64165 86 412 5 Speed sold at auction- CHEAP

Well that would make sense- you know how you get a "vibe" about a car and a seller?? I got that vibe-

The more I deal with the Ferrari world the more I learn that a "Bargain" often turns out to be a nightmare.

 

Some facts-

Auction was in Ft Lauderdale not Atlanta.

Ebay cars are ALWAYS cheaper than any other venue- So a tidy 412 goes for $25k usually on ebay- the price on ebay depends wholly on the seller- cause every Ferrari that gets listed gets dozens of inquiries for more, better, bigger photos- scanned documentation of service records etc.- this seller was unwilling to provide ANYTHING to ANYBODY- so he got the typical lowball $25K bids- and I am sure those bidders would not have paid had they won.

My white 400i was on ebay three times- High bids never reached more than $30K for a 400 with 5-speed and fresh paint/interior/tranny... after the auctions ended they went ahead and rebuilt the motor and put it up again- high bid of $28K with a reserve of $36,500. The seller was the guy who painted the car- seems like a nice enough chap but not big on the personal touch.

I guarantee you if I sold this car today- I'd take great pictures- put up a photobucket account with TONS of images- scan every receipt from the rebuild process, then describe in excruciating detail the rebuild process of the car and what was involved both in terms of expense and man hours- and I'd probably get high $30s. Cause everybody forgets- when you sell a car yo still have to market it- and if you have a good car with a good story and you can honestly describe the virtues of the vehicle- you can get slightly above market- even on ebay.

There is an indescribable "FEEL" to a really super clean mint car- you can't photograph it, you can't describe it- you have to be there, in the car, start it up, drive her hard- to know. To put that feel back into one of these cars would cost several times what the car is worth- so when I got to examine the silver 412 I wound up buying, in person- it completely changed my entire view of these cars. Later the same day I saw a black/Tan 87 auto that was right at about the same price- and looked MINT in the photos. But you know how old cars are- the paint was great but yet it seemed old, the interior really clean but it didn't seem fresh. The car started and ran well but lacked the rich and elegant bass note of the silver car and lacked the smooth endless power the silver car had. It stunk of fuel and the front end creaked... the A/C motor made a grinding noise, the antenna stuck halfway up, the passenger window dropped two inches every time we hit a bump, wipers travelled three inches then stopped, the classy tan leather was hard with fine cracks and the dash appeared to have been coated with armor all...two nearly identical cars with roughly the same mileage and roughly the same asking price. A PPI would have revealed very few of those issues- cause that's just not what those guys cover.

I only KNEW which one was better by putting my butt in the seat and driving them- and the difference is not close...not by a mile.To me the Silver car was worth $20k MORE than the other car- yet my final price was within dollars.On any old car you have to learn the "Story" the car has to tell first, and that is not contained in receipts or mechanic reports- it's told through your eyes and your fingertips and the seat of your pants.

Buying one of these long distance or after a three minute perusal at an auction is for car dealers- not owners.

 

Just a car- Another one around the corner....

 

Seller says he is firm at $46K.

The "Sat in storage for 10 years" thing always worries me on these cars.