512 TR? Am I just being ridiculous? Need some help please!
Discussion
Today I was searching the classifieds when I cam across a nice black 512TR for only £48k and thought hhhhmm that sounds quite good, then I noticed that Verdi had a lower mileage red example for only a couple K more.
Now, at the moment I'm using my 430 as a daily driver and my 355 as a weekend toy, but in recent months I've been thinking of selling the 430 and buying a 911 or something more practical but I'm now thinking I could buy the 512 TR and pretend to be in Miami Vice
Am I nuts? I've always loved the Testarossa and the idea of a more up to date one sound pretty good.
I've just got a few questions I was hoping you guys could answer:
What's it like to drive say compared to my 355? Is the clutch unbearably heavy and they steering impossible?
How would it cope being used a couple times a week?
What is servicing like?
I know it depends on how the car has been looked after but is it reliable?
Thanks
Mine wasn't a 512 but was a Testarossa. It was my first ferrari and i loved it. But i do remember it having very heavy steering. Cant really compare it to the 355 because its so different.
Servicing will be aprox 25% more than a 355. Mine was reliable as anything i have driven, so a 512 should be more.
Its a car you have got to love the styling of because you will have it for a long time. One guy i know who has a fantastic example has been trying to sell his for over two years now. I dont understand the market on these cars, i was lucky because mine sold within two weeks.
Servicing will be aprox 25% more than a 355. Mine was reliable as anything i have driven, so a 512 should be more.
Its a car you have got to love the styling of because you will have it for a long time. One guy i know who has a fantastic example has been trying to sell his for over two years now. I dont understand the market on these cars, i was lucky because mine sold within two weeks.
Like all Ferrari's, it would respond well to being driven frequently, the steering whilst relatively heavy by modern assisted standards, isn’t as bad as the road tests would have you believe, the same goes for the clutch 
The only real negative would be the width of the thing and front ground clearance, both of which are fairly easy to get around . . . . . . . . Although popping it into a standard parking space and getting out may be a bit interesting at times
The only real negative would be the width of the thing and front ground clearance, both of which are fairly easy to get around . . . . . . . . Although popping it into a standard parking space and getting out may be a bit interesting at times
I bought a 512TR last year and can't really say anyhting negative about it. Great car, the clutch isn't heavy, there's no power assist for the steering but I don't find it over heavy at low speed.
It's wide and that can be a bit of a nuisance. It's just short of 2 meters wide (a few inches wider than a Ford GT) and that meant I had to find a new garage when I bought it, and there's a few streets/bridges in London that it won't fit through the width restrictors but that's nothing you can't cope with.
As for servicing, mine had an engine out service as part of the sale and I thought it was pretty reasonable - and that was from a main dealer. The engine is bullet proof - after 20 years of development it's sorted, and the rest of the car is pretty simple. There's minimal electronics so not really a lot to go wrong.
I use it pretty regularly and in a year haven't had so much as a squeak from it apart from replacing a fuse.
It's definitely not a daily driver but it's something you could jump in regularly.
It's a sunny day here now and I'm just on the way out to take it for a bit of a spin, the novelty still hasn't worn off. Love it and the only advice I would have is for you to get one........
It's wide and that can be a bit of a nuisance. It's just short of 2 meters wide (a few inches wider than a Ford GT) and that meant I had to find a new garage when I bought it, and there's a few streets/bridges in London that it won't fit through the width restrictors but that's nothing you can't cope with.
As for servicing, mine had an engine out service as part of the sale and I thought it was pretty reasonable - and that was from a main dealer. The engine is bullet proof - after 20 years of development it's sorted, and the rest of the car is pretty simple. There's minimal electronics so not really a lot to go wrong.
I use it pretty regularly and in a year haven't had so much as a squeak from it apart from replacing a fuse.
It's definitely not a daily driver but it's something you could jump in regularly.
It's a sunny day here now and I'm just on the way out to take it for a bit of a spin, the novelty still hasn't worn off. Love it and the only advice I would have is for you to get one........
ZeroH said:
This thread is useless without pics
I love the testarossa in all its variants... talk about an icon design !
My old Testaross along with my 328. You can see how dam wide they are. My Testarossa could rev round to 9-10,000 RPM because of a broken rev limiter. Great machine.I love the testarossa in all its variants... talk about an icon design !
ferrari spider said:
ZeroH said:
This thread is useless without pics
I love the testarossa in all its variants... talk about an icon design !
My old Testaross along with my 328. You can see how dam wide they are. My Testarossa could rev round to 9-10,000 RPM because of a broken rev limiter. Great machine.I love the testarossa in all its variants... talk about an icon design !
wow, that really does show of how wide a 512 is. You must use the push pull technique to garage that baby. Thank ya lucky stars that its not the gararge to the left with the little ramp 
Though being in London i bet that garage is worth the price of a small house up north
Though being in London i bet that garage is worth the price of a small house up north
Edited by ferrari spider on Saturday 22 May 21:02
ferrari spider said:
wow, that really does show of how wide a 512 is. You must use the push pull technique to garage that baby. Thank ya lucky stars that its not the gararge to the left with the little ramp
Though being in London i bet that garage is worth the price of a small house up north
Looks like my old garage except, drive the TR half way in and push the rest in. Pull out to get it out again. Very classy.Though being in London i bet that garage is worth the price of a small house up north
Edited by ferrari spider on Saturday 22 May 21:02
Thanks for everyone's responses so far.
So the consensus is that it's pretty reliable but wouldn't be a daily driver. The thing is as I said, I would try and use it say a couple times a week and would need to be able to park it etc. How bad is the steering? I've never driven a car without power steering exept a VX220 which was fine but is a very light car where as the 512 is heavy?
The width thing doesn't bother me too much, I've looked it up and it's only an inch wider than my 430 which I can live with.
I was just reading an article in a classic car magazine about the 550 and how it can easily be an everyday car and it's amazing what a huge step forward the 550 was from the 512. Just little things like the buttons and switches look so much older in the 512.
Anyway, what sort of MPG do you get from the 512? My 430 and 355 are pretty horrendous so I'm not expecting any miracles!
How easily can you get parts for them?
I was thinking I could buy a 512, use it for the summer and sell it on around September sort of time and buy something practical for winter. Firstly is that just a stupid idea? And secondly how easily can you sell them on? The Verdi car seems a good one but has been on the market for ages?
Does anyone know anything about the Verdi car
Thanks again and sorry for the 10million questions
So the consensus is that it's pretty reliable but wouldn't be a daily driver. The thing is as I said, I would try and use it say a couple times a week and would need to be able to park it etc. How bad is the steering? I've never driven a car without power steering exept a VX220 which was fine but is a very light car where as the 512 is heavy?
The width thing doesn't bother me too much, I've looked it up and it's only an inch wider than my 430 which I can live with.
I was just reading an article in a classic car magazine about the 550 and how it can easily be an everyday car and it's amazing what a huge step forward the 550 was from the 512. Just little things like the buttons and switches look so much older in the 512.
Anyway, what sort of MPG do you get from the 512? My 430 and 355 are pretty horrendous so I'm not expecting any miracles!
How easily can you get parts for them?
I was thinking I could buy a 512, use it for the summer and sell it on around September sort of time and buy something practical for winter. Firstly is that just a stupid idea? And secondly how easily can you sell them on? The Verdi car seems a good one but has been on the market for ages?
Does anyone know anything about the Verdi car
Thanks again and sorry for the 10million questions
dtmpower said:
Sneak said:
Yet more proof of the width problem...
Do you have to use those trolleys that you put under the wheel to push the front round ? Or is it a 100-point clutch burning turn ?lambo_xx said:
Thanks for everyone's responses so far.
So the consensus is that it's pretty reliable but wouldn't be a daily driver. The thing is as I said, I would try and use it say a couple times a week and would need to be able to park it etc. How bad is the steering? I've never driven a car without power steering exept a VX220 which was fine but is a very light car where as the 512 is heavy?
The width thing doesn't bother me too much, I've looked it up and it's only an inch wider than my 430 which I can live with.
I was just reading an article in a classic car magazine about the 550 and how it can easily be an everyday car and it's amazing what a huge step forward the 550 was from the 512. Just little things like the buttons and switches look so much older in the 512.
Anyway, what sort of MPG do you get from the 512? My 430 and 355 are pretty horrendous so I'm not expecting any miracles!
How easily can you get parts for them?
I was thinking I could buy a 512, use it for the summer and sell it on around September sort of time and buy something practical for winter. Firstly is that just a stupid idea? And secondly how easily can you sell them on? The Verdi car seems a good one but has been on the market for ages?
Does anyone know anything about the Verdi car
Thanks again and sorry for the 10million questions
I had a 575 for a year and used it a lot. I would suggest looking at one of those.So the consensus is that it's pretty reliable but wouldn't be a daily driver. The thing is as I said, I would try and use it say a couple times a week and would need to be able to park it etc. How bad is the steering? I've never driven a car without power steering exept a VX220 which was fine but is a very light car where as the 512 is heavy?
The width thing doesn't bother me too much, I've looked it up and it's only an inch wider than my 430 which I can live with.
I was just reading an article in a classic car magazine about the 550 and how it can easily be an everyday car and it's amazing what a huge step forward the 550 was from the 512. Just little things like the buttons and switches look so much older in the 512.
Anyway, what sort of MPG do you get from the 512? My 430 and 355 are pretty horrendous so I'm not expecting any miracles!
How easily can you get parts for them?
I was thinking I could buy a 512, use it for the summer and sell it on around September sort of time and buy something practical for winter. Firstly is that just a stupid idea? And secondly how easily can you sell them on? The Verdi car seems a good one but has been on the market for ages?
Does anyone know anything about the Verdi car
Thanks again and sorry for the 10million questions
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