Might buy a '89 Testarossa this coming monday..

I would say that car sould sell for somewhere in the neighborhood of 60,000-70,000 depending on the actual condition and what they consider great shape. I don't know how hard it is to work on the Testarossa, but i can tell you the parts will be very expensive.

 

When was the service done?

Other than that, make sure everything works (even the clock), check for the recall on the seatbelts (I think that was a 1989 issue), check for smoke (some on startup is okay).

 

Are you looking at the one selling for 46,000? If it is it looks good, but at that price i would have to see it in person

 

1989 FERRARI TESTAROSSA.

MIAMI VICE WHITE .. MAKE SURE ALL ITEMS ARE INCLUDED TOOLS, BOOKS, MANUELS ,OWNERS SERVICE RECORDS..THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE PURCHASING THIS BEAUTY. CHECK FOR BODY REPAIRS OR UNFACTORY PARTS INSTALLED ON THE CAR.. SHOCKS, SPRINGS, DUE TO AGE AND WEAR.. CARPET WEAR TO DETERMINE ACTUALL MILES ON THE CAR.. CHECK ECU WORKS PROPERLY, SLOW DOWN LIGHTS.. ANY OTHER LIGHTS ON THE CLUSTER DASH RED LIGHTS UP.. MAY NEED ATTENTION. LATER.. CHECK FOR ANY LEAKS , HAVE THE CAR CHECK UNDER NEATH THE UNDERTRAY, FOR DAMAGES, RUST, ETC.. MAKE SURE CAR SHIFTS EASILY IN ALL GEARS... CHECK FOR CLUCH PRESSURE. COSTLY REPAIR WITH ANY FERRARI... CHECK FOR POP UP HEAD LIGHTS.. WORKS PROPERLY... MAJIOR SERVICE WAS DONE BY FACTORY OR INDEPENDENT DEALER... COST FOR MAJIOR 5,000 - 8,000 .OO DOLLARS.. EURO IS STRONGER THEN THE DOLLAR PARTS... ON THIS CAR IS EXPENSIVE..... CHECK FOR SPOILER DAMAGE SINCE SPOILERS DO GET DAMAGED TO THE LOW CLEARANCE ON THESE CARS... I DO NOT RECOMMEND TO WORK ON FERRARI SINCE ITS MORE COMPLICATED THEN YOUR AVERAGE CARS... FOR A WHITE TESTAROSSA I THINK PAYING 65,000 IS ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD.. HOPE THIS HELPS....

JOHN

 

Service is more or less current then. Cool.

Check for paperwork on it. I think the '89s had the mickey mouse belts. Make sure they work (it is an expensive fix if they don't).

Don't be surprised by a small puff of smoke at startup. Search the site for TR buying guide info, it should be well documented.

Good luck.

 

Just for your information and may be helpful if you make an offer i saw it on a website selling for 46,000......has to be the same car

 

ferraribuy.com

 

testarossa is a proper ferrari

 

I am interested to know how your tr purchase turns out.
I hope the white tr is as great as advertised and meet your expectation.
i too am in search of a tr but haven't found the right one yet.
i was so close to buying one, (even scheduled ppi for it) but could not get over the high mileage of 48k. the seller offered it to me for $49k.
i once read a quote on here not too long ago that i will remember for rest of my ferrari lover life. "purchase time is not the time to be thrifty"
hope you get a great horse!

 

Glad to be of some help........if it doesn't work out i have a beautiful 328 that i have posted in the ads section. I do have a pending offer, but i'm holding out
for another week or two

 

As all the guys mentioned above, service work receipts, accidents, seat belts, etc.

I too saw that car as I am thinking of adding a TR to the stable. The price makes me scared. Could be a great car with an owner who needs to sell quickly. $10k lower than some with 50k miles though makes me think somehting is up? Maybe not???

I would take her to a qualified, non bias, Ferrari tech at a deealer for a comprhensive PPI. That is a must

Good Luck and let us know how it turns out?

Mike

 

sorry for the tangent, but what is " good milage" on aTR ?

at what point should the car have a valve job?

is it common to have to go into the engine internals at "x" miles? i would consider a TR, if i cannot get a 512bb or carb lambo.

seems there are bulkhead / wiring issues and a known problem with the diff braking input shafts (?). given a car with higher milage that has good records, what is the experience of others with having to go "into" the engine / transaxle to do major work.

hope the TR turns out to be a good buy.

 

I was advised by an independent Ferrari mechanic to be wary of Miami cars - many are bought/sold/thrashed on a regular basis as party scene cars. Even for an '85 (early model), $48K sounds low. It could be real find, or it could be an abused car.

But it's all speculation - find an independent mechanic you trust and pay for a pre-purchase inspection (PPI). Verify the mileage. I think anyone here would tell you that a bad Testarossa can make the purchase price irrelevant.

It might just be an '85 that's due for a major service and has another $5K of miscellaneous catch-up repairs. Hard to speculate. But really nice 328's with 11K miles will probably go for more than $50K.