348 purchase has fallen through!

The 348 that I thought I was buying has been sold to someone else and I'm very angry about it :evil:

I looked at the car last weekend and agreed to buy it for £33,500 GBP subject to the car being inspected by a Ferrari expert. We agreed this price and shook hands on it.

The car was checked over yesterday at a cost of £100 (3 hours work) and I contacted the vendor to arrange for me to collect it.

He then told me that he had received two offers of the full asking price since I viewed it (£34,000) and that he wanted to suggest that everyone emailed in their highest bids.

I was livid, I pointed out that we had verbally agreed a sale (which is as legally binding as a written contract) and that he should be a gentleman and honour our agreement. I also stressed that if he didn't sell the car to me then I would not pay the £100 for checking it over and that would be down to him to sort out. Out of principal I said that I would not get involved in any kind of bidding war and that I would not increase my original offer.

Well, he emailed me this morning to say that he has sold it to someone else and they are paying the £100 also.

It seems that his greed for a measly £500 was more important to him than being a gentleman and honouring the verbal agreement we had.

So I'm back in the market for a 348 and beginning to get fed up of wasting my time searching for good ones. I have found a UK RHD 1994 spyder with just over 20k miles which the owner says is immaculate but he wants £40k for it and its going to take me a whole day and a tank of fuel to go and see it.

I started off looking at a 348 that was £29k and now I'm looking at £40k cars which is almost RHD 355 money. I have also seen a Countach advertised at £40k and am sure I could get a good De Tomaso Pantera for this sort of money too. So I'm now asking myself whether I pay £40k for a 348 or go for a different car?

If you have any suggestions I would love to hear them!

Justyn.