I just put a deposit on my first Ferrari - help please!

Congrats---sounds like you got a great deal on a wonderful driving car

 

Nice looking car for the money. The engine bay is a bit scroungy, so I would start with a detail there. It will really make the car look so much better and a clean engine is a happy engine!

From the appearance I would check the engine vibration damper - the big thingie mounting to the engine to reduce vibrations and torquing. That may be the cause of some of the vibrations u felt. It just looks worn to me, but it could be the pix.

 

You got that car for $22.5K?

Nice!

 

very nice find. my 77GTB has the red cam cover finish also.

enjoy!

 

This should probably get posted on its own thread, but the answer is that no one does PPI's on these cars at the auction. Your option is to (1) know the car beforehand, (2) know someone who knows the car beforehand, (3) do ur best personal inspection, (4) check the owner for documentation (usually these guys bring reams of receipts to justify their reserves or price expectations, (5) sometimes there are ppl there who u can "hire" to do a quickie inspection. Auctions are truly caveat emptor experiences. If there is a huge discrepancy in a car's description or some other issue, the auction company may step in an reverse the transaction, but this is extraordinary.

The auctions I've been to, mostly the house just wants to make a deal so they pressure buyers to increase their offers and sellers to lower or remove their reserves. They will "attempt" to validate what the seller claims, but it's superficial, IMO. Obviously, the higher the price and more significant the car, they more effort they take to prove that the car they are selling is legit. But there is a financial incentive to do so. I'm a real cynic, so I am not likely to believe anything they say, but most sellers are straight up ppl, so u can turn to them.

The real trap is transactions between mutually interested parties that do nothing more than serve to record a higher sales price for a particular car in hopes of cashing in on a subsequent auction. Therefore, don't take a single transaction as the measure of a car's value.

 

Congrats Toronto308. She looks fantastic. It seems to me at the price you paid, even if you have to put in a few thousand, you have a good score. Really the only thing, from your description of the service history, is replacement of the timing belts. Five years old is probably ok assuming its been driven regularily but many on this site feel five years is the outer limit. I tend to agree. Were I you, I'd replace them immediately. You are going to do it anyway in the near future and as Rifledriver says Ferrari maintenance does not become cheaper as time goes by and carrries the real risk of becoming much more expensive.

The good news is that simply replacing the belts is not that complex or time consuming a job assuming that's all you're doing. But if she runs well, sounds fine, and there aren't any major seal leaks then changing the belts is probably all she needs.

Have fun and come visit me in Kelowna some time. Blaine.
Now...if we could only whip those Blue Jays into contenders....

 

Those are much later wheels.....not 1977 -79...maybe T Rutlands would have some...(one)..I would suspect you'll have to rework washer bottle to fit it!
Older style was a soft bag hung AHEAD of the support...


And they changed the cigarette lighter, as I have been tempted to do myself!

Good buy on the car! Have fun!

 

Wow, great story! You got an awesome deal!

It sounds like the interior is immaculate with the recent overhaul, but the outside needs a bit of detailing. I would recommend Picus (Kevin) who is here on FChat and a Toronto local. He's done my car as well as a number of people I know, including Steve's (Goldy355) Ferrari 550. I have nothing but praise for Kevin -- he is awesome. Book him sometime this week prior to our Fall Cruise and I can guarantee you'll be happy with his work, particularly if there are swirl marks/minor scuffs. If you have the correct touch-up paint, he can also help fix the stone chips and properly finish it to match. (www.gtaindetail.com)