Most Reliable Ferrari W/$90K

Hi,
Get a 1991 Testarossa or you might be able to get a 512TR with some wheeling and dealing. These cars are solid and won't cost $4K/yr to maintain as long as you get one that is in good shape with a service history and do the PPI. I'm biased as you can see from my profile, but the TR has a very different feel from my previous 348. However, that said my next choice for the cash would be a 355/6 speed, great cars and more nimble than a TR. But a poor 355 will gobble up the $4K/year budget too. The big bucks come with the engine out belt service, which for my TR was $6.3K for the 355 it’s a bit less, but not much (depends where you go). Anyway good luck and have fun.
Regards,
Jim

 

Didn't you read the part where it said he had owned (owns) Lotuses (Loti?). DUH!

 

Being new to the Ferrari marque, I truly don't understand the mystique of the flat 12. The new v8s outperform the old flat 12s and they are cheaper to maintain. How is the v8 'settling'?

 

Some people just are compensating for their lack of 12 inches!!

 

I'm sorry SHE told you she wished your's was BIGGER but that's no reason to degrade us V8 owners.

 

The 12 cylinder vs. non-12 cylinder controversity has been around since the first Dino road car came out. In the beginning, Enzo Ferrari only produced 12 cylinder cars, both race and street. However, as early as the 1950s Ferrari did make some non-12 cylinder race cars although all of his road cars remained 12 cylinder ones. It was not until 1968 that the first non-12 cylinder road car was produced by Ferrari and it had a v6 and was badged as a Dino 206GT and not a Ferrari. The Dino 246 and v8 engined 308GT4 followed. When the Dino 308GT4 didn't sell, Ferrari instructed it's dealers to rebadge them as Ferraris and sales improved. Since then, all v8 cars were badged as Ferraris right up to the new 360. Purist in the Ferrari world still hold that a proper Ferrari must have a 12 cylinder engine. Some purist even hold that a proper Ferrari must be a 12 cylinder front engined car due to a comment Enzo made in the early 1960s that "... all of his road cars would have a v12 and that ...a horse always pulls the cart...it never pushes it..." While in jest I often refer to the non-12 cylinder models as Dinos, I do realize that the V8 was necessary for Ferrari to survive and expand its market as not everyone could afford the more expensive 12 cylinder markets. Still, after having owned 6 cars badged as Ferraris over the last 13 years or so (2 V12s, 2 flat 12s and 2 V8s), I still prefer the sound, power/torque and prestige that only comes with the 12 cylinder models. And now, when you can buy a lot of 12 cylinder models for less than the newer 8s, I remain perplexed as to why someone would even consider anything but a 12 !

 

If you are looking for a spider, I would go for a late model 348. I know of a great 94 red/tan spider that can be had for $63k with 18k miles.

If you are looking for a GTS, I would do the 355 GTS... awesome car, superb sound, and great handling characteristics... a good '96-98 car may cost you $78-85k

The 512TR's are awesome, and one may be found for $85-95k, but you face some possible depreciation and additional maintenance costs for the 12 cyl...but boy do those have torque!

360's and 550's for 90k? don't even think about it. (not a good one, anyhow)

A 328 may possibly be one of the more reliable cars of the bunch, but like fatbillybob said, you can't put reliable and ferrari in the same sentence!

If you want a clean 84 308QV, I currently have one for sale in CA for $32k blk/blk... great car - drives well, too!

Good luck on the purchase...

Byron

 

Point taken. Goddammit, I talked myself out of the TR when I bought mine! @#%$^&*%# V8's.

 

Because at the same price point the newer v8 will outperform the older flat 12 in terms of both acceration and handling.

The 12 wins on torque but torque is overated and a lazy approach to driving. Not everyone will agree with this but consider the relationship between hp and torque:

Power (hp) = Torque (ft-lb) * RPM / 5252

Acceleration is created by hp and weight. As the above formula demonstrates, a low torque car can create the same hp (and therefore acceleration) if the engine is designed to rev high enough. On the street or the track, this simply means being in the right gear for the job at hand. You'll have to shift instead of just stomping on the gas. Personally, I think this is a more enjoyable and involving experieince. Others might prefer the flexibility high torque engines provide.

I appreciate the history lesson from parkerfe I had been reading about what you described but you put it better than any of the books I have read so far. It sounds very similar to the engine in the rear for the 356/911 faithful - its not a P-car unless the engine is in the rear. (My guess is that Enzo was poking fun at Porsche with his quote) Its a nostolgic and passionate arguement, but subjective as opposed to objective.

To continue the Porsche analogy, the original 356 was actually designed with a mid-engine set-up. Thats how the prototype was first built. Before the car was put into production, a decision was made to hang the engine behind the rear axle so that that more VW parts could be used on the production cars. It was a design compromise aimed at cost savings. All these Porsche fanatics are running around yelling that the 911 is the only 'real' Porsche today yet they are clueless to the history behind the engineering. Nevermind the fact that other engine layouts can offer better performance, they want what they THINK was the original design.

 

jakermc, if you want the best performance for the money then you wouldn't be getting a Ferrari anyway be it a 6, 8 or 12. A Porsche TT will outperform every Ferrari out there but the Enzo and it will run pretty close to it stock and will outrun it with a little turbo tweaking. As far as Enzo's comments, he was responding to his own engineers that wanted him to go with a mid-engine design which he refused at the time. He also refused to change to disc brakes until everyone else had been using them for years. Further, owning a Ferrari is very subjective anyway . From a objective point of view, we are all fools for ever buying one in the first place now aren't we ? They are expensive to buy, more expensive to own, are not as fast as many other cars on the market for a fraction of their cost yet they still depreciate .

 

Agreed. Just the sound of the F355 played a big role in my purchase. It was intoxicating and led me to foolishly buy one. Maybe its a good thing I haven't spent as much time listening to the 12.

 

Just saw a really nice looking TR on EBAy. (Although I'm not sure I would buy a F this way) 18,000 Miles buy it now 40,000. Good price. I e mailed the seller and he says all the maint. is done. But like I said I'm not sure Of the EBAY route.

 

a brand new Maserati. Just got one for the wife this valentine for about that much brand new, kind of hard to beat for the price, the big difference is the warrenty. for whatever it is worth there were some nice 355's in thata range but if money is at all an issue then the maser is a god alternative for that money.

 

355 gets my vote too.

 

In talking to friend of mine yesterday, she asked how I liked my F40? I told her "What can you say about a $300K car?" I mean really? Is any car really worth that? Anyway......
I read an artice from Micheal Sheehan comparing a $100K 355 and a $100K Porsche. Park them side by side and no one will even notice the Porsche. The 355 will be expensive to maintain and the Porsche can be driven every day with no drama. Which one would you pick? (I'll take the 355)
Your first chose was a 512, good choice.

Enjoy,
Rick

 

If you want a 12 go with either a 512 BB or a 512TR. If you want an 8 go with a 355. Either way make sure you do a PPI and get a carfax as the other guys will say.

 

Among modern Fcars, the 328 has, by far, the fewest "issues" and is cheaper to maintain. Buy a great one for 45K and use the other 45K to buy something like a Subaru STI, Lotus Elise, or other screamer of your choice.

Dave

 

Congratulations Jim,

That's a beautiful new addition to your family. You must be very proud. When did you take delivery?

Got any more pics to post ? Always anxious to see what I'm missing. I gotta get a new job to earn some Ferrari money.

Way to go.

Mark