Sealed the deal on a 360 needing some love.

Im new to the forum and just made a deal on a wrecked 99 360 with a gated manual. After I get her home next week Ill get to work on repair and getting maintenance caught up. This will be a fun project to say the least.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1999-Ferrari-360/323681246441?_trkparms=ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140109134348%26meid%3Db7d0bd5e810d45a2826d7a41e516f9ea%26pid%3D100042%26%26itm%3D323681246441&_trksid=p5713.c100042.m2062

 

Ill probably be doing video as I work on this after I get it home and post it on youtube. Ill be doing all the work myself which is the part I like aside from that first drive after bringing a hurt car back to life. I am curious to get into that corner of the car and see how Ferrari goes about things. My Porsche that I rebuilt has radiator assemblies on each side that have the radiator, ac condenser fan and air duct all put together and I was really impressed how one side was very damaged but caused no problems with the body structure of the car. The Porsche was damaged alot worse than this car when I got it, its a 2007 Cayman and is alot of fun.
I have to say while looking for my first Ferrari Ive been surprised how many out there are extremely out of date service wise. Dealers stating only two or three thousand miles since the last major service but when I see a receipt it was over a decade old. Ive also been disappointed with how many dealers or sellers are slow to respond if they do at all or cant tell you anything about the cars.
Im pretty paticular about my work as I started in aviation and Ive done automotive and for the past 7 years have been working on automated storage and retrieval equipment in an industrial setting.
The listing had a buy it how of 45 though I got the car through best offer and Ill leave it at that. I like that I can inspect the car before handing the money over as in the past Ive bought various cars, campers and other toys through copart. If anybody would like tips about buying on copart I could do a seperate post on that subject. There are currently two ferrari 360s I wouldnt touch listed on copart. One is a flood car thats been used as a submarine and the other has a euro dash with a crappy sticker to get mph readings that has much higher milage reportings a few years ago. I think I got a pretty good deal considering another 360 on copart has a much higher bid, has alot more miles and alot more damage. Its also an F1 car, plus copart has alot of fees on top of the bid.
In all Im excited to have a new project. From what ive read on Ferrari chat it looks like there is alot of support in the community and people who arent affraid to wrench on their cars which is great. When Ive rebuilt some previous Mercedes AMG cars that wasnt the case.

 

unibody cars are more rigid than most people think. In all with it being ebay if its not represented well and I find more wrong in person then I can walk away. If you bid on something on Copart once you win your stuck with it even if copart does damage with the forklift after the sale. When it comes to a branded title car no matter the condition there are always some who will turn their nose at it, but there are also alot of people who will see the value of a great car to drive and enjoy. It does suck that some people out there will cobble together a car any which way they can though. Personally I look at it as a good time to get a car completely sorted. Remember with a clean spotless history car you need to be just as critical as if work is done but not reported, well it wont show up. Just good for thought.

 

What this guy said! I think branded cars are great for driving the snot out of. I was surprised how clean my Porsche Cayman was when it was delivered and it had a lil more damage than originally thought but in the end I had 12 grand in a 22k mile 07 cayman and it looks mint! That car is so much fun to play with in the mountains and even branded ive had strong offers but Im affraid if I sold it I wouldnt find another in as good of shape. Id have no illusions of commanding some crazy price but when you do builds you want to keep it low enough that if you had to sell your not loosing your ass in the process. If I wanted to loose my but I could just buy a one or two year old corvette with a clean title lol.

A friend did notice the back left wheel is tweaked. I called and he promptly went to the car for more pictures and to check things out. Ive been told that the subframe isnt damaged so im thinking of going through with it or not for a few hours as its an 11 hour drive one way. From what I see suspension parts arent as expensive as i thought they were, even a subframe is on ebay for under a grand. The prices are almost as cheap as porsche parts prices which Ive thought of a 996 turbo as a fun big hp build but I already have a porsche...decisions decisions lol. Im still kicking myself for not acting fast enough for the 360 that was right down the road with high miles but gated manual and clean title for 50k =/. Im kinda debating sticking with a 348 since its such a simple car, Id go with an F1 360 but I havnt seen for certainty yet that the launch 431 can do everything needed with the transmission.

 

Ive decided not to buy it. There is another post on here which may have been a harder hit but it jacked up alot of stuff dealing with the subframe and body. I really dont want to have to put an aluminum car on a frame machine to straiten things out. I wouldnt want those thought running through my head at over 150mph,,,,,. He was very strait forward with getting more pictures to me, ect so I didnt waste an 11 hour drive hotel, ect to find this out the hard way but,,,,but, its relisted and this extra damage isnt in the new listing. Its been altered, well the title has as it now states 6 speed manual with the description but it still says in the listing that its only cosmetic damage.
I have to say the ample tech data online on ferrari is great and a huge help to people like myself that like to do all their own work.

On another note my experiences with some higher end dealers has been disappointing. It seems when I ask for pics of major service reciepts they dont want to return calls all of a sudden. You ask for history and theyre just like, its a 360 or a 430 and it looks and drives great......... Im not weathly with a bottomless bank account but would like a nice project but just because I can do the work doesnt mean Im paying retail for something that needs engine out service and so on. Ill continue to be patient and find my right fit. I drove a 348 that needs a lil love a couple weeks ago and it might be the winner. We will see.