Selling - prep it or discount the price?
Discussion
You'll sell it much easier and quicker with no prep - when was the last time anyone saw a 'cheap' F355 offered for sale?
I know in reality it may not end up being a cheap car for someone but the low price will attract attention. You may also get a buyer who simply does not have the budget for the prices being asked now and will happily tackle a major job every year or two to bring it up to scratch gradually.
I know in reality it may not end up being a cheap car for someone but the low price will attract attention. You may also get a buyer who simply does not have the budget for the prices being asked now and will happily tackle a major job every year or two to bring it up to scratch gradually.
You're obviously not worried about getting top money, so my advice is:
1) Refurb the wheels. It makes a massive difference to a car.
2) Give it a damn good clean, everywhere. If you don't want to do it, pay someone else ~£250 to do it and give it a polish.
3) Touch up the worst of the seats with a £20 Liquid leather kit.
The above will make the car more than presentable and far more attractive than it is now. Any prospective owner will see that it still needs a bit of work to make 100%.
1) Refurb the wheels. It makes a massive difference to a car.
2) Give it a damn good clean, everywhere. If you don't want to do it, pay someone else ~£250 to do it and give it a polish.
3) Touch up the worst of the seats with a £20 Liquid leather kit.
The above will make the car more than presentable and far more attractive than it is now. Any prospective owner will see that it still needs a bit of work to make 100%.
mwstewart said:
You're obviously not worried about getting top money, so my advice is:
1) Refurb the wheels. It makes a massive difference to a car.
2) Give it a damn good clean, everywhere. If you don't want to do it, pay someone else ~£250 to do it and give it a polish.
3) Touch up the worst of the seats with a £20 Liquid leather kit.
The above will make the car more than presentable and far more attractive than it is now. Any prospective owner will see that it still needs a bit of work to make 100%.
This would be my advice too !! Probably cost you £500 max, I would also be tempted to get someone to sort the seat out professionally its probably only £200 and they can do it with the car in situe ( will look better for a period of time i.e. whilst you sell it) 1) Refurb the wheels. It makes a massive difference to a car.
2) Give it a damn good clean, everywhere. If you don't want to do it, pay someone else ~£250 to do it and give it a polish.
3) Touch up the worst of the seats with a £20 Liquid leather kit.
The above will make the car more than presentable and far more attractive than it is now. Any prospective owner will see that it still needs a bit of work to make 100%.
I suspect that will be enough to get a private sale at the lower end of the market, if you have all the issues then someone will bid you low, if its just cracked buttresses then its only one thing to sort for the new purchaser
Phib
Thanks for all the replies, genuinely helpful stuff. I'm going to go with the wheel refurb/bolster repair/bloody good clean (which I'd have done anyway) option. I've never skimped on mechanicals as my lighter wallet will attest, but have admittedly allowed cosmetics to slide a little, as they don't really bother me. I don't mind a (clean) car with a bit of patina and, had I spent £n on paint, I'd have cringed every time I heard a stone bounce off the car during the weekly hoon or left it parked in a continental hotel car park.
mwstewart is right, wheels make a big difference and I have a set of challenge Speedlines which it can roll around on while the standard wheels are sorted out. It wasn't a top money car when I bought it, and it certainly isn't now that I've seen it tick over the 50k mile mark.
johnnyregae, there are a handful of specialists who can refurb wheels with high magnesium content using the correct process.
bryn_p this is my thinking too - it would undoubtedly be the cheapest RHD red/cream manual berlinetta and would attract some attention.
Mario149, I do indeed have a second 355. I love them; the 355 was my dream car as a teenager. Sadly, it has been driven even less than the one I'm going to sell and was subject to a full nut and bolt restoration prior to my ownership. I bought it with heart rather than head; it's a 95 with carbon seats and I can't see me ever selling it.
Thanks again all.
mwstewart is right, wheels make a big difference and I have a set of challenge Speedlines which it can roll around on while the standard wheels are sorted out. It wasn't a top money car when I bought it, and it certainly isn't now that I've seen it tick over the 50k mile mark.
johnnyregae, there are a handful of specialists who can refurb wheels with high magnesium content using the correct process.
bryn_p this is my thinking too - it would undoubtedly be the cheapest RHD red/cream manual berlinetta and would attract some attention.
Mario149, I do indeed have a second 355. I love them; the 355 was my dream car as a teenager. Sadly, it has been driven even less than the one I'm going to sell and was subject to a full nut and bolt restoration prior to my ownership. I bought it with heart rather than head; it's a 95 with carbon seats and I can't see me ever selling it.
Thanks again all.
Its probable you will end up selling an unprepared car to the trade who will then improve it and sell it on.
You will need a big slice of luck selling a Ferrari to a private buyer unprepared as they are uber fussy, even if its cheap.
If you put it on ebay insist tey come and see it prior to pressing buy it now or bidding
POORCARDEALER said:
Its probable you will end up selling an unprepared car to the trade who will then improve it and sell it on.
You will need a big slice of luck selling a Ferrari to a private buyer unprepared as they are uber fussy, even if its cheap.
If you put it on ebay insist tey come and see it prior to pressing buy it now or bidding
I disagree with some of this, I have sold all my Ferraris privately over the years and never had a problem. If you are an enthusiast, selling to another enthusiast is easy and pleasant.You will need a big slice of luck selling a Ferrari to a private buyer unprepared as they are uber fussy, even if its cheap.
If you put it on ebay insist tey come and see it prior to pressing buy it now or bidding
As a lot of dealer cars are SOR these days the standard can be well below that of an owner who cares and cherishes their pride and joy as the dealer rarely does any prep at all, just washes it and puts it up.
I will never forget the black 550 I once saw at the Ferrari Centre which was by far the sorriest and worst presented Ferrari I have ever seen. And it wasn't cheap either.
cgt2 said:
POORCARDEALER said:
Its probable you will end up selling an unprepared car to the trade who will then improve it and sell it on.
You will need a big slice of luck selling a Ferrari to a private buyer unprepared as they are uber fussy, even if its cheap.
If you put it on ebay insist tey come and see it prior to pressing buy it now or bidding
I disagree with some of this, I have sold all my Ferraris privately over the years and never had a problem. If you are an enthusiast, selling to another enthusiast is easy and pleasant.You will need a big slice of luck selling a Ferrari to a private buyer unprepared as they are uber fussy, even if its cheap.
If you put it on ebay insist tey come and see it prior to pressing buy it now or bidding
As a lot of dealer cars are SOR these days the standard can be well below that of an owner who cares and cherishes their pride and joy as the dealer rarely does any prep at all, just washes it and puts it up.
I will never forget the black 550 I once saw at the Ferrari Centre which was by far the sorriest and worst presented Ferrari I have ever seen. And it wasn't cheap either.
Totally different to selling a nice car privatley
I wouldn't buy a scruffy F355 without a massive discount. (Though like Mario I think they are currently toppy anyway, much like most Ferraris).
All the hassle of making sure the job was done right and not going to make the car overly expensive as rectification costs run away that others mention you could do without, I would be thinking exactly the same thing as a buyer.
As a minimum I'd be doing the buttresses, interior and wheels. If I were wanting a car to use, stone chips wouldn't bother me. I'd also get it fully serviced to add credence to you caring for it mechanically.
All the hassle of making sure the job was done right and not going to make the car overly expensive as rectification costs run away that others mention you could do without, I would be thinking exactly the same thing as a buyer.
As a minimum I'd be doing the buttresses, interior and wheels. If I were wanting a car to use, stone chips wouldn't bother me. I'd also get it fully serviced to add credence to you caring for it mechanically.
I would love to add a 355 to my garage. I usually try to buy the best example of anything that I can afford but in the current market I would be much more tempted to buy it before it had been tarted up. I would get to see it for what it really is and by getting the work done myself the I could hopefully save a bit of money/insulate myself a bit if the market crashes.
I wouldn't even look at it if it hadn't had a recent service - I would then think how much might it cost with whatever comes up at service - the condition of the car and lack of a service would scream neglect or the owner trying to run it on a shoestring/can't afford it - no offence to you op - you clearly can afford it and are lucky to have two 355's👍
I wouldn't even look at it if it hadn't had a recent service - I would then think how much might it cost with whatever comes up at service - the condition of the car and lack of a service would scream neglect or the owner trying to run it on a shoestring/can't afford it - no offence to you op - you clearly can afford it and are lucky to have two 355's👍
If anyone is in need of a 355 but has a limited budget below this particular car, then a good buddy is about to market his LHD Yellow P Plate 355 GTS 5.2, starship mileage but its a cracker with a huge folder of bills, its virtually been totally rebuild mechanically over the years, so is good to go again for a long time, a real, practical to use example, not a garage queen, and wont go down in price either. Not on the register and just been loved and used properly over the last 20 years.
It will be the cheapest 355 in the country. PM me if interested and I will pass on his number.
It will be the cheapest 355 in the country. PM me if interested and I will pass on his number.
To those that expressed an interest in the one I mentioned.
He does not have a clue what it is worth in todays market, so plans to put it up for auction on ebay and let the potential buyers decide.
I will post a link when he does.
Apologies for posting on your thread OP, its not a competitor to your car being LHD much higher mileage and yellow!
He does not have a clue what it is worth in todays market, so plans to put it up for auction on ebay and let the potential buyers decide.
I will post a link when he does.
Apologies for posting on your thread OP, its not a competitor to your car being LHD much higher mileage and yellow!
Gassing Station | Supercar General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff