Better to sell my FCar in FL or CA?

CA tends to command slightly hire prices.

I believe Newport Beach is the largest Ferrari dealer in the US.

I would consign it in CA if you plan on selling it right after your return to FL

 

If you're going to consign IMO you might as well just sell it where it is and save on the travel and possible damage shipping it cross country. You don't need to be with the car. The consignor does all the work and sends you the paperwork .

 

I don't have empirical evidence, but I would think that the internet is the great price equalizer. If price discrepancies get too large, then some / most people would buy from another area. You could argue that perhaps there is more volume going through in CA, but I don't think it is at prices very different than anywhere else. If transaction volume is a consideration then, as the Mayor says, there is no point in paying to ship it back.

 

Shipping costs are minor overall. I look nationwide for the deal. If a seller prices it too high he sits on it until he gets sensible, see it all the time.

 

There are more Ferrari’s for sale in Florida than in California. So you may be able to move it easier out here in California. But as mentioned, the internet is the great price leveler.

The big consignment shops in the Newport Beach area are Phillips and Eurocar. Both are reputable.

Note, the risk of trying to sell in California is you will have to smog it here. The problem is California has the toughest smog laws in the US. I bought my car in Florida and it passed smog there but not in CA. It cost me about $10 K to eventually get it through CA smog. So just a word of caution.

 

I thought Florida didn't have vehicle inspections. They emission test cars?

 

Ive never had a car tested for emissions in Florida.

 

One side note: most of the cars you see for sale at a Ferrari dealership are on consignment. In the typical case, the dealers tells the customer the wholesale number, which he doesn't like. So the car sits on the floor as the new car is being built, with an unrealistic ask price. Then at the last moment, the customers agrees to wholesale it because his new car is on the ground.

If you're in the market, it can sometimes pay to offer say $25k below the ask price. You never know.

 

This with the addition of don't be discouraged when they tell you no. Quite often unless a car has been on the market awhile (and sometimes not even then) they are totally unwilling to make a deal. I can't remember who told me this but they did say that you should start your offer between 20% and 25% less then the ask and negotiate from there usually ending up in the 15%-18% off area.

I also have my own added caveat that I never trade a car in ever, I always sell it private party beforehand having been hosed buy too many dealers in the past.

Back to ops question it seems to me that Florida and California are the 2 major markets for exotic cars. I would at least consider and speak with a dealer or 2 while in California and see what they think. I think at the end of the day I might ship the car home and consign it in Florida. But that's me

 

Another tip is to see what Jim Lyons of Sports Car Company is asking for cars. Jim is one of the wholesalers dealers sell to. From what I recall, he tries to make $15k a car. If this still holds, subtracting $15k from his ask gives you a rough idea of what the wholesale market is for a car.