I'm told that only newbies ask for a leakdown test

the guys an ***** and no, asking was not inappropriate. RUN, don't walk, away from that place.

 

not cool, don't buy it. those are questions worth asking, whether it's a good deal or not.

john

 

Insurance loss vehicles means that the cars were turned in or totaled by the insurance company and the title would reflect a salvage title.

like the post above says, run.

 

Tell him that, "and, anyone refusing to do one has something to hide." The guy is trying to make you feel small hoping that you'll back off and buy, leaving you to deal with the problems. Either that or he's hoping you'll go away so he can find another sucker. Stick to your rules and you'll wind up with a great car

 

Sounds like a possible New Orleans car, resurfaced. Run away...quickly.

 

biggest advice I could give is take your time!

 

He's trying to intimidate you....very unprofessional...move on.

 

Tell him you want to have a PPI done on the car. You will get your results on YOUR dime not the dealers. That's the way its done. Caveat Emptor.

 

Looking at the photos on the website, it is missing a front directional, and the rears are reversed.

So, I would assume it was hit in both the front and the rear.

 

That's not necessarily a bad thing. 308's and 328's have no consistent placement of the rear lights, it all depends on the mood Luigi was in on the day he installed them.

 

Tell him to get bent.


He might not want to do a leakdown, but he could at least respect your serious inquries about the car.

 

A1988 328 GTS, red/tan, $38,900 with 29,827 miles seems touch high UNLESS it has recently had a major and leakdown, etc can all be verified by an independant. Sounds to me like the guy is hiding A LOT of things.


RUN AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Run and don't look back, when I bought my 328 I went to the dealer about 5 days in a row-asked every question I could think of (newbe or not), grilled the mechanic, went over the car countless times, asked more questions, then finally bought it. Every single time I went back during the buying process I was welcomed with open arms, always taken seriously (despite my young age), and was told to "take my time in deciding, the right car will come to you".

 

As another said, DO NOT RUSH IT. Took me about a year to find a good one.

 

I just checked out their web site. Definitely NOT a place to buy an exotic car....especially when they don't want to answer reasonable questions.

 

When patience pays off, drive by and say, "Only newbies buy cars from you. Gotta go, you're a waste of time."

 

Either that or just set fire to the place late at night





.... or maybe thats just me?

 

I think it is pretty clear that everyone here thinks the salesman was wrong, and I partially agree, because it sounds like from this one-sided description that he was rude. However, I will go on to say that asking someone to do a leakdown for my benefit is not something I would do. If I were serious, I would ask for the car to be delivered to a third party mechanic of my choice at my expense to have that test and a complete ppi. Having just sold a Ferrari (365 gt 2+2) I can tell you that there are a lot of time-wasting shoppers out there that blow smoke and ask a lot of questions but have no intention of buying- most call to brag about how cool their car is (usually a Fiat Brava or some other real prize). If someone asked me to do a leakdown for them, I would politely suggest that they employ a mechanic to do such a test. In any case, unless you are dealing with someone you REALLY know and trust, I don't think a seller's leakdown test is worth a fig. If you want to be taken seriously (assuming you are serious), the best way is to show a willingness to invest some time, effort and money- if necessary- to pursue the car you want to buy. Buyers need sellers every bit as much as sellers need buyers, and nobody likes being jacked around.

 

I would never have the dealer who I was buying the car from do any mechanical inspection/compression/leak down test. Execpt mabe Steve Harris, and a few others that have very high standing on this site. When I bought mine ('88 328 GTS with 19,500 miles) I arranged for a third party experienced with ferrari's to do a PPI with a compression test, and the dealer
was fine with that. I did not do a leak down test as the numbers on the compression test were all very close. If the compression numbers are off by more that 10% then a leak down test can give you the "why" of the low numbers (either rings or valves). But with low compression numbers why bother doing a leak down,because either way it's going to cost a lot of money to fix and you most likely will walk away from the car, so why spend any more money than you have to. I think the general price for a good PPI with a compression test is around $400-500. And that the buyer pays for that, money well spent in the long run.