Ron Tonkin Dinos = Groundhog day

i think their reserves are realistic, considering their reserves to be somewhere near the ad price they have in the fml.

i think the yellow euro car is pretty pathetic, even if the mileage proved true. look at the interior. wtf?????? it is an early euro spec car, for a little amount of money to fix the issues, i think they would get that much money, easy.

the blue car is a nice solid car. if i didn't have too many cars as it was and was able to get the price down even a little, i think this car is a great deal.

ebay only gains more potential buyers. i don't think they are expecting an ebay sale. however, ebay can get the phone to ring

 

I know a little (that's all I'll say for now) about both cars.

The blue one has been described to me as a "good candidate for restoration." (At $144,980). It has suspension issues (shocks/springs), needs paint, etc.

And Shawn, you probably really don't want to make room for it.

Oh, and at least for now, the prices for both are firm.

Mark

 

that being said, i agree. i don't need another restoration project

 

Selling a car on Ebay is a bit different than buying Pez containers or other collectibles (I'm in my 11th year on Ebay).

Ebay is great exposure for selling cars, but rarely does the auction bidding result in a sale. Rather, the auction gathers interest and the follow ups usually sell the car.


PS - On a side note, Ron Tonkin is the oldest Ferrari Dealer in the USA and very experienced in market trends. He has been firm on the price commanded for these Dinos. I think the price is high but that may reflect Ron's feeling that good, available Dinos are becoming very scarce.
In addition, Sheehan has repeatedly broadcast that he is looking for Dinos also.

It might be speculated that the price pressure on Dinos still has much room upward
or
on the other hand, we are approaching a bubble as more dealers get into it. It does appear that many cars are being sold to dealers and that the pool of prospective cars to buy is mostly in the hands of dealers.

 

Does anyone know if they are consignment cars, or if RTGT does consignment? That could be one reason for the prices.

 

RT (THE MAN HIMSELF) personally set the prices.

 

Thats what I heard when I enquired a few months ago. IMHO the blue car is overpriced by 25k.......................

 

I know of at least three cars (including mine!) that were sold to real end users/collectors at these levels, and it's not like I know anyone or anything! If there is a bubble, it's not a dealer-driven thing, and it's not just in Dinos. Look at the RM auction (and compare it to the terrible Ferrari auction about 2 years ago at Sotheby's) -- prices for collectibles and art have really started accelerating, along with stock markets, commodities and high-end real estate in major worldwide cities (even NYC is still booming).

The Dino will be immensely popular for he simple reason that it is (to my eye) the most beautiful modern Ferrari, is absolutely fun and relatively safe to drive, seems to be quirky yet managable from a maintenance standpoint, and is a car that people react to as "cool" rather than showy or obnoxious.

Besides, you can't drive a Jeff Koons! (Or look at one for that matter)

 

Malcomb Forbes said something insightful when he bought his Harley-D at a record high price " I didn't pay too much, just too early".

The Dino is past the inflection point of transitioning from being "almost a Ferrari" towards a "vintage classic".
In addition, owners are realizing this is one of the most driveable Ferraris of the time, yet has lineage linked to racing heritage. Having less than 12 cylinders may even equate into increased reliability.

 

While I won't comment on the two Dinos listed on ebay, I can comment on the 'relisting' strategy. For the last few years I have relisting the same 6 items. I can't tell you how many ebay users ask why I do this since they "never seem to sell". What they don't realize is that not only have each of my items sold, and in multiple numbers (usually directly), but also the cost of listing is incredibly cheap advertising to bring people to your website. These very same people often buy something else.

So thumbs up to Groundhog Day, sans Bill Murray.

 

I have also bought two cars that I found through eBay listings. One was the car listed, which I bought from the seller after the auction ended, and the other I found from the seller who had offered a different car that caught my attention.

 

Let's see - I'm looking for a decent Dino and . . . and . . . and . . . I buy an Enzo????

 

Maybe more like 45k

 

or by 6 months.

 

That very well could be. But, if they still haven't sold in 7 months from now???

Mark

 

i too, think these prices are early. based on the recent appreciation, one has to ask where is the top. no one can say. however, i remember when the best gts's were on ebay in the $90k range and we all questione dthe sanity. i kick myself for not having bought 08518 off ebay when the buy itn ow price was $105k

until people start to believe the market prices they won't move. remember, it wasn't too long ago we were debating whether a daytona was really a $200k car. today, i think you would be hardpressed to find a running car for the numbers we questioned a short time ago.

i am not saying that the dino IS continuing on this track, but, let's consider a few things:

1. there are several f-chatter's who have recently bought dino's paying a healthy price for the better cars. they are engaged and particpating here. i call these guys enthusiests

2. a dealer bought the stuart singer dino in houston for almost $200k and how now flipped it

3. the winning bidders range of id's on ebay dino auctions have increased greatly - possible flippers, sure, but worth noting

4. i watched a program the other night about the most beauitful cars of all time. the dino was #3, the only ferrari in the top 5

5. when the ferrari owners site ran their poll of the most beautiful ferrari, the dino won - even i admit this shocked the sh*t out of me

6. the gene pnoder dino (forget all the specualtion of fraud) sold for a silly amount of money, even given it's "interesting" intertior

7. finally, you are starting to see euro/uk classic car pricing reflect the us numbers

the last is the most significant to me. it isn't just a us trend. there are quite a few dino's being marketed well over the $200k mark. i really question these attempts, but they generally either sell cars or show the market. i can't where the top is, or even if we have already passe dit and are headed downwards, but clearly there is activity that has driven the "asking prices" up

 

wspeer,

I agree with your observations of concerning the Dino market. Having owned mine through the late 80s/early 90s I feel that this market is much different. The Dinos/Ferraris are not alone in this appreciation. Austin Healeys, Porsche 356s, Alfa Guilias/Guiliettas to name a few have also dramatically increased in value recently, not to mention the muscle cars.

Do you happen to remember the program that mentioned the Dino as one of the most beautiful cars of all time?

 

it was a national geographic program on the science channel this past week. i will try to find the name

 

it is actually a discovery channel program called the ultimate cars.

 

Not a dino owner just a longtime lover of these cars. I remember sitting out front of Ron Tonkin while my dad negotiated on a new dino(I was 7 or 8 years old). Didn't happen(unfortunately) and he didn't own any Ferrari's until his 308 qv in the mid 80s. I'd love to have one of these cars but I'm not in the position to own this type of collector car. I remember seeing one maybe 6 years ago locally for sale around $75K, a yellow GTS, 246 I think. Looked like a driver, seemed much too expensive, now I'm wondering if it would even have been a good investment or at least break even, given the market today. I actually just looked on the Ron Tonkin website(actually have interest in a Mondial coupe as a second driver Ferrari) and saw the cars referred to. Very interesting the values this car has obtained. 308's/328's won't obtain this I guess due to the volume.

Jeff