Ferrari Testarossa

I'd try to use the fact that the car has not been started in 10 years to your advantage when bargaining. For you the non running status means lower purchase price for you explaining to the seller it will cost you extra to both transport and have a shop fully pull and examine the engine. For the seller they should be realistic/understanding to that request. The seller could also opt to try and start it (taking the risk) while they technically still own it to.

BTW, the engine can be cranked by hand by turning the crank

 

expect to replace much of the fuel system, pumps and hoses.

 

+1 -- the chances that it won't need both fuel distributors and the WURs/EHAs rebuilt/replaced (in addition to every rubber component replaced) = .001%

 

Yes, absolutely. Those belts are 29 or 30 years old. Under no circumstances should that car be started.

Given its age and current period of inactivity this will cost a small fortune to get the car properly road worthy. Hopefully you can offset that by a lower sale price.

 

Although mileage is low its easy to disconnect odometer on these cars and synchros do go bad and are expensive to repair. like said earlier use all this to negotiate price. Drove many testarossa's before buying mine and almost all had some issue here.
Good luck

 

I would ensure the engine is free by manually turning the car over and or disconnect the belts and crank it over with the plugs out. ( that is a lot of work.)

once you get it you should:

replace all belts
Oil & transmission fluid & filter change
replace spark plugs - check wires for resistance ... and extenders for arcing
check distributer - contact points clean & rotor arm is good. ( prob replace)
Flush all the metal fuel lines out - this will be fun.... gooey old fuel
Change all the rubber fuel hoses - Think Dave Helms has a kit for this
check all the fuses -& replace them - easy DIY
check for clutch engagement & or Sticking to the fly wheel - check clutch alignment - not fun...
flush coolant & test for pressure draining the fluid is easy... refil and purging air not so much.
Flush and re fill AC - if you can get R-12 if not then go through the replacement process for modern refrigerant -PITA no matter how you look at it.
replace tires
flush & fill & bleed brakes - This is ok unless you have a frozen caliper etc... or cracked lines...

after its running - check CO2 and O2 sensors - but you might be in luck if its grandfathered in...
once its running check fast idle and WUR & cold start valves are working - both sides.
Check shocks for leaks - frozen. and or suspension creaking etc...
then you can check valve clearance and oil leaks....


This would be a $15 - $20K service at a dealer ... $5-$8K at an independent - and that's assuming nothing is worn, broken etc... this is just swaping out like for like.
then its just cosmetics .....

 

If the owner can't or won't start the car prior to purchase I would treat it as a car that has a blown engine. If you can't hear it run, it doesn't run.

 

Do you mean to disconnect the timing belts? Isn't this an interference engine?

Maybe you mean "with the cams out"?

 

So at this point you dont own it,

Have the owner put a battery in it and check out dash lights , lights blinkers etc

THEN turn it over (hear we go about the belts again) its only got 6Kmiles the engine will turn unless it been sitting outside in the desert the belts are ojk to see if it turns over ....and its not yours yet

yes then all that stuff needs replaced

 

If I were buying this car with the intention of having a running car, this is what I would do:

1) Estimate what the value is worth for a nice TR with the engine running.
2) Subtract $20K for getting the engine to run again.

If I were to buy this car as a collectible, to put in my living room and never ever see the engine running again, then I would not care if the engine runs or not.

And if I were selling this collectible car to a supposed collector, and said collector wanted a low ball deal, I would tell him to blow smoke and move on assuming I don't need the money.

 

Besides the above, there will be a few more things to consider. I too bought a low mileage '87 that also sat around for 10 years. Here's what I noticed:

One of my clutch plates was worn out more than usual (the other was near perfect). I believe this was due to the corroded spline shaft not allowing the clutch pack to evenly separate. Throw out bearing was also shot and fluid was black.

Brakes for the most part were seized. Again, most pad thicknesses were OK except for one set.

If you're handy with a spanner, you can completely rebuild your clutch and brakes for under $3k.

Change the tires while you're at it. If you don't have the TRX, then they're pretty cheap. Repaint the wheels if needed. There's enough info around here to get you back on the road safely. Good luck

 

Nick,
You should move this over to the Boxer TR 512 forum. Some TR owners never get on this site.