can old Ferrari’s be sorted

[vonders]

Keen to know, is there an older Ferrari out there that has all of its potential issues known with more permanent fixes available? Looking to get my first ferrari.

I would prefer to start with an older Ferrari to have more attachment with the car but you hear of all these stories of Ferrari parts breaking after 10k miles and such and such. Surely now aftermarket parts are well documented and an older Ferrari could be modded to become a lot more harder wearing?

Point being if I knew for example I could get a 355 for 60k and spend 20k on it immediately making it reliable with tougher parts, well that’s not a bad proposition even including the standard servicing, for such a classic experience.

Is there a particular older model that lends itself to this? Or is it just better to steer clear

[Unbusy]

What a cracking thing to be able to do. I love the old Ferrari cars on Chasing Classic Cars. I just caught the tail end of one episode recently. Was it the Steve McQueen car that had been resorted ... by the factory! Imagine that invoice.
Anyway, this thread might be better in the Ferrari section?

[Yipper]

Know someone who bought a 1970s Ferrari ~4 years ago. It has spent ~80% of its time in the garage, repairing one thing after another, and has done less than 5k miles in that time. He loves the engineering challenge.

[johnnyreggae]

Are they really that unreliable that there's what amounts to an industry of custom parts - I'm not so sure - yes parts wear and for your sort of budget there may be a lot that are due or overdue for replacement but buy well with a good inspection and the experience above is less likely - especially as you seem to be looking at newer cars

[red_slr]

Parts are generally not that hard to get. Mechanical parts tend to be ok. It's trim and stuff like that that tends to be tricky but even then eBay will usually have something.

[Bispal]

I bought my F355 a year ago. I have since covered almost 4,000 miles in it. I was concerned when I bought it as it was originally French, then exported to Kuwait, then Bahrain, then Sweden before coming to the UK. Everything felt wrong but the car looked and drove really well so I bought it at a price that would allow for any major repairs. So in one year i needed a new alternator, air con re-gas, gearbox linkages & oil (my decision not required). A full service at Autofficina also picked up new brake pads & discs required all round, new engine mounts, new spark plugs and gaskets. The service was £600 and the other bits were around £1,500. I also had the 'loud' exhaust taken off and a standard one put on for £500. And that has been it, totally reliable and great to drive. With any old car you need a plan, you don't do everything at once, you keep on top of the major issues and preventative and do the minor things like new wheel nuts, washer bottles, wheel refurb as and when. I know a lot of people who have bough F355's in the past few months, they seem to be on something of a bounce back.

[Davo456gt]

buy the best car you can afford, and use it!
lack of use is a major cause of issues

[MDL111]

Staying with 355s as no experience of other older ferraris - I drove mine for c 20k miles over 2.5 years. Initially I needed to get a few things done (both manifolds, alternator and a few other things). Once those were attended to, the car was pretty much faultless and very reliable (only broke down once during my entire ownership), so my take on it is, if you drive it regularly, they seem to be holding up reasonably well. If unlike me, you can do some stuff yourself, then it should not be all that expensive either - the hourly rates of mechanics are a big cost position as stuff like a cambelt change etc takes many hours, although in the U.K. It is much cheaper thanks to good independents.

[LotusOmega375D]

That's an interesting last comment. I was recently watching a youTube video of an American Mondial T coupe owner. He claimed that he only entrusted his maintenance to one guy and that an engine-out cambelt service costs him $10,000 to $12,000 dollars. In Sterling that equates to GBP 7500 - 9000.

So that's about 5 or 6 times the price that a UK owner would expect to pay an independent for the same job. Is Ferrari maintenance really so expensive in the USA?

[Behemoth]

Davo456gt said:

buy the best car you can afford, and use it!
lack of use is a major cause of issues

Absolutely this. My first 308 had cooling circuit niggles. Nothing disastrous, just never quite as it should be. I sold it before fully sorting that & I bought another which had been fettled better. Even though it was older, carb, with more miles, it has never shown a problem. 308s are simple and pretty bullet proof. But get a cheap one that's been sitting & you'll be forever throwing money at it and/or twiddling with it.

[vonders]

Thanks for the tips.

Love the 308 and Testarossa. Really Love the 355 - saw a silver one the other day and my heart started pounding and I became transfixed. Surreal experience.

Would go silver with Bordeaux red interior, they’re a work of art.

https://preview.tinyurl.com/yc35mh93

[MDL111]

LotusOmega375D said:

That's an interesting last comment. I was recently watching a youTube video of an American Mondial T coupe owner. He claimed that he only entrusted his maintenance to one guy and that an engine-out cambelt service costs him $10,000 to $12,000 dollars. In Sterling that equates to GBP 7500 - 9000.

So that's about 5 or 6 times the price that a UK owner would expect to pay an independent for the same job. Is Ferrari maintenance really so expensive in the USA?

From what I read online (obviously no first hand experience) US guys seem to always quote very high service/repair cost figures. Maybe they mostly pay main dealer prices - a cam belt service on a 355 at my dealer in Munich would probably be ruinous - I think they charge 180 euros per hour (can’t remember if that was pre or Post vat, but could well be pre)

[Bispal]

Most specialists in the UK no longer take the engine out to change the belts as it can be done by removing the fuel tank, In fact one very reputable specialist recently told me that they no longer recommend taking the engine out. It causes to much stress on the body shell and the buttress's in particular (which as we know are sensitive). Additionally the removal can damage connections, hoses, gaskets etc, which will then all need replacing. So the cam belt change is not a huge issue, around £1,500 on top of a standard £600 service every 3 years.....

[vonders]

Do you know any good Indy’s around Kent / Essex / Surrey area?

[LotusOmega375D]

The Ferrari Centre, Maidstone. Contrary to the above comment, they tell me that they would never try do to an engine out cambelt change without actually taking the engine out.

[StickBreitling]

Been following Voicey's website to do some of the simpler maintenance on my own car. His attention to detail is beyond any dealership.

http://www.avengineeringltd.com/contact-us/

[johnnyreggae]

Autoficcina out towards Chessington & Grimaldi in Essex

Edited by johnnyreggae on Thursday 14th December 07:28

[Bispal]

vonders said:

Do you know any good Indy’s around Kent / Essex / Surrey area?

Had work done at The Ferrari Centre, Foskers & Autofficina. Of the 3 Autofficina is the only one I would return back to for many reasons.

[red_slr]

Personally I would only do a cambelt on a 355 with the engine out.
Its designed to be done, there are props that can be used for the body if needed.

There are many other small things that will need inspecting and replacing which if you ignore could cause issues.
Its personal choice but I would rather be able to fully inspect and replace things with the engine and trans dropped.

[Behemoth]

LotusOmega375D said:

Is Ferrari maintenance really so expensive in the USA?

Yes, definitely. The 308 is dominated by US owners and over the years I've corresponded with US owners, it's clear their labour rates are very steep, even for the indies. I also see it in the paperwork I have for my current 308 (full history California car imported last year). I don't know whether this is true for all mechanics or just European exotica (I suspect the latter, it'd be interesting to check against 911s & Shelby Mustangs etc).

Parts seem to be priced more or less on a par, whilst the cars themselves are usually a good deal cheaper (the usual $=£ ratio applies).