[ferrari355fi]

I really want a Ferrari but I'm 17, and I do not have a lot of my own money. I am willing to do anything to get a ferrari. So I was thinking, maybe I (my dad) could buy one that is broken and fix it. I have a couple of questions. First, Is it a smart choice to buy a fixer upper and fix it? If it is, can I do it by reading a book as i'm doing it? I have no prior experience with engines or anything. How much would it cost all together?

 

[Dr. Bob]

big no no to me. I will give a link to some articles that tell the story pretty well.

http://www.ferraris-online.com/Articles/SCM_0008.html
http://www.ferraris-online.com/Articles/SCM_0006.html
http://www.ferraris-online.com/Articles/SCM_0010.html

Working with Ferrari's is expensive! Buying parts is expenice, and if you never worked on cars before, I don't think it is very smart to start working on a Ferrari. If you after very hard work want to sell the car, it will have a salvage title, so it is harder to sell.

It is nice to have a projectcar, if you can do most work by yourself, and have money to spend on the car. the people who damaged the car do not sell the car because it is easy to repair.

But offcourse this is only my idea. You can also say, if you really want this to succeed, this can happen. Just be realistic.

 

[Boxer]

This is an interesting option but only if you really know your cars. In most cases the resortation costs more than the market value of the car. Suggest you take a look at www.tomyang.com to get an idea of the amount of time, effort, and money involved in restoring an older Ferrari. However, if you were able to find a Dino 308 GT4 which was sound mechanically but needed a lot of cosmetic TLC, you might be able to achieve your goal.

 

[backindauk]

I too, am 17.

I wouldnt ever contemplate a complete rebuild/repair on a Ferrari, it's way out of my league both financially and time wise.

I am just saving up my money and working hard, i suggest you do the same!

Have fun!

Andrew

 

[Rev-happy]

This is an interesting option but only if you really know your cars. In most cases the resortation costs more than the market value of the car. Suggest you take a look at www.tomyang.com to get an idea of the amount of time, effort, and money involved in restoring an older Ferrari. However, if you were able to find a Dino 308 GT4 which was sound mechanically but needed a lot of cosmetic TLC, you might be able to achieve your goal.

Boxer 42 has a good point.
If you do find a Ferrari to fix up, make sure it's relatively cheap with not too much to do to it.

 

[FerrariMan355]

I'm in the middle of restoring a 1985 Toyota Supra. I have all the tools and experience necessary to do this but it just takes forever (at least a years worth of free time and weekends if you have a job) to restore any kind of car. I also suggest saving up your money and buying a gently used or new Ferrari. And if you do come across a Ferrari that needs to be restored make sure you talk the seller down from whatever the selling price is. Also keep in mind that if it's too good to be true it probably is. And always check the Serial Number before you buy...

Hope that helped.

-Dave

 

[4kids3fish]

Unfortunately ferrari355fi, the above advice is all sound and comes from guys with a lots of experience with cars.

Fixing and modifying cars is a great thing to do with your time, but you've first got to set realistic goals. There are gonna be a lot of things that don't work out first time you try them, things will break, pistons will get stuck down bores, bolts will shear-off, etc, etc. Most of all, YOU WILL ALWAYS FIND MORE THINGS TO FIX THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT.

My suggestion is GET a car to do work on, but make it a fairly basic one -eg 4-cyl, 2WD, no fancy electronics. (Even a GT4 has got twice as many pistons, valves, camshafts, belts, bearings, seals, etc, etc than most basic cars). There are lots of great starter cars from the 70's & 80's that are real goers, cheap to buy & will make a great project. Work on it over time & enjoy yourself & the fact that YOU are making this car go faster & handle better than it ever did before.

Make a Ferrari a longer-term goal. After doing your first project car you will be so much more knowledgeable about taking on & restoring a Ferrari. Lots of Ferrari owners (or other exotic makes) have more than 1 car, and many would have another cheap project car just for working on.

 

[senna21]

I'm in the middle of restoring a 1985 Toyota Supra.

-Dave

Believe it or not Dave I want pics of that SUPRA! My father had a Celica Gt Hatch back when I was in High school (I had a Datsun 240Z) and a good friend of mine's father had a two tone Supra (silver on black) fully loaded. Leather, sunroof, electronic dash (very high tech back in 1983). It just so happened I was thinking about that car today!

Love to know how the restoration is going.

C

 

[zagato]

a 240-280z would be a great option as far as learning how to restore and fix a car. they are damn near as easy as it gets to work on and everything is pretty straightforward on a Z. a decent running cosmetically challenged z can be had for next to nothing and they look good and, when freshened up, handle like a dream. a ferrari isnt something you get your feet wet with. buying a ferrari is one thing. maintaining it is another and really can break the bank. if you have to ask how much it costs, you cant afford it.