[PinoyFerrari]

Im glad i found this site about Ferrari, evesince my dream is to have a Ferrari and I am thinking of selling my Porsche and get a Ferrari Testarossa and I am just wondering how much would it cost for maintenance and insurance a year? Pls share your experience about your Ferrari's expenses and maintenance. Thanks

[zwoemba]

Well, the only think i know is that it will be a lot more then with your Porsche

Welcome to the board :wink:

[Boxer]

I don't know what insurance in CA will cost, but you should be able to get it covered fairly inexpensively under a limited mileage Classic Policy. For annual maintenance, plan on roughly $1000-1500 a year and then $4000 once every 3-4 years for a major service with cambelt change. Suggest you take a look at the Testarossa Buyer's Guide in the Members section which has more information.

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by PinoyFerrari

Im glad i found this site about Ferrari, evesince my dream is to have a Ferrari and I am thinking of selling my Porsche and get a Ferrari Testarossa and I am just wondering how much would it cost for maintenance and insurance a year? Pls share your experience about your Ferrari's expenses and maintenance. Thanks

Hi,

I noticed you are also in San Francisco. The Testarossa is an expensive car to maintain compared to other Ferraris of that same time. The 328 is much more reliable and less expensive. I would suggest giving Sal Garcia a phone call and asking him a few questions on how much he charges for repair. You might also have him to a PPI (pre-purchase inspection). He is on 17th street, phone number is: 415-861-2223. Tell him Andrew from Ferrari Forum referred you.

Insurance shouldn't be too bad, and you can get low miles insurance if you drive the car only 3,000 miles/year.

Best of luck and let us know what happens. The Buyer's Guides on this site are a great help for people looking to buy and we are happy to help.

[PinoyFerrari]

Thanks a lot Andrew I will surely call him if i decided to get a Ferrari, And I will check out the 328 too. One more question, what basically are the maintenance that you have to do in yearly basis? Thanks

[Pete04222]

I can't help you on the TR stuff, but if you just want to get into a Ferrari, Andrew's right in that a 328 is a great starter Ferrari. If you are handy with a wrench, then you may want to consider a 308 as they are, in my opinion, the most "backyard mechanic" friendly and you can do most of the maintenance and repairs yourself. In the 3 1/2 years I've had my 308, I've probably spent about $1500 on maintenance and repair. The only outside work I had done was the front end alignment, tire balance and carb sychronization. My collector car insurance is only $200 per year for full coverage.

For a TR with others doing the work, I would agree with Boxer's estimate on Maint. costs. Seems pretty accurate.

[jungathart]

Hi,
Welcome! Regarding your question on yearly maintenance: aside from anything unforseeable, I change the oil and filter 2x yearly, the gearbox oil yearly, coolant yearly. These I do myself. Of course there is the yearly state inspection; and this year I had to have a tie rod repaired and a realignment [$200 total]. Otherwise, there are no planned yearly mechanical tinkerings. As Boxer suggested, put aside 1-1.5K yearly for the scheduled 3-5 year service [depending on the car and your actual milage].
The more these cars are driven (and they do like to be driven HARD!), the less problems one has. Ferraris are as reliable and dependable as you want to make them.
I, too, plan to have a TR (or 328) by spring. Hope you enjoy whatever you get.
Take good care of her, and she'll always get you there and home again,...and you'll have s---loads of high decibel, white knucle fun inbetween! 8)

[Pete04222]

Originally Posted by jungathart

The more these cars are driven (and they do like to be driven HARD!), the less problems one has. Ferraris are as reliable and dependable as you want to make them.

Yes! I agree 100%. If you use the car like it was meant to be used, you will have less problems that if you leave it in the garage for fear of racking up miles. Take it out and open 'er up. Let the parts do what they were designed to do. Keeps everything well lubed and condensation free.

That said, don't be scared off by high mileage cars or conned into thinking you are getting a good deal on a low mileage car. If the car is in decent shape and has good maintenance records - go for it. Get a PPI and let someone who knows Ferraris tell you if it is a good deal or not. I've said this before, that I would rather have a 20 year old car that was driven 3-5k miles a year (60-100k miles total) than a 20 year old car that was driven 30k in the first year and then put in a barn, cleaned up and offered for sale as "low mileage".

[PinoyFerrari]

Well, that helps a lot. Does all the insurance company do the car collection option or 3000 mls. a year? Any suggestion with insurance company?





97 BMW 5-series, 97 Porsche Boxster, 2000 Mercedes Benz ML-Class
Thats the member of the Family

[jungathart]

Hi Pinoy,
I use, and recommend Hagerty: just $400 a year for the Mondial. No claims experience yet (hopefully never) but from what I hear from other customers they are hassle-free.

BTW, nice cars! I think a RED Testarossa will fit in nicely 8)

BTW: do you park these beauties in the street?

[Pete04222]

I use American Collectors. Here's a link: http://www.americancollectorsins.com/index.htm

[Kimi]

Originally Posted by Boxer

I don't know what insurance in CA will cost, but you should be able to get it covered fairly inexpensively under a limited mileage Classic Policy. For annual maintenance, plan on roughly $1000-1500 a year and then $4000 once every 3-4 years for a major service with cambelt change. Suggest you take a look at the Testarossa Buyer's Guide in the Members section which has more information.

Are the running costs lower for a 360 and a 550 than for a Testarossa ?

[PinoyFerrari]

BTW: do you park these beauties in the street?

The Porsche and the Bimmer inside the garage the ML in the driveway, shes kinda neglected hehehe. Thanks for all the infor guys!

[Boxer]

Originally Posted by Kimi

Are the running costs lower for a 360 and a 550 than for a Testarossa ?

Your annual service maintenance costs will probably be a bit higher on the 360 & 550 than the Testarossa. A major service with a cambelt change will be more expensive on the TR.

[Mikeltm]

The cambelt service on a 550 is high due to the non-accessability of the cambelts, I believe the TR is cheaper to do, and I know that the 360 is less expensive than a 550 beat/seals replacement. But driving a 550 makes it worthwile...
Mikel

[Boxer]

Cambelts are an engine out job in the TR's so it is always going to be an expensive job. On the 360 and 550 the engine does not need to be pulled.

[Mikeltm]

I am under the impression that the motor in a 550 has to be removed for the cam belts and seals to be done, and have been told it is a more difficult removal than a TR.

Mikel

[carguy]

When I bought my TR...it was the typical nightmare everybody says to avoid. The car had been repainted to a decent standard, but needed many odds and ends fixed. In 4 years of ownership I've pulled the engine twice. Once for cam belts, and once to fix an oil leak....and I did the belts again since I was right there. I've had to re-wire the center console, refinish wheels, new weather strips, refinish rear bumper, repair and repaint lower rear valence panel, new fuel injectors, new plug wires I made myself using the original sheathing for about $100, new vacuum pump, and just tons of other stuff. Granted I do all my own work and this saves big dollars, but maintenance isn't really that much once the car is up and running properly. I added up all the bills I've invested so far and it totalled just over $5,500. I also had to buy a 4-gas analyzer so I could tune the fuel injection system....I tried many other cheapie-methods but nothing worked well enough. Finally this year I got the ol'e girl running right, and I've driven the heck out of her! I have had ZERO problems in 4k miles of spirited driving. The biggest test was driving to Indy to the Fcar gathering....410 miles round trip. I was caught in traffic jams both ways in 95+ heat....the car never had a problem. I made the whole trip on one fill-up of gas too! Once a TR is dialed in and cared for properly you couldn't ask for a better car. Attention to detail is the key. Do lots of little things when you have time, like cleaning electrical connections, look at hoses, just "hang out" with the car and spend time poking around. If you can do the work, you can do the cam belts and all the extras for maybe $1500. And this includes new hoses, water pump rebuild, seals and gaskets. These are good cars....especially for an exotic. There....I feel better now, thanks for listening to my rants.

[Mikeltm]

Can someone let me know about the cambelt removal on the 550 for certain. I have been told by two of my local shops mechanics that the cam belts and seals require engine removal for that car. Not that it is going to change my mind about the purchase of the 550 but I do not want to have my crank pulled by the shop guys, were they any american auto I do not even have to bother with with the shop as I do the work myself, even on my 548 hp vette (the annoying primadonna chunk of ...... that it can be) but the 550 feels a bit intimidating to me to start pulling apart as I am not nearly as versed on 4 cam V-12's.

Mikel

[Boxer]

The basic engine layout on the 550 is the same as the 456 GT. On the 456 GT the engine definitely does not need to be removed to replace the cambelts or seals.