Which TR should i buy...

I've been researching this scenerio myself. Basically, you need to evaluate each TR or Fcar for that matter, based on it's individual merrits. Service history, carfax report are all good. If it's due for a major service (ie. 30K mile) figure that's going to run you $12K.

If you find a car you like, have a PPI done. It will cost you a few hundred bucks, but that will tell you better what's going on with the car and you can negotiate the price down if warranted, walk away if there are too many costly problems, or buy it. You can research the cost of fixing the concers the PPI reveals and determine your course of action at that time.

 

Ferrari Testarossa
Price guide
A 1984 starts at $57,000 usd in todays market
an later Ferrari Testarossa 1988-1990 $62,000 plus...

Key areas before buying your dream car...
service records..Ferrari Dealer serviced or non dealer service records. Also look for recalls passive restraint systems. replace seat belt assembly.

Best advise is to take the car to a local ferrari dealer.. pay the $500.00 inpection fee.. or you can go with your gut feeling.. car fax is a great starter.

Ask the seller for books, manuels, service records tools.. if its the right car with all history records,. no body work.. clean leather no crackes on the dash...
pay the extra fee .. I have owned three testarossa 1990 , 1994 , 1995 f512m not one problem...
Serviced all my cars at ferrari dealer... I paid 88,000 for my 1990... my 1994 i paid 130,000 and for my 1995 f512m i paid 177,000... which i will keep...
hope this helps
john

 

If you are looking for a Testarossa you probably had better look for an 88.5 or later because that gives you a wider selection of tires for the wheels which are 5 bolt and not knock off. If you want to move up in performance then consider a 91 to 94 TR. If you really want to step up then consider an M. But it takes considerably more money to play in the upper two than the first. As far as trouble is concerned I don't think one is more prone to trouble than the other. Remember the 180 degree V-12 has been around for a long time and it is a stout motor. Abusive behavior however, will yield huge repair bills.

 

Its like any other car, if you buy a beater, you will pay an unknown amount for repairs and maintenance. If you buy a newer TR with low miles, you will probably have a known quantity of maintenance. You don't want to be surprised and have to dump $20K into an engine or tranny rebuild do you? I would (and did, happily) pay for the pristine car if you have the money. And who doesn't want a car with that new car smell, that gives you that pride of ownership every time you look at it?

 

You have to get a PPI by an independant trustworthy mechanic

You DONT want to pay to restore 1 of these, You could easily end up paying 100% over what you paid for it

 

Yes TRs can be costly if you get a bad one needing many repairs. I'm a financially-challenged guy who just had to have a TR. So after years of owning very nice musclecars and vettes (one at a time of course) I sold my pristine ZR-1 and bought a rough "beater" TR....it was all I could afford. I will confess it was an emotional buy and not what most would recommend. But I'm somewhat mechanically inclined so I've been able to do all of the work myself. I've done everything from rewiring the console/dash to 2 engine-out services, along with lots of cleaning and repainting odds and ends. I've found that the majority of the maintenance costs are labor and not parts themselves, though some parts can be very pricey. Also I've saved tons of money shopping around for parts rather than going through the dealer. For instance...fuel injectors for my TR are also common to a VW application, so my costs were $24 each rather than $121 from a dealer! I recently added up all the receipts, of which there are MANY, and the total costs so far for my TR are $5,500....and this includes any special tools like the older 4-Gas Analyzer I had to guy to set up the fuel mixture. My car is running great and has been totally reliable for 3 years now, and I can say with pride that I've done it myself. But I realize not many would want to start out their Ferrari experience like I did.

From my experiences I recommend getting a car with the best cosmetics you can find, that may need a few minor mechanical repairs but doesn't need anything big like a clutch or belt service. That is what I'm going to do when I get my next TR. Or if these things are needed adjust the price accordingly. A clutch will be around $2,000, and a belt service around $6,000 to maybe $8,000. These costs should be less at a good independant shop. I'm lucky in that I am now very familiar with TRs and can do my own ppi....it's an education learned the hard way, but I don't regret it for a minute. There is nothing like owning a Ferrari...NOTHING !!

 

The cheapest one to own is the best one you can find.

In other words, purchase time is not the time to be thrifty.

 

Very well put.

 

Agreed......

 

You will probably spend $3-5k per yer in miscellaneous service not including the major service, to keep the car in top operating condition. Don't buy one with no money in reserve for repairs. If you do, you will resent buying the car. I would wait for a known car to come available on this site, that other Fchat users can vouch for. Enjoy the search, and don't do anything in a hurry (until after you get the Ferrari)!

BT