Just another opinion poll before I buy one!!!

I disagree. You can get a very nice original 330GT for that kind of money. The nicest original 330GT on the planet sold for 130 last year. As for not fast and unattractive, thats a funny comment about Ferrari's. That comment only holds water when comaparing a Ferrari to other more expensive Ferrari's. Maybe you need to consider a car that is nicely worn in rather than pristine restored. I'm pretty sure you would find my 250gt that is in original condition, runs like a top, and loaded with history as ratty too. But it suits me just fine. As for investment, only time will tell. I do know that I have spent a total of 35k for my 250GT in 10 years and that includes the purchase price.

 

Although there is no way you can purchase a true investment-type (i.e., one that will be worth substantially more in the future) Ferrari for $80,000 - I would personally try to find the best example of a 1976 fiberglass/dry sump 308 GTB possible. That's really the only Ferrari in that price range that, IMHO, will have any real investment potential. With respect to the F355, go for a Fiorano (yes, I know they are a spider), but there were only 104 built. Possibly also consider a 348SS. I'm no expert, but these are the only Ferraris in that price range that have investment potential that I can think of off-hand. Most of the modern Ferraris have just been made in too many numbers. The days of coach-built cars are long over. Leave the Ferrari investing/collecting to those individuals with megabucks - buy to drive.

BTW, If you can manage it - go for a 512 BB/BBi or a Dino 246 with flairs and chairs (as suggested by others, previously). But you're looking at double your $80,000, minimum, for really good cars (even in this economy).

 

What a question! A 550 maranello is the only answer.



12 cyinders or walk

 

Doc.... Most modern Ferrari's are reliable. I have had a bunch, and they have all been bullet proof. But you want a car that has been cared for. Forget the bottom feeder cars, as they will soak up more money than you can imagine.

Judging by market prices, neither are very desirable, so buy the car that makes YOUR heart skip.

Collectable..... neither. They have made far too many. These cars were meant to drive and enjoy.

Cars can't be figured as a wise investment. They are a purchase of passion, but if you need to sell the wife on the investment potential...

 

Want a Ferrari as a Museum Car and an investment for your son, go to Barrett Jackson and pay those ridiculous premiums. F-cars are meant to be enjoyed today and driven....PERIOD.

Want an investment 40 years from now, buy bonds.

 

Yes, you do.

 

Please collect corvettes from now on.

 

308 polyester body.

 

Doc- Sounds like you did not make a whole lot of new friends in this thread. Investment potential and late model Ferraris with investment potential, and potential only, sound like they do not match up with your budget. 550 Barchetta, 360 CS, 575M HGTC or Superamerica, Scuderia, 16M. Those are the low production cars. Take your pick or match your budget, but expect to lose money in the short and mid-term.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

I don't know if your post is meant to be facetious but I wouldn't rule it out as an unlikely scenario.

In regards to o.p and the ferrari for posterity, I'd venture a guess and say your kid won't care for it. Your kid will want to drive whats hot in 2049, (I.e a green fluxcapacitor driven aeroautomobil). Take the money and buy a boatload of undervalued stock and let him decide what he wants to drive after cashing out. The Dow will be in the 40K by then.

If you however still need to go ahead with this unwise investment, I,d say go for the 355. It's a beautiful car in every aspect as long as the headlights stay down. It's definitely one of the more beautful modern ferraris and will get looks all day over the 550. If you plan on garage queening it, I don't think maintenance will be too much of an issue.

GL

-Peter Oh

 

Save yourself the storage space...there are better investments than a Ferrari and your son does not want an old car...he will want cash!


Beev

 

Pics please.

 

Pics please aye!!!
IF you forced me to ONLY pick between those two I would take the 550.
IF you want a better choice for "investment"; 308 Glass car
IF you want to invest, don't do it with a car.
IF you want your son to be happy, buy a solid example of a car that you will enjoy driving. He will like it because it was yours.

Lastly, I like these questions too, because they bring out opinions and everyone has one...
MB

 

Buy a Ferrari and beat the crap out of it, THAT is what they are built for. No better way to enjoy a car.

 

You should realize your desire to: 1) have the car appreciate, 2) use it as a track car, and 3) only spend $80,000, are all running into each other, resulting in a conflict of desires.

You may have confused the fact that because Ferrari is so involved in racing, their street cars are race cars for the road. This really isn't the case. Sure you can take a street Ferrari to the race track. But after a several laps (5-10?) of spirited track driving the strain of the track environment will start to wear on the car unlike just about any kind of street driving. You will have to budget for replacement of wear items like brake pads, tires, the clutch, not to mention more regular flushes of the engine and transmission oil and the brake fluid.

For whatever reason, street Ferraris that have been tracked seem to have a lower value than their non-tracked counterparts. Maybe it's because the owners didn't feel like paying for all that extra service and it showed in the condition of the car.

The purchase price of a Ferrari is just the cost of admission to the club. This is even more the case with a track car. $80,000 won't cut it.

With all that, my answers to your questions are, between the 550 and the 355, with regard to reliability they should be basically the same, added up they probably have around the same number of weak spots. Generally, the 550 will cost more to service because there are four more cylinders with all the related hardware.

With regard to value, the mid-engine V8 models have done well so I would guess the 355. But really Kevin, this is nothing more than a throw of a dart against the wall. There is no telling which of the two will keep more of its value in thirty years. FCHat member Napolis once quoted someone about collecting, it went something like this: Collect what you like because you may be stuck with it for a long time.

-F

 

No one knows which will be worth more in 40 years. That's like trying to predict what fashion will look like. My opinion is no better than yours or anyone else's. If you want a track Ferrari, buy a 355 challenge car. Of course, you'll need a trailer but, who knows, they might be wildly popular down the road.

Dave

 

VERY few cars, even Ferraris, have shown returns that exceed a wise stock or bond purchase in the long run.

+1000 to all the guys on here who have said that Ferraris are meant to be driven, not as investments. If you REALLY want a Ferrari, buy what you like. If you REALLY want an investment, invest in the financial market. (And yes, I have also noticed that the market's pretty cr@ppy right now. But you're looking at 40 years. Unless you bought a 250 GTO brand new and kept it pristine, the stock market's far outperformed the monetary appreciation of high-end cars.)

 

I find it somewhat hard to believe that people with perceived financial success would consider INVESTING in a car, especially with such a long-term projection.
Sure enough there are examples of cars that have outperformed most other investments over the last 40 years, but most certainly have not. 40 years is a very long time, and with the speed at which things are changing, what will be left of the car-hobby in 40 years is anyone's guess.

A Ferrari of a certain type may or may not fare better than other cars, but the idea is bad, unless you really enjoy the posession/use of the car (which deters from the investment objective) and can get in at the very high ends of the market.

If you have 80K lying around doing nothing and consider spending it on a car, buy something that you will go look at in the garage before you go to bed, just because you love it, and anticipate you're going to drive the cr*p out of the next glorious morning.

If the latter, at this point in time I'd go with those that recommended finding a good vetroresina 308.

 

If you are not going to drive it, why buy it? Buy a 1/18th model instead and let an auto enthusiast buy the real car to drive.