Testarossa depreciation

If TR's slide into the 30's I might buy another and call it my 'beater airport car'. But unfortunatly I will have to stick with my Jetta.

 

If the TRs will hit the $30Ks, then where would that leave the 308? in the $10Ks? Won't a Testarossa always be worth more than a 308 of similar mileage and condition...?

 

not necessarily - rookie buyers fear TR's because of the fear of a flat-12 engine out maintenance everytime there's a like or waterpump or belt change. rookie buyers love 308's and 328's with the lower maintenance. We're already seeing early TR's close to 328 pricing.

 

Filming for the Miami Vice movie with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx starts this month, with a release date sometime next year according to Wikipedia. Who knows if the movie will rekindle a great interest in the old tv series, and how that would affect TR values. Anyone who lived through the Smokey and the Bandit craze with Pontiac TransAms in the late 70's can attest to how loony things can get. Maybe TRs will replace Hemis as the latest fad? BTW, whatever happened to my CB radio?

 

Let the Muscle car bubble/fashion of the week craze go for a few years and then people tired of clangy doors, wind noise and atrocious handling will be looking of Prancing horses seriously, any Prancing Horse.

Just my humble opinion.

 

I agree that 89 328s can be sold for a higher price than some TRs. I bought my TR for less money than a perfect one owner 1,000 mile Red / Black 89 328GTS that I had also looked at.

In my other post, I was comparing cars with similar mileage and in similar condition. Had my TR also been Red / Black with 1,000 original miles it would have been priced higher than the 328. I did get a chance to drive the 328 after I bought the TR. I love the sound and handling of the 328, but it isnt quite as fast as the TR.

I do not think the Miami Vice movie will have any effect on the value of TRs. Just as The Italian Job did not effect Mini prices, and Starsky & Hutch had no effect on Torino prices.

Very good point that 3X8s are more popular, and therefore may hold value better. I had not thought of it that way. I guess it does depend on what the buyer is looking for, and what they are willing to pay.

Thank you to all for the insight.

Alex

 

About my 30's comment; please remember that time marchs on. As new F cars come out it will push down the prices of previous models which will domino down. 355s will go 40/50s which will push the TR to the 30s. And with , what, 6,000+ cars the supply is there. Maintenance costs will never go down, which for the TR is its biggest fault.The 3x8s asset is the more reasonable maint costs, more nimble demeanor and still a Ferrari. Please don't get mad, just my opinion, which as you know, every one's got.

 

The issue with a TR is the maintenance. However bring you Merc SL55 AMG to the shop for a big inspection and see what kind of abill they will give you.
SCARY to say the least!

The TR's engine need to be removed every 3 years or every 30K km whatever comes first. A belt change will set you back for about 4K euro's (not at F dealership mind you).
Devide the 4K by 3 years and you'll see what your up against.. Additional to that you need 1 once a year new fluids oil/water/brake fluid/oil and air filter etc... setting you back (at best) 1000 euro's a year.
total maintenance is about 2300 euro's a year.
If you wreck the engine it will become more expensive.... than agains so does a wrecked SL55 AMG engine.

If you know your way around a shop and have the space (as I do) doing a F car is, during the winter, an enjoyable treat. 2 years ago I did all the valves (all 48) took me a full saterday with my Fcar. I could have taken the wife to the Mall instead....

So my sugestion is that if you take the engine out....(or have it taken out) check everything while your are it. If you don't trust the water pump anymore after 30K Km.... take it out and have it rebuild... it's all about being a bit clever... (as with everything)
Just my 2 cents!!

 

Anyone want to buy my '89 328 Judge?

 

great 308's will/have been appreciating and will always be desirable as they are just little jewels!

that said, if really nice tr's ever hit the 30-40's i may have to get one ...just because! a tr is sooooo much car for the money! there is no better value proposition in the market today. it was one of "the" supercars of its' day.

 

My advise is, if you are ever thinking about buying a Testarossa, ask your best friend to kick you in the rear. DON'T EVER GET ONE, run away as fast as you can. The car is completely, and utterly worthless. It's value will continue to drop until it is about $5,000 and a free pound of ground beef at your local used car lot. As there are way too many of them made in the world and imagine this, there are about 2,000 of them here in the States already, that's about 200/year that came in to the States !! It costs way too much to maintain, about 5-7G every 5-7 years depends on usage. Even know it is a real tune-up as in engine out, all seals replaced, re-building water pump etc. It is much better to pay for a computer based, VAG tune-up like the many other high-end brands and still be charged somewhere in the $500 to 1G range for a 30,000 miles tune-up every 2 years. Even if we keep our discussion within the Ferrari family, the labor cost for a 308/328 is about the same for the engine out service, but with it being a 12 instead of an 8, you will pay more for parts etc. Think about it, who in the bloody h*ll needs a 12 anyway when you can have an 8. And replacing clutch on the these things is a joke, they made it way too easy as compared to the 308/328s. Heck, the transmission is right there in the back, what the heck were the designers/engineers thinking !!! I tell you, listen to your fellow posters and stay away from the Testarossas. If you must have an automotive icon from the 80's, go with a Countach, you will be much happier.

PS: Could someone please PM me when the Testarossa's market value reachs 30G, my niece will be 16 y/o in 10 years, I am thinking about making her suffer by making her drive to school in a Testarossa. Think of the humiliation. TIA.

 

Well, I have only had one for about 6 months, and its a GREAT car! A very comfortable ride actually, and feels quite modern in the way it drives. And Oh My God, It a Ferrari! A 12 cylinder Ferrari! Sounds just beautiful, and outstanding bang for the buck.

Folks criticize the car because its expensive to fix. Well, I have no first hand experience here, as nothing has broke in 1500 miles. When you read this board, you become very frightened about the prospect of owning one of these. I swear to you - for the first 3 months I wouldn't take the car anywhere without the name of 2 tow truck companies and a fully charged cell phone with me. I didn't want to go anywhere near redline- figured it would explode, or in the least the belts would fail. Geee, it still works.

Will stuff be expensive to fix when it breaks? Possibly. I would likely try to fix it myself first, which would be cheaper. I would consider doing my own major, if I had the time...

I think these cars are very expensive to own in 1 of 2 scenarios:

1) You are very unlucky. Belts break, tranny goes, or some other serious fiasco. Can't avoid this - wear a rabbits foot and carry a four leaf clover . Don't abuse the car.

2) You are nitpicky AND you take everything to a dealer. Fortunately for me. the previous owner of my car fits this description. If you take the car in everytime you get minor seepage, battery goes dead, alarm doesn't work, etc - you will be broke in a very timely manner. These are old cars - sometimes everything doesn't work all of the time...live with it, and fix it with the major. Keep in mind that a lot of the money you spend on this car you WILL NEVER GET BACK. The difference between a good car, and a concours car is about 10k$. Your repairs for nitpicking will be far greater.

Routine maintenance can be expensive, but doesn't have to be. A routine service (coolant, brake flush, oil flush) runs about $1200 in my neck of the woods. This weekend, I did my first oil change - took 15 minutes, if I don't include the time to jack up the car (The first time you do this, paranoia sets in, and it takes an hour or two - didn't want to damage the car ). Cost, 45$ (filter, oil).

Next week I will do the brakes and coolant - figure 30$ more.

Over the span of 5 years that saves me $6000!!! That money can be used toward a major...

I repeat, cool cars, lots of fun...as long as you aren't unlucky. Now figure the worst happens, and the belt breaks. Your car is now a 25,000$ parts car. Well, you risked 25k$ and lost (Assuming 50k$ purchase price). Not the end of the world. And pretty unlikely statistically speaking.

 

What do you plan to do to the brakes and coolant for $30? Front brake pads are $125-$145

 

Just a flush. Car got new brakes/pads/rotors 1 year ago . Paid for by the previous owner.

 

Fair enough

I've had my TR for almost 11 years now and I have to admit that the price of the parts alone can be daunting at times. The electronic gremlins get to me sometimes as well, but it's still fun............for now.

 

I love the TR.... Just reached about a year & driven it 3,000 miles. See this smile? Ear to ear baby.

 

LOL,, just in time for me to cruise SoBe in the Slutmobile
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William, I just noticed that the individual strakes that fill the big NACA ducts on the Slutmobile appear to be missing... is this a mod that that the previous owner did along with all the other mods? Or is it an optical illusion? If they are gone, do you intend to replace them?

 

Snicker... Chortle... Not after Spicey finds out.

In the key of E

Move it on Over by Hank Williams

Came in last night at half past ten
That baby of mine wouldn't let me in
So move it on over (move it on over)
Move it on over (move it on over)
Move over little dog cause the big dog's moving in