HELP!!! Question on purchase of a testarossa...

Hi,

IMO go for the 1990 Testarossa with 20K miles!!!
Its always better to buy a Ferrari which has been driven and not just stored in a garage.

Good Luck!

 

Its not a big difference.
The mirrors:
Early testa got only 1 mirror in higher position.
Second serie with 2 mirrors in higher position
Last series 2 mirrors...as shown in my profile.
The wheels/rims:
First series with TRX tyres (hard to get and very expensive!!) and only one center bolt.
Later series with usual tyres and 5 bolts....its also easier to change them for the 18" wheels like 512TR or 512M wheels....see pic in my profile.
And I don`t know about the US catalytic versions. In Europe the first series went out without a catalytics....anyway I changed it for a Tubi style with test pipes

 

Sorry I`m not used with the US market prices. I`m located in Germany.
About technical & mechanical; please ask in the other forum (technical) there are the real experts. I`m just a driver & lover and don`t repair my testarossa myself - so I know too less to give you any advices on this.

 

Although I can't help you a lot, you might want to check my website for some additional info about the differences between model years and for a nice "Buyers Guide". You can find it at http://www.red-headed.com. Check the Articles section. Best regards, Edvar

 

I'm not really up to date on the changes in the early TRs but my car buying advice is that Old stuff is old stuff so buy the newest nicest car you can find for less hassles.

I cant imagine a TR in good condition being more costly in maintenance than a Lambo. Lambos are maintenance nightmares

 

I second William's opinion.
If I were to guess...the prx tag for a nice/clean, all serviced 90/91TR would rangebound b/w $62,500 to $6,7500

 

One further point on the TR wheels besides single-nut vs 5-bolt is metric vs 16" diameter so I'd list a wheel comparison as:

5-bolt 16" = least future hassle/$ = worth paying a few $K more

5-bolt metric or single-nut 16" = about the same hassle/$

single-nut metric = needs a few $K discount

Also, a 5K service is nothing so the early car needs a $5~7K discount IMO (but the low mileage is a plus -- regardless of the reality ).

Two other big factors you don't mention are:

1. Exterior/Interior colors?

2. Are both cars the correct "version" for the market/country your friend is in?

My take is a perfect, low mileage, 5-bolt 16", good-colors, fresh major service, US version in the US is $65~$70K so deduct from there for differences.

 

Yeah, the five bolt is easier to work with in getting different wheels and such, but there were two things that I *had* to have in my TR:

1) Wanted the model with the single drivers side mirror mounted halfway up the post.

2) Wanted the single lug wheel.

What I did NOT know (my bad) was that the metric tires would become quite hard to replace. - So I replaced the metric with single lug 16' wheels. Now, I have exactly what I wanted, with wheels that I can easily buy tires to fit.

And there it is -Buy exactly what you really want!

Everything else is 6 of this, a half dozen of that, except for the milage/maintainence factor.

>has had the 5000 mile service done

I believe that you mean the 7500k service.
The 15k service intervals have the belt replacements included -IF they are properly done - BIG factor in service cost!

See my profile for an 86 single mirror, single lug TR. Good luck.

 

As a TR owner, I'd recommend the newer car like others have said. As far as mechanical parts there weren't many changes over the years. TRs occasionally have some electrical gremlins, but are really quite reliable, despite what others may say. My car is a U.S. version, 1987, with the 16" single lug wheels. At first I wasn't too crazy about them. But they have grown on me, and now I wouldn't want the 5 lug wheels. The single lugs look much cleaner and nicer. And they are easy and quick to take off and put on. About the '87 low mile car, just what was done in that service? Belts and all? It's really a very hard choice to make. If both cars are in perfect shape, I'd get the newer one. But if the '90 has any cosmetic issues, I'd get the older one. I guess I'm not much help here.....passion over-rides logic when it comes to TRs.

 

I have an 86 TR. I like the single mirror mounted high and the single lug wheels. It makes it more exotic looking to me. I've been toying with the idea of going to larger wheels and standard 18 inch tires with a knock off wheel that looks similiar to the GTO wheel.

I drive my car several times a week but I don't use it as a daily driver. It is a very fun car to drive and if your friend is looking for something that will turn heads the TR is the way to go.

1985 to 1988 TR's cost less to purchase than 1989 to 1991 TR's but the newer cars are possibly cheaper to run. The best advice is to tell your friend to decide what he wants from the car and go with that because in the end they are both pretty expensive.

Unlike the TR's predecessor, the BB512, the TR was designed for the US and it's emissions should pass California testing. Given that the cats are still in good shape. A 4,000 mile car should be have good cats unless the owner removed them. Most TR owners seem to have upgraded to test pipes and a Tubi exhaust. That set up probably won't pass emission testing in some cities.

The major service on a TR is every 30,000 miles or 3 years. This involves removing the engine and replacing belts, hoses, adjusting valves, water pump, ect. This service can run anywhere from $5,000 to $7,000 depending on what all your mechanic finds once he gets in there. It's probably a good idea to discount any car by this amount and have this service performed yourself so that you know that it was done right and nothing was overlooked.

I spent about 2 years shopping for a Ferrari and looked at several cars before landing on a Testarossa. I have had this car for about a year and have had the 30k mile service performed and a few other things that have totaled about $12 so far. When I think about my TR I don't think about the other cars that I looked at and I don't think about the service work I've had performed, all I think about is the fun of ownership that I experience right now and the pleasure of my next drive. These cars are exoctic which is what makes them both expensive and fun.

 

Newer will have fewer problems (statistically speaking). 5 lugs started in mid 1988 and are very apparent by looking at the car (exposed lugs).

 

"Was the 1 lug an option?" -- No

SN 75996 and before are the single-lug wheels.

SN 75997 and after are the 5-lug wheels.

It also involves a bunch of major suspension part changes so it's completely impractical to "convert" one to the other (so I'd be surprised if you truly saw a "1990" with the single-lug wheels) -- but my guess would be about a 50/50 population split, or maybe just a few more single-lug, since the change came in mid '88.

"Are the 5 lugs exposed?" -- My 5-lug '91 (SN87406) is shown in my Profile.

 

>Are the 5 lugs exposed?

Yep.