What to do???????????????? PPI

Having your guy go to his store is not unusual. I have traveled to dealers and as a shop foreman at a dealer we used to have them over. When possible we would let them have the use of the shop as needed. It is common because for a number of reasons sometimes the car could just not leave the dealers control.

 

Algar has a pretty good reputation, point 1.

Salesmen should be saying "yes" to customer requests, not "no," point 2.

If they want to sell the car, tell them to send it to Algar...otherwise it is just them using reverse psychology on you the potential buyer (e.g. "we say no so you say yes").

Reverse psychology is why some beautiful women respond positively to men who treat them badly; it's also why "snobby" dealers can sell the same car for more money than can decent dealers, too.

 

Why does a car with 6K need a new clutch? Its not an F1 is it?

 

Awwwww c'mon. What could possibly be wrong with a car with such low miles? Just send him the check!

Seriously, I wouldn't use his PPI guy. IIRC, there was an ad in the back of Forza for a PPI/inspection service. I don't have any copies handy though.
Good Luck. I hope to be joining the 355 party soon!

Dave

 

6,000 needs a clutch?? A 7 year old Ferrari with 6,000 miles?

Are the tires original? What about brake pads/calipers?


I dont care if its a Ferrari or a Trans Am-- Clutches dont go bad at 6,10 or 15,000 miles unless they're driven improperly or raced.

<Not a debate issue, my opinions based on my knowledge and experience with cars. Youll never change my mind, so focus on helping our fellow member.>

I love 355's-- but the market on them has softened. From what I understand they have some hefty maintainance bills compared with a 348, 328, etc..

What it comes down to is $$$. Whats the number? What color is it (inside and out) and what is your position if you get a 6,000 mile car and a seal starts leaking and HAS to be repaired.

Bro--Dont **EVER** be insulted when it comes to spending your money. Get insulted if you offend a friend or relative. This is business. Im sure the sales man at this dealership isnt insulted asking you for $15,000 over market value. It sounds to me that the dealer selling this car is a used exotic lot?

Tell them to drive it to Algar, or flat bed it. Cant be a huge expense for them to make the sale. 50-60 miles and they have, im sure, a relationship with a towing company. Cant be more then $150.00 round trip to flat bed it. Youre paying the PPI--Its no sweat off their back. If its perfect, like they claim, then they have no reason to fear your request. If Algar is a reputable Ferrari Franchised Dealer, they would never botch a test that will be documented. Its not worth it to them long term. My bottom line: Youre about to spend $80-$90,000 on a used car that costs 15 times more to maintain and fix then an everyday driver. The market is soft on 355's, I believe. Its in their best interest to do what makes YOU comfortable to make the deal. If you have to look elsewhere, so be it. Theres plenty of them out there. 355's are not commodities yet.

 

I bought my 1997 355GTS with just over 5000 miles on it last year and I did not get a PPI but I did fly up to see the car. But the dealer shop went through the car from one end to the other and did the major service on it which show the car to be in top shape otherwise I would have had a PPI done. I recently had a similar incident with Victory motors in Houston over a porsche I was looking at to track. Car is great no problem having a PPI done arranged it with a local service and I got a call saying not him he will trash talk my product etc. Bothered me a little but what really bothered me was sending a friend that lives in Houston to drive the car and arranged a time and wouldn't you know the dealer had the car buried in the showroom 8 cars deep and did the if you really want to drive it I guess I can get the cars moved but it will take awhile etc. I walked.

I would definitly get a PPI in this case because of the dealers response. I say either take it to Algar or forget it or Bring that guy in from 3 hours ask him how much he will chargwe for travel time and make sure the dealer has open access to the shop and to do what he needs to do. Wouldn't do any good to get him there to the dealer and all they let him do is put it on a rack. I could see them pulling that on you.

If it gets more complicated I would walk even though it is tough walking away from something you really want.

Good Luck

Greg

 

I believe everyone here has some very good advice. They are all saying the same thing, too: This is fishy.
It is better to love and lost, than to never have loved ever. There are many other 355's out there.
You, I, and everyone else knows for a fact that it WILL be worth the wait for one you 100% love.

 

It is fishy. They don't want you going to a reputable dealer for a reason. They said that he is afraid that they would say something untrue about the car, as if to imply that Alger is biased against them and not the car. How would Alger know the car is from them unless you tell them? Are they paying for the PPI? And why would Alger say somthing untrue about the car anways?

Sorry if I sound like I am arguing this but I don&#8217;t want to see you get screwed. There is a good chance that this is really a good car but&#8230;.


Please let us know what happens regardless.

 

Talking to them face to face and seeing the car is definitely the way to go. Just laying eyes on it and driving it will go a long way in this case. You will either be able to arrive at a good solution regarding the PPI, or you will know it's time to lace up the running shoes and duck out the back...

Keep us posted.

 

It doesn't sound fishy to me.

Think about it....

Would you want your car taken to a dealer an hour away every time a perspective customer wanted to do a PPI?

I think they are being reasonable.

Get a mechanic of your choice to go and look at it.

Good luck

 

(Of course, without knowing what happened?) I do somewhat understand the sellers apprehension with the dealer and have to say if I sold my 96 355 I would not be to thrilled having the local dealer complete the PPI due to a previous major trust problem. I have sent people around the country for a PPI so just make sure the dealer has a lift and bring someone in you trust for the inspection. If the seller becomes flakey with this, RUN.

 

All,

I spoke with Algar yesterday regarding 355s and found them very informative. In addition, one of my colleagues has multiple old and exotics (he prefers vintage rides) and says that they have a great reputation.

Particularly interesting and something that I wasn't aware is that the amount of clutch life left in a vehicle can be somewhat measured (e.g., 60% used up so about 40% left). Suffice to say that this is a key quesion that I am not asking as I do my 355 search. I am not quite sure what machine or technique measures it but it was an interesting bit of information for me.

The other salient point was that a 355 which recently had a belt service really should just go ahead and do a full 30,000 mile service since the engine is out and incrementally it is considerably less (going from memory but I believe that that is what he said).

Suffice to say, I would run the price, features and maintenance regime past them before committing (they confirmed that low to mid $80,000 is a respectable price for the specs that I am seeking).

Hope this helps.

Steve

 

But how can a dealership allow you to bring in anyone you want to look at the car?

Their insurance policies will have regulations on NON-Employees using the shop. I work for a very large Honda dealership. We do 70-90 used vehicles a month. Anyone is welcome to bring friends, mechanics, whoever to inspect our cars before you buy it.

But there is NO WAY--Let me say again-- NO FRICKIN WAY --- We can or will let a stranger pull our car into our shop on our lift and inspect the car, let alone break down the engine compartment for compression tests. Thats the part I dont get.

Ill bet the money in my pocket they wont let you bring in a Ferrari Tech and use THEIR shop to do a full PPI.

 

You mention that the selling dealer does not want the car to go to Algar because of some 'poor relationship.' If the relationship is so poor between the two then why had the dealer taken the car to Algar for the clutch problem to begin with? There should be no reason for them not to want to send the car to Algar, unless they are hiding something.

 

That doesn&#8217;t sound as bad as it did before now that you have mentioned that. Sorry if it seemed like I was arguing with you, but someone has got to play devils advocate. With that aside I am still a bit apprehensive in this situation. It&#8217;s just plain not making sense to me.
Can&#8217;t please everyone I guess. I am sure everything will go smooth for you. Without being there first hand it&#8217;s always hard to make up your mind on stuff like this. Follow your instincts, its what got you the ability to buy this car in the first place, but its not going to hurt for you to be cautious.

 

My comment was if the car had burned through 50% of its clutch in 6k miles then either someone abused the clutch or they didn't know how to drive properly, either way it isn't good.

 

Is this car in NJ? I think I know the dealer. Please post the dealer here.

tks.

 

"The car has NOT had a major." The car should of had a major in 2004 that is 2 years ago ,,,far from a perfect car.
I would not drive the car 100 miles with out having the overdue major done first.