Any Ferraris £80k pipped to start appreciating?

[Mrs K]

Your thoughts please!

My dear dad has recently expressed interest in purchasing a Ferrari, which has come as a complete surprise! He's not a car fanatic, and its the first I've heard of it (think maybe my OH's constant talking about sports cars has planted a seed).

The car he sent a link to was a red 430 which my OH thinks is a terrible idea, primarily for depreciation...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ferrari-F430-F1-Coupe-HI...

Requirements are for it to be an automatic, easy to drive, not too flashy, potentially appreciating. Fly in the ointment is he doesn't want something that will be a lot of hassle / very unreliable... so I translate this as the younger the better!?

OH has suggested the following:

F355 GTS
575
Aston Martin DB7 GTA
Aston Martin Vanquish
An old Austin Healey 3000 (surely no more unreliable than some of the supercars listed?)
E-type (as above, also OH saying the values may have peaked?)
Porsche 993
Morgan Aero 8


OH wants to stay out of it otherwise he'll feel responsible if it all ends in tears. So... recommendations, thoughts and opinions please

Thanks!

Edited by Mrs K on Wednesday 28th January 23:24

[Northernchimp]

456 GTA

[Sump]

Not too flashy haha!

[StottyEvo]

This could do better in the Supercar specific area of the forum

[castex]

I'd be looking at 550/575 from the cars you mention. V12. Not so flashy in a nice dark blue, bourdeaux or grey.

[baccalad]

F430

[Northernchimp]

£50k change with this one, about as subtle as they get... http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/f...

You could even badge it as a Peugeot 406 if its not subtle enough.

[mr_tony]

599 - 80ish should buy one this spring. Probably close to bottomed out on price...

Morgan Aero coupe / Supersports? I had 4 Aero8 platform cars - they hold their money so while not investments particularly they are safe places for cash and cost buttons to run.

[Cerberaherts]

V12 Ferraris are very costly to run, as are the older V8's. The Vanquish will be out of his price range for a decent "s" version. The 430 described as an automatic, is a robotised manual transmission that doesn't operate like an auto. Of that list the DB7 (in 6-cylinder auto format) would be the cheapest to buy and run, assuming no catastrophic failures occur! His best bet is to research the running costs for each of the makes/models he likes then get out and test a few. Just be aware that buying the car is the easy bit, running costs are something else entirely....

[RobM77]

I was after a 550 when they were £45k, but they're now double that. Nonetheless, I don't think they'll be dropping anytime soon. The 575 was a relative disspointment, but a handling pack sorted it later in its life. I also hate flashy things, and the 550 is very discrete in its most common colours: TDF Blue and Grigio (grey). It also has a beautiful V12

[Mrs K]

Thanks all! Very much

I think the 456's might be a touch too old.

I need to speak to him tomorrow to get a better feel of what he's actually trying to achieve! He's 63 so I'm just concerned the 430's might be a bit too sporting.

575's look very nice.. any special editions to look out for or general rule of best condition / lowest mileage?

Lastly.. silly question but are any of the Ferrari engines particularly troublesome?

OH says he's a gentleman and gentlemen drive Astons!

[johnfm]

A non-car enthusiast buying a Ferrari (or Aston Martin or anything that cost a load new) will end in tears.

Sounds like your dad has no idea what maintenance, repairs, tyres etc cost on these things.

Though you can't take it with you - he should blow your inheritance on a decent V12...

[Doppelkupplung]

Older Astons, Ferraris and Jags are certainly not the most reliable cars on the planet! Plus if you do find examples with auto boxes they are dim witted and will cheese you off when cruising around urban areas. If you want to play the game of finding a potential investment car, given the budget, it'd be wise to steer clear of the mainstream models which have already gained significant value.

When you add the requirements of automatic, reliable and not too flashy you're really limiting yourself. In my opinion one car that ticks every box is the Mercedes CLK Black. Admittedly it's not everyone's first thought of a supercar but it'll pump adrenalin intravenously through your veins. *Warning not for the faint hearted*

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

If you don't know it you can listen Clarkson babble on about it here:

http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/5178566001

[RobM77]

Mrs K said:

Thanks all! Very much

I think the 456's might be a touch too old.

I need to speak to him tomorrow to get a better feel of what he's actually trying to achieve! He's 63 so I'm just concerned the 430's might be a bit too sporting.

575's look very nice.. any special editions to look out for or general rule of best condition / lowest mileage?

Lastly.. silly question but are any of the Ferrari engines particularly troublesome?

OH says he's a gentleman and gentlemen drive Astons!

From what you say I don't think any of the mid engined Ferraris would suit him. The front engined GTs (in release order: 456, 550, 612, 599, F12; the first three are within budget) have a much more laid back and mature persona (like Astons actually, which are the same layout - take a look at the DB9), although they're still pretty fast road cars.

One other thing is does he actually want all that performance from bespoke components in a large heavy GT body? The reason I mention those three things is that the running costs on a thoroughbred GT like a Ferrari are a step change from what he may be used to. Ferrari owners are pretty used to service bills in four figures, and often you can be talking £2,000 to £3,000 if it's a major service. Insurance is going to be expensive too, as are consumables such as tyres, and even the amount of oil that a big V12 takes. Parts too - from memory (so correct me if I'm wrong) a bonnet for a 456 is over £10k unpainted (although that is exceptional). PH is great for research, just use the search function, and also browse the member's 'fleet' section as some people keep full records of running costs.

[mikey k]

Mrs K said:

OH says he's a gentleman and gentlemen drive Astons!

He could probably get in to a Gaydon era DBS, they seem to be holding value especially the manuals

[Jasandjules]

He might be better off with something like a 355 Spider and keeping plenty in the bank for running costs IMHO.

[Neil1300r]

mikey k said:

Mrs K said:

OH says he's a gentleman and gentlemen drive Astons!

He could probably get in to a Gaydon era DBS, they seem to be holding value especially the manuals

This.

The Vanquish are appreciating, but and its a big but, you need to know what you are getting as some of the bills can be frightening. For ~80k it would be an Vanquish not a Vanquish S, which are appreciating faster.

[TimLambert7]

Why not buy a 2 year old V8 Vantage?

From what you've said it fits the bill perfectly (apart from lack of Ferrari badge).

[Magic919]

This is what I'd do with that budget. Easy to drive auto, rapid and running costs won't cause any surprises. It won't appreciate. Well under budget. You could even stick on the Porsche warranty.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...

[RobM77]

How about a DB9? They're still quite exclusive, but there are enough of them around for parts to not be scarce now or in the future. It's a V12 and really spacious for touring holidays etc. It's pretty much for the perfect GT. If this guy isn't into cars he may not appreciate the difference between the DB9 and something like a Vanquish etc.