7000 KM 1999 F1 Spider - good or bad?
Discussion
Hi, I'm think of buying a 1 owner November '99 355 F1 Spider with around 7,000KMs from a Ferrari main dealer in Geneva (i live in Switzerland). I've had a few 911's but now feel like a change. Of course, I'm expecting higher running costs but have heard a few horror stories of things like the F1 gearbox pump failing and costing GBP10K in parts alone to put right, and also that if the pump goes for the roof mechanism it can be an expensive fix - has anyone got any stories they can share to confirm or deny these rumours?
Also, is a 7000KM car good or bad - are seals and other perishable components likely to have suffered? The car has been serviced every year, and comes with a 1 year warranty from the dealer. Price is around GBP46K which seems about right to me (obviously its LHD).
Anyone got any thoughts on this?
Thanks
Suffolk911 (soon to be Lausanne355!!)
Also, is a 7000KM car good or bad - are seals and other perishable components likely to have suffered? The car has been serviced every year, and comes with a 1 year warranty from the dealer. Price is around GBP46K which seems about right to me (obviously its LHD).
Anyone got any thoughts on this?
Thanks
Suffolk911 (soon to be Lausanne355!!)
Having a car serviced every year does not garantee anything other than the oil and filters are changed as well as the most basic stuff like brakes and plugs being checked. Even though one would think that the prices ferrari charge for a service they would strip the car down and check every thin, but they dont. Ya pay £600for an oil change
So if the car has not been used or started and run often there may be the chance of dried seals that no service but a main would pick up. A car can have as little as a 1000 miles on it providing its started and run up to temp often. So in an idel world it would be good to know the life of the engine and how it was run while in its gararge.
I have had nothing serious with my 355 in the two and a half years of me owning it,due to me using it in the summer often as i can. In the 8 months over winter while layed up, i start it a few times a week in its gararge to keep all seals oiled and the fluids from stagnating. As the saying goes "use it or loose it".
So if the car has not been used or started and run often there may be the chance of dried seals that no service but a main would pick up. A car can have as little as a 1000 miles on it providing its started and run up to temp often. So in an idel world it would be good to know the life of the engine and how it was run while in its gararge.
I have had nothing serious with my 355 in the two and a half years of me owning it,due to me using it in the summer often as i can. In the 8 months over winter while layed up, i start it a few times a week in its gararge to keep all seals oiled and the fluids from stagnating. As the saying goes "use it or loose it".
Edited by ferrarispider on Sunday 13th August 14:48
mileage is somewhat low to say the least but if its from a ferrari dealer and covered by a ferrari warranty that should mitigate some of the risk. check the warranty can be renewed also and the cost. i would get an oppinion from a knowledgable specialist...i would presume that if there were issues relating to its lack of use then they would come to light within the first year of your ownership. for what its worth, i bought a 2000 registered(late 1999 build) 355 f1 spider which had 6500 miles on the clock still very low but not as low as yours. only thing that went amiss in 2 years of ownership was the right side cooling fan. I would check specific items, such as the f1 actuator are covered by the warranty (in writing if you can get it) and be sure to renew the warranty yearly. Im sure there are plenty of things the warranty doesnt cover but it gives some peace of mind over the expensive items
LotusJas said:
ferrarispider said:
In the 8 months over winter while layed up, i start it a few times a week in its gararge to keep all seals oiled and the fluids from stagnating.
Isn't that more than needed? Surely running it once a fortnight over winter should be sufficient?
Any way the car is in the gararge next door so its no great drama to turn the key a few times a week. Besides i know of very few who dont go into there gararge while there ferraris are layed up. Edited by ferrarispider on Monday 14th August 09:05
andy355 said:
mileage is somewhat low to say the least but if its from a ferrari dealer and covered by a ferrari warranty that should mitigate some of the risk. check the warranty can be renewed also and the cost. i would get an oppinion from a knowledgable specialist...i would presume that if there were issues relating to its lack of use then they would come to light within the first year of your ownership. for what its worth, i bought a 2000 registered(late 1999 build) 355 f1 spider which had 6500 miles on the clock still very low but not as low as yours. only thing that went amiss in 2 years of ownership was the right side cooling fan. I would check specific items, such as the f1 actuator are covered by the warranty (in writing if you can get it) and be sure to renew the warranty yearly. Im sure there are plenty of things the warranty doesnt cover but it gives some peace of mind over the expensive items
Well the F1 actuator leaks when its new! the actuator is about 2.5K and the pump 9K the problem seems to be that the relay is rated at 30 amps, and sometimes the pump draws more current than that hence heating up the realy which then sticks. The pump is in fact a rather cheap looking unit and the motor is rated NOT for continuous running( it builds up pressure on a pressure switch) when the relay sticks it burns out the pump.
The parts for these will get more and more expensive and the technology dates the system badly. Mine got stuck in 2nd gear twice and you cant get it out of gear when its jammed.
All in all get a six speed, the F1 is more trouble than its worth and the pump can go at 5K miles or 30K
Thanks everyone for your responses. My personal preference would actually be for a manual six speed, but I saw this one and as I like the understated colour combination (blue/tan) and the 'as new' condition thought I'd take a closer look. I'm going to take a test drive later this week; if I like the F1, I'm going to get it and just keep the warranty going. Now I just need to keep the possibility of 10K spare parts a secret from my wife to avoid the 'I could get a new Fiat Panda etc' arguments....
Just a question for F355 F1 experts...
What are the possibilities to convert an F1 equipeed car back to regular manual shift?
I am just curious as over on Porsche forums, quite a few folk talk about replacing their knackered PCCB ceramic brakes with the steels instead of incurring the expense of replacing the PCCB's.
Would the same approach work with the F1 transmission? Could you keep the original gearbox and just convert the actuation mechanism back to manual for less than the cost of fixing it? I assume the interior trim modifications would not be cheap but it surely must be doable.
Cheers!
What are the possibilities to convert an F1 equipeed car back to regular manual shift?
I am just curious as over on Porsche forums, quite a few folk talk about replacing their knackered PCCB ceramic brakes with the steels instead of incurring the expense of replacing the PCCB's.
Would the same approach work with the F1 transmission? Could you keep the original gearbox and just convert the actuation mechanism back to manual for less than the cost of fixing it? I assume the interior trim modifications would not be cheap but it surely must be doable.
Cheers!
Of course it would be doable i guess. Its the same gear box and all but just with servos added to select the gears. The problems i think would be the cost of buying the parts even used and the electronics are all tied into the F1s ECUs. If ya havnt bought a car yet then just buy a manual Although i understand why you asked the question.
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