How many miles....

It depends on which model/year. Vintage probably has its own rules.

A TR with 80,000 miles is going to lead a prospective buyer to factor in a pending engine rebuild, suspension refurbishment, etc. It may not need it next week, but it's certainly more used up than a 5,000-mile TR. Ferrari engines are a big part of the value of these cars, so it's natural that the remaining life expectancy can kill the price if it's low.

Add to that the weird statistics of Ferrari odometers, where 1500 miles a year isn't uncommon, and the 80,000-mile TR looks a bit more used up than it is.

Maybe a simple answer would be this: if all Ferraris were driven 7000-10,000 miles annually, they would have been parted out and sent to the crusher along with their contemporaries. The simple answer is that any 18-year-old car driven normal mileage is going to be at or near the end of its useful life, and there's no reason to believe a Ferrari would last much longer than a Toyota.

The wildcard here is that 10 years from now that TR may be a sought-after collectible, so the value may rise despite the increased mileage on the cars.

 

Mileage is just one gage.

 

I think the condition of the car, and what has been done to upgrade it, is more important than mileage. When I bought my 328, it had 48k miles on it; now it has 61k, and it's in better shape now than when I bought it!

And remember that too few miles can be as bad, or worse, than too many. I think a car that has averaged less than about 1500 miles per year has probably not been driven enough to avoid dry rot and the other problems that can arise from a car sitting around too long.

 

i just finished looking for a 328. seems like it works like this. under 20k-very desirable. 20-30 desirable. 30-40-maybe. 40+-forget it.

 

A used up Ferrari is always going to be worth some money. I saw a burnt up 308 on ebay that went for 17k (go figure , you can get a decent one for 25k)
Most Fcars are overserviced anyway, leading to a long lifespan. Ther isn't a reason a well maintained non abused Ferrari shouldnt last as long as any other car. What is going to cost you $$$ if you want to drive it on a daily basis is the picky problems that tend to go wrong (electrical etc). When I bought my Ferrari I didnt even look at anything with mileage less than 25K.
a) save a lot of unnecessary expenditure on a low mileage car
b) someone has been using the car and worked out some of its gremlins
c) why pay more for a 20+ year old car with low mileage when in all reality most of those cars have been "clocked" anyway and the true mileage is probably unknown.
Make sure whatever you buy has good records from a reputable shop-very important.

 

This isn't far from the truth, for 328s, at the moment.

While it's also true that there are 80,000-mile cars out there in much better shape than some of the mothballed cars, the odometer really is the bottom line as to how much remaining life the car has, from the market's perspective.

If you plan to drive the wheels off it, resale be damned, the odometer probably matters less.

 

From a financial perspective, you may be right. However, in reality a Ferrari driven 7-10,000 miles/year all it's life and serviced properly should be able to go on indefinitely, just like any other high end car.

There is an amazing statistic about the percentage of Porsches ever built which are still on the road. It's 90%+, and Porsches ARE driven typically 7-10,000 miles. 200k mile 911s are not at all uncommon.

My point is that a Ferrari should be able to last as long as a Porsche, as long as it's maintained.

For that matter, if you maintained a Toyota to the standard of most Ferraris or Porsches, they would last forever too.

 

I'm mixed, I sold an 84 QV wtih 86,000 miles on the clock, but the Engine was rebuilt about 20000 miles before I sold it ... it went for $24K... on trade and the dealer sold it for $29K... it was well maintained wtih lots of continous service / rebuilding etc... but the interior was needing a redo, and I was getting concerned about the age of all the non replaced components... so I think less than a 100K miles & well cared for you are ok, but You will not EVER get the cost of maintenance out of the car... but that's not why I bought mine!

 

Mileage is the least important part of the buying check list. Mechanical and external conditions should be the leading factor. Unless you can be ABSOLUTELY sure that it is not misrepresented, it is just a tile in a larger picture. And even in this case, by far not the most important.
Think about this: two cars, same mileage, all records but completely different use. One a cruiser, daily driver, the other a track beast. Are they the same as far as wear is concerned? IMHO the answer is no.
Just do your homework when you want to buy, and go from them without preconceived ideas.
Ciao
Eugenio
PS Homework could be time consuming and take a long, long time (one year before I found the "right car" fulfilling my specs)