Hi, I am new to Ferrari's, but have spent some time reading this forum for some of the pitfalls of the F355. I wanted to get some opinions about what ballpark this car should sell for. I have not seen the car yet, and don't want to make the 300 mile round trip if the seller is way off the mark and won't budge. * 1995 F355 Berlinetta * Mileage: 6000 * Never had the 30K "major" tuneup, no cam belt change * Only had fluids, and plug changes done at Ferrari dealership * Only driven 1500 miles in last 5 years * Car completely stock. * On second set of tires which wore out in 1500 miles, due to owner's claim of racing alignment from factory - not sure what that means - maybe someone here knows. Owner claims alignment set back to "street", and new tires installed. * Color Black on Tan (how much does black reduce value compared to red?) * Scrap to underside of front bumper (driveway ramp damage - is this common?) * Original exhaust manifolds, so will crack in the future - what's the replacement cost? * Not enough miles to see if valve guides will hold up - what's their replacement cost? * Car never raced. * Some black paint swirl marking Car was driven along California coast, so I am worried about salt corrosion. Where would I look? Car was trucked from Calif. to Texas and back when owner moved there and back. Where would they normally tie these down so I can look for damage? Owner is asking $78K, which seems high for a Berlinetta, even if it was fully serviced. Car hasn't sold at that price for several months. ****** My other question, is how can a prepurchase be done, when the car is nowhere near a Ferrari service facility? Should I entice a Ferrari enthusiast to come with me to check it out who knows the problem areas? ****** Thank you very much for your help. Michael
I would not touch that car without a thorough pre-purchase inspection. While the car is probably fine, there are MANY things that can go wrong or need costly attention. Price w/o 30k & inspection: $60k, yeah...that low! Bottom line: that car MUST get a 30k-service asap!!!! Despite the low mileage, the timing belt has been under tension and has enough time on it to warrant replacement. It's a must no matter what he may contend. Hate to say it, but only a fool would buy that car w/o a 30k-service and clean bill of health. Don't kid yourself, it's a decade-old vehicle. During the 30k, everything can be addressed in terms of your concerns. After everything is done and it's clean...I'd figure about $74k tops
I'd buy the car without the 30k... at the reduced price. I'd like to be able to organise and monitor the 30k service myself. Pre-purchase inpsection also a must. The 30k doesn't look at everything. Regards, Pete ... my '96 Spider is up for sale .... being transferred to the middle east and just can't take it with me! )-:
I laugh a little when I read these pricing posts. The seller must really need to sell to get to these numbers. I don't think you should find any 355 lower then $70K if it's in good condition and the seller isn't in distress. This car could be in very good condition but it needs to be checked. I think it's prob. a good asking price with about $5-6k to play due to required service.
1500 miles on a set of tires...30K hasn't been done...come on, something it not right. Either the seller isn't telling you everything or perhaps evern worse knows nothing about how to take care of the car. I would run, not walk away from this one.
will not pay more than 65k. with a major ur at 73k and thats assume NOTHING NEEDS REPAIR. 73k for a low mile 95 isn't a steal, just fair.
Micheal, are you going to use the car alot or just toy around with it every once in a while? I ask because if your going to to use it with any frequency, you should buy a car with more miles on it. A car that has grown up being driven will always be more reliable than one that hasn't. The other concern I have for you on this one is when people avoid the service intervals than how can you know they didn't cut corners elswhere. These cars are like airplanes, they are worth much less w/o the records. My car is a 95 355B with 28k, and it has has two 30k's. Every 5 years you just do it, that is the deal. Good luck with your search -Colby
$ 78 K is crazy high for a B that has not been serviced. Get a PPI. I PPIed 5 355s and passed on the first four. Every single car, even those having their 30Ks needed $ 4k or more (absent service) to get fully sorted. One car only needed about $ 15,000 to be sorted and it was a 10k mile car. I settled on one with 18,000 miles, that just had the 30k and that had the $ 8,000 valve job done. I still paid in the 60s on a car that had two 30Ks already done and that had the valve issue sorted. Personally, I would rather have a car with 20k on it than 6k for various reasons. Do youself a favor and get a PPI for $ 250 or so and consider doing a compression. Otherwsie, you could find that your $ 75,000 car needs well over $ 10,000 worth of work just to drive it safely or without causing any more damage. Be patient. I was and I found a deal that was better than I had envisioned and my car has yet to hiccup.
You say this hasn't had a cam belt change. If I remember correct it is every 3 years or 30k miles isn't it? Well if this is a 10 year old motor, it should have had 3 belt services in that time scale. Belts degrade even if standing. Even if you get it & everything else is okay you are looking at an immediate change now. Isn't that an engine out service to start with? Cost? Ouch!! Betcha they find/recommend loads of other bits are replaced whilst it's out. Apologies if I'm off target but for me it would be don't walk but ... RUN!! SP
I agree - get a car that someone is willing to drive and service. I know a guy who has 38K miles on his 1995 355B and was selling it in February for $72K. I figured he would go down a little from there. He had all the records. I'd much rather buy a car like this (its also a CA car) than someone who thinks a low mileage car without a 30K is worth a lot. Keep looking. There are a lot of cars out there. Finding the right combination of color/transmission with a good car is harder if you are picky about color and location of the car but if you aren't, it shouldn't take long. Also, as one site says, don't ever buy the first car you look at. For that matter, go to a dealer and test drive a few. Almost every dealer has at least one for sale. Scott
its good to get a car thats been driven, but come on at 38k thats alot of miles, i will not pay more than 60k for a '95 with that mileage, servied or not. 15-20k with records will be a better choice.
I understand what people are saying regarding buying a garage queen. You've got dried up seals, flat spotted bearings and tires, corrosion, etc. The quandary I'm in is I plan on driving the car, perhaps up to 10K miles per year. If I get one which has been driven, then adding my mileage to the original will result in a heavily mileage depreciated car when it comes time to sell. How many people want a Ferrari with 60K or 70K miles? So I was thinking buying a low mileage vehicle, at a reduced price, and doing the maintenance, might be a better approach, although as people mentioned, there is risk involved, depending on how much has been let go. I planned on doing at least a part of the work myself (former automotive engineer). Michael
I personnally think you should approach it the other way around. Look for a much cheaper 355 with higher mileage. Then proportionally the miles you add will not effect the depreciation as much. The advantage of a high miler is it should have had loads of money spent on servicing, fixing weak points (Valve guides, manifolds) and will probably be a well loved/used car if you choose carefully. And you will be able to ride off the fact that someone else has already spent the cash on it ! Good luck
There was a 30k mile red tan B in Atlanta a month ago for mid 60s that I had PPIed. Ferrari of Atlanta said nice car, especially for miles. The main expense it needed was new tires and a list of other minor stuff that came to $ 4,500. The seller would have split the repair bill with me even with car already in the $ 60k. The miles were a little high for me and it did not have the valves done, but it is possible to buy a decent serviced 355 in the $ 60K range.
I see where you are coming from on getting a higher mileage car at a good price. I'll adjust my search to include those. BTW, I looked a '99 355 today, but the paint was in terrible condition. It had a lot of stone chips, and it looked like they never used any water when they washed it (scratched). Thank you for the guidance. Michael