Quote:
Originally Posted by GG Allin
Then there's these, dirt cheap relatively speaking. I've seen them as low as $20K. I always liked the look of them. I wonder if they'll ever have their day.
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Three Pedals: 1983 Ferrari 400i 5-Speed
Good commentary by "Alexander Leventhal" who used one as his winter beater for 3 NY winters.
I put over 30k miles on a 400i (an auto – chassis #049773) over a period of about 3 years between 2005-2008 or so using it as a WINTER BEATER to go from my country house into and out of New York City. I used it as a sort of “sacrificial anode” to keep my other Ferraris from being subjected to salt, snow, NYC, etc. As such, I’m pretty well qualified to speak to what they are like to run and maintain, etc.
I’ll say first that the 5 speed absolutely transforms the car. The auto doesn’t suit the peaky / revy nature of the 4 cam motor at all , and the 2 extra ratios are badly needed (the auto uses a GM TH-400).
MAINTENANCE: Not a big deal. Mechanically, these are very robust cars. I had no major mechanical failures over 30k+ miles and basic maintenance was easy. These cars have timing chains (not belts) and everything relatively accessible as it is front engine. The CIS injection is straightforward, and both available transmissions are robust. Mine smoked and burned oil due to work valve seals, but had good compression and leakdown and ran fine. There are a few quirks, like the near impossibility of changing the short section of hose between the thermostat and radiator with everything in place, but even that can be done. I found the 400i much easier to live with than the XJ6 SIII that replaced it.
PROBLEM AREAS: People complain about the self levelling system, but I found it easy to troubleshoot and repair. I only had one failure (blown hose) and it was easy to replace and bleed / adjust the system. Warning – fill the reservoir only with the suspension settled / down in the back or it will overflow and make a mess when it does. The biggest problem area is the white connectors on fuse box circuit boards that lose spring tension over time and ultimately increase resistance which can burn certain circuits and create intermittent electrical faults, particularly on the fuel pump circuit. The fix is easy: clip of the connectors and crimp on spade terminals and attach those right to the fuse box with a good coating of Stabilant 22. Problem solved permanently. Beyond that, interiors are fragile and the dash leather shrinks if exposed to sun, and exhausts hang low and can be damaged, but not much else goes wrong. I used mine as a car, left it out in the snow, parked it on the street in NYC when I was too lazy to walk back from my garage, and I never had a major problem and was never stranded.
RUNNING & PARTS COSTS: These cars get bad mileage. 11 City / 18 Highway or so. Nothing else is exorbitant. Very few parts need to be bought from Ferrari, as all of the fuel injection is Bosch CIS, and many of the other components cross reference to Fiat (lights, bulbs, etc.), BMW or Porsche (brake pads and calipers, I recall), GM (York AC compressor and auto tranny) or even Dodge Trucks (found a replacement for a frozen heater valve meant for a 80s Dodge PickUp). Yes, you can spend $8k on an OEM exhaust (and the PO of my car spent $6k on a stainless replica from Timevalve) but the OEM exhaust is junk, and something better that looks identical, but for the ANSA stickers, can be made by any decent muffler shop for $1 or $2k.
WHEELS & TIRES: The TRXs are available from Coker but they suck. A much better answer is to fit 16” wheels form a 308 or 328. I was able to buy 4 x 16” NOS 328 wheels from Ferrari UK delivered for less than a set of TRX tires. I ran Bridgestone Blizzaks in the winter and Continentals in the summer. The car was unstoppable in the snow and ice with the Bizzaks – great tires.
In short, I bought #049773 for used Honda money and I treated it like a used Honda. And, you know what? It ran, drove and could be relied on like a used Honda, too. It was fast, comfortable, reliable and highly useful in all weather – it really only suffered from a lack of cruise control. It made every trip and event and I had great fun with it. Unlike my XJ6, which came later, it always started and always ran. I highly recommend this type of adventure…why buy a used Honda when you can buy and RUN a 400i or similar for the same money?