Greetings All: I'm a fair way off from purchase but moving steadily in that direction. It has begun to become clear though that there are a lot more cars out there in the hands of the misinformed than there ought to be. Behold this advert: http://tinyurl.com/pe3n7 Well, this doesn't work. It doesn't go far enough. Looking at an 81 308 GTBi for $25K in Colorado It's a car that purports to be 100% original with power steering, cruise control, an alarm, a turbo and some sort of stereo stuffed in the dash. It seems to me though, that innocence can occasionally masquerade as ignorance. Maybe this is a fine car, just misrepresented? I (for one) will never know because I wouldn't pay anyone to go look at the thing on the off chance that the car is a queen in paupers clothing. Still, it leaves one wondering about the chances of running into a genuine sleeper of a deal out there. Probably slim in the venue sited above. Rumors persist though, of wonderful finds in odd places. Food for pondermentation. Somebody bought the car.
Dan... I can sympathize. I was near the point of pulling my hair out several times while searching for the "right" first Ferrari. Not the "perfect" one, mind you, just the RIGHT one. I wanted to comment on your remark about not having someone go look at the car for fear of it being a queen in pauper's clothing. Do you mean that you'd be afraid to have someone go look at the car for you for fear that they might buy it out from under you? If so, that's a fear that I wouldn't put too much stock into. The community of folks here at FChat is tightly knit, and I don't think too many people would go out of their way to screw another member. In fact, check out this story from the Lambo section of the board: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=95931 Now...in my opinion, Roy is an exceptional individual. There are no guarantees that everyone will behave as he, but it's a safe bet that people will be closer to his "style" of helping than being an underhanded thief. I, for one, will be more than happy to go look at any local South Bay Area cars you would like, and I can give you a 110% guarantee that I won't be sniping them out from under you! Best of luck in your search, and take care. Aaron
I think not well spoken perhaps on my part. What I meant was that the car in the ad is so poorly represented that my first impression is that it was a train wreck because the seller doesn't know the first thing about Ferrari! Power steering, turbocharged, alarmed 100% original 1981 GTBi? But SOMEBODY bought the car! Maybe a real lost opportunity. I dunno.
I agree with what Aaron has mentioned…..The FChat community is your friend….after my long protracted fruitless 2 ½ search for my first Ferrari, with that being ultra low mileage 1989 328 GTB, I finally found the elusive 328 GTB by a fellow FChatter on the East Coast, who in turn had another fellow FChatter go take pictures of it for me….so I highly recommend the FChat community to assist in your search…good bunch of folks for sure……I look at it this way. I large lot of the best Ferraris are owned by people here on FChat and they have a network of people that is just amazing…..My 89 328 GTB has never been on the public market since it was new in 1989…..Heck it was even a special order from the factory…and I only found it through word of mouth by another FChatter…..I almost settled a few times for the “not perfect’ 328…..in the end the 2 ½ years hunt was worth it….and actually kind of fun as well….I think the hunt will make me enjoy the 328 even more….plus it makes a good story anyway…..
Consider yourself lucky that it's gone. When you buy a car that's been modified-"Power steering, turbocharged, alarmed 100% original 1981 GTBi?" and you decide to return it to original condition, like I did, this is what I had to remove from my 85' 308, to get the wiring back in shape- (every wire had to be traced to make sure I didn't remove the factory ones). Buy a car with minimum mods ! Almost all of this was for an aftermarket stereo & amp. I used about 6 wires to install my new stereo and took care to do a much neater job. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Not every good car is going to be represented well with good salesmanship. Also, lots of bad cars will be misrepresented to be better than they are. My own 328 was just a simple one-line "just the basics" ad in collectorcartraderonline.com. He also had it in craigslist, but that's it--and it was perfect, not a single mod. Just a guy selling a 328.
What a great picture.....I just burst out laughing....The visual is great and very true as well.....I had a Defender 90 once that had about that much wire come out as well....
Dan, You will come accross lots of ads likethat, especially for lower end Fcars that knowlegable buyers would not touch. Lot's of times when a dealer does an ad he just checks off stuff like A/T PS, etc w/o ever looking. Sometimes they are just ignorant. This car sounds like one I used to see in Castle Rock 5-6 years ago. I talked to the owner once and then he put it up for sale shortly thereafter and I never saw it again. If memory serves, it was a pretty tired car with smoking exhaust, etc. A lot could have happened in the meantime to improve or maybe not improve it! Patience is really rewarded when looking for a used Ferrari. Good luck, Dave
