Why the high maintenance?

yeah, one thing i noticed in a thread a few months back about garage queens was that these cars that were nothing but showpieces were still having as much - and often MORE - cash spent on maintenance than those which were being driven all the time.

 

Ferrari of SF sold me my '77 Euro 308 for $15.5K. I put $10K into it and have one beautiful car!

 

same with my fiat... except the numbers are backwards...

 

Thank God!! Man I would have hated to hear that you bought the car for 30k and put another 30 into it!!

 

Ya, so would I! It just shows that there are deals out there if you are at the right place at the right time or if you are willing to say NO a few dozen times until the right deals comes along. The Sales Manager at Ferrari of SF was great to work with. He really wanted to wholesale the car out to S.CA at a few grand over what I paid....I just would not leave his shop until he sold me the car (Probably sold it to me to get me to leave!).

 

Hi,
I think of owning any high-end exotic as being similar to having an F-14. You are at the controls of an engineering marvel; and cutting edge technology is neither inexpensive to acquire nor maintain. Consider, however, that an F-14 is able to independently track, target, and destroy more than 6 hostile aircrafts simultaneously....how different is a Ferrari to "enemy" cars on the track or roadway?

See ya out there!

 

Agreed here,too. Preventive Maintenance is one key.Change that Oil. REGULARLY...(All of the Fluids,really,as needed,or more) Not "Beating" on it is another...

I've owned an '86 Porsche with 160,000 miles on it. And,a Corvette with 175,000 miles. Both ran very strong. Absolutely no Smoke. No engine noise. And,I kept the cars immaculate. They looked,and ran, like 30,000 mile cars. Got good money for them on resale,too. And,never had any big expenses with either car.

Also,a Ferrari is no "Ordinary car". It is the closet thing to a "Factory Race Car" as youre gonna get. (Outside of "Specialty Cars",or Small Production Specialty Models from other marques.) So,they need a little more attention than an Ordinary,high production car.

I read in one of the automobile publications a couple years back, this statement. (By whom,I don't recall) "Porsche makes more cars in One year than Ferrari has made in 50 years. And THAT is a Very Special Club...."

'Nuff said. Either you love 'em,or you don't. And,if someone cannot afford the upkeep of a car like this,above and beyond the purchase price. They should buy a Corvette,or something. Proper Maintenance goes along with it.

 

Well let's see. First of all I don't have that much into it yet and I may have been off a little in my estimate, but it will be close if I do everything I want. First was a major service: belts, tune up, a bunch of oil seals and some misc stuff $2500. Next body work $1500 for damage caused in transit and $3000 for other "while it was there" stuff. Next was $1300 for new wheels. I'm getting ready to do the suspension I figure that will be about $1000 to $1500. This winter it will get a new clutch and some other work I'm figuring at least $3000 for that. The interior needs to be at least worked on if not replaced so anywhere from a couple hundred to several thousand. And the normal myriad of minor stuff at $10 to $100 a piece.

Add all that up and you start approaching $15K pretty quick. Like I said in my post most of it has been "cosmetics". The belts and tensioners probably would have lasted a few more years (but I didn't want to take the chance), there was nothing wrong with the wheels ( but I wanted different ones), the suspension only "needs" new bushings (but I want new shocks and springs too), the body work could have waited (but I wanted it to look better), and it will still drive for awhile without a new clutch (but I want it to drive right)...

Yes, I could have cut out a lot of the costs BUT...
I wanted to do all these things to make the car what I want it to be so why should I "kick it out the door"??

 

I understnd now...Alot of the stuff you have done is by choice not because it needed it. Basicly I think the thread was asking just general maintenance, not imporvments and such.

It sort of took me by surprize when you stated that you had 100% of the purchase price in repairs!! In this case don't kick it out the door..keep it an enjoy every minute!! I thought just in upkeep (no mods) you had 100% in the car!!

 

Sorry, guess I missed the original point. You are correct though, if I had to put 100% to keep it running I sure would have kicked it the door FAST!!

 

One aspect to keep in mind is the very low productions numbers on these cars. When you have low model runs, replacement parts are going to be more expensive, ie: body parts, or even gasket sets. Ferrari's were never cranked out in volume like a Corvette. How many valve cover gasket sets get sold for Ferrari V-8 annually vs a small block Chevy.

The exception is parts that have been borrowed from another manufacturer's parts department. The longer you are exposed to F-cars, the more you discover the interchanges available. In addition, certain parts, ie: plug wires, do not need to be purchased from a dealer.

A big problem is the attitude of the dealers' parts departments. Some are willing to flex on prices, others have this is the price take it or leave it attitude. It pays to shop! What you're paying for parts will effect your overall maintenance cost on the car.