and yes, before somewhat tells me about all of the dead kittens in heaven - I searched the old archives, but couldn't find a specific answer: My question: What problems will a garage queen testarossa potentially have that would NOT have been covered in a recent major? Doesn't the major cover most of the rubber parts/hoses/seals? parts I can think of (I'm not worried about csmetics/door seals/etc): -starter -alternator -fuel pumps -shocks Are there any particular gaskets which are prone to leak that would require the engine to come out again???
5 months ago, I bought a 1988.5 TR with 2,500 miles on it. I would absolutely do it again if I had the chance. The car was serviced properly & extremely well taken care of. The perfectness of the car for me far outweighs anything else. I don't have to worry about what other owners did to the car or any other imperfections.
I'm thinking the same. Most of the 30k mile cars look crappy/worn, especially the interior...a low mileage car definitely looks more attractive, though I know some things may have dried out/rotted... I just want to know what I need to plan for...
Majors vary so much its hard to say. The highest on the list would be leaks, oil or water, you can look on the invoice to see what was done. Everything else is possible to various degrees. Brake system problems like booster going bad, calipers sticking, hoses going soft etc. Also clutch hydraulics are a possibility. One thing I would definately do is to pull and clean/check every plug at the fuse board. Chiaro Slag makes good comments. I have one in the garage that doesn't get driven enough and it's been like a faithful dog. They are pretty tough cars, just drive it on lots of short trips for a while to find the bugs then just use it, and use it as much as you can. Somebody saved it for you, don't save it for the next guy.
Tough to say - Do you know the service history of the car? The one I bought had the 15k service done and the 30k service done, so that helped. I recently replaced the clutch. The pads were good, but something went wrong with the pressure plates - Not sure exactly what. Other than that, it's been nothing but fun. Good luck.
I just got back from a 1400 mile drive over 4 days in my 1982 BB512i for the Ferrari French Quarter Classic. I drove it down from the Atlanta area with my wife packed with luggage, drove it over 150+mph on the roads outside of New Orleans, drifted it around a tight race track, drove it 100+mph through the bumpy narrow streets of the French Quarter and then back home without a single problem. I only used 2 quarts of Mobile1 15w50 during the entire trip. I've seen Hondas fail in less stressful conditions.
Hey Group, I bought a '91 TR in Jan of this year. The car had 14.5K miles on it; had history to day one and was in near perfect condition. In Sept of 2002 it had a major engine out service, but was driven only 2500 miles in about 15 months. The car ran great and checked out with a PPI, but the valve cover gaskets and a few other seals leaked due to the low miles + the car lived in Arizona. So my garage queen although a great TR did suffer from the lack of driving. However, I've fixed that part. The car has been absolutely flawless as far as performance and maintenance. So, if you buy a garage queen the car should be great, but may require some seals to be replaced. Get a PPI by all means and check the history to ensure your investment won't turn into a money pit. Good luck, Jim
I'm also supportive of the argument to go for a so called 'garage queen' in favour of a higher mileaged (often much abused in my searching experience) example. The Pros far outweigh any 'potential' problems. I looked at about 20 cars prior to buying my extremely low mileage (yes its real, no the speedo isn't lying there are hundreds of pointers to verify) 'garage queen'. The other cars I viewed were mostly what I would describe as 'sheds', with very poor panel repairs, poorly matched paint (a seemingly common state with red cars) , very worn interiors, lots of marks in the interior, corroded fittings all over etc etc. I am getting more and more convinced of condition being proportional to not just 'mileage' but also 'number of owners'
Dear Ferraristi, I'm not really a fan of garage queens. Condition really has to do with pride of ownership, not mileage. I have found by experience that cars get "sick" with out usage. All has been mentioned by the ferraristi but don't forget gumed fuel in the injection system. A good fuel stabilizer is a must for long storage. Since I live in GA and FL, this is not a problem for me ( ha ha...is it snowing yet up there?) I have 32K on my TR and it is in concours (not pebble beach or Cavilino ) condition. I drive it as a close to daily driver and specifically for going between my homes in GA and FL. My interior is not scarred or mared. My red finish is not mismatched and my spoiler is not torn. I would say, buy on condition and maintenance not mileage. Are you saving the car for the next owner? Belive me, the maintenance cost on a TR will outweigh any premium for low miles. Drive and be Happy ( with a heavy credit card though Oh yeah.....Freeze...Miami Vice ! Shamile
