New Guy - Moving to Italy - Want to Buy First Ferrari - Thoughts?

Almost impossible to give a good answer to that one, really; I can give you some reference points, but that’s all.

- First and foremost, it depends what would be included in a “belt service”: it is about the same notion that what is “a nice lunch” or “a great wine”…
Let’s sum it up by saying that some shops will do “only the bare necessities” (or some owners will ask for only the strict minimum) some others will expand it a bit and change “other parts” that they consider necessary to change and do all the “while we are here”; and others will left no stone unturned…the cost may double between the “variants”.
Also remember that the cost of labor is very different from one country to the other, usually labor is somewhat cheaper in Italy than in other European countries, and Ferrari experience is rather large.
- The 328 and 348 are very different animals as for the belt service, because it can be done on a 328 without pulling the engine out of the car: you just do it through the wheel well (the engine is transversal) whereas you have to pull the engine out of a 348 by taking it out from underneath the car (engine is longitudinal)
Also, except in some rather rare examples, a well-sorted 328 is rather bullet-proof, and if you are happy wrenching on you cars, you could do a lot of maintenance yourself, including the belt change, on a 328 ( provided that you have the logistics to lift the car&#8230

Just to give you a point of reference, let’s say that the shop I use will do a “bare” belt change on a 328 (belts, rollers, engine oil, gear box oil, brake fluid, general check of the car; but NO valve clearance checks, etc&#8230 for about 2300 euros, and the same service will be about 3800 on a 348, so “about 66% more”. But it may vary very much…and we assume that there is no "bad surprise" during the visit...

Rgds

 

Scott,
where did you see the "cheap" Ferraris?
A 328 is between 70k€ and 100k€, a 456 at least 40k€, a 348 at least 40k€.
The only car that is produced in the vicinity of Maranello and that would fit into your budget is the Maserati 4200. Buying a Ferrari without 50k€+ on a bank account? Would be too risky for me.
btw. What do you plan to do with the car when you will leave Italy? Take it to he States? Sell it in Italy? Who would buy a Ferrari in Italy that doesn't have the dealer stamps in the little booklet?

 

sooo.... don`t want to be killing dreams or destroying hopes here ...

but NO WAY you will get a drivable, reliable Ferrari with recent service in driver quality for less than the equivalent of ~US 50.000 overhere in Europe

as has been said before:

calculate min US 45.000 - 55.000 for a 348/456
calculate min US 55.000 - 65.000 for a 308/328

and even for those prices you will only get a driver ... that will need WORK !
(for a decent car, plan an additional 10K-15K)

further, calculate ~ US 3500 - US 5000 for yearly maintainance/service/parts etc. just to be on the safe side

hoping to do your own work only with a copied workshop manual without any experience with these cars is naiive at best ...
(although not - depending on skills and talent - completely impossible since you have to start somewhere as we all did )

and do not underestimate ... - looking at your first post - your wife will try to kill you !

.

 

In the outlying villages things will be calmer, but still be fully aware of the local clans and their hierarchy. Make the right friends and you can leave it unlocked outside the prison, make the wrong friends and you could be testing that pistol aiming technique regularly!

That said, military types are well respected most places, so I would hope that you are offered a friendly and helpful reception wherever you live and whatever you chose to drive. When I was in Sicily with family, the US was nothing short of revered there, and anyone connected to or from the US had a head start on making friends.

 

I owned a 328GTB in Italy for four years,Because I was not a property owning resident in Italy, I had a distant Italian relative actually own the car on paper. I made five trips to Italy to drive the car and always had a letter in Italian with me explaining who actually owned the car and why I was driving it. I of course paid for the car, insurance etc. and everything worked out just fine. As a US military person stationed in Italy there may be a way you can actually buy and own the car.What I would suggest is to go into the Italian section of F Chat and see what you can find out. What I can tell you is that driving a Ferrari in Italy is an experience not to be missed.There is nothing like it so if you can, do it. Two words of advice;remember it takes about $1.25 to buy one Euro and be sure you garage the car securely any where in the Naples area, though it should be safe on a US military installation. Have fun! tongascrew

 

michael may actually be right. i dont know if you will be able to find something decent for 30k.

i have found a high mileage mondial for that, but it is the only one.

of course things can change considerably if you show up with the cash somewhere. but you may have to add to the kitty to get all four wheels.

 

scott, keep in mind that you cannot easily take a car back to the usa that is not 25 years old or older. past that age, you dont have to worry about dot or epa issues, and just pay the duty. prior that age its a huge pita.

 

With "Who would buy a Ferrari in Italy that doesn't have the dealer stamps in the little booklet?"
I meant that it will be difficult to sell a car that is not serviced by a workshop. A potential buyer doesn't know your qualifications.
However, if you plan to take your car back to the States, that would not be the problem. If the car is younger than 25 years it will just be scraped at the customs, like the Mini here: Government *******s Publicly Crushed This Mini For Violating Import Law
Concerning the financial situation in Italy: The guys who had to sell their Ferraris because of the financial situation did this around 2012.
Now there is no large difference in the prices between Italy and Germany.
Just a little information: In Italy you are only allowed to pay cash if the amount is smaller than 1000€. If you buy a car you will have to transfer the money.
I read in a German car forum from people who import used cars from Italy to Germany (around 2012) that they would only buy cars in the zip code region 1,2,3 -meanining northern Italy.
I bought a Maserati in Italy - zip code 2. (In the EU it's not a problem to buy in another country and register in you home country) The dealer who sold the car mentioned to me, that he would not buy a car in southern Italy from somebody he doesn't know. Too risky. Even people from southern Italy prefer to buy cars in the north.
If you are still interested in buying a Ferrari in Europe, also consider Switzerland. Switzerland is not covered by mobile. Use this site: Auto Occasion Schweiz, Autos kaufen, verkaufen - AutoScout24

 

You want to make your wife happy?

Forget the Ferrari. Buy the best Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce you can find. You'll have 99% of the fun, with no worries.

 

Naples will be unlike anything you've ever experienced. Not sure I'd want to be anywhere near Naples with a Ferrari. Not the kind of place you want to "flash"

My dad is from there and Naples is my team of choice (soccer) so I have a profound affection but it can be a scary place.

The saying goes that: "you'll cry twice in Naples, when you arrive and when you leave"

I'll be there at the end of May to go watch a game.

Good luck

 

Most, if not all, Alfa-Romeos from the seventies are VERY prone to corrosion and rust.
It would also be valid for any FIAT Dino, and the 2,4 V6 may have some problems specific to that engine (especially the camshafts and cam lobes); finding and buying a good, well maintained FIAT Dino is not easy.

Rgds

 

scott, i can potentially help you in switzerland, however keep in mind that if you then imported the car to italy, you will have to pay vat on it - uunless you are exempt due to being military.

if you are exempt, then a swiss car makes sense since they are usually higher quality and lower priced.