Bought a Ferrari (but keeping the Boxter)

[JTP]

Originally Posted by Boxtaboy

Dang! If I had that car, I'd put 125 miles on it in ONE DAY! Congrats.

More like ONE HOUR!! I want one!!

[eightsandaces]

Originally Posted by JTP

More like ONE HOUR!! I want one!!

All you need to do is find some Ferrari owner with a Cos powered Vega woody...

[dallison]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

check out this lift.

http://www.motorcars-intl.com/images/Ferrari/360_F1_Spider/870_M-4421/full/Ferrari_360_F1_Spider_33.jpg

wow, great lift. who makes that?

[ChrisZang]

Dude, did you pass me today at around Noon on San Thomas Expressway in Santa Clara ?

[Lordblood]

All I have to say is...

WOW! SOOOOO...JEALOUS.....

Enjoy it , it's pretty much one of the best looking cars of all time.

[roadracer311]

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

I'd rather not say how much I paid. I got a little carried away because of the low miles and completely blew my budget on this one. I don't work for Apple though. Believe it or not, I repair motorcycles for a living. (though I've got a degree in physics and used to have a marketing job with a laser company)

The long and short of it is: I've been saving 20% of my income for the last 20 years. I finally gave up on ever being able to afford to buy a house in San Francisco, and spent my down payment on this :-) (I own this and the boxster outright)

My plan for this car is not to make the same mistake the previous owner did. He died without ever really having driven it. I'm planning to drive this one about as much as my Boxster (which is only a couple days a week, since my motorcycle is my primary form of transportation, rain or shine).

I will post a report once I've gotten to know it.

When the first big service comes up 5 years from now, I hope to have a lift set up, so I can do the "engine out" service myself.

Thanks again guys. Again, no plans to sell the Boxster, so I'll be around here for a long time with reports comparing the two from time to time.

[RandallNeighbour]

You should write a book entitled, "Lasers, Physics, and Motorcycle Repair ... a guide for saving money and buying the Ferrari of your dreams"

Good for you. You're the kind of person I like to hang around. Pay for stuff in cash and remain out of debt. Good things come to individuals who live within their means.

[jonnycool]

this is what it looked like 14 years ago with 120 miles on the clock!!!

[jonnycool]

don't worry, this was mine before the resto....

[Stroked & Blown]

Originally Posted by jonnycool

this is what it looked like 14 years ago with 120 miles on the clock!!!

Wow, he took a banged up 360 and turned it into a brand new 355!

[jonnycool]

lol i did find a 355 ragtop crash pic but it was too small
AND NOT BEATEN ENOUGH!!!....lol

check out the GENERAL LEE air horns (bottom right)

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by roadracer311

Bought this today (photo below). It's 15 years old and has 125 miles on it :-)
No plans to sell the Boxter. Need to have something to take grocery shopping.

Arrives in a week or so.

Congratulations.

Which transmission does it have?

I've been looking into 355s for a long time, they're the best looking of the truly super V8 cars and Ferraris have never been so attainable, price-wise. I'm not a big fan of the looks of the follow-ons and the predecessors had a few too many "quirks" for me.

The big thing for me is the engine out service. Every 5 years, no matter how many miles you put on the car, you should have the timing belts and other preventative related things replaced at a cost of about $10K. I just can't bring myself to buy a car that will cost me $2k a year in maintenance.

Has your car had it's valve guides and exhaust manifolds replaced?

[roadracer311]

This one is a 6 speed.

It's only got 230 miles on it, so it's completely original, including valve guides and headers. I'm making some small modifications to get as much heat out of the motor as possible, to prolong the life of both. Most valve guide problems and header problems pop up at around 17k to 22k miles or so. At 2k miles per year, I've got a while before I need to worry about that.

A typical engine-out service is about $7k from a good independent shop. When you hear about folks spending $10k or more on an engine out, it's usually because it's been 10 years, or it's never been done, or they're doing valve guides too.

My plan is to have a lift in my garage or my friends garage by the time I need to pull the motor. His car is due for an engine out in about 3 years. I've got nearly 5 years before mine is due.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by roadracer311

This one is a 6 speed.

It's only got 230 miles on it, so it's completely original, including valve guides and headers. I'm making some small modifications to get as much heat out of the motor as possible, to prolong the life of both. Most valve guide problems and header problems pop up at around 17k to 22k miles or so. At 2k miles per year, I've got a while before I need to worry about that.

A typical engine-out service is about $7k from a good independent shop. When you hear about folks spending $10k or more on an engine out, it's usually because it's been 10 years, or it's never been done, or they're doing valve guides too.

My plan is to have a lift in my garage or my friends garage by the time I need to pull the motor. His car is due for an engine out in about 3 years. I've got nearly 5 years before mine is due.

My friend spends $10k on his '99 every 5 years for his engine out. Labor rates vary so I'm sure it's cheaper (and more expensive) in different parts of the country. If the car's never had it's timing belt changed, I wouldn't wait to do it. It's 15 years old.

[roadracer311]

My car just had a full engine-out service done by a Ferrari dealer a couple months ago, before I bought it. All belts and fluids are new. The thing is sitting on "brand new" 15 year old tires though! Good for concours, not so good for driving! They're getting changed as soon as I get done breaking in the motor.

[yellowboxster01]

My dad owns a 95 355 Spider. Didn't prove to be a wise investment. Out of the 5 supercars he owns the Ferrari has been the most troublesome and it rarely gets driven. He lost about $60k pretty much half of what he paid in 99' for the car just to own it. That has ruined him on Ferrari partly that and they're really snooty about who owns their cars. He tried to buy a 360 Spider when they came out and he was informed that he had to have owned a Ferrari previously so he bought the 355. Then when the Enzo was set to come out, he tried to get on the list and they told him he needed to own 2 Ferrari's to even be considered. Lamborghini, BMW, Porsche, and Audi had no problem accepting his money though.

He has HRE 547R polished wheels, Tubi exhaust, and MaCarbon interior.

[Pinarelloman]

Mate, that is one hell of a talking piece in the loungeroom.
A GT40 & Ferrari.
Like the coffee table.

[jonnycool]

Holy ****************!!! someone's been watching tooooo much Dan Tanna!!!!! I always dreamed of having my car in the living room like he did...... i got an interior in their once for a couple of days

[eightsandaces]

I'm not greedy, I'd be happy just to have that room and lift, someday.....

[dallison]

Wow.........