355 prices are going...

Oh, and he did quality his statement by saying that it was all about the mileage "your car is a high miles car and the simple fact is that there are low miles cars out there."

I think that also speaks for the fact that the OPEN MARKET doesn't care much about anything except miles and date from last major service.

So if you are looking, buy from someone here. If you are selling a sorted car, sell it to someone here.

 

This is a quote from the EVO F40 Buying guide:
" Low-mileage cars currently command the highest prices, but Russell Smith reckons that as the cars get older the mileage will have less effect on values and more emphasis will be placed on history and condition. ‘You only have to look at cars like the 250SWB, where nowadays the mileage is pretty irrelevant – the value is in the history and how the car has been looked after,’ he says. "

I wonder if 308/328 buyers care that much about mileage. Can anyone comment?

 

308/328 values are still heavily mileage dependent. It doesn't seem to cease being a major factor until the car really takes off (ala Dino).

 

Do yourself a favour and never set foot in that stealership again.
It has always amazed me how many low mileage cars come out of the south where you can drive them year round and most of the high mileage cars are in the north where we drive them for only 6 to 8 months of the year. There more low mileage cars that have had their odos rolled back than you can shake a stick at. Those of us that know these cars well, know exactly what to look for and can easily tell when the odometers have been rolled back. There are also owners out there that think certain cars are well sorted and in great condition that if I looked at them it would be a whole different story. Ive seen cars dripping oil all over the engine and all the pans on the bottom were scrapped and some pieces missing and yet the owner though his car was mint. A well sorted car is in the eye of the beholder and many beholders need new glasses. A well sorted 355 is very hard to find...believe me.

 

Dealerspeak: Sell me your car for $ 40k, I know I can turn it over in no time for $ 50k

 

Ouch... well, in Italy you can buy an F430 spider for around 70k euro. Forget the asking prices you see on websites such as autoscout24: they are not real. There is simply no market for these cars. Of course, I am talking for the good ones with low km and fully loaded. The early ones higher mileage have NO market and they are of no interest for the Germans/Austrians/French and other EU countries with still money to spend on these cars.

F355... I would say a very good GTB/S with original miles on it (say below 40k km) would probably sell realistically for around 40k euro. Maybe 45k euro if it is a Spider or F1. Mint examples with less than 10k km probably something more, but by not much!

 

Unless you are a completely blind or oblivious buyer, you can get a real good indication if the odometer has been rolled back. If the car has service records you can track this pretty easy.

 

I want to know what to look for. How can you tell if the ODO has been rolled back? Just by the records? Or is there something physical within the car that tips you off?

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Last I looked the F! and/or spiders did not add any value, some may even say they would go for less..........so???

 

So, who cares? Buy whichever version best suits you and if you get a Spider for less money than a GTB, then good for you.

I am just telling you what I see on the Italian market and the Swiss market is similar, but more pricey as here cars have to be imported from EU, so VAT and duties apply on price you pay for the car. (all together around 11%). So there are potentially less cars available.

 

I am sure someone can answer you here. I don't know.

My first personal rule is to look at the originality of the car. Everything must be present or at least, like for instance the original exhaust if not installed, in the package with the car.

The second rule is to look underneath the car and have a good professional have a look at her and do a leakdown and compression test on each cyl.

Allow some wear and tear and pay accordingly.

Ps
I learnt this the hard way, so I will share with you: if you already have a trusted technician to look after your car, never ever be seduced by a dealer who might throw in a full service as part of the deal. You will end up paying and doing things twice. So just cut the price to the bone, put the car on a lorry and send it to your own technician to do the works.

 

I have about 6 things I look at and 2 of them most people dont know about. I keep them to myself otherwise these jerks that roll back the odometers would do a better job to hide these things. One of them I dont believe they can hide but I still keep them to myself. As for the records on the history of the car, well these are a good things to have but they too can be faked. I would also be very leary of a car that keeps moving from state to state. The best Ferraris to buy are the ones your own mechanic has worked on and has the history in his computer or a friends that has had it for a while.

 

A flame suit won't be enough to protect you after your first visit to your mechanic For the money, these cars did come with a lot of garbage parts that you'll be replacing at some point, mostly at great expense. After my experience selling my "high mileage" 355 a while back, my observation is that the only thing buyers seem to care about is the number on the odometer. If you want your car to be worth something when you sell it, don't drive it.

 

There is no completely accurate way to tell if a car has more miles than advertised. There are just too many variable here...

Galant's Ferrari with 80,000 miles will look just as nice as Goofus's Ferrari with only 40,000 miles. In other words. the guy that sits in his Ferrari every day making vroom vroom noises while parked in the garage might inflict more wear in the "high touch" areas of the car, but it never sees road time. In contrast, a car with more miles might have less wear because they owner was obsessive compulsive. The owner can make a difference.

A car from Detroit only driven once a year might have more suspension component corrosion due to residue road salts... whereas the suspension on a car from Phoenix driven only on dry nights, yet driven more than the Detroit car, would look closer to mint.

Apparently even DMV workers can be bribed to record rolled back number in the computer.

That brand new steering wheel could be a "sure fire sign" that the owner is hiding wear & tear. Then again, maybe he scuffed the leather with his ring or watch, and couldn't live with that cosmetic flaw & had it replaced.

I once had a guy tell me that I was trying to hide "fraud" because my 25 year old car had the tires replaced. He was adamant that a low mile car should have it's original tires... he even threatened to call the police on me. I told him not to & instead escalate it to the FBI.

Just buy what you like. Be diligent but don't delude yourself that you are all-seeing.

 

Thats too bad, really. Exotics in general tend to live BETTER lives when they are driven regularly and serviced when needed. IMO, super low mile garage queens make...well.... good cars to throw in your hermedically sealed garage with your other 548 collectible cars. Bleh. Its a car. Drive it. My Turbo Esprit loves being driven and its amazing how your cost per mile goes WAY down when driving and enjoying the car. My car has 61K and runs like a top. My friends '84 308qv has about 55K on it and runs excellent. Whats the problem? . Ill drive an F-car just as much once I get one. I dont get the mileage thing except for extremely rare or appreciating-value cars. For the regular offering s from Ferrari, Lambo, Lotus, whomever.... whay let it sit? You gonna retire early with a low mile 348 or 355? Let us know how that pans out

Maybe its because Im a regular guy and dont have unlimited resources but in a few years when I get closer to hunting down a 348 or a 355, I will be HAPPY to take your regularly driven car with higher miles & no excuses over the 17K mile cream puff that has problems just lurking for me. Use it or lose it. Its a car. Drive it. No joy in it of you dont. Plus, cars with some miles have had many parts replaced or updated by now. Thats just what you want!

I dunno - everyone has a different perspective but to me a car with 50K or even 60K thats well sorted and driven regularly is worth MORE to me than a car with 20K out of some collection that sits around with a battery charger on it all day. Sorry. I just think the mentality surrounding these cars is all whacked out. Alls anyone cares about is resale value. Why? Just drive the damned thing!