Should I consider a 412???

Should I consider a 412???

Author
Discussion

Harry Lagman

Original Poster:

3 posts

247 months

Sunday 10th August 2003
quotequote all
Unlike many I have always had a soft spot for the 4xx shape and am thinking of looking for a 412i 5sp manual (a rare beasty I know). I am doing this with my eyes open and realise that although cheap to buy £1.5k to £3k servicing a year would be normal (assuming I do 6kmiles a year)

Am I nuts looking to take on an old 12?

All opinions and advice (and horror stories ) welcome,..especially from those that have owned/driven.

Cheers...

Davey S1

13,075 posts

253 months

Monday 11th August 2003
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I cannot believe the amount of slagging off the 400 / 412 get from people.

My father bought a 400i 2 years ago. He wasnt looking for one, it was a late entry in an auction he was at looking for an Aston martin Lagonda (yes I know!!??)

We did a european trip with the owners club last year. nearly 4000 miles in 8 days and the car was fantastic. Of course it couldn,t live with the 355's and 360's but we cruised at a steady 130 plus all day every day and had a ton of luggage space.

If you are looking for a sports car then forget it. If you want a big, fast, comfy tourer and don't ming giving most of your money to BP then get one.

Very good cars and very underrated.

456mgt

2,504 posts

265 months

Monday 11th August 2003
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Well I would have one! Buy it for yourself, not anyone else.

If you take a look over on FerrariChat you will see a couple of the guys using them as daily cars and having a great time. IIRC the service intervals are short (every 3K miles/6 months?), and in the UK, rust is going to be a headache, as is sheer age of the car. Just an observation, but the guys owning these seem to be the mechanically competent types (which is not me!). Scampbell on this site has restored one, and I know some people in the UK FOC that run them, so there are people out there who can help.

Kevin

danhay

7,422 posts

255 months

Monday 11th August 2003
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I think that to own a 412 you need to have more money than sense!

So you've either got to be short on sense, or very long on money.
I own an 1975 Ferrari, and have spent about £6k on repairs in my first year. This has included a major engine service, clutch and blets, and a gearbox rebuild. The car has done about 90,000 kms.

I do like the 4xx cars. I think they look better in a metallic colour rather than red though.

EdFez

23 posts

247 months

Monday 11th August 2003
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My father had a 400i when it was a current car. He also had 2 308GT4's, another currently underrated car.They were driven at 30,000 miles a year as every day cars. There were few reliabilty issues with the 400 but it drank the fuel and was more to service. The 308 was a car that I fitted into on fairly long journeys in the back up to the age of 11 when he changed to a Mondial. The 308 was a bit more reliable than the 400 but not much differance . The running costs are alot higher though.
Unless you need 4 proper seats why not try the 308 GT4 or even the Mondial?
Whatever you go for good luck and enjoy.
A word of warning; these cars must have a thorough service history because they were clocked on a very regular basis.A 60,000 mile car my father sold had only 20,000 on th eclock 2 yrs later!

scampbellb

29 posts

255 months

Monday 11th August 2003
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The 400 series are great cars. Had my 400 since 1997 and love it. Spent a small fortune restoring it and this is money that I will never recoup but I did it for fun. I like to work on cars myself but if I had to pay for other people's labour costs I would never have evn considered starting teh project. Have a look at www.400register.com for deatils about these cars and for my car specificaly look at www.400register.com /register/21557/21557-default.asp and then follow the 'restoration' and 'pictures' links at the top of the page.

My 400 was just an average car when I bought it - funnily enough I was also at an auction and almost bought a A-M Lagonda and then the 400 came up... The areas that needed attention in my 400 will need attention in most other 400 series cars also.

I can send you a list of things to watch out for if you like. Where abouts are you?

harry lagman

Original Poster:

3 posts

247 months

Tuesday 12th August 2003
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Thanks guys for all your responses, it is very much appreciated.

I am still very taken with the idea of a 412 but knowing that I am a bit challenged in the spanner-wielding dept will have to ensure a sizeable fettling fund!! (and develop a lasting relationship with an independant).

I especially appreciate the offer of guidance from scampbell. I am also in London (SW) so if I decide to start a search properly I will drop you a mail.

Thanks again Gentlemen...

PetrolTed

34,424 posts

302 months

Wednesday 13th August 2003
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Harry, I was just speaking to Karl at Verdi who's been reading this thread. He was a bit coy about pitching in as it would be seen as advertising, but as he's a nice chap I'll give it a mention for him

He's got one in stock which may be of interest:

Ferrari 412, £14,995

Harry Lagman

Original Poster:

3 posts

247 months

Thursday 14th August 2003
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Thanks Ted. I was thinking about finding some time to get over to Verdi, they are not too far away from me. I checked out their website (That car is the same one that was on the RossoCorsa website for £21,995!!). I know that if I go to Verdi I am going to see lots of tempting metal and who knows what would happen....

(notetoself:leave chequebook/creditcard at home when visting Verdi )

elms

1,926 posts

251 months

Friday 15th August 2003
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Harry have you been getting my mails with reference to the low mileage example at auto-barn???