Pulled the trigger - Bought a 456M GT TdF - 1999 | FerrariChat

Pulled the trigger - Bought a 456M GT TdF - 1999

Discussion in '456/550/575' started by Flore, Mar 8, 2013.

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  1. Flore

    Flore Karting

    Jan 22, 2013
    99
    Dubai
    #1 Flore, Mar 8, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    As you might have read elsewhere on the forums, I purchased a 456M GT this week in Germany. Delivery is 28th of March and I wanted to share a little of my experience here - it might help others.

    This is my first Ferrari and I'm relatively young, so quite anxious about how everything will turn out. Always wanted the 456, had a model of it in TdF at home for 15 years I think. Still got it.

    Some details about the buying experience:

    I have been following the market for 4-5 years, sometimes more intensively, sometimes less. Mostly focused on Europe, as it's just not feasible to get US cars imported. I always wanted an M GT, either Pozzi Blu or TdF, preferably beige interior.

    My feeling always has been that a good car, no matter what the bargains out there suggest, will be at least € 50k and more likely to be in the upper range of that. For me, buying from a reputable dealer and getting a car with complete history was important and those are quite rare as it happens, particularly if you want a certain colour. I have only really seen 2 or 3 that seemed acceptable (on paper) during my search.

    The car I picked now is a 1999 (I would have preferred a later model, but also have not heard about significant changes across the M model years), it has 17000 km, most of which were accumulated in its early years. It had one owner only and an immaculate history and full documentation, including the original contract. There was no history of any significant issues, the tires were almost new, battery has been replaced in 2009 and the belts were done in the same year.

    The interior is in excellent shape, the carpets are like new. It is blu scuro, which initially I thought was less elegant than beige, but it has grown on me now. I also feel it will be hold up better as the car gets older and used more.

    The dealer is Eberlein in Germany, which is the country's biggest Ferrari Dealer and also a Classiche partner. I contacted them and after getting some info, I flew in from London, where I currently live, and looked at the car for half a day.

    I did not have a formal PPI from another dealer or similar, but had a DEKRA inspection, which is an independent German car inspection company. They do a generic review and not necessarily focused on the specific make / model, which is a downside. I looked at the car in quite some detail myself and all the minor issues we identified were recorded with the dealer and will be rectified before delivery. The car will also get a full big service incl. belts / fluids etc.

    I did in fact not get a chance to drive it - weather was horrible, but we did run the engine and it seemed very smooth at idle. Sound was great too! I was on the lookout for the usual concerns that you hear on the 456, windows, sticky interior, valves etc and did my research as far as possible. On the less obvious items I did rely on the dealers assessment, the mechanic was with us as well, which is why I wanted a reputable dealer that I could build a relationship with. There is definitely some risk here, but I felt comfortable. In the end, there is always a little luck involved.

    After seeing the car I took about a week to think about it, as I mentioned this was mostly about the risk of buying such a car at my age and the required investment in maintaining it. In the end I felt though in worst case I will have to spend a few grand and if I can't maintain it or priorities change sell it again - I could live with the loss and would at least have had the experience of owning my dream car for a while. So that's when I signed the papers :) You only live once.

    Money was transferred and I had all the papers of the car with me next day. These are now going to the insurance and I have reserved my number plate in the meantime and am now waiting until the 28th like a kid for christmas.

    As I live in London and the car will be living in the garage in Germany, she will be mostly sitting on the battery tender and get driven when I get a chance to fly over over the weekend.

    I know these cars want to be driven, but I'd rather have her in my garage than in the dealer's showroom! In the end, there are not so many of them and I did not want to take the risk of trying to find one 5 or 10 years down the line. You never know what happens.

    I'll keep you updated and I hope you find this interesting / useful. In the meantime, here are a few pics.
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  2. MS250

    MS250 Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Dec 10, 2003
    26,575
    Full Name:
    Avvocato
    Love the color combo !

    Agurri ! It's awesome !
     
  3. mcypert

    mcypert Formula Junior

    Jun 7, 2012
    369
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Mark Cypert
    Congrats Flore:

    Wait 'til you drive it and, possibly on the autobahn? I'd almost buy one in Germany for that privilege.

    Hope you saved a few euros for fuel. That would be the only downside with European gas prices. I'm just guessing, but bet it costs you about $1 USD per mile or more when you test what she can do. Don't know what that is in Euros/km, but it's a lot.

    Costs me about $.50/mile for fuel to drive my 456 in the land of cheap gas...well worth it though...

    Enjoy....Mark in Houston
     
  4. 2000 456M

    2000 456M F1 World Champ

    Sep 29, 2007
    12,600
    Portland, OR
    Full Name:
    Allan
    Congratulations! Very, Very elegant! I bought my first Ferrari, a 330GTC, at age 32 and was a working husband and father of young children at the time, so I understand the trepidation. Don't worry. You have a full life ahead of you and you will not regret taking risks at a young age.
     
  5. kdf398

    kdf398 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 11, 2003
    498
    Pasadena CA/Kelowna BC
    Full Name:
    Keith
    Absolutely Beautiful. Lovely color combo. Enjoy it.
     
  6. Flore

    Flore Karting

    Jan 22, 2013
    99
    Dubai
    Thanks guys for the kind words.

    @Marc - definitely aware of the fuel costs yay. "Luckily" I won't be able to drive her that often...

    @Allan - no family and kids yet, so in that sense I am probably a bit more independent. But as you said, I doubt I'll regret it later on. Do you still have the 330?
     
  7. F456M

    F456M F1 Rookie

    Jan 8, 2010
    3,696
    Oslo
    Full Name:
    Erik
    I had a manual 456M GT myself for 3 seasons. It was a great car. The car pulls VERY strong from 260-300 kph. You must try it out (but get used to the car and lower speed first of course). It is a very elegant car too. There are so many "cool guys" with 430s etc. who flashes a lot, and that is just a bit too much for me, but with the 456 you can just glide foreward and smile, because you have a V12!! As for fuel consuption..... It can go down to 1,2 l/10 km. on extremely light throttle at around 90 kmph, but you will never manage to drive that car so "easy"... And in town, I felt it was impossible to get under 2 l./10 km.. But it's a Ferrari and let's just forget that consumption thing and let great cars be great cars! I read somewhere that in Dubai in the 70-ies and 80-ies, the most thirsty cars gave added value to the car, because it showed that you were wealthy..... I also own a Maserati Quattroporte III (4x double Weber carbs) that came from U.A.E. That is one hell of a gas guzzler :)

    Good luck with you car. The colors looks great!
     
  8. Flore

    Flore Karting

    Jan 22, 2013
    99
    Dubai
    Cheers - interesting you talked about the UAE. I lived there for over 3 years and might go back potentially. That will solve the fuel cost problem, but the heat might be a challenge for the car... ;)
     
  9. Condor Man

    Condor Man F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Sep 8, 2006
    4,938
    Los Angeles
    Stunning! Well done on a great car.
     
  10. prd575

    prd575 Formula Junior
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 11, 2012
    420
    Johns Creek, GA
    Full Name:
    Philippe Dorier
    Congrats for pulling the trigger!
    You will love it!
     
  11. redcaruser

    redcaruser Formula 3

    Apr 8, 2012
    2,426
    switzerland
    Full Name:
    daniel
    thx Flore for your post and congratulation for the wonderful 456M GT, car looks perfect!
    Wish you many enjoyable trips!
     
  12. Chirotractor

    Chirotractor Karting

    Jan 4, 2009
    64
    Kronberg/Germany
    Full Name:
    Ed
    Congratulations from Germany ! I was actually interested in now your car too and considered trading in my F355 due to my wife expecting our first child in a few weeks.
    Be assured that Ferrari Eberlein in Kassel has a very good reputation here and is also an official Ferrari Classiche dealership.

    BTW, did you see the light blue 456 while you were there ? That one also looks quite good
    to me, the only difference probably not being a one owner car.

    Ed
     
  13. treedee3d

    treedee3d F1 Rookie

    Apr 1, 2011
    3,726
    Montreal
    Full Name:
    Fab
    Fantastic....I am in the same situation and I want a 456 M gta.

    Just waiting for the finances to line up just right so I can make it happen.

    Congratulations, you bought it at the right time and for a great price. Enjoy it!!!!
     
  14. Flore

    Flore Karting

    Jan 22, 2013
    99
    Dubai
    Ed, I have seen it and my view was that it was not on the same level as the TdF one. And the color does not look very attractive to me to be honest. I would hold out.
     
  15. G. Pepper

    G. Pepper Three Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 15, 2012
    38,391
    Texas/Colorado
    Full Name:
    George Pepper
    Very classy color combo!

    Congrats.

    George
     
  16. ScuderiaWithStickPlease

    ScuderiaWithStickPlease F1 World Champ

    Dec 17, 2007
    10,263
    NY Metro
    One of my favorite Ferraris. Congrats, good luck, enjoy!
     
  17. ulf rickard

    ulf rickard Formula Junior

    Sep 28, 2009
    424
    Sweden
    Full Name:
    Ulf Rickard
    #17 ulf rickard, Mar 9, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    hello , you have an excellent taste, I bought mine autumn last year here in Sweden, used it every day until the weather stopped me, next week its time to take it out of wintersleep, I love her !

    I wished for an tdf but settled with a Pozzi, in some light condition it is almost black, my 355 is tdf and much brigher more shiny
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  18. Flore

    Flore Karting

    Jan 22, 2013
    99
    Dubai
    I did look at Pozzi all the time, but slowly realized the metallic TdF makes the line pop a little more. It's also more common, so that played in my hands. Nice car you got though!
     
  19. Chirotractor

    Chirotractor Karting

    Jan 4, 2009
    64
    Kronberg/Germany
    Full Name:
    Ed
    Alright, no rush on my side. Not sure if I will let go of my F355 either.

    Thanks for your comment.

    Ed
     
  20. F456M

    F456M F1 Rookie

    Jan 8, 2010
    3,696
    Oslo
    Full Name:
    Erik
    #20 F456M, Mar 9, 2013
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2013
    I have followed the ads for 456/550/575 very closely now for 3 years... Is it just me or are two diferent cars with Tour de France not neccesarily in the exact same color? I have noticed that the light condition and camera etc. have great influence of how the TdF cars look like. Some seem also lighter in color than others. I have seen a 430 2010 MY in TdF in person and studied the color very closely, and that has a lighter color than the usual 550 ten years earlier and it also lacks the purple part of the blue color on the older cars. I think I have read somewhere that the colors are changing also depending on the supplier of the paint. So TdF is not really a definite color or is it? I have seen one advertizement for a "Blu Pozzi Metallic" 550, an you can really see that it is metallic and darker than a TdF. Have anyone seen another color like that? And Blu LeMans is darker than TdF? That color is not in the color chart for those years I suppose.Recently I spotted a new FF in Pozzi that was extremely dark blue even in sunlight. Farrari does not make it easy for us to see what colors their cars have!

    Interesting what you mention about the "shiny" effect of your TdF 355 compared to Pozzi too. I mean a non-metallic black will usually always be more bright than a metallic black... So whay is the metallic blue TdF of your 355 brighter than your 456M in Pozzi....? Kind of strange!! I guess it should be possible to make a Pozzi blue car be just as shiny as a non metallic black?

    Thanks.
     
  21. 308 GTB

    308 GTB F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Feb 7, 2002
    11,720
    New Jersey
    Full Name:
    Barry Wolinsky
    That's a beautiful 456M GT, Flore! Drive it in good health.
     
  22. Flore

    Flore Karting

    Jan 22, 2013
    99
    Dubai
    I think Taz might be able to chime in here.

    TdF is a metallic, fairly ocean like blue.
    Pozzi is a lot darker, seems to have a slight purple shine, less glossy.
     
  23. 308 GTB

    308 GTB F1 World Champ
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    Feb 7, 2002
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    Barry Wolinsky
    #23 308 GTB, Mar 9, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  24. Flore

    Flore Karting

    Jan 22, 2013
    99
    Dubai
    Interesting. I like it best in the 1st shot. The third shot is incredibly bright blue. In the fourth one you can see the slight purple shine.

    I wonder if there are differences in the colors based on model as well.
     
  25. Face76

    Face76 F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Aug 21, 2006
    13,484
    The Other Oz
    Full Name:
    M Wilborn
    The car color combo is beautiful.

    Enjoy
     

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