Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins
My apologies for possibly adding my two bits to that impression - I didn't mean it that way at all (maybe some did, I dunno...).
I guess the same things I said about Ferrari owners in general would also apply to guys with the spare change to buy, say, brand new GT2's and the like. I think it's fair to say most guys in that end of the pool are not DIY-ers (a broad generalization, and there certainly are exceptions), and are left to bring their car to a dealer for service. Not knowing any better (and frankly caring even less), they happily pay what the dealer charges to keep their pride and joy on the road. Maybe the dealers are a bit less than honest at times, but that's another story.
Myself, I would love to get into a 10-15 year old Ferrari. Buying it is entirely do-able, but maintaining it not so much. Ferrari simply does not cater to DIY-ers, nor is there an aftermarket that does. Kind of a "chicken or the egg" question, in that is this situation a result of no DIY-ers being attracted to the car, or are the DIY-ers not attracted because of the lack of support. I suspect both contribute, but more of the latter.
Ferrari appears to very much want to maintain a certain image, and having guys like me crawling out of them in a pair of Chuck's, baggy shorts, and a greasy tee shirt with grease under my nails probably wouldn't please them in the least. They very much want to keep an air of elitist snobbery surrounding their cars. Part of that is keeping ownership costs high enough to weed out the riff-raff, including DIY-ers. Some owners, unfortunately, are attracted to that image and are more than happy to prop it up. Nothing more fun, though, than running into a real car guy with a Ferrari - they are as enthusiastic and knowledgeable as anyone else, if not a bit more scarce than in Porsche circles.
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Lots of DIY info for the 348 and 355 on FChat. Heck, some guy just rebuilt his own 612 motor that was hydrolocked. The F355 is the last "analog" car...the 360 (F1 models) require special SD computers to service stuff. After owning my Fcar for a few years, I can say that's easier to work on than the 911. It's crudely made. If you buy the car to keep and drive, it's a no brainer. The issue is if you plan to resell it. I don't plan on ever selling my car. I will certainly be doing my own next "major." If I was planning on selling it, I wouldnt work on it...buyers only want it serviced at a certain shop with parts that came from a yellow box. Just the nature of it.
The rear subframe drops down with 6 bolts. The clutch is a 2 hour job (and done with the engine and tranny in the car), etc.
The good shops say that belts should be done every 30K or 7 years. the belts aren't really the issue, but the hydraulic tensioners are (on a motor that spins to 9K rpm).
Parts are available from aftermarket, as well cross reference (lots of parts were sourced from other cars...which there is an online guide that shows these.) Some things are hard to find, but it's doable.
I paid a chunk of change to have the major done when I bought the car. (I planned on reselling it for a nice profit). ....I've put 10K miles on mine (and driven it "spirited" and have one done a few oil changes. I've spent less than $500 on MX on the car after the major and have had a LOT of fun.
If you guys don't want the "headache" of owning one...just come and drive mine. My old offer still stands...
I took it to lunch today and here are a few pictures.....
