Hi there I need your help and wisdom. But first of all I would like to tell you a quick story..........once upon a time there was a little boy who had a Ferrari picture on his wall and he had a dream to own one of this magnificent beasts! Then reality sunk in....... On a serious note, hopefully for those who still are reading this, I thank you. Anyway, like the little boy in the story (ok it is me!), have a desire longstanding desire to own a Ferrari and now potentially find myself in the position to do so. However, to be completely honest and apologise for those that wince at this statement, I just like the look of Ferraris. Appreciate that they go very fast but I am not the type of person to really speed...just want to own something that looks stunning to me. Also with the sums of money required for the purchase of a Ferrari, I am mindful that I wish to potentially buy something 'relatively' safe from an investment standpoint. To be clear I am not looking to make money....if I do great but I intend to keep the car for at least 5 years if not more but would hope not to suffer massive depreciation compared to other vehicles (but I guess that is that luck of the draw). Now the car on the wall was a 1980 Testarossa and while to me theses look amazing, the interior for me looked was too dated. Anyway afterwards then fell in love with the 355 as a teenager. So the common theme at least was always a 2 seater car. While this should make it easy, I then had 2 special little people come into my life which meant that my aspiration for a 2 seater was well a truly on a backburner (unless I won the lottery). So my journey lead me to consider other Marques i.e. 1. Porsche 996 Turbo 2. Maserati Grand Turismo/Cabrio 3. Aston Martin Rapide You may have noticed with each step my budget was getting stretched further a further until I discovered the Ferrari 456. Now again similar to the Testarossa, while the outside was lovely, the interior felt dated...however I loved the manual or more importantly the shiny, silver gate. That being said I did some research and realised, while somewhat affordable, the running cost scared the living daylights out of me. So back to the drawing board again the budget was being tested.....then found the Ferrari 612. Now while the 612 doesn't excite me like any of the other cars I have mentioned it seems to tick one of my major bucket list items i.e. to own a Ferrari. Ideally, I would have wanted a manual but it seems these have a considerable premium over the F1 and after nearly doubling my budget couldn't justify it for a car I would use probably only 1,000 miles a year (if that). Ok, I guess I have bored most people now with the background, so where do I need help in...well everything! Especially as this would be the first performance car I would have ever owned. I have tried my best to research using search facilities both in this forum, other forums and google but with not a great deal of success. While buyer's guide for 612 is a little more sparse then other models the consensus is to buy the best you afford as otherwise it will be more expensive in the long run. Anyway what I am looking for is some help, advice, suggestions, ideas of how to go about the whole buying process. Specific questions I have are, 1. Irrespective of where I buy it from i.e. Private, Independent Specialist or Ferrari main dealer, I should get Pre Purchase Inspection. Who would you recommend? Also how would it work if the car is with a dealer e.g. in case they are not happy to have the car taken somewhere. Do some PPI folk travel? Or are there some dealers you would 'trust'. 2. I have noticed that some 612 have after market modification i.e satnav, bluetooth etc. Does this make them less desirable? Personally, I would have preferred to have everything as stock but compromises will have to be made due to budget and just how old the car is 3. Mileage - is the 612 prices a sensitive as other models? 4. What are considered desirable features and set up. Appreciate purely subjective but again interest to hear people's thought. I seem to prefer the darker colours due to it size. 5. While I would probably get PPI done, what are obvious checks someone can do themselves? To be clear I am not at all mechanical minded but have fairly good observational skills. 6. I will be complying the with all the required servicing i.e. annual, major etc. Who would you recommend? I am based in London so the guess that and the surrounding areas would be the obvious catchment area. I will no doubt add further questions to this list but in the meantime, I would like to thank you for your help (and patience) and look forward to sharing my experience. Thanks and enjoy the weekend.
Demus UK – Your story is not so dissimilar to mine except my dream was the 250 Pontoon Testa Rossa. I seriously started looking for a Ferrara mid-year 2014 and took 18 months to find my car. Not knowing exactly what I wanted but knew I did not fit into the Dino, 3X8 or 355 cars. Of the cars in my price range I looked at the 360, F430, 550, 575M, 456s, and finally the 612 gen 1 cars ending up with a 08 612 OTO. Some of your question’s answers are somewhat a function of your area. So the US experience of shopping for a 612 may be quite different, as there may be few RHD cars available? Keep in mind from 2005 – 2010 only about 3,025 cars were produced and I assume very few were RHD. During my search in the US doing usually there were usually 10 -15 612s advertised on the market at any time but I would also stumble across a few which were not really being advertised so at best the market was under 20 cars anyone time for the entire US, my best guess. Also the market price of RHD cars may be very different but judging by the other cars you listed I would guess that a 2005/06 612 gen 1 car with F1 and 10k – 20k miles is about your budget? The gen II (later 2008 OTO) and cars are quite a bit higher priced at least in the US and may be much more rare in the UK. 1. If you buy from anyone other than an F dealer a PPI is a must. I personally would have an F dealer do the PPI not an independent as you have nothing to base your opinion of his judgement. At least a F dealer should be a reasonable good source although there are less good dealers like in anything else. I purchased a very low mile (5,500 mile) car from an F dealer who shared the service they did on the car prior to sale so I didn’t actually get a PPI as such but all service was completely up to date. Also it was an exceptionally clean car and I did “kick the tires” myself before writing the check. Likely the local Fcar owners can have some information for independents who do PPIs in your area. 2. Usually any modification except exhaust mods will have a negative effect on the value. Some of the gen 1 cars often have after market sound systems which look OK and can be better than stock systems but are a negative on resale value. Can get an OTO Boise system but it is not very intuitive system but it would be factory at least but is likely expensive from Ferrari. 3. Yes mileage is always very much a cost factor. With Ferraris perhaps even more of a factor than most other manufactures. The 612 is IMO at a low spot on the depreciation curve especially the gen I cars. The OTO cars may come down some more especially if higher miles. 4. The gen 1 cars seem to have limited options, some colors were a premium options, Cruise Control, full leather interior, Daytona Seats, parking sensors – Ft & RR, HTG package (handling, performance & sound), Carbon Ceramic breaks (expensive option not sure if they were available on early gen 1 cars), heated seats, Home link (garage door opener), factory sound and Nav (although the aftermarket systems are often more functional and better systems), Shields on the front fenders (most like them others hate them and want a lower profile car w/o them), Ball Polished wheels and a spare tire was an option. Most cars came with F1 and only 10-15% perhaps with MT. My car is Gerigo Ferro but Silverstone (non premium color) is close and is fairly available. I am not so much a fan of black but my search found a lot of black cars if that suits your taste. Also a fair number of variations of Silver. The tan/gold cars did not seem to be in to high of demand. I would try for a fairly highly optioned car if possible as there is usually not so much difference in the price. The HTG package will be a price driver but worth it IMO – may add $10k to price vs. non HTG car. 5. Check general care of the car and the service records if you can get them also get a Carfax or similar report if they have those in the UK. Is the dash leather separated from the front wind screen? Does the driver’s seat show wear, curb rash on wheels, front end chips, signs of paint over spray or paint work all around the car. Any aftermarket items – wheels, sound system/Nav. 6. The annual service in the in the US is under $2k at the F dealer if nothing is broke but I think the UK service is much less from what I have heard? Also timing belt service is 3-5 years or 15K miles (check with local dealer as to the local price). If low mile car it may have the original tires which will need to be replaced because of age. Tires are about $1.2k – $1.5K in US and most F chatters like Michelin Pilot Sports mine came with Pirelli P Zeros so I just kept the same brand when I replaced them. I think I would start having the F dealer do the service especially if you get the car form a dealer. As you get to know local F car owners they can recommend local independent but with the dealer, the tech should get all the updated factory info that independents might not have access. Also look at the 612 section for threads on the car many Fchatters are from the UK and you may be able to connect with them directly. Additionally try doing searches for particular questions and get a general feel for what to expect in the journey to locate the car of your dreams. Remember the chase is at least half of the fun of ownership – well maybe not exactly half but a lot of fun none the less. Good luck and good hunting!
Since you're here in London, it's worth knowing that the Ferrari Approved Used Warranty has just been extended to cars sold via main dealers that are up to 12 years old (it used to be 10). This covers almost all 612s. From my understanding, this warranty is pretty good. I have it on two of my Ferraris, though I haven't had recourse to using it yet. You do pay for it in main dealer prices, but if your dream car comes up and it happens to be at a main dealer...the advantage is it applies countrywide, so you can buy a car in Exeter or Swindon, and have it dealt with in London, with no hassle. A good relationship with your service provider in the long term is particularly important for Ferraris. You want to deal with someone you trust when it comes to preventative maintenance - when they say 'you should replace X while doing Y', you need to be at ease that it's true, not a moneyspinner for them. Fortunately as you are in London there are lots of great service garages for Ferraris, both authorised and independent. And as everyone will tell you when it comes to Ferraris, don't be tempted by a 'bargain'. Make sure it has receipts to go with its history. If you plan to use it, buy a great car with 20-30k miles for less than a garage queen would cost, it will work better and you won't worry about value. My 575 has 30k miles, reams of history, and has been totally reliable. My 550 has 4k miles and has cost a lot in maintenance. Enjoy!
Apologies I am revisiting my few posts and have realised that while you guys were generous in providing your insight I had not been gracious enough to acknowledge your contribution. So would like to thank Flint, themaven and randkin. Thank you.
Just give you an update as was quite a while ago.. Due to personal circumstances I wasn't able to pursue this dream. Howver at the beginning of this year the itch returned so I will keep you posted.
I have realised I never thanked everyone for contributing to this thread which is obviously quite old. Due to personal circumstances at the time I want not able to pursue an acquisition of a 612. That being said that seems to be a blessing in disguise as prices have soften since then. Anyhow while away for work at the beginning of the year, I decided to browse the internet and came across a nicely spec'd one based ****** Lovett - Swindon that seemed to be well priced as it has been on the market for quite a while. As is usual, when I called I had discovered that it had been sold a few days earlier. However the itch had been rekindled! Since Jan 2019, I have been looking everyday on the usual avenues and have seen a number frogs but no princess! My hand has been held quite firmly by Tim Walker of Walkersport. Tim has lived up to his well deserved reputation. He has been so generous with his time (& patience in dealing with me!). He has really looked after me and guided me all aspects in terms of what to ask, what to look for both phyically and from a servicing point of view. I also used him to perform the PPI, which helped in getting stuff done with the price. Anyway as of the 1st Aug 2019, I became a proud owner of my first Ferrari which considering my other car is a Ford Escort so somewhat of a step change! So thanks to all that contributed to this thread and again a special thanks to Tim for helping me achieve a lifelong ambiton of owner a prancing horse. The best part was having a my nephew and niece in the back, and when starting the car up she said "the car sounds like a lion" ! Cheers
Hi all Thank you for the kind messages. I haven't taken very good photos of the "beast" (my sister has nicknamed it!) as the UK the weather hasn't been the best. However have attached what I have so far. The things that swung for me was that it had Carbon fibre trim Contracting yellow stitching, Giallo Speciale (especially as matched the rev counter, brakes and Ferrari logo) Other details include Nero Daytona, metallic black Nero leather, Daytona sports seats Yellow rev counter. Yellow brakes callipers GTS package Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
