[Will Thomas]

First Post

I am beginning to try and educate myself about owning a Ferrari in the future. Currently I have an Austin Healey 3000 and look forward to owning more of a driving machine. Unfortunately, I am not well versed in my knowledge of Ferraris, their problems, maintainence etc...
All I know is that they appeal to me visually and I grew up wanting one.

I have located a Testarossa and wonder if it would be a wise purchase.

What is best case/worst case expectations to have as an owner when it comes to maintainence. What percentage of the time is spent driveable?

Is a Testorossa a good model for a non Technically minded guy who lives in a small town an hour or two from a metro area.

I appreciate any thoughts you have and hats off to a good forum

Will

 

[Dj Dirk]

Hello Will, welcome

You have an Austin Healy??
aren't they rare in the US??

On the matter of the Ferrari, it all depends on which one you like (very imortant :wink: ), how often are you gonna drive here, how much do you wanna spend, and do you want a V8 or a V12 (fuel consumption)

And for tech questions go to Magoo or Peter

 

[Andrew]

Will,
Welcome to the site. Dirk brought up some good points as far as the amount of driving your going to be doing. What year is the Testarossa? 1984? or is it a 512 TR? This will also help as the 512 is came later than the Testarossa. If your not doing the work yourself then there is the cost of maintance to consider.

Overall I think the Testarossa is a pretty solid car. The cost of maintance will of course be high at a mechanic, but you will not have the car in the shop every week for something new. Also because its a V12 I believe that it doesn't have the timing belt like a V8 but has a chain instead. This is good because you can save cost on not having to replace the belt. You say you are far from a city so are there mechanics there?

A member on this site I believe has a Testarossa and lives out in the country. Its been a while since he posted but his name on here is Henryk. Hopefully he can give some insights as to his experience.

 

[Will Thomas]

The model I came across is a 1986 Testarossa. What are the differences, advantages/disadvantages between the 512 and the Testarossa?

Thenearest Ferrari (qualified) shops is 50-100 miles away. How many times in a year will a car frequent the mechanic given 2000-3000
miles a yea driving. What maintainence is called for with the V-12?

What are some of the common quirks with the cars?

And since I have yet to drive a Ferrari, I should ask the question
how does a Testarossa drive? Say compared to a Corvette or other sports cars?

WT

 

[Tifoso_Boy]

Welcome Will :green:

What part of Texas are you in? As far as your question is concerned. I suggest driving the Testarossa before you jump into buying it. Like with any high end car, check if it's major service has been done. I think the TR has to be serviced every 15,000 miles. Cam belts have to be changed at around 30,000 miles. How much are you willing to pay for one??

 

[Will Thomas]

I live 45 miles north of Tyler, Texas in Winnsboro,TX.

How much should I be willing to spend for a TR?
I would prefer something with 10K to 40k mileage.

In between 15k maintainence stops how often do these cars frequent the mechanic on average?

WT

 

[Dj Dirk]

There is a buyers guide in Forza #16 from April 1999
if you don't have the mag, i can scan the article for you, that might be usefull.
But i will have to do that tomorrow

 

[Bart]

Rule number one on buying a used Ferrari.

Have a qualified mechinic check it out. SHould cost you between $200- $400. This is most important even if you are buying the car at a Ferrari dealer. When I did it, he save me much time and I was able to get some of the problems fixed BEFORE I purchase.

:lol:

 

[Will Thomas]

Maintenence Norms

Let's take a late 80's TR:

What dollar amount would any of you budget to properly maintain a TR
that has been well cared for? What amount would you be willing to spend for a TR that has less than 40k miles? Is it better to own a car with low miles that obviously hasn't been driven much, or one with 30-60k miles?
Lastly, what are the biggest things that can go wrong and need to be avoided in picking a TR?

Will

 

[Magoo]

Will, I don't know what your finanicial capabilities are but I can tell you that you will spend much more on servicing the 12 cyl models then the V/8s. First of all the engine has to come out of a 12 cyl. on just about every major servicing. The 308 V/8 models are different in that many services including cambelts can be done in the car. Big difference. If you are not tech. minded at all even the 308 can still be costly with someone else doing all the service and repairs. I can't give you a exact budget for the cars servicing but the 8 cyl. will be a lot less then the 12 cyl. Forget the fuel factor. You buy a Ferrari to enjoy it not to worry about fuel consumption. If you are worried about fuel consumption you shouldn't have a Ferrari.

 

[Dj Dirk]

as promised here's the article

 

[Dj Dirk]

next set

 

[Dj Dirk]

Ok, last one

hope i'ts usefull

 

[250lm]

Can't help you with technical stuff, but lately overhere 1987-1988 Testarossas will cost you around $45-50k. Most of the time mileage will be less than 30k.


Niels

 

[Will Thomas]

I appreciate the feedback.

Can I gather that service (and pulling the engine) on a V12 should onlyhappen near the 15,000 increments or does it happen quite a bit more often? In between those increments are the cars reliable to own?

I can make room to buy a TR, but I might not if I anticipated spending $10,000+ in service bills to drive the car 20,000 miles over 5 years.

Should I be able to find a late eighties TR for $50,000 - $60,000 and in good service shape?


Will

 

[250lm]

Will,

The Testarossas I see for sale seem all be in nice to perfect shape. But as said before I am not technical. I did not examine them that close, since I am not yet in the market for one.

I think most Ferraris are taken well care off, so the only thing that is pretty important is the history of the car. If the seller does not have it at hand, you could try Carfax or other sources when you have the serial number.


Niels

 

[Magoo]

Yeah, If the seller doesn't have the service records at hand, Be cautious about buying it.

 

[Dj Dirk]

Will

the price of TR's can be between $40.000 - $90.000
so you should be able to find a decent one in your price range
most of them will be in that range probably

 

[Will Thomas]

308/328 vs TR

I am sure there is a world of difference in performance between a Testarossa and a TR. I have heard that the 308/328s are much easier to maintain. Would it be wise to start with a 308/328 and work up or jump right in with a V12. Ie: do the V8's have enough of the Ferrari feel and driving kick to make it a big thrill. And is there less maintenence or just cheaper maintenence

Will

 

[Magoo]

Will, I thought we had covered that in my previous post to you and the personal email you sent me. Anyway the service price has to do with the hours spent on the service. The 12s require more time when the engine has to be pulled. The 8's require less when the operation can be done in the car. Of course there are 4 more cyls on the 12 then the 8 so some service adjustments could be more. Man take the plunge or you will never buy a Ferrari! My suggestion to you if you intend to get a Ferrari is to buy a 308. Just reading your comments sounds like you are trying to soften the blow of getting a 12. The 8 is equally as much a sports feeling car, still has the passion and will be less costly in the long run.