I did it bought a 1993 512TR... Few questions

Well it did it. Just put a deposit on a 1993 512TR. I am purchasing the car from the same dealer that sold the car new in 1993. It's a one owner with under 10,000 miles. I went over the car and the dealer has agreed to go over all my issues. 30K service, door seals, sticky parts, boot struts, and other minor things.

I went over Mr. Chairman great post here. But I do have a few more questions.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/boxers-tr-m/383338-looking-tr-512tr-buy.html

1. The rear dif number is 1308. So its not the forged unit. How much should it cost to switch out the dif during a 30K service? And is it even necessary. (I know that's a loaded question)
2. Up on the lift the car was spotless, except for some oil around the gearbox. (see photo)
2. For some reason the previous owner painted the black on the trunk lid red like the Testerossa. Has anyone seen this before?
4. I drove the car and it felt and sounded great. Clutch as well. There seemed to be a little more "bounce" than I expected. Especially up front. Are the shocks and struts something that needs to be look at?
5. The tires are Pilot Spots with plenty of tread, but have a manufacture date of 2005. I assume they need to be changed?

Thanks.

Jeff
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fiter has a date of 2011?

 

my trunk lid is body color red.
there shudnt be any bounce
the tires only need to be changed if you are going to track it.

 

nice: one more new tr owner

to 1: it is only a question of time until you have to change this diff
to 2: a ferrari not oily is no ferrari
to 3: have seen this also before
to 4: all parts on this car always have to look at, but the shocks and struts are one of the things nearly never go wrong. but may be of more standing than driving that the shocks not working fine anymore? so go on a shock tester to get sure if ok or not
to 5: 8 year old tires are not the best. it depends how you will drive this car if you change or not

if the dealer will make a 30k service then you will get also new filter

 

Should be no bounce. If you have to replace the shocks look into Penske coil overs which are far superior and may be about same $

 

Congrats on the purchase!

4) Definitely change out the tires for your safety. I think the expected usable lifetime is 6-7 years - while it may look good outside, internally the structure is breaking due to age. I think a while back, there was a horrible accident with a new owner running on old tires. Cheap insurance for your enjoyment and safety.

 

I saw that only too, but only 70 miles since then. 18 months without a change isn't great, but not the worst thing either.

 

Jeff,
This one is arguable and everyone has their own opinion. There is no hard evidence that 100% of them fail, despite the hysteria and comments to the contrary. Not saying owners haven’t had issues, but to say “when it happens” with certainty is a bit overreaching IMO. Several owners say it's a must and while others (like myself) and some shops say it isn’t…in reality it's probably a 50/50 split on the issue.

I just had my major and clutch recently done at Competizione, which is a reputable shop on a 512TR with 26k miles and we had this same spirited discussion of should I or shouldn't I do it. I was leaning towards doing it, the shop advised against it saying I would be wasting money. In the end I didn't do it. I think it was going to cost somewhere around $4-5k additional and I couldn't justify the cost as a purely "what if/preventive" measure on a car I didn't track and maybe drive only 1-2k miles a year – it was a high expense IMO just to buy peace of mind. My next major won’t be for 10yrs, so why not keep the money and if it happens apply the cash to get it fixed then - the engine doesn't explode if it fails.

In the end it will all come down to a personal decision for you based on your risk tolerance levels, and how you intend to drive the car. Basically it is a similar argument to "should I buy warranty coverage" (which I never buy), in which case you are buying the same peace of mind, which you may or maynot have to exercise, so you either pay now or "possibly, without certainty" pay later. My opinion is - IF (not when) it fails, fix it then.



Regarding your questions on 3, 4, and 5 - I agree with the other posts.

 

Hi William, what shocks are these. Looking to replace the boxer shocks and I had heard most aftermarket stuff wont fit.

 

My engine deck lid is red also. It grew on me and I will keep it as is. The engine deck was painted body color on the 512M from the factory. It does look better painted in my opinion. Congratulations on your great car! I have had no trouble with mine. I bought a replacement quill shaft from Modena Engineering in Australia through Mr. Hayden on this board. I'll be getting the diff unit soon and getting them replaced at my next major.

 

Ahhhhh.....no. A TR should not leak oil. The source should be investigated and fixed. Granted with a ~16 quart tank there is little/no chance of engine damage at that rate but do you seriously want all that oil outside the engine, in the driveway, etc? The photo shows the leak isn't severe but there is significant buildup on the front of the bottom cover as well as the drivers side. If not leaking from the gearbox or valve cover(s) it could be oil filter support, pump, etc.

I would have thought whomever changed the oil would have cleaned all that up--if so, that's a lot of accumulation in just 70 miles. Get it fixed.

 

^^^^^ THIS^^^^^ Check all hoses for leaks. You do not need one popping at the wrong moment in time. A TR engine rebuild is mucho denaro!!!! Fix oil leak problem ASAP!!!!

 

+1 I can't speak for 512's, but you can eat off my testarossa engine. It doesn't drip a bit of oil from anywhere and its been about 4K miles since my major service.

 

No leaks for me either... You see Joe, even double mirror cars have no leaks as well.. lol

R

 

a F 25 years and older not oily??? new for me ! ! !

on my TR and also on my BB the oil passes through the aluminum of the oil pan when I use synthetic oil. when I use normal mineral oil I don`t have this problem. it is not so that the oil will drain or drop, but it looks like oil sweating.

on older F ( for example 250 and 275 ) this problem is usual when you don´t put a 2 component sealer on the inside of the aluminum. like someone put those material in gas tanks of motorcycles to avoid corrosion

but where there is oil there can be no corrosion

 

Rock hard old tires are dangerous-in the wet, and on a car like the TR-how are your skills at correcting snap over steer, on a big heavy old 12cyl mid engined monster? They may be tested! Also, old tires do nothing for ride quality. Bite the bullet and buy baby some new shoes : )

Watched a friend roll his car in slight damp at low speed-it was a FIAT x19, small waggle got big and off the road it spun, hit soft dirt along the shoulder and rolled over. I was following in a FIAT 124 spider, tires a couple years old, at the same speed, not a twitch. His tires were, like yours, ancient.

Getting used to a big mid engined car, that you will push, respect the beast and do your self a favor. : )