Life with the 412 AND 400i...Day one

No apologies needed- The passion for these cars is why we're here!!

DO drive a Series I auto before you buy though.... Everyone has different feelings about the performance of the autos- so you really need to see if it's something you like. Just like a TR- once you own one you're left wanting more speed, more noise and more performance to match the outrageous look.

The hunt is TOUGH in the States- so few cars... most with dealers... most have traveled less than a few hundred miles in the past three or four years. I promise you...the next four months will uncover a lot of cars. Try and get to see the car prior to purchase- I DO NOT recommend a $30K purchase for one of these over the phone or ebay- You're looking for a really old car- and a good one- shiny paint, spotless engine compartment, fresh looking and SMELLING interior- is a pure and wonderful thing. An old, tired 400i with old buffed-up paint, pitted glass, stiff worn leather, soiled smelly carpets and that "Old Ferrari" stench of mildew/exhaust fumes/gasoline/carpet shampoo is a wholly unsatisfying car. ANY old Ferrari with dim headlights, dead windows, dead wipers, slow or dead turn signals etc... just sucks to own... I finally had to bail on my 308 rather than rip the car apart and install a new fuse panel and wiring loom.

Call around to all the Independent Ferrari shops and Service Departments of the major dealers- I was able to uncover a lot of cars that were not "Officially" for sale... If my memory is correct there are two in Scottsdale that might be available- call over to the dealer- I spoke to them last September...

Mechanics don't like these cars because most owners are "Bottom Feeders" who bought the car ONLY for the badge on the nose. So to bring the car in, put it up on the lift then quote $5600 to fix a bunch of little problems is pointless, cause the guy won't pay- or to do the typical Ferrari thing, just fix it and expect the owner to fork over the dough- also pointless. My independent knows I do all the basic stuff myself- and when I bring it to him I want it done RIGHT. I fully expect to spent MORE than the purchase price in routine service and maintenance and repairs over the next 5-6 years...price of admission. That's why so many of the ebay cars are best described as "Tired smoker with some rust".

 

Pete-

Funny how these things go- Both of these cars were on the market for a long time- Obviously at much higher prices then i eventually paid, but still available.

Once someone gets them in hand and is able to really report on what's good and what's bad- a new market develops. We need a 400/412 clearinghouse- where we buy EVERY car on the market- do a detailed report and then find a new home for it- PPI's are woefully inadequate on these cars- You need to live a week with one example to know what it has going for it and what it needs.

Today I couldn't wait for my appointment with the muffler guy so I got the car up on four jackstands (The white 400i) got the exhaust off the car- removed, straightened and replaced the heat shield with what felt like a million new pop rivets, then hung the exhaust where it looked good and through a combination of bending the mounting tabs and pre-heating the exhaust hangars- got it to hang perfectly with no body rubbing. WOW what a difference- still loud as hell- but the droning is mostly gone- I can cruise in relative quiet on the highway- around town it's LOUD but good... I would hate to lose the instant throttle response I get with this free flow exhaust- the ANSA system on my 412 is rich and throaty but about 1/3 the volume- but the car cannot compare to the Stebro equipped car for throttle response. It's almost as loud as my 355- but with all that BASS that the V8s don't have.

Filled the car up and no real gas smell- so I think we're all good. So now I have tackled every single problem with the car- nothing left to complain to my mechanic about- Guess I'll just have to driver her!

 

Greg-

Thanks I'll do my best- One of the dealers who sold a very nice 412 auto last year told me the 88-89 model year had the "Tweaked" tranny- Mine simply has a Transgo shift kit installed- from the look of the plate it appears to be similar to this one- Springs and plates- You drill out the holes to match the feel you want- $69 and you can do it at home. I think it is possible that this is a factory installed item- but from what I saw on the lift it appears someone added this. As fun as my 400i 5-speed is i am fairly certain the 412 is faster on the road- From a standstill of course the stick shift kills it- but highway passing is a laugh-out-loud thrill-ride with the 412.

Your 400i of course looks wonderful- and you and I can agree the dark maroon interior (It's not quite red) gives the car an air of elegance that NO OTHER color can match.

Oddly enough every single car that I dreamed of while picking up my Chevy at the Avis rental car counter- only to have my hopes dashed when I pulled up at the "Premium luxury" dealership, sold within one week of my viewing. I would imagine every one was an internet or ebay sale- cause in the flesh a beat 400i is a sad car.
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Thanks Brett-

As with all of my cars- I'm going to try and fix everything I can fix, and do the mods needed to make the cars liveable on a daily basis- before spending $105/hr. for service work.

When i sell a car people always want to see years of receipts- When I say that I've done almost all the work myself they seem to find this odd- and to some it devalues the car.

Could care less about value- I like fixing stuff.

 

Wow you're WAY more organized then I am.

Usually if there's no receipt I assume it was not fixed or fixed incorrectly- especially with Ferraris. I would hope if I ever sell any of my F cars it would be to someone on this forum- who would be able to see the work done from the forum.

But if you buy one of these with any thoughts of selling it down the road... you need your head examined- gotta buy one cause you love it!