Wow, I certainly have had a lot of warnings about this car from different sources. Bad clutch, peeling door jam paint, poor carburation, low oil pressure, poor body work under new paint, shady engine rebuild..... pretty scary. PPI today, but I'm feeling very uneasy about this supposedly excellent car.
Dr. Uro, Don't worry about it, any problems can be fixed with a lot of time and money! Good Luck, Art S. PS. Get the rust one, rust means that the car was used. You can always get it fixed in the future. PPS. I like the garden hose, really shows the quality of the maintenance.
There will always be something wrong with a vintage Ferrari. If there were no projects ahead for mine, I would be depressed. The red one that Bill has looks clean enough. If there is no major rust and the engine has good compression and leak down, I would go ahead with an offer. If you do want to stretch the budget....there is a really nice one (I saw it with my own eyes, and I could not find any faults) in my hood. Just because I am a nice guy, I will take it to Patrick Ottis for a PPI for you: http://www.fantasyjunction.com/search.php?dd=www.fantasyjunction.com:auto:FJ110
Bad Clutch- easy to find out and repairable -$2500 Door jam paint -very typical on a Ferrari unless repainted recently, people don't know how to close Ferrari doors and they slam them causing this Carbs- no big deal rebuildable $400 per carb + tuning costs Oil pressure- concern is it the gauge or oil pressure, need to verify could mean potential engine failure poor body work under paint- how? too much bondo causing cracking, check thickness of filler if it has issues budget $10k for new paint shady engine rebuild- who did it and what would cause this to be brought up? Any vintage Ferrari will have issues thats to be expected, if this car has these issues it need to be priced accordingly or walk away.
I agree with Atheyg. There's nothing wrong with buying a car with needs so long as it's priced correctly - sometimes this is even desireable, as you will then have complete control over the restoration process yourself. Good luck on the PPI today!
Having just about finished fixing a early 70's era car I can tell you that everything you see will be accompanied by something you don't see. And the ones you don't see can be equally as expensive as those you do. I paid $42K for my Dino, with the assumption that it would need about $20K in work to make it a very nice driver. Everyone I talked said it was a good price and a fair deal. If Algar had not been honorable about their original estimate after selling me the car, I would be over $35K in repairs right now. There were a number of ugly hidden items that turned up as we tore the car apart to do the work that would have run the price up considerably otherwise. So, whatever estimate you get to repair this car, add 50% to be sure, and then decide if it's worth it or not. My costs don't include the 100 hours of labor I've put into it, getting the interior right and fixing the paint, chrome, etc. I'm in the high $60's right now without that, and could have easily been at $80K+. It still needs suspension work, and we're gonna upgrade the ignition system over the winter. That's bound to be another $3-4K in labor. plus $3K in parts. I take great pride in the work I've done on the car, and don't intend ever to get rid of it, so the fact that I'm inside out on the car is of little consequence to me. But if I had to do it again, I'd try to find a better sorted out car to start with, and maybe saved a few bucks. .
I think in retrospect the most important thing would be a car that has been driven. Unless you get someone to drive the car 40-50 miles as part of your PPI, there are lots of things that just might not be noticed (half the stuff I've fixed on my 330 over the last 2 years was not noted on a thorough PPI by a good place-its just been stuff that comes up when you drive, and fixing it makes the car one that can actually be used). Unfortunately, a car that can't drive 40-50 miles (or 1000 miles) is just a sort of garage sculpture thats partially movable. Everyone who has one knows that the cars get better the more you drive them-completely different from a modern car that pretty much is the same regardless of driving 2 miles a month or 20000. Budget an extra 10K at least for any vintage ferrari thats been sitting for the last 2 years, regardless of what the PPI says.Unless you want it to be garage sculpture too (and most of them are pretty enough for that)
Dear Dr. Trashy, In the words of the not yet departed Gerald Roush there are only three things that you need to keep in mind when considering the purchase of a vintage Ferrari. They are: 1. Condition 2. Condition 3. Condition Now, I'm not knocking Mr. Noon, who is very well known in the Ferrari world (certainly much better known than I am), but here is his description of this car: So if it is how the car is advertised, then this is the condition that you should expect from your PPI. If it is not, then Mr. Noon has some explaining to do. Once again, I have yet to purchase a vintage Ferrari (although I have driven several brokers absolutely crazy while looking. And yes, Tom, someday it will be your turn to shine.) But the standard procedure is for you and the seller to agree upon a price or a price range. Next, you have a PPI done by a reputable gear head. If the PPI says that the car needs $35,000 in work to be a solid number 2 car, you and the seller then agree to split this difference, i.e., you reduce the price by $17,500. You then pick up your new pride and joy and promptly spend another $50,000. You also figure out how to spend $50,000 without da boss finding out about it. Unless, of course, you are Napolis and don't have to worry about getting approval from the boss. Good luck! Dale
I just e-mailed with Mr. Noon so he knows the story. The car failed its PPI miserably. There are innumerable problems seen and then on the test drive the brakes seized solidly 3 miles out requiring a rollback and an additional hour's charge to me for the time spent doing this. Needless to say, I have requested my deposit back and am very disappointed in this ordeal. My wife suggest I buy the one from Fantasy Junction so Ill STFU.
Sorry bud - Good luck with the next one! At least you are going about this right - Glad you didn't pull the trigger, only to have regrets.
Yeah get that one ... atleast it is a good driver (I think that was reported). I must say if I knew a particular car I was trying to sell was getting a PPI (or whatever check) done, I'd jump in it and take it for a bloody good drive ... then you might be able to sort things out before a sale is lost, or atleast clear it out so it runs better. We do have to remember that some of these cars have never really had real owners ... just gone from dealer to dealer, and thus never been used properly. A car must be driven to work! ... fnck the miles. Pete
Bummer.... So, the hunt continues???? Or, will you sit back and wait for something to appear on the horizon as if from the mist.
I'm going to take a little breather as my search has suffered significant bracket creep. It appears there are no moderately priced cars that are driven frequently and sorted. they all (seem) to sit and get arthritic.
So sorry to hear this! I know it's frustrating to deal with SO MANY niggling issues on these cars...It only helps me to stop and remember the competeitive models in the market at the time, you know? As I struggle with something on my 1977, I pause and reflect that it's contemporaries (Chevy Vega) are all in the automotive graveyard. Unless you find the gent who used it lightly but continuously over the years, you ARE faced with the situation of buying one that has been 'sleeping' and then 'waking it up'.........and some 'girls' wake up REAL cranky.........best left 'till after coffee...........
Well, the good thing is that the car was in such bad shape that you were quickly able to walk away. Imagine how it would have felt had the brakes seized on the way home to your house. There are always a few 330 GTCs for sale, and I would expect it'll take you less than a year to find a great one.
Dr Uro, Three comments: 1. If you need a 330 GTC, buy the rusty one at ther beginning of the thread. If its mechanically sound, drive it and enjoy for a year then fix the rust and repaint. You will be happy! Avoid cars that are too shiny, they don't get driven enough. 2. If you are not stuck on a GTC, consider a series 2 2+2, You can find one that is mint, have money left over and take both the wife and kids with you. I love mine and wouldn't trade it for a GTC (maybe a PF coupe but not a GTC). Finally, don't give up, you're almost there! Regards, Art S.
Yes, an odd call by the dealer to stick his neck out like that. Now the story about this car is memorialized forever in searchable public archives.
If you are finished resting, Gary Bobileff has a 330GTC that appears to be a driver in good shape for a price half Fantasy Junction's...just a thought. www.bobileff.com
