Some random jerk jumped on my '95 Spider top last month and bent the top. I want to get a new top and the dealer says it is a $30k job. Does anybody know a wholesaler who can get the top for less? Thanks.
after market tops are a little under 1k but the parts that may have been bent or need to be replaced are at your mercy price. good luck
The wholesalers for the cloth part of your top sell them $900 to $1,200...but the metal frame and hydraulics for a whole new top for a 355 cost about $18,000 (not including labor). Which is to say, you don't go replacing the old with all new parts on a car like that. You go to a competent body shop and let them bend back or fabricate the metal that you need to have a straight top (could be as cheap as a $1,000 to have a top frame straightened). You keep your old hydraulics; you don't buy OEM metal frame parts. You could have a custom shop fabricate an entire removable hardtop for less than the $30k that the Ferrari dealership would charge to replace an entire 355 convertible top system.
I did not consider having the frame adjusted. It seems so complex that I did not think it was possible. Can this be done by a good F-body shop? The dealer could not do this as I think it would entail too much time and risk in trying to bend the frame.
Most large cities will have at least one good convertible customizer shop. The most "risk" is paying $30k for an all new top system, so it's considerably less risky to attempt to save your existing metal frame and hydraulics. It's just a few metal bars and bushings with some canvas stretched over it like a Boy Scout tent. It's not rocket science.
The guy was just trying to help! I think what he meant was there are people out there parting these cars out! Ferrari spares comes to mind...
Just because you have a claim, doesn't necessarily mean your insurance rates will go up. And if they do, the amount won't compare to you having to fix this yourself. This is a no brainer, tell your insurance company and have it fixed. That's what you pay them for. Good luck. It makes me sick to hear something like this can happen to any car, let alone a Ferrari. People can be so evil.
