Okay, how bad is this car? http://www.bobileff.com/ferrari_82_400ia.htm According to FML, its been on the market SINCE MARCH 2003!!! Should I shake out the couch for loose change and make an offer? The color is kinda growing on me, it is "period" correct.
You know you want to! Looks in pretty good shape from the pictures. Jody Scheckter used to have a 400 in that colour so you'd be in good company... Jonathan
to me it looks like it's in really rough shape. if there are parts on the motor (vapour condenser and rad cap) that are that crusty, i would hate to see the exhaust, suspension,etc. and only a major service on the motor would do at the very least.maybe even rebuild time. wow,it's gonna be expensive... judge, i'm confused by your interest. you already have a way cooler version of the same car ??? brett
Same but different. Injected and auto is a different car than a carbed manual. I've got a bad case of Ferrari accumulation disease. I believe it is 100% different than what Urotrash has...
I owned Al Garthwaite's former 400GT 5 speed and it was a great car. I would never buy an automatic Ferrari whether it be a torque convertor or F1 type.
Judge, That car has been there for about 3 years. One thing about Bobileff, You can buy a car from hm sight unseen. He's cars are tops. But I am sure you know that.
I´ve seen it. It´s OK but just OK. I don´t know about the mechanicals, but knowing Gary the thing probably runs just fine. The cosmetics are a little rough, however.
The color in the second and third photos looks nice but there's too much of a mustard tint in the first. I'd have to see it in person. Buy it, tint the windows and buy a Fila jogging suit. You'd be stylin!' I would like to hear your impressions of an automatic V-12, though. I think any V-12's pretty sweet. Dane
I live nearby, too - about 8 miles away. I'd guess the automatic would scare a lot of people away. I've heard the tranny in the 456GTA is Major Bucks if it goes south - this might be the same deal.
Nope its an off the shelf GM unit (the same as in lots and lots of Jaguars, rolls, and billions of GM products)
yep GM TH400 auto with ferrari specific bell housing bolt pattern. has a firmer 2nd gear shift point and 1 extra set of clutch packs than a regular GMTH400. the TH400 uses a electric switch for the "downshift" / passing gear where as the TH350's use a detent cable hooked to the carbs.
I know that a lot of people feel good about Bobileff, but my experience was different. In doing tons of work on my Boxer, he overlooked one of the known weaknesses in the Boxer: the distributor. Three months after I picked up the car, the bearing inside the distributor completely disintegrated. Although Gary Bobileff said he stands by his work, he ran as fast as possible from even touching this issue. (He never found out the diagnosis, just basically said, I am not dealing with this.) After getting the distributor repaired and replacing the cooked cats, the car still had a noticable running problem, which took two failed and costly diagnoses before a third mechanic found a burnt valve. So I had a valve job and a second 30 K service (after Bobileff's) and threw in a clutch replacement, all on the very long road of getting this car right. (It had been mostly ignored by the two previous owners.) I have spent well over $25K getting my Boxer right, and at least I now have a very high level of confidence in it. However, I attribute $13K of repairs that should have never been required to Gary Bobileff, whose motives might have shifted when he went from purely repairs and restorations to sales when I bought the car in 2000. (His sales guy, John Miller quit and maybe started his own sales.) In addition, on the Saturday I picked up the car, I was sitting in his office when he took a call from a party interested in the low-price black 308 in his showroom. He totally downplayed the extent of the big tear in the dash, saying it was only minor. After hanging up the phone, he remarked, "I sure would like to get rid of that ugly piece of ****." I started to worry, "Is he also being that duplicitous with me?" So there you have one story that contradicts what many say about Bobileff and his lineage of Lamborghini restorations. I would not consider doing any business with Bobileff for anything. Also, if there is any doubt about the state of this 400iA, as there seems to be from some of the posts here, I would not consider it. Sounds like another piece of **** that Bobileff wants to unload. Although I would never buy an automatic, I like the 412. Beware that the engine compartment layout significantly increases labor costs. Also, there's the costly business of the 400/412's exhaust and the suspension. (PS Matteo, hope you're health is good.)
I've slept on it and will pass. Who knows, it might still be on the market in 2 years when I think about it again.
David. Yes. Thank you. That was a pretty big scare. But since then I have dropped a few pounds and I feel a lot better. Thanks for asking.
First let me say that I too hope your health is better Matteo, whatever it was that was wrong. I wish I could agree that you could buy a car sight unseen from Gary, but my experience wasn't so inspiring. Last year I went down there to see a red/tan 328 that had had a major service, some interior work, and was told to me to be very nice (basically very very nice). When I arrived there, the car did not show as well as I expected, but that's a matter of opinion. The big problem came on the test drive, the car smoked quite a bit and coolant was over flowing from the expansion tank when we arrived back (not a drop or two, I mean gushing out). Clearly the car had not been tested and put through the paces despite whether it had had the "major service " done, and to what level became scary to me. Basically I ran from the car because what I felt I was told both cosmetically and mechanically was somewhat not truthful. IMHO only. Lenny
Lenny, I am sorry to hear this as well. I will refrain in the future from recommending Bob. In the past, he was good. I guess his focus has changed. Matt
Lenny, On a side note. I am in Valencia. Off the 5 and McBean. Drop me a line if you are in the area. Matt