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Coupes & Convertibles Ferrari Ferrari-the Ultimate classic (Ferrari Lovefest Topic)
729 messages, Last post on Nov 01, 2008 at 8:45 AM
You are in the Ferrari Forum. Your Host is claires
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That's about the going rate, $25K. But you don't want a RHD car in America. That kills value enormously. Eventually a Rolls mechanic bought the car and shipped it to England to make a killing. He fixed it all up himself and then drove it off the boat...and the transmission failed! Man, was I lucky. I'd say buy the best used Ferrari you can afford and avoid shabby cars completely. This is SHOCKING, but some Ferrari experts really and sincerely believe that a very high mileage Ferrari, if it is one of the more unloved modern ones (Testarossa, 400i, 2 valve 308s) is really only a parts car and should be purchased as such. And they don't mean shabby either. Even a clean one with 75K is such a risk financially that you should treat it as a parts car. |
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The 250GT 2+2 was one of the first Ferraris ever got loopy about. I remember a rather elaborate sketch of it I made on the front of a notebook. I like the 330 as well and I actually prefer the four headlight model which I think has stood the test of time rather well. If I could find one cheap....it's like Shifty sez, if you haven't got an expert, fuhgedaboutit! I see you like myself find the nomenclature of these cars confusing. The 330 GTC was a two seater with a nose identical to the 2+2/2-headlight model. If anything the 2+2 was a 330GTE. The 250 2+2 is also known as a GTE. I'm not sure where the GTE designation came from because until about 10 years ago I'd never heard of, they were always just 2+2s |
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Ever since I was a kid I have been in love with Ferraris. I think it may have been watching Phil Hill throw the 156 around Monaco but I'm not sure that was the exact moment the affair began. In the early '70's I bought a 250GTE. It was never right and I couldn't afford to make it right. No one wanted 2+2's and I sold it cheap. It was the biggest mistake I ever made. After several Alfa's, Lotuses (crazy or what? I was actually dumb enough to buy another), and a Jag I started buying sedans (Benzes). In 2000, my mid-life crisis caught me up and I bought a Toyota MR2 Spyder. It's a Lotus that starts and runs everyday. Great car, a blast to drive. But last year my wife (bless her) convinced me to follow the dream. I looked at a lot of Ferraris in "my price range" Mondial coupes, 308 GTB's and GTS's. Every one I looked had problems and I wanted every one of them. Fortunately, memories of the 250 and common sense prevailed. there is no bigger or more expensive nightmare than a bad exotic. Last August I finally bought. Through a very reputable broker, Boston Sportscar in Weston MA (are we allowed plugs?). They found me a beautiful black/black 308 Dino GT4, 1979. The car has been impeccabley maintained, which makes it easy to keep up with. I use it as an almost daily driver. Obviously in good weather only. It is stored over the winter with the MR2. Because I put miles on it, I've had to do some maintenance. First the good news. Ferrari's are as solid as can be. It starts and runs everytime. No shakes, rattles or rolls that you wouldn't expect in a 23 year old car. There is enough easy do-it-yourself work to keep the owner involved and happily puttering. Over about 5000 miles of mixed driving I have not had any real problems except a broken shock. The koni's appeared to be original. The bad news. Well, bad is the wrong word. Be forwarned. Just as Mr. Shiftright says, repairs are expensive. Shocks are $500, a piece. This spring I put a clutch in. I knew going in it would have to be done. That's around $2500 parts and labor. Knowing this, I put money aside in a Ferrari maintenace account. My service provider says to plan on about $1200-$1500 per year and about $5000 every 15, 000 miles for the dreaded belt change. The bottom line is this. This car gives me and my wife, an indescribable thrill everytime it fires up and the Tubi exhaust starts that symphony. I have no regrets what so ever of buying the car. Until you actually have one, or the use of one, you simply can't imagine what it's like to drive a Ferrari. Sorry if I'm gushing and sorry for the very long post. Tom |
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Yep, that sounds about right, Tom. To do right by a Ferrari it ends up costing about $1 a mile once you average it all out over a few years. I know some folks like to criticize Ferrari maintenance costs, but as you say, if you haven't driven one hard yourself, you aren't in a position to judge whether $1 a mile is worth it or not. When I was a younger man, I used to have this smug attitude "So what's the big deal about a Ferrari?" One day I had a Ferrari mechanic take me out on the back roads. He was a former amateur racer in Italy and a very solid, fierce driver. It was unlike anything else I'd experienced in a road car. I remember thinking, after the ride "Surely, this cannot be legal." It was like owning your own fighter jet. My friend has a Daytona and I take it around once in a while. It's a somewhat harsh and stiff car on city streets but it is amazing what happens about 80 mph on up. The whole machine just changes personality, as if it were saying "Oh, yeah, now I'm starting to feel the sweet spot. Keep scratching right there. Now a little higher. And a little higher" On a Daytona, "higher" can get you up to 170 MPH (theoretically--this is not a car that has been tech-ed!) |
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| thanks for the response about the Ferrari Daytona. I've been a Ferrari enthusiast ever since I started reading about cars in 1957. Not long after that, I learned about Ferraris, as a twelve-year-old. | |
$1 per mile. Let's see, I have about $100 in my wallet. Any Ferrari owners want to make a quick $100? 
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Hey, DG, we could open up a franchise like those go-cart tracks! "Ride In Your Fantasy Car", $1 a mile....Ferrari, Bentley, Porsche Turbo, Z06. They can just press a button on the dash (if they can reach it) and add another lap. Hmmm...I need to do the math. Sounds too cheap for a lap. |
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| Out in Southern Calif (where else)? | |
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| You can still rent a Ferrari out here, I think for only $500/600 a day. I'm sure the weekly rate is better and I bet there's an AARP discount. Unfortunately, where they rent Ferraris is no where i want to drive one. I mean, LA? Sure, let 'er rip to 25 mph. I suppose there's always midnight. | |
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I use3d to think that a real Ferrari had to have 12 cylinders but as I accumulated literature on 'em I became more and more aware of the illustrious racing history of the Dino V6s in racing (e.g. the shark nosed 156 Dino F1 of 1961). I say they're real Ferraris, my favorite's the 246 GTS, in fact it's one of the top 3 or 4 Ferraris ever in my book. I've never been able to decide on a "favorite" Ferrari, it's like picking a favorite beer or a favorite Bob Dylan song. |
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