F355 in PH Classifieds

[FrankAbagnale]

Hi All,

Does anyone know anything about or have any information on the following F355? I've seen it in the PH classifieds for a little while now.

The description of servicing and website of QV London is a little unsettling!

http://www.fletchdale.co.uk/vehicle-details.asp?co...

[CGF993]

The post below was posted by Carspath on 18th Dec on the thread with the heading "Is a price correction coming for the 355s". You may be able to ask him directly about the car as he was the previous owner.

Regards

Charlie

---------------------------------------------------------------

"google fletchdale cars, and ask to speak to luke

I sold my 1994 pre airbag , red with black interior manual 355 gtb outright to luke 9 days ago

again , this was a totally outright sale , and not SOR, and I have absolutely nothing to gain from writing this post other than to hope that my cherished 355 goes to a good home preferably in the uk

I just did not have the time to sell the car privately , and I got an amazing service from luke , and would suspect that any fletchdale client would get the same

my car was exercised regularly , but sparingly, and well treated throughout my 9 years of ownership.
it was not clocked
when I was looking in 2006, all the cars seemed to have done 20,000 miles , and now 9 years later , many of the advertised cars still seem to have done 20,000 miles !!!

355's are not cheap to maintain properly , so go in with your eyes open, but they are decent cars, and are the only F cars I really desire/desired other than the 512 tr and the 458

my last drive in my 355 was truly memorable---but like with any other car, you need that essential prerequisite of a clear , decently surfaced road

my only gripe with my 355 , was that I felt that the steering was overlight, but I know that this is true of all 355's ( and to be expected when all your toy cars have non assisted steering)
the steering does weight up with high revs, though not as much as I would ideally like

I would not have sold this car had I not needed the garage space and the funds that this sale liberated

best of luck with your search"

[johnnyreggae]

QV are a long established and well-known independents - for many small businesses the quality of a website is not necessarily a measure of their reputation

[FrankAbagnale]

Thank you both for your replies, it's very helpful.

[CGF993]

I used QV to carry out a full inspection report, compression tests etc prior to purchasing my F355 several years ago and can only praise the quality of the report and information provided at the time.

Charlie

[carspath]

frankabagnale , I sold this 355 gtb on 7/dec/14 , and my previous PH comments pretty much summarise my take on this particular car
what is probably most telling is that I thought long and hard, and then procrastinated again, before finally selling it to fletchdale ltd-----when an exact example of my ideal spec ''upgrade car'' appeared (I had only been waiting 13 years for it ) , I needed to liberate space as well as funds to secure it ,and hence the sale

with regards to QV LONDON , mike lister and phil , are as competent and honest as you are going to find---so no worries there

[FrankAbagnale]

Thanks for your comments, i'll let you know if I end up buying.

[SlartiF430]

Slightly off topic...but here's a great car that could have been sold privately for less. Yet, the buying public will pay a dealer markup for some perceived benefit that will probably never materialise. That and the daft notion that high mileage disproportionately worse than low mileage makes me dispair at the irrationality of it all!

Lovely 355 btw. I should have bought one years ago!!

[FrankAbagnale]

Hmm, I'm very nervous about buying privately as I feel a reputable dealer offers some sort of security. They have a reputation to protect and I'd hope they wouldn't take on a "duff" car.

I don't think I will get a better car from a dealer, but possibly avoid the pitfalls of buying a bad car privately.

I must admit, that 355 seems to be OK money and it is confusing me why it hasn't sold.

[johnnyreggae]

Be sensible : its only been on sale a month when most buyers have other things on their mind such as Christmas - its at a slightly higher than average price (no doubt with good reason) so most bottom feeders won't look at it - its not a daily run-around its a luxury and folk tends to take a little while to make their minds up - if it worries you that much move on and find a better deal....

Edited by johnnyreggae on Friday 16th January 11:43

[Slickhillsy]

FrankAbagnale said:

Hmm, I'm very nervous about buying privately as I feel a reputable dealer offers some sort of security. They have a reputation to protect and I'd hope they wouldn't take on a "duff" car.

Slightly deluded view - for every good dealer there is a bad one (-Carl- Verdi Ferrari anyone), same for private! Get it inspected by an indy to put your mind at ease...

[Durzel]

SlartiF430 said:

Slightly off topic...but here's a great car that could have been sold privately for less. Yet, the buying public will pay a dealer markup for some perceived benefit that will probably never materialise. That and the daft notion that high mileage disproportionately worse than low mileage makes me dispair at the irrationality of it all!

Lovely 355 btw. I should have bought one years ago!!

Some of that "perceived benefit" is actually real. Dealers are entities who can be hauled through the courts if things go wrong, whereas with a private sale it's almost always caveat emptor. PPIs only give you point in time security, much like a MOT warrants a car is roadworthy until it comes off the ramp. You also have the perceived security of at least the mandatory 3 month warranty, although I wonder how much of anything it would actually cover on these cars, and finance facilities.

Everyone's risk profile is different, and bearing in mind to most people - certainly "my first Ferrari" territory - this is probably going to be the 2nd most expensive thing they ever buy. It's a lot of money to gamble on something not going wrong on the trip home, and the seller being unreachable or recalcitrant, etc.

Edited by Durzel on Friday 16th January 11:40

[FrankAbagnale]

Slickhillsy said:

Slightly deluded view - for every good dealer there is a bad one (-Carl- Verdi Ferrari anyone), same for private! Get it inspected by an indy to put your mind at ease...

I agree r.e the dealer point when talking generically, but I still feel that a reputable Ferrari dealer who have a long standing history of selling Ferraris still offers some security a private sale (even with a check over) don't.

If I was spending £10k on a one year odl Ford I wouldn't feel the same.

[SlartiF430]

Durzel said:

Some of that "perceived benefit" is actually real. Dealers are entities who can be hauled through the courts if things go wrong, whereas with a private sale it's almost always caveat emptor. PPIs only give you point in time security, much like a MOT warrants a car is roadworthy until it comes off the ramp. You also have the perceived security of at least the mandatory 3 month warranty, although I wonder how much of anything it would actually cover on these cars, and finance facilities.

Everyone's risk profile is different, and bearing in mind to most people - certainly "my first Ferrari" territory - this is probably going to be the 2nd most expensive thing they ever buy. It's a lot of money to gamble on something not going wrong on the trip home, and the seller being unreachable or recalcitrant, etc.

Edited by Durzel on Friday 16th January 11:40

I agree in the main, but have you ever tried hauling anybody through the courts? I once bought an Audi with a clearly dodgy DPF. I had it independently inspected by an industry expert that concluded that it was unfit for purpose. It took me a year to get it returned to the finance company that leased it to me and my money paid back. That was in the event of a very clear cut case on a brand new car and I used a very expensive, high profile law firm. In the end I got lucky but that could have been a lot of cash in legal fees up the chute for me. I can only imagine it being massively more complex on a used high performance sportscar. So I do believe that the benefits are only "perceived". Ultimately, these are just cars. They're bits of metal, engine and plastic parts that have been tied together. A bit like a bicycle but a lot more more complex. A thorough inspection will always see you right and should offer more peace of mind than simply rocking up to a dealer and buying from them. I don't think everyone has the means, time or the stamina to hold dodgy suppliers to task if they try to screw you over (inadvertently or otherwise).

[SlartiF430]

FrankAbagnale said:

I agree r.e the dealer point when talking generically, but I still feel that a reputable Ferrari dealer who have a long standing history of selling Ferraris still offers some security a private sale (even with a check over) don't.

If I was spending £10k on a one year odl Ford I wouldn't feel the same.

I bought my 430 from a well known main dealer. Shortly after buying I suffered a really bad skiing accident which had me on crutchesfor 8 monnths. This meant the car was laid up for almost a year. When service time came around, the advisories stated that it needed new track rod ends, ball joints and a list of other things - as I hadn't driven the case for the best part of a year, these issues were very likely present when I bought the car from them. I couldn't go back to the dealer because too much time had elapsed.

Given my Audi experience and this, I trust main dealers less than I trust a private enthusiast seller. In fact, main dealers lul you into a false sense of security which you don't get in other places because paranoia takes over and you're more diligent with the pre-purchase checks. Just my experience, but main dealers are simply interested in turning over stock. They're businesses that are owned by large holding companies which on the whole don't give a fk about you or me.

[FrankAbagnale]

All very valid points and i'm very open to having my opinions challenged and changed. It's good to hear from people who have been there/done it.

Hearing from the old owner helps a great deal and the reviews of the garage that have recently looked after the car put my mind at rest.

Edited by FrankAbagnale on Friday 16th January 13:09

[SimonJW]

Have a chat with Elias at Autofficina, Chessington; a great bunch of guys that really know their stuff and believe in protecting their reputation.