Any bad experiences with limited slip, tranny, in testarossas? I own one but I have heard of some people with problems on their TRs.
I have some transmission problems occacionally. My trans actually exploded last year but I drive the H out of my cars on the track so I'm a pretty extreme owner
I'm surprised maintenance costs are the same bcus of the age of the BB & the tiny #s that came to the US. I would have imagined BB parts to be much more $$ A friend of mine had to pay $750 for a turn signal stalk for his 275GTB4 & that was like 10 years ago. Ouch
A nominal parts source would be anyone having 512BB parts, there are so few of them in the USA. I have heard that windshields are next to impossible to find, go price a clutch for a BB. FNA did not import the 512BB as far as I know, so all of the 512BB's are gray market. The BB also has one of the best looking engines for Ferrari---4 giant webers mounted on a flat 12.
I think we've had a miscommunication here. I asked who your normal parts source was and what parts you had trouble acquiring. Have you ever bought Boxer parts? The 512BB was not imported by FNA. Greg A
tjacoby, i too own a bbi and did as you are doing and evaluated both. i ended up w the bbi as i was looking for the quintessential ferrari road car of recent vintage. i was also told by jean louis laberton (ex nart guy from greenwich) that the bb is the "sparticus" of road going ferraris...that was all that i nneded to hear!! as far as mid engine ferraris go, it must be the purists ferrari imo. independent of price, it remains my favorite car. the comment james had eluded to earlier about the chances of seeing atr or a bbi on the road made me think...last year i was walking down orange ave in coronado and i heard of in the distance this unmistakable roar/schriek. i turned around and saw an all red boxer coming down the road in second gear and sound ing like no other. i got weak in the knees and laughed as all the bystanders all pointed to the car like it was a movie star. i felt really satisfied knowing i too had a boxer tucked away in my garage!! ...well actually...it is tucked away in someone elses garage as it is currently being repaired. repairs can and will be very costly. it is, as is the tr, a big boy car. last comment, of all the cars i have owned and will continue to buy or sell, the boxer will stay with out question. sorry for rambling.
Boxers are awesome, TRs are awesome. My guess is that if you're under 35, you're into the TR and prefer the Boxer if older. You guys are forgetting handling, the TR has modern tires when equipped with 16 inch wheels...Boxers are crippled by metric wagon wheels which make any spirited driving scary. Boxer are sexy and classic...with carbed sound that is truly fantastic. The TR is wild and an '80s icon... LS
i'm the guy that started this thread, and i'm 33... and have always preferred the boxer. but the recent prices of TRs have caused me to rethink. i think i'm netting out nearer to my beloved Boxer. as usual, this was a very enlightenting and entertaining thread.
Testarossas are, with the exception of the 365 GTC/4, the best buy on the road. Can't do better than paying $50k for a 12 cylinder - one new, one older. When I suggest that maintenance costs are the same, I refer to engine- out service, oil, sparkplugs, tires, brakes, etc. etc. I suspect that a windshield for both cars is quite dear, and comparably priced. They are both 12 cylinder flats, similar brakes, suspension, number of Koni's (6 each), etc. Yes, I believe that the maintenance costs, and the repair costs, are about the same. Both engines are reliable. Bottom-ends rarely see the light of day. Heads, if driven correctly (not too much RPM, not too little) rarely need work. Clutch on my testarossa has 20,000 miles, and the Boxer clutch has 18,000 miles. Drive them correctly and they are reliable, fun, cars, with maintenance costs minimal except for the 12-15 year engine out service (yes - that's how long it will be before I do my next engine-out service). I owned my Testarossa for 12 years before I put a dime into it (driven 12,000 miles in that period). First and only maintenance was the engine-out. The Boxer had its engine-out as soon as I purchased it, and now it is quite reliable. The only time and or money I put into either car since the service is a result of pride of ownership and not out of necessity. Drive either car correctly, recognize that there are multiple-of-12 everything (pistons, valves, rings, bearings, etc.) with consequent statistical likelihood of failure (hence the admonition to drive correctly), and enjoy. Finally, I suspect that a majority of dollars we collectively spend on these cars, what many refer to as high maintenance costs, is spent out of pride of ownership, and not out of necessity. How many threads are there on this site describing engine-out service because of an oil leak, or a desire to detail the engine bay, or fear of a belt failure? When I see a few drops of oil on the driveway under my Suburban, I don't take it to the Chevy dealer and have them take the engine out. Pride of ownership is appropriate, as these are hobbies and not cars. Ask a sailor if she has to varnish her boat every year, and the answer will definitely be yes, yet us car nuts would look from ashore with curiosity - it doesn't make the boat sail faster? Jim S.
Hey Lashdeep! Good to see you on FChat. As you know, I bought a Boxer in November and I think that the beast actually handles pretty good. Yes, the wheels/tires are metric, but they are fairly large- 415mm (16.3") and the tires are "240s" all the way around, on the injected models. Man, I just love the Boxer's brute power compared to my old 308QV! The car's a blast to drive.
I like Both the TR and the Boxer. The difference for me was I wanted a hand made in Italy car as with the TR - all comfort and the start of robotic assembly line construction.I enjoy the factory paint mistakes like Luigi overspraying my rear decklid and a long drip on the lower rear side. This is Italian Character that adds that special touch not seeing on later (perfect) models .
I guess that depends upon how you define "single model" or "any Ferrari"... 11,273 = F355 8,312 = 348 7,412 = 328 7,177 = TR 2,280 = 512TR 500 = 512M Grouping the three TRs together gets it past the 348, but not even close to the 355 (or 360). OTOH, if you define F1 vs. 6-speed and Spyder vs Berlinetta vs Targa as different models, forcing the F355, 348, and 328 numbers to be split into 2, 3, or 6 sub-segments each... then maybe you're claim holds up.
FYI, the Boxer was the last Ferrari that had it's body panels hand hammered on a wooden buck. All other Ferraris made since them had their body panels created on an assembly line just like a Chevy.
it is a bit nice to own a unique car a s the bb. the nose on your car will not fit on mine! it really is good stuff...the last car to offer the true ferrari experience. that's why it will stay as the cornerstone of my eventual ferrari collection. daytona coupe next.
is it possible to swap out the original bb512 wheel/tire combo, and replace with 18'' rims and low aspect rubber? does this improve the handling all by itself, or do you need to adjust other things as well?
Ron, Spot on - Official Ferrari Records show 1344 GTB's manufactured, Split another way, 5526 LHD GTS Models, 1214 LHD GTB Models, 542 RHD GTS Models, 130 RHD GTB Models. Grand Total = 7412. Regards, Steve328 The 328 Registry
I am sure that Kinesis could make up some custom wheels. You would have to redo the suspension bushings & replace them more often + probably get some race quality stub axles bcus the new rubber puts a much higher stress load on the suspension & bits than the old tech tires
Ross, There's a number of wheel companies who can custom make center lock wheels to fit Boxers. The best deal I've found is from Compomotive in England. They make a very nice looking three piece 17" modular wheel that looks very similiar to a 288 GTO wheel and they are about $2,000 for a set of four from their USA distributor.
