To sell or not to sell

To sell or not to sell

Author
Discussion

Roof down

Original Poster:

301 posts

133 months

Tuesday 30th July 2019
quotequote all
Well as the title really, I recently turned down the chance to sell my 360 Spider, the same possibility has arisen again. I just don’t know what to do.
The car is absolutely top condition and has always had whatever needed doing done, it’s two previous owners only and has full history etc. 37k on the clock.
For the most part it sits in the garage doing nothing under its cover , my dilemma is ....It sits for most of the year, then it needs its service and any jobs found along with it, then I do a few miles and it sits again, any inclement weather I take the Boxster out.
I am not wealthy but I don’t need the money, I wouldn’t replace it with anything, but I would keep the Boxster. Something is telling me to let it go, something is telling me to keep it.
I would appreciate any thoughts any of you regulars here might have, I suspect the buyer of this car will probably read this, I really don’t want to mess him or anybody around, as I did last time. Really I feel like I’ve got a beautiful painting I just look at that costs money to view.
Many thanks Mike

MDL111

7,177 posts

184 months

Tuesday 30th July 2019
quotequote all
Well I can tell you I still regret selling the 2 cars I ever sold (one of them I had to sell, so not much of a choice)
I only managed 2 track days so far this year and briefly considered selling my car, but just can’t bring myself to do it
Good luck with the decision

crimbo

1,308 posts

235 months

Tuesday 30th July 2019
quotequote all
Would it massively effect it if you stopped servicing it, if your not using it. You have to work out if your keeping it as it maybe worth alot in the future or because it means alot to you etc

Frrair

1,417 posts

141 months

Tuesday 30th July 2019
quotequote all
Hi Mike

Interesting dilemma, I had a 360 coupe then bought a Boxster Spyder, the Boxster was far more usable and in my opinion more fun to drive.

At the end of the year I had both I totalled the mileage of the Ferrari, as I seem to remember I did about 800 miles in the Ferrari between MOTs including 100 of those to have it serviced and MOTed.

I still have the Boxster...

Sell the one you don’t use and it’s an opportunity to try something else.

I now have a GT3 and the Boxster... which one will be here this time next year, who knows?

Enjoy shopping for something new.




davek_964

9,301 posts

182 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
Drive it more?

I get the impression you're in a similar position to me. My 360 does get used relatively often I guess - but it still spends a lot of time sitting in the garage unused. And because I have a "nice" car I can use more often, it just doesn't seem worth the effort of getting it out of the garage (or more accurately, having to get it back in afterwards!). I've had it 6 years (and the last year hasn't been its best - it was off the road for several months and cost quite a bit to fix) - and it's beginning to feel like it's time for a change.

Problem is....... when I drive it, it still makes me smile - literally. The only other car I would be interested in replacing it with is McLaren, but they are a chunk more money and seem a less "safe" place for my money than an old 360 so I'm having doubts about that. It's not like money in the bank does much good, so if there is nothing worth replacing it with - why bother selling it.

I do think that the market has turned, and the values of these are dropping a bit. I don't think that will last forever, but I certainly think that your car and mine will probably be worth a bit less in the years to come.
But my advice would probably be : If you don't need the money for something else, then keep it - it might be a 4 wheel painting most of the time, but when you do actually use it - you remember why you keep it. (If you don't, then sell it!)

highway

2,055 posts

267 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
The era of big rises for modern classics is over. I would sell without hesitation. You have had the experience. At a certain point, taking into account both servicing and remedial work, the thrill of owning begins to take on water.

davek_964

9,301 posts

182 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
highway said:
The era of big rises for modern classics is over. I would sell without hesitation. You have had the experience. At a certain point, taking into account both servicing and remedial work, the thrill of owning begins to take on water.
These things go in cycles.

I agree that the current cycle is over - personally, I don't think it's the last one. Although I wouldn't like to guess when the next one will be.

PompeyReece

1,536 posts

96 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
Roof down said:
Well as the title really, I recently turned down the chance to sell my 360 Spider, the same possibility has arisen again. I just don’t know what to do.
The car is absolutely top condition and has always had whatever needed doing done, it’s two previous owners only and has full history etc. 37k on the clock.
For the most part it sits in the garage doing nothing under its cover , my dilemma is ....It sits for most of the year, then it needs its service and any jobs found along with it, then I do a few miles and it sits again, any inclement weather I take the Boxster out.
I am not wealthy but I don’t need the money, I wouldn’t replace it with anything, but I would keep the Boxster. Something is telling me to let it go, something is telling me to keep it.
I would appreciate any thoughts any of you regulars here might have, I suspect the buyer of this car will probably read this, I really don’t want to mess him or anybody around, as I did last time. Really I feel like I’ve got a beautiful painting I just look at that costs money to view.
Many thanks Mike
What's the motivation for contemplating a sale? Do you want to sell and make some cash? Not lose cash? Want to buy something else?

PrancingHorses

2,714 posts

214 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
Simple one...you own a Ferrari. If you can afford to keep it in the garage and pay for it's maintenance then keep it. Even a few days a year of driving it must bring huge pleasure and a smile to your face every time.

If you sell it for no reason I am sure you will regret it later.

Roof down

Original Poster:

301 posts

133 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
No reason other than it frustrates me having it sit in the garage most of the year, it’s never easy getting it serviced, no independent specialists nearby. As someone said getting it out, putting it away etc etc
I am not looking for anything else, I really need the cash.
Thank you for your answers, they are basically what I feel and think, I do feel I might regret it, oh the dilemma!

Hurri360

37 posts

82 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
Hi, went through this dilemma 4 years ago. Didn’t need the cash but wasn’t using the car.
I had used it quite a bit as I had a contract in London with parking and flexible (long) hours, so missed the traffic, great summer, great memories.
Didn’t do track days anymore either.
Live Surrey and found that the traffic was becoming a nightmare and looking for excuses to use the car. This usually meant getting up early on a Sunday to go to various meets at Goodwood.
I used to get the car picked up for services by a main dealership in Exeter , Carr’s. Less trouble and also near enough the same cost as most indies.
I decided to sell an haven’t regretted it. The first time without a Ferrari for 35 years!
Just my personal experience. Good luck with your deliberations.
Ps as someone above mentioned, prices are cyclic but there is a major shift in what is acceptable and I think technology will render older, noisy, polluting etc (once) relatively common supercars less desirable and subject to increasing taxes.just MHO
Good luck
John

Edited by Hurri360 on Wednesday 31st July 15:08

Speculatore

2,002 posts

242 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
Your original post states "I am not wealthy but I don’t need the money" and then above you say "I really need the cash". If you don't need the money then keep it and drive it more.....

Roof down

Original Poster:

301 posts

133 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
Roof down said:
No reason other than it frustrates me having it sit in the garage most of the year, it’s never easy getting it serviced, no independent specialists nearby. As someone said getting it out, putting it away etc etc
I am not looking for anything else, I really need the cash.
Thank you for your answers, they are basically what I feel and think, I do feel I might regret it, oh the dilemma!
SHOULD READ DO NOT NEED THE CASH

anonymous-user

61 months

Wednesday 31st July 2019
quotequote all
If you don’t need the money then I would hold on to it for another year or two and reassess then. So many factors at play at the moment that it’s impossible to know where prices will go but I can’t see anything with a Ferrari badge falling off a cliff. Cut your service costs by doing the annual oil change yourself and servicing every two or three years depending on use. Don’t do short trips but plan a couple enjoyable tours every year to exercise the car and your smile. Things like a week in Scotland or Wales, or a trip to LeMans. Love the car for what it is, a never to be repeated piece of motoring history, soon to go the way of the sports horse. That’s my plan at least.

SFTWend

1,038 posts

82 months

Thursday 1st August 2019
quotequote all
I had a 355 Spyder for a couple of summers. It got to the stage of checking the weather forecast because the car needed exercise rather than checking the weather because I was yearning to drive it.

Yes the drive made me smile but the honeymoon was over so I sold it.

It's just expensive metal at the end of the day so I'd say sell it. Prices are dropping and you could always by another, or a 430 or whatever, in the future.

355spiderguy

1,476 posts

178 months

Thursday 1st August 2019
quotequote all
thecook101 said:
If you don’t need the money then I would hold on to it for another year or two and reassess then. So many factors at play at the moment that it’s impossible to know where prices will go but I can’t see anything with a Ferrari badge falling off a cliff. Cut your service costs by doing the annual oil change yourself and servicing every two or three years depending on use. Don’t do short trips but plan a couple enjoyable tours every year to exercise the car and your smile. Things like a week in Scotland or Wales, or a trip to LeMans. Love the car for what it is, a never to be repeated piece of motoring history, soon to go the way of the sports horse. That’s my plan at least.
After 15 constant years of F355 spider ownership spread over 2 cars, last year i finally called time on it.

As other posters have said, it sat in the heated garage looking pretty, rarely being used unless great weather, collected, serviced and mot'd each year by Ferrari with ever increasing costs and ever decreasing yearly mileage.

Large bill last year due to an electrical issue was the nail in the coffin.

I started to feel that when i did take it out i had 1 hand on the steering wheel and the other with the fingers crossed hoping nothing would go wrong.

Beautiful car to look at, and i did love it, but not one second of regret since i sold.

With regards to values, the prices are artificially high of all old stuff; a lot of owners are caught up as they paid high prices and still feel that is what they are worth; it wasn't that long ago when i had the F355 sitting in the garage and they were doing in the £20k's. If people feel that was a unique point in history, there may be a shock in store.

The reset button has been pressed and only the very, very rare will command premiums; the normal service of losing money on 'supercars' has been resumed.

I made a few bucks due to the increased value of my Ferrari; i now have a McLaren that will lose money.

Swings and roundabouts.

Kyodo

733 posts

131 months

Thursday 1st August 2019
quotequote all
thecook101 said:
If you don’t need the money then I would hold on to it for another year or two and reassess then. So many factors at play at the moment that it’s impossible to know where prices will go but I can’t see anything with a Ferrari badge falling off a cliff. Cut your service costs by doing the annual oil change yourself and servicing every two or three years depending on use. Don’t do short trips but plan a couple enjoyable tours every year to exercise the car and your smile. Things like a week in Scotland or Wales, or a trip to LeMans. Love the car for what it is, a never to be repeated piece of motoring history, soon to go the way of the sports horse. That’s my plan at least.
+1

MDL111

7,177 posts

184 months

Thursday 1st August 2019
quotequote all
355spiderguy said:
thecook101 said:
If you don’t need the money then I would hold on to it for another year or two and reassess then. So many factors at play at the moment that it’s impossible to know where prices will go but I can’t see anything with a Ferrari badge falling off a cliff. Cut your service costs by doing the annual oil change yourself and servicing every two or three years depending on use. Don’t do short trips but plan a couple enjoyable tours every year to exercise the car and your smile. Things like a week in Scotland or Wales, or a trip to LeMans. Love the car for what it is, a never to be repeated piece of motoring history, soon to go the way of the sports horse. That’s my plan at least.
After 15 constant years of F355 spider ownership spread over 2 cars, last year i finally called time on it.

As other posters have said, it sat in the heated garage looking pretty, rarely being used unless great weather, collected, serviced and mot'd each year by Ferrari with ever increasing costs and ever decreasing yearly mileage.

Large bill last year due to an electrical issue was the nail in the coffin.

I started to feel that when i did take it out i had 1 hand on the steering wheel and the other with the fingers crossed hoping nothing would go wrong.

Beautiful car to look at, and i did love it, but not one second of regret since i sold.

With regards to values, the prices are artificially high of all old stuff; a lot of owners are caught up as they paid high prices and still feel that is what they are worth; it wasn't that long ago when i had the F355 sitting in the garage and they were doing in the £20k's. If people feel that was a unique point in history, there may be a shock in store.

The reset button has been pressed and only the very, very rare will command premiums; the normal service of losing money on 'supercars' has been resumed.

I made a few bucks due to the increased value of my Ferrari; i now have a McLaren that will lose money.

Swings and roundabouts.
I agree - prices are on the way down and I think they will retract quite a bit further from today's level. So keeping it with a view that it won't lose money is not something I would recommend (using it negates that obviously). Wouldn't be surprised if selling it even today will not be the easiest thing to do (obviously subject to asking price), but I see only a one-way trajectory. Not only because of economic development, but also because of the number of cars available in the call it 60k to 150k price bracket (incl quite a few McLarens, that while maybe not everybody's cup of tea, might well attract quite a few buyers at the current price levels given the exceptional performance). It is not like standard V8 Ferraris of any generation (going back to the 308) are rare cars.

red_duke

800 posts

188 months

Thursday 1st August 2019
quotequote all
I think supercar ownership is an itch everyone should scratch if they can afford it. However, I had an F430 for 7 years which I sold last September and I don't miss it a bit. It was an "A to A" car (as you couldn't leave it parked anywhere) and UK weather and road conditions meant I just couldn't be arsed to use it.

Itch scratched … moved on.

Roof down

Original Poster:

301 posts

133 months

Thursday 1st August 2019
quotequote all
Well thank you all very much, the overall opinion is to sell, and that is what I am doing, the buyer I let down last time is taking it, albeit at a lower price, its a great car, it really is, but I have had seven years of Ferrari Magic, and am selling it for what it owes me including repairs etc, so I am quite happy.
The new owner is getting a well sorted car that hopefully will give him much the same enjoyment, great place to get folks views on here, much appreciated Mike