Is There a Ferrari That's Affordable?

[exc911ence]

Those looking for cheap speed should be shopping for Lotus Esprit Turbos. OK, maintenance can be an expensive issue (many Lotus guys are DIY) but how can you turn away from a machine that looks like this?



Lots of late-model turbo 4's for sale in the $25K range. TONS of performance for the money.

We now return you to the originally scheduled program....

[bpu699]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

For the common man?
.

.
...thinking, all of a sudden.
What Ferrari, year and model, won't break the bank* and will appreciate?
Thanks for any info...good or bad.
.
*Have to define "bank", I guess.

I have owned 911s, 996, boxsters, 944s, 914s, etc. Also still own a testarossa.

I work on my own cars. But still, Ferraris are expensive. Parts cost a bunch. After looking at some testarossa parts, 930 parts seem outrageously cheap. In general, figure 2-3x more in the Ferrari... A windshield is 4500$.

That said, in 7 years, the testarossa has needed almost nothing. Oil and fluid changes pretty much. Next year it's due for a major and tires. The last owner spent 14000$ on the prior major/brakes/tires...

Good luck!

[Schumi]

I think about 50% of the cost often attributed to owning Ferraris is just ridiculous reporting- these owners love to talk about how much their new brake pads / clutch / seat recline lever etc costs- it's like bragging about how much you paid for the stuff as a subliminal way of saying "yeah, I'm rich so I can afford it haha"

Seriously go to a F-chat meetup sometime. All very nice guys but they love to tell you how much their last service cost.


Lotus guys I've met- exact opposite. They love telling you how they fixed their broken seat slider with $3 in parts from Home Depot, or how they found some generic tie rod ends that are the same as the OEM ones but cost $6 each instead of $46.

[aschen]

Originally Posted by Schumi

Lotus guys I've met- exact opposite. They love telling you how they fixed their broken seat slider with $3 in parts from Home Depot, or how they found some generic tie rod ends that are the same as the OEM ones but cost $6 each instead of $46.

Guilty as charged! Plus we can only get coolant at walgreens

[motion]

Originally Posted by Embraer

cool. what's to disagree with? the 348's have been going up in value for the last 1.5 years. I understand you used to have Ferraris. you should know the 360 also suffers from valve guides and header issues. Moreso, the 360 and 430 require SD2 service tools. especially if you own an F1 car. so many more issues with that setup, then a gated 348 or 355. the 355 has issues, but again...most reports have been blown out of proportion, mostly because of people who don't own the cars, spouting off second hand information on FerrariChat or the like. Just like most people on this thread don't own a Ferrari.

am I wrong to say that a parts cross reference exists, and that a yellow box means that it costs more? in fact...everything I said in my post was spot on. can you elaborate?

Sorry, but you have 355 goggles on.

[Embraer]

not sure what you mean about me having 355 goggles on. I'm not saying the car is perfect. im saying it gets a bad rap from people who have never owned one, basing what they think they know on what internet forums say. I know 3 guys in the FOC who have sold their 360 or 430 and went BACK to a 355 because they preferred it over the newer cars.

fact: my F355 has been fairly flawless. it's got 39K miles on original valve guides. leak down and compression are perfect. I drive the hell out of it. Headers were replaced pre-emptively at 26K miles...but since the car is now de-catted, this is a non-issue.

did you ever work on your cars, or did you just take it to the dealer? I assume yours were new enough you never had to wrench on them?

[VaSteve]

OT a little. What kind of Ferrari is this in the background?

[Ayles]

It's a Ferrari F50. off the charts affordability wise.

[jwasbury]

Here's a beater Mondial for 14k. Only needs paint, a major and god knows what else.

1985 Ferrari Mondial Quatrovalvole WE FINANCE EVERYONE !!!

[LakeCleElum]

I thought I'd look for an affordable Ferrari someday. A gal I know in Scottsdale has a 308...About 10 yrs ago when we were down to see her, she invites the manager of the local Ferrari dealership over for dinner so he and I can swap lies......After an evening of hearing service stories/prices, I totally dropped the idea.

He had great stories of guys trying to skate on the suggested service intervals....

[onewhippedpuppy]

Over lunch on Thursday I found out that a new coworker has two 944s, a 348, and is the former owner of a 512TR and 308. He said that the TR was fantastic but attracted attention everywhere, and he was spending around $4k per year on maintenance. He said the key to DIY on a Ferrari was to do everything yourself for the duration of ownership, then have a major done at a reputable shop immediately prior to selling. He also said that the 308 drove like a truck.

[Racerbvd]

Just sold this for $15K, this & the 308s are the last of the breed that is DIYS friendly..

[Ferraripete]

Originally Posted by Embraer

General consensus is that the 348's are on the upswing. You can pick a well sorted one up for the low 30's. Anyway you shape it...it's not going to get any cheaper. 10 years from now, it will be worth more.

I said a couple of years ago that the 308/GT4 models would be going up in value. Long considered the poor-man's 308, and not desirable because of looks..they are shooting up in value.

In the Ferrari world...the 348/355 is the 993 of Ferraris. 360's are the 996's. The 360's are considered to have bland styling, higher production numbers, etc. While it's arguably a better car then the 348 or 355, it lacks the soul that the earlier cars have.

Internet forums have done a good job of tarnishing the reputation of the 355 with regards to manifolds cracking and valve guides going bad. You'll see that the 360 (and 430) also suffer from these same issues.

On another note...from an investment point of view...keep your eyes on Lamborghini Jarama's. V12 Lambo from the Miura era. now that Miuras are unobtanium, you'll see the Jaramas go up up up in value.

I agree with much of what you say but do not agree w/ the 348/993 comparison. the 993 prices are getting rabid especially if in c2 or c4 "s" config.

the 348 is unloved ...very unloved amongst most in the Ferrari community except those that own them. the price trajectory is flat at best w/ little upside potential due to the large production numbers.

based on the op's question, I would recommend a 308 gtb qv or a pre abs 328, also in gtb form...though you will need to look harder.

they are great cars. lovely to look at, engaging to drive, fairly cheap to maintain and good ones are at least going to maintain their value...really good ones will appreciate.

I love the 308 gtb qv personally!!

[Ferraripete]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Over lunch on Thursday I found out that a new coworker has two 944s, a 348, and is the former owner of a 512TR and 308. He said that the TR was fantastic but attracted attention everywhere, and he was spending around $4k per year on maintenance. He said the key to DIY on a Ferrari was to do everything yourself for the duration of ownership, then have a major done at a reputable shop immediately prior to selling. He also said that the 308 drove like a truck.

308 drives like a truck? I have multiple Ferraris and the 308 is a gem...scalpel like to drive. a really precise machine and is really rewarding to drive a "slower" car fast

[gearya]

Originally Posted by Embraer

It's one of the easiest cars to work on I've ever owned.

This surprises me. Which Fcar is easier to work on than a 911?

[Rick Lee]

I know a guy who owns several repair shops in NoVA who had a 355, and even he got rid of it because it was too expensive to keep. This is a guy with all the tools, facilities and help he could ever need and, I suspect, with a big bank account too. he said it was just about unaffordable. That scared me off.

I have another buddy with about 30 Ferraris and for whom money is no object. He hired away the whole crew at Ferrari of Washington and opened his own shop to have them maintain his fleet and work on some customers' cars. Everyone needs a friend like that so you can drive a Ferrari once in a while and then hand it back and not worry about the maint. bills.


Here I am tearing down a 2.7 in one of his garages when he was still cramped for space.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Ferraripete

308 drives like a truck? I have multiple Ferraris and the 308 is a gem...scalpel like to drive. a really precise machine and is really rewarding to drive a "slower" car fast

I was paraphrasing a bit. He stated that everything was heavy and deliberate associated with the 308. Heavy steering, stiff pedals, deliberate gear change, etc. In his opinion the 512TR was a much better driving car. I don't recall which flavor of 308 that he had. Only one person's opinion, though it was interesting to hear him compare/contrast Ferraris. His goal is to eventually get into an F430 when the prices bottom out.

Based on my experience with my Maserati coupe, I would never want a Ferrari with the early F1 transmission. That gearbox was only good when really hammering on the car, around town it was clunky and terrible. $6k clutch jobs every 20k are pretty scary too.

[javadog]

I used to own a couple Ferraris. Decided one day that Ferrari was no longer interested in supplying spare parts for the older cars and saw the writing on the wall. Sold them and never looked back

My observations:

They are not cheap to own but they don't break often. Electronics are staring to be a problem on some of them. They are not DIY friendly, in the manner of a similar 911. Anybody that disagrees with this ought to adjust the valves on the forward bank of a 308 or 328 4-valve motor. Let me know how that goes for you...

A Ferrari of the 70's or 80's feels like a kit car, compared to a 911. They chassis weren't well made. Tossing aside the GTS models, which are so flexible they make a 911 targa feel like a modern F1 car, the things you touch just aren't solid. Grab ahold of the steering wheel and try to move it up and down. You'll note that the dash structure flexes. Turn the wheel while driving and enjoy the fact that the joints used in the steering column, coupled with the uneven angles of the three parts of the column, result in uneven self-centering forces as you turn the wheel. Enjoy the crap driving position and the seats that kill your back in 30 minutes or less. Enjoy bottoming the radiator on every major dip in the road at speed.

Want me to continue?

JR

[VaSteve]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I was paraphrasing a bit. He stated that everything was heavy and deliberate associated with the 308. Heavy steering, stiff pedals, deliberate gear change, etc.

Wait your just described a 911 SC.

[FLYGEEZER]

And there ain't no such thing as a FREE cat, either. Anybody I've ever known that had a Ferrari had deep pockets to keep it going. I'll stick with what I got and just look.