400i 1985 For Sale...Thoughts?

LTChip · 04-08-2009, 07:53 AM

http://www.bestwayautomall.com/Deale...bpVm1HX7DvI%3d

Anyone know this car or if there are things I should be concerned with here?

Thanks!

Gcalo · 04-08-2009, 08:22 AM

The 400 series including the "i" never endeared many people and they are ticking time bombs.

There are tons of things that can go wrong.

They are nice cars with 12 healthy cylinders, but you should know that you could spend more on that car fixing problems then you would have spent to buy the car. If you can do the work you'll need a W/S manual and a lot of time.

There ahs been one for sale for months in Autoweek by a "dealer" in Michigan. I called him about it 6 months ago. he said he was a dealer for 40+ years and never saw such a nice car. What's he smoking.

I asked for photos or a web site and he said he had neither! He said he's send regular pictures! That was 6 months ago. They must have been lost in the mail.

I woudl be very careful. Also in this market, $30K for that car is outrageous. it should be in the high teens or very low 20's!

Good luck with that.

You also might want to pay attention to the ad. It says "red leather"! It looks like light tan or sabbia to me from the photos. Think the seller really knows anything about this car? It's list as a 456GT!

I would say this is a bogus ad.

archiegibbs · 04-08-2009, 10:03 AM

I agree with Gcalo. There is no such thing as a cheap Ferrari. You might buy it at a knockdown price, but when you have finished spending on all the things that need sorting, you may well find you could have bought a sorted 308/328 for the same money. A new exhaust system is going to cost you over $10K for starters.

JazzyO · 04-10-2009, 12:56 AM

The 400i can be a great car, but it requires a) a great example, b) a dedicated owner, and c) a decent purse. If you want to bring a good example back to a great example, you're talking $$$. If you want to bring a bad example back from the dead, you're talking $$$$$$$$$$$.

So - would you buy one from someone who advertises it in an ad with incorrect information? Of course not. You should only buy one if you know all about them and have saved up to buy the best on the market.

BTW - what is this OBO thing? Never understood that. Why on EARTH would you offer to pay more if you can buy it for the suggested price?

Onno

Boxer · 04-10-2009, 12:57 AM

Looking at the ad, all I see is a lot of wallet pain.

t1fosI · 04-10-2009, 10:26 AM

Lots of thoughts - none of them positive

.

Gcalo · 04-12-2009, 10:18 AM

The interesting issue is that Enzo drove a 400i quite a bit as his own car!

Boxer · 04-12-2009, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gcalo

The interesting issue is that Enzo drove a 400i quite a bit as his own car!

Well, he had people on site to take care of all the maintenance and rust problems.

spyder-man · 04-12-2009, 10:31 PM

I really like the styling of these cars, although the horror stories keep me well away. Saying that, I'd offer a cheeky offer just to get ahold of the engine, so I could then put it into one of these

http://www.nfauto.co.uk/mk4.htm

Nice little weekend project

JazzyO · 04-13-2009, 05:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boxer

Well, he had people on site to take care of all the maintenance and rust problems.

It just might be possible he didn't have to wash it either...

Onno

Gcalo · 04-13-2009, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boxer

Well, he had people on site to take care of all the maintenance and rust problems.

He did not have any rust problems although rumor has it that he was getting a bit "rusty" at that point!

04-08-2009, 07:53 AM	#1
LTChip Join Date: Oct 2006 Ferrari Life Posts: 1	400i 1985 For Sale...Thoughts? http://www.bestwayautomall.com/Deale...bpVm1HX7DvI%3d Anyone know this car or if there are things I should be concerned with here? Thanks!

04-08-2009, 10:03 AM	#3
archiegibbs Owner Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: United Kingdom Ferrari Life Posts: 3,922 Name: Archie	I agree with Gcalo. There is no such thing as a cheap Ferrari. You might buy it at a knockdown price, but when you have finished spending on all the things that need sorting, you may well find you could have bought a sorted 308/328 for the same money. A new exhaust system is going to cost you over $10K for starters. Archie

04-10-2009, 12:57 AM	#5
Boxer Owner Elite Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: UK Ferrari Life Posts: 12,772	Looking at the ad, all I see is a lot of wallet pain. Boxer Current: F40, F50, 612, 430 Scuderia Past: 360 Modena, 360 Challenge, 550, 575, 365BB, 512BB, 456 GT, F355 GTS, 365 GTB/4 Daytona, 308 GTB

04-10-2009, 10:26 AM	#6
t1fosI Owner Elite Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: London, UK. Ferrari Life Posts: 1,431	Lots of thoughts - none of them positive . Current: 360 Modena Future: ? ----------------------------- 'Some people dream of success... while others wake up and work hard at it.'

04-12-2009, 10:31 PM	#9
spyder-man Owner Join Date: May 2004 Location: Kent, UK Ferrari Life Posts: 53	I really like the styling of these cars, although the horror stories keep me well away. Saying that, I'd offer a cheeky offer just to get ahold of the engine, so I could then put it into one of these http://www.nfauto.co.uk/mk4.htm Nice little weekend project Attached Images

04-08-2009, 08:22 AM	#2
Gcalo Owner Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Ramon, Calif Ferrari Life Posts: 3,613	The 400 series including the "i" never endeared many people and they are ticking time bombs. There are tons of things that can go wrong. They are nice cars with 12 healthy cylinders, but you should know that you could spend more on that car fixing problems then you would have spent to buy the car. If you can do the work you'll need a W/S manual and a lot of time. There ahs been one for sale for months in Autoweek by a "dealer" in Michigan. I called him about it 6 months ago. he said he was a dealer for 40+ years and never saw such a nice car. What's he smoking. I asked for photos or a web site and he said he had neither! He said he's send regular pictures! That was 6 months ago. They must have been lost in the mail. I woudl be very careful. Also in this market, $30K for that car is outrageous. it should be in the high teens or very low 20's! Good luck with that. You also might want to pay attention to the ad. It says "red leather"! It looks like light tan or sabbia to me from the photos. Think the seller really knows anything about this car? It's list as a 456GT! I would say this is a bogus ad.

04-10-2009, 12:56 AM	#4
JazzyO Owner Elite Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Jersey, Channel Islands Ferrari Life Posts: 4,280	The 400i can be a great car, but it requires a) a great example, b) a dedicated owner, and c) a decent purse. If you want to bring a good example back to a great example, you're talking $$$. If you want to bring a bad example back from the dead, you're talking $$$$$$$$$$$. So - would you buy one from someone who advertises it in an ad with incorrect information? Of course not. You should only buy one if you know all about them and have saved up to buy the best on the market. BTW - what is this OBO thing? Never understood that. Why on EARTH would you offer to pay more if you can buy it for the suggested price? Onno

04-12-2009, 10:18 AM	#7
Gcalo Owner Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Ramon, Calif Ferrari Life Posts: 3,613	The interesting issue is that Enzo drove a 400i quite a bit as his own car!

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