongue...

 

You should not leave Ferrari's laying around like that. They may get robbed.

 

Understood.
(grin, grin)

 

lol .... " i aint skered.... HEY YA'ALL ........ WATCH THIS ....."




( FAMOUS LAST WORDS ... ) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^