Great Deals Thread

An awesome deal most times isn't. With Ferrari, you usually get what you pay for. Most "awesome deals" come with hidden costs.

 

True, but I think this thread is a great idea. I know when I was looking, it would have been most helpful. I would suggest not allowing an owner to post about their own car for sale. That is what Ferrariads.com is for. Try looking at sportauto.cc or use the 'Ferrari 355 sale' as a search in Yahoo or Google. You can also find good deals on carfax.com, but I was only able to view them when I had a membership. Also, if you PM Future348owner (his name changed now I think), his name is Jeff Spezzano and he recently completed his search for a 348. He dug up a few nice deals and may have other search hints that are useful in your search.
BT

 

Wouldn't the normal market for the sought after car be more like $75,000+?

In six weeks spring will be on the horizon and the awesome deals will be a thing of the past for another year.

A review of eBay completed auctions does not show a single 355 Spider reaching reserve in the US for $62,500 or less. I believe you are just not realistic on what these cars sell for at this time. Of the open auctions on ebay there is one Spider that has its reserve met at $72,000.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ferrari-Low-Reserve-Ferrari-355-Spider-Low-Miles-Just-Serviced_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6212QQitemZ4608331952QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

 

First: I wouldn't shop Ferraris based only on price, as JSL said. A needy 355 at $60K isn't a "great deal". There are far more low priced cars masquerading as "awesome deals" than there are "awesome deals", so proceed with more caution than usual.

I'll second Bill's recommendation on Sport Auto, but you should contact them directly and tell them what you're looking for. I insisted on a very original, pristine car and searched for 11 months. They ended up taking one back in trade (on a Boxer) that was a former FCA show winner, with even the original radio blanking plate in place. That was exactly what I wanted.

I know they just got a red 308 QV and sold it in a couple of days, so while it's OK to surf the web and check the ads I don't think a really good car at a fair price is going to last long. They seem to handle a lot of 355's.

Lake Forest Sports Cars in Chicago also seems to handle tons of 355's, but I haven't dealt with them and prefer southern cars. You might check with the Chicago f-chat group for more information on LFSC.

 

Don't buy unless the seller has all service records and you can track the service history of the car. PERIOD! A "good deal" is too subjective to quantify what is good. Stick to the absolutes. You shouldn't buy an exotic from anyone unless they took care of it. I just took delivery of my first Ferrari and this is my fourth exotic. It took me just under 2 years to find a car that was kept and maintained to my standards. I've done this with all of my cars and have not had any bad cars at all! Do your homework and find out the quirks that your particular car of interest has so you can be prepared. Expect to repair it from time to time. FYI, I have spent more money on my 7 Series BMW then on the Lambo I had for the same amount of time. In short, be very picky and very patient and you'll be very happy.

 

Your focus should be on finding the highest quality car you feel comfortable paying for. Once you find an appropriate candidate then evaluate the price. If price is your initial and primary factor for considering a car, then you stand a good chance of getting burned. 355's are the most beautiful and exciting modern Ferraris out there (unbiased opinion of course) but they can be nightmares if you get the wrong one.

Take your time, it took me almost a year to find what I was looking for. Time well spent. Sometimes the chase is as fun as the conquest. Inventory should open up a bit with early spring.

Good luck.

 

If you have a well known and respected independant mechanic or authorized dealer in your area you might put a word in with them as well. I am sure there is the occasional owner who wants to get out of their current Ferrari and can afford to give you a great deal if it takes out the hassles of regular selling. Just a thought. The reason I say this thread is a good idea is that it can be a central place for people to note what they think are real deals available. That does not mean necessarily posting the lowest priced 355 available on cars.com, but maybe a mid priced car that is a pristine example or one that a fellow Fchatter has found out is going to be for sale that would be a good deal before it goes 'outside the family'.
BT

 

lol. get a ppi.

 

People don't give away money. If you find a "Deal of the Century" it's bad news for you. The better the deal, the closer you're creeping to a salvage title.

 

Written like someone how doesn't own a Ferrari. The simple fact is, you do get what you pay for. Nothing about this statement is "silly". In the Ferrari world, cheap is a code word for beware.

 

Not just the Ferrari world, it's true in life, too.

 

Not necessarily. When the Worldcom CFO had to unload his TR to get some cash, the person got a nice 87 TR for under $20k. Even if it needs major servicing, it's still a great deal, and perfectly legal. Why wouldn't we want to have an open thread for this kind of opportunity to be posted? If someone has info about a good deal, but no money or space for the car it should be shared here. There are alot of cynical people around here today. When HuskerNTexas was going to sell his 348 it was a great deal for whoever bought it. I think it is a nice opportunity to enrich the Ferrari experience for members of this forum.

BT

 

The Worldcom CFO had an '87 TR? That's an amazing tribute to an '80s Ferrari, given that he probably could have bought any car he wanted.

Wonder if Lay and Skilling lurk here...

 

Well can we stop arguing over the term 'awesome deal' and get some stories in here? Maybe someone found a 250 SWB in a barn, had no idea what it was, and sold it for 10k. Or you bought a car from a nice old lady who had no idea what she had and, much to your surprise, it turns out to be some rare 1-of-50 metal (old Caddy? )

Quit yer bickerin, all of ya!

 

This could be a really great thread if there are some truly on-topic posts.

The title says "great deals" ... it doesn't say (or even imply) "cheap".

Certainly some F-Chatters have had knowledge of truly great cars that weren't widely advertised as available that could be qualified as "great deals."

I can say myself: there was recently a 308 GTB QV that a member sold via Ebay for $22K that a friend of mine would have paid another $4k for had he known it was available. Quite honestly - if I didn't have 2 too many cars in my stable, I would have purchased in myself!

 

One of the guys from the aussie section found this for sale

http://www.carpoint.com.au/DesktopDefault.aspx?UsedCarID=1516990&TabID=3328&Alias=carpointau

It is priced extremly cheap compared to other similar cars for sale here and considering it has 360 rims and a tubi it certaily is a steel if it all checks out with the PPI. I think the owner is straight up desparate to sell thus the low asking price.

 

Okay, I'll bow out now. There are not now, nor were there ever, any great deals on Ferraris. In fact, every car is priced based on what you get. So buy the junker for cheap, or the perfect one for a premium, it makes no difference. In the end you will end up paying the same amount.
BT

 

NSXNICK, you should read this statement very carefully. He is absolutely right. JSL is someone that truly knows how to find a top Ferrari and knows what the right prices are. And he has been known to get excellent values. He truly is a smart Ferrari buyer. You're talking about missing a "great deal" in a 355 spider at $62.5k but you're not looking for a cheap car? A good 355 spider won't be available for much under $85k.

 

True enough, but what the other posters are saying, I believe, is that sellers and buyers may evaluate particular features differently, leading to a different sense of value as to the deal as a whole. For example, is an ultra-low milage car a time capsule gem or garage queen with needs? For most potential buyers, a discount from the market price on account of lack of use may seem reasonable, but for a mileage whore the car is now a bargain.

In some cases, the market is almost unanimous - for better or worse - about which way features cut: race history is considered good, even if the car has seen some damage. Four seaters are disfavord, even if the car is in great shape and goes like hell. And so on.

In other words, there are no deals that are a priori "awesome". Even if you agree that a given sale was awesome, you may be sure that someone, somewhere, is saying, "What idiot paid so much for that car?"

For myself, I wanted a '97 or '98 456GT (manual). Earlier cars had growing pains and later years were outside my budget. These cars are quite difficult to find, although - frighteningly - I found a good one after only a few months of searching.

Beautiful color (although I wasn't picky) and low but reasonable miles. The PO is on this board, the seller was a local dealer who knows the car well and the car was represented as being sorted in all the ways 456 owners care about. The car was a '98, which I thought I'd be unlikely to find, and has Tubis, which I thought I'd never find. In addition, the car was sold with a warranty, which I would never get in a private sale.

Nertheless, I am sure that some people will think that for the same money I should have gotten a 355 (greater potential to appreciate) or stretched for the 550 ("correct" number of seats). My reaction is, I bought what I wanted, I love what I bought, and I think I was dealt with fairly by all involved. I know I paid more than rock bottom, even given the condition and mileage of the car. So Fing what. For me, this was a great deal.

Ron

 

wow