Is there a Ferrari that's not insanely difficult to maintain?

SlickDizzy wrote: Not saying that I'm going to do it and buy one tomorrow, but as a tech, of course you'd say that - the guys who have been maintaining their own successfully for years probably have no desire to pay Ferrari labor rates when they don't have to Seriously though, the Ferrari owners on this board seem to indicate that while it'll never be CHEAP, it doesn't have to be EXORBITANT. That's pretty much the answer I was looking for.

That's a good way of describing it Slick. I never expected to own an F car, but a friend of mine was ready to move on and I was able to buy his for a reasonable price. I know the car and its service history. I've put my kids through university and am able to financially support this purchase. I have no regrets.

Streetwiseguy wrote:

Adrian_Thompson wrote:

Really? REALLY??? That makes every other federalised bumper in the entire known universe look fabulous. I want a rubber bumper MGB now;.

I'd totally make an exact copy of that out of teak and turn it into a swim deck on the car!

SlickDizzy wrote:

DES4 wrote: I worked at a Ferrari dealership for nearly three years as a tech. There is no such thing as a "cheap" Ferrari; in fact, the most expensive Ferrari to own is one that you've paid very little for. This isn't Disneyland; once you're through the door, the rides aren't free. The least expensive of Ferraris, like 400s, 308s, Mondials and the like, are every bit as expensive to repair and maintain, and I've seen many, many posers get in way over their heads buying cheap (read: trashed) examples. You will NEVER come out ahead, I don't care how sharp of a wrench you fancy yourself. Parts for the lowliest Ferraris are every bit as expensive as the desirable models. Don't do it, man.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=154964 Not saying that I'm going to do it and buy one tomorrow, but as a tech, of course you'd say that - the guys who have been maintaining their own successfully for years probably have no desire to pay Ferrari labor rates when they don't have to Seriously though, the Ferrari owners on this board seem to indicate that while it'll never be CHEAP, it doesn't have to be EXORBITANT. That's pretty much the answer I was looking for.

If I learned nothing else while I was working on those turds, I found you can own a rough example and keep it going, if that's your thing, and your neighbors will be impressed. They aren't, by any means, a good value. Most out there need quite a bit to become a safe/reliable/good car. It's a road heavily traveled by posers.

DES4 wrote:

SlickDizzy wrote:

DES4 wrote: I worked at a Ferrari dealership for nearly three years as a tech. There is no such thing as a "cheap" Ferrari; in fact, the most expensive Ferrari to own is one that you've paid very little for. This isn't Disneyland; once you're through the door, the rides aren't free. The least expensive of Ferraris, like 400s, 308s, Mondials and the like, are every bit as expensive to repair and maintain, and I've seen many, many posers get in way over their heads buying cheap (read: trashed) examples. You will NEVER come out ahead, I don't care how sharp of a wrench you fancy yourself. Parts for the lowliest Ferraris are every bit as expensive as the desirable models. Don't do it, man.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=154964 Not saying that I'm going to do it and buy one tomorrow, but as a tech, of course you'd say that - the guys who have been maintaining their own successfully for years probably have no desire to pay Ferrari labor rates when they don't have to Seriously though, the Ferrari owners on this board seem to indicate that while it'll never be CHEAP, it doesn't have to be EXORBITANT. That's pretty much the answer I was looking for.

If I learned nothing else while I was working on those turds, I found you can own a rough example and keep it going, if that's your thing, and your neighbors will be impressed. They aren't, by any means, a good value. Most out there need quite a bit to become a safe/reliable/good car. It's a road heavily traveled by posers.

Not a good value? My first 250 was purchased, driven for six years and traded for my house. My 308s cost me next to nothing to run for a few years and returned the same or better value when sold and my Daytona and GTC have performed far better than any other investments of late. Buy a 550 Maranello now(remember you heard it here first!) and you will do well in a few years.

Difficult to maintain? I did a timing belt for 130 bucks off ebay on my garage floor.

Spark plugs? Easy access.

I may have the easiest and cheapest to maintain Ferrari in the world. This car would have a 3.0 Ferrari v8 if I had money but there is something about being the poorest Ferrari owner in the world that I like.

Also this car isn't to be a poser. I'm not trying to "fake" what's under the hood. I tell everybody.

forzav12 wrote: Buy a 550 Maranello now(remember you heard it here first!) and you will do well in a few years.

I have to admit, while still well out of my price range, those aren't as expensive as I would have guessed. There's a pretty nice one near me for $76K with under 20K miles:

Damn, that's pretty. From the side, it's like an Italian version of a BMW 850.

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/carsforsale/ferrari/550_maranello/1521025.html

Hemmings has a couple of other ads for even less and this was jsut a quick look so I'd guess even better deals could be found.