Discussion
How come they are so cheap?
I could pick up a low(ish) milage, F1 spyder for 40-45k... I just don't get it... That's a hell of a lot of car for the money!
To me, they represent what Ferrari is all about, and the styling may not be that fresh, but they are a long, long way from ugly. The engine sound alone is worth that - following on through the Alps a couple of years ago kept me smiling for days.
Are they that expensive to keep on the road?
I just can't see what the catch is. Please enlighten me.
p.s. I'm not in the market for one, I just want to know why.
I could pick up a low(ish) milage, F1 spyder for 40-45k... I just don't get it... That's a hell of a lot of car for the money!
To me, they represent what Ferrari is all about, and the styling may not be that fresh, but they are a long, long way from ugly. The engine sound alone is worth that - following on through the Alps a couple of years ago kept me smiling for days.
Are they that expensive to keep on the road?
I just can't see what the catch is. Please enlighten me.
p.s. I'm not in the market for one, I just want to know why.
Edited by Foolish Dave on Monday 7th April 09:09
Do a search here and on clubscuderia.co.uk
End of the day, the newest ones are now 9yrs old. The oldest are 14yrs old!
Like any high performance car, they will cost a decent chunk to keep on top of. Average of 2k-ish per annum *should* cover it. But if you don't buy wisely, or get unlucky, you can find yourself with big bills. It doesn't take much to rack up a 5k+ servicing bill on them, and whilst if you buy well this sort of bill will be balanced out with cheaper years, if you buy badly and only expect to keep the car 12mths to scratch an itch, you could end up in tears.
The big cost in all cars is depreciation, and on that at least they will be very, very cheap over the coming years.
End of the day, the newest ones are now 9yrs old. The oldest are 14yrs old!
Like any high performance car, they will cost a decent chunk to keep on top of. Average of 2k-ish per annum *should* cover it. But if you don't buy wisely, or get unlucky, you can find yourself with big bills. It doesn't take much to rack up a 5k+ servicing bill on them, and whilst if you buy well this sort of bill will be balanced out with cheaper years, if you buy badly and only expect to keep the car 12mths to scratch an itch, you could end up in tears.
The big cost in all cars is depreciation, and on that at least they will be very, very cheap over the coming years.
With the greatest of respect and having just bought one, in theory you can buy a 355 for 40 - 45k but in practice its actually quite difficult !!
It took me 2 years to find one that I was happy with, I looked at about 25 to find one good one I found (as I have posed before) that peoples description of FSH and excellent condition can be very different to my view.
Most of the ones I looked at were battered scratched in need of services ( mainly cam belt ones circa 2k) rusty etc etc etc
I spoke to several owners and dealer that said oh yes perfect condition and fsh to then drive 200 miles to find that they had gaps in the service history and haddnt been serviced for 2 years ... which people thought was acceptable !!!
Most needed 5k- 10k minimum spending on them to make them up to what I would call excellent condition and these were all cars between 39 - 50k
You may however be lucky !!!!!!
It took me 2 years to find one that I was happy with, I looked at about 25 to find one good one I found (as I have posed before) that peoples description of FSH and excellent condition can be very different to my view.
Most of the ones I looked at were battered scratched in need of services ( mainly cam belt ones circa 2k) rusty etc etc etc
I spoke to several owners and dealer that said oh yes perfect condition and fsh to then drive 200 miles to find that they had gaps in the service history and haddnt been serviced for 2 years ... which people thought was acceptable !!!
Most needed 5k- 10k minimum spending on them to make them up to what I would call excellent condition and these were all cars between 39 - 50k
You may however be lucky !!!!!!
Foolish Dave said:
How come they are so cheap?
I could pick up a low(ish) milage, F1 spyder for 40-45k... I just don't get it... That's a hell of a lot of car for the money!
To me, they represent what Ferrari is all about, and the styling may not be that fresh, but they are a long, long way from ugly. The engine sound alone is worth that - following on through the Alps a couple of years ago kept me smiling for days.
Are they that expensive to keep on the road?
I just can't see what the catch is. Please enlighten me.
p.s. I'm not in the market for one, I just want to know why.
As has been indicated elsewhere the car is approaching alost 14 years old for the earlier variants.I could pick up a low(ish) milage, F1 spyder for 40-45k... I just don't get it... That's a hell of a lot of car for the money!
To me, they represent what Ferrari is all about, and the styling may not be that fresh, but they are a long, long way from ugly. The engine sound alone is worth that - following on through the Alps a couple of years ago kept me smiling for days.
Are they that expensive to keep on the road?
I just can't see what the catch is. Please enlighten me.
p.s. I'm not in the market for one, I just want to know why.
Edited by Foolish Dave on Monday 7th April 09:09
F1 pump and actuator costs a lot more tha the gearbox itself ( mine was 7K when the pump burnt out)
and all the usual problems that you get with 355s. the roof on the spider is a poential money pit as well.
Might be quite cheap to buy but the real ownership costs are high.
40-45k on a weekend toy is a fair chunk of money, but not unrealistic (though is the present climate of media scaremongers who knows how long for).
So a manual, coupe would be the choice to keep running costs down?
My preference would be for a manual anyway but I'd like the spyder for the wind in your hair and engine noise.
I know 550s are really cheap too (again, something I find really odd) and I really liked the one that went to Monaco with us at the same time a the 355, but for me they are a GT not a sports car, and I always think of Ferrari being a sports marque first and a GT second.
Having said that, I wouldn't mind either and the 550 sounds gorgeous too
So a manual, coupe would be the choice to keep running costs down?
My preference would be for a manual anyway but I'd like the spyder for the wind in your hair and engine noise.
I know 550s are really cheap too (again, something I find really odd) and I really liked the one that went to Monaco with us at the same time a the 355, but for me they are a GT not a sports car, and I always think of Ferrari being a sports marque first and a GT second.
Having said that, I wouldn't mind either and the 550 sounds gorgeous too
phib said:
With the greatest of respect and having just bought one, in theory you can buy a 355 for 40 - 45k but in practice its actually quite difficult !!
It took me 2 years to find one that I was happy with, I looked at about 25 to find one good one I found (as I have posed before) that peoples description of FSH and excellent condition can be very different to my view.
Most of the ones I looked at were battered scratched in need of services ( mainly cam belt ones circa 2k) rusty etc etc etc
I spoke to several owners and dealer that said oh yes perfect condition and fsh to then drive 200 miles to find that they had gaps in the service history and haddnt been serviced for 2 years ... which people thought was acceptable !!!
Most needed 5k- 10k minimum spending on them to make them up to what I would call excellent condition and these were all cars between 39 - 50k
You may however be lucky !!!!!!
Out of interest, did you have a look at one's from reputable specialists, like Verdi or Rardley? I know they hold a premium (as dealers always do) but do the quality of their cars justify the price?It took me 2 years to find one that I was happy with, I looked at about 25 to find one good one I found (as I have posed before) that peoples description of FSH and excellent condition can be very different to my view.
Most of the ones I looked at were battered scratched in need of services ( mainly cam belt ones circa 2k) rusty etc etc etc
I spoke to several owners and dealer that said oh yes perfect condition and fsh to then drive 200 miles to find that they had gaps in the service history and haddnt been serviced for 2 years ... which people thought was acceptable !!!
Most needed 5k- 10k minimum spending on them to make them up to what I would call excellent condition and these were all cars between 39 - 50k
You may however be lucky !!!!!!
[report] Yesterday (19:59)
phib said:
With the greatest of respect and having just bought one, in theory you can buy a 355 for 40 - 45k but in practice its actually quite difficult !!
It took me 2 years to find one that I was happy with, I looked at about 25 to find one good one I found (as I have posed before) that peoples description of FSH and excellent condition can be very different to my view.
Most of the ones I looked at were battered scratched in need of services ( mainly cam belt ones circa 2k) rusty etc etc etc
I spoke to several owners and dealer that said oh yes perfect condition and fsh to then drive 200 miles to find that they had gaps in the service history and haddnt been serviced for 2 years ... which people thought was acceptable !!!
Most needed 5k- 10k minimum spending on them to make them up to what I would call excellent condition and these were all cars between 39 - 50k
You may however be lucky !!!!!!
Out of interest, did you have a look at one's from reputable specialists, like Verdi or Rardley? I know they hold a premium (as dealers always do) but do the quality of their cars justify the price?
Looked at all dealers but have to say that Rardley were far and away the best in terms of quality and service, they had one very good car but it was quite a bit more than I wanted to pay.
When mine goes for a service it will certainly be going into Rardley
Phib
phib said:
With the greatest of respect and having just bought one, in theory you can buy a 355 for 40 - 45k but in practice its actually quite difficult !!
It took me 2 years to find one that I was happy with, I looked at about 25 to find one good one I found (as I have posed before) that peoples description of FSH and excellent condition can be very different to my view.
Most of the ones I looked at were battered scratched in need of services ( mainly cam belt ones circa 2k) rusty etc etc etc
I spoke to several owners and dealer that said oh yes perfect condition and fsh to then drive 200 miles to find that they had gaps in the service history and haddnt been serviced for 2 years ... which people thought was acceptable !!!
Most needed 5k- 10k minimum spending on them to make them up to what I would call excellent condition and these were all cars between 39 - 50k
You may however be lucky !!!!!!
Out of interest, did you have a look at one's from reputable specialists, like Verdi or Rardley? I know they hold a premium (as dealers always do) but do the quality of their cars justify the price?
Looked at all dealers but have to say that Rardley were far and away the best in terms of quality and service, they had one very good car but it was quite a bit more than I wanted to pay.
When mine goes for a service it will certainly be going into Rardley
Phib
The 355 I drove with to Monaco was in only in the hands of the new owner for a week or so before the trip started, he got it from a reputable dealer (won't say which due to site T&Cs) sold unseen and serviced before pickup.
Seemed very tidy and well serviced by them, but the battery terminal came loose on a motorway in the first couple of days. It was a quick enough fix once we knew what it was, but was slightly suprised when we took the wheel arch lining off and realised there was no way it had been inspected before he picked it up.
Seemed very tidy and well serviced by them, but the battery terminal came loose on a motorway in the first couple of days. It was a quick enough fix once we knew what it was, but was slightly suprised when we took the wheel arch lining off and realised there was no way it had been inspected before he picked it up.
Murph7355 said:
Do a search here and on clubscuderia.co.uk
End of the day, the newest ones are now 9yrs old. The oldest are 14yrs old!
Like any high performance car, they will cost a decent chunk to keep on top of. Average of 2k-ish per annum *should* cover it. But if you don't buy wisely, or get unlucky, you can find yourself with big bills. It doesn't take much to rack up a 5k+ servicing bill on them, and whilst if you buy well this sort of bill will be balanced out with cheaper years, if you buy badly and only expect to keep the car 12mths to scratch an itch, you could end up in tears.
The big cost in all cars is depreciation, and on that at least they will be very, very cheap over the coming years.
Just seen this post.End of the day, the newest ones are now 9yrs old. The oldest are 14yrs old!
Like any high performance car, they will cost a decent chunk to keep on top of. Average of 2k-ish per annum *should* cover it. But if you don't buy wisely, or get unlucky, you can find yourself with big bills. It doesn't take much to rack up a 5k+ servicing bill on them, and whilst if you buy well this sort of bill will be balanced out with cheaper years, if you buy badly and only expect to keep the car 12mths to scratch an itch, you could end up in tears.
The big cost in all cars is depreciation, and on that at least they will be very, very cheap over the coming years.
We were thinking of getting a Dino 246 GTS before Christmas and was told to expect the same sort of level of servicing costs. I was suprised the Dino would be capable of costing so little, to me that sort of cost is the norm for a newish high performance car; the Subaru isn't far off that for dealer servicing and parts.
I don't see 355s going down in price much more before they either plung and then come back up, or just start appreciating again, or am I living in dream land?
Foolish Dave said:
I don't see 355s going down in price much more before they either plunge and then come back up, or just start appreciating again, or am I living in dream land?
I think folk expecting 355s to appreciate much (if anything) are living in an optomistic dream land. I also think folk expecting them to take a plunge are also living in dream land IMHO. Far better plan is to get one and join the rest of us who are already in happy dream land renmure said:
Foolish Dave said:
I don't see 355s going down in price much more before they either plunge and then come back up, or just start appreciating again, or am I living in dream land?
I think folk expecting 355s to appreciate much (if anything) are living in an optomistic dream land. I also think folk expecting them to take a plunge are also living in dream land IMHO. Far better plan is to get one and join the rest of us who are already in happy dream land Although i doubt it will suffer huge depreciation as one will with the rather ugly 360, fact is servicing and repair costs on the 355 will fill the gap making it about the same in true ownership costs
In current financial climate there is a good chance that luxury goods like Ferrari's might go into freefall!
Assuming finances sort themselves out I dont thnik 355's will fall far, although I cant see them going up just yet (unless it is a very low mileage perfect example in the right colours).
As for 360's they are dropping in price faster than 355's and been merging for some time.
430's are widely predicted to drop hard this year as well.
Assuming finances sort themselves out I dont thnik 355's will fall far, although I cant see them going up just yet (unless it is a very low mileage perfect example in the right colours).
As for 360's they are dropping in price faster than 355's and been merging for some time.
430's are widely predicted to drop hard this year as well.
Good ones will always fetch 30+k.
There aren't that many RHD examples around, and if you're fussy on model and interior/exterior colour then the number of good ones available at any one time will be very, very limited.
IMO prices will stick at this level for quite some time now. They won't appreciate significantly for a long time yet though.
Whilst it's always possible to run cars cheaply, I don't think Ferraris are dramatically more expensive to run than anything else once depreciation etc is factored in.
There aren't that many RHD examples around, and if you're fussy on model and interior/exterior colour then the number of good ones available at any one time will be very, very limited.
IMO prices will stick at this level for quite some time now. They won't appreciate significantly for a long time yet though.
Whilst it's always possible to run cars cheaply, I don't think Ferraris are dramatically more expensive to run than anything else once depreciation etc is factored in.
Murph7355 said:
Good ones will always fetch 30+k.
There aren't that many RHD examples around, and if you're fussy on model and interior/exterior colour then the number of good ones available at any one time will be very, very limited.
IMO prices will stick at this level for quite some time now. They won't appreciate significantly for a long time yet though.
Whilst it's always possible to run cars cheaply, I don't think Ferraris are dramatically more expensive to run than anything else once depreciation etc is factored in.
well not dramatically more expensive if nothing major goes wrong!There aren't that many RHD examples around, and if you're fussy on model and interior/exterior colour then the number of good ones available at any one time will be very, very limited.
IMO prices will stick at this level for quite some time now. They won't appreciate significantly for a long time yet though.
Whilst it's always possible to run cars cheaply, I don't think Ferraris are dramatically more expensive to run than anything else once depreciation etc is factored in.
On mine i had the F1 pump go- 7K then the actuator 2.5K and numerous things above normal servicing.
My friend down the road spent 3K fixing the roof on the spider and the engine grenaded throwing a rod- cost £19K
So your assumption is only correct if your feeling lucky!
Gassing Station | Supercar General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff