Hello Jet-X Not to many cars in the uper $60's to $70's sell all day long, when you start to get above $50k even on a new car you start to "thin the herd". TR's are older mid engined 12 cylinder exotic cars, so naturally it will take a while longer to sell one. Pesently there are 11 TR's in the FML and 7 on E-bay I know there are more but I would not call this a glut. As far as pricing I agree, call a dealer and tell them what you have and see what they will write a check for. Keep in mind this is not the true retail price of a car, a dealer is in the business to buy a product and sell it at a profit they may have to do some repairs and assume liability when they sell a car. Thus they will pay "wholesale" for the car. In your last paragraph you say: "Does this mean you can easily go out and find a TR in the $40k's? No." That is the point of this thread, there are people saying you can find a TR ALL DAY LONG in the $40's. And there are others that are wondering where these cars are. It seems the people who are not interested in buying find them in the $40's and the people who are serious about buying can't, hmmmm. Chuck
In the current issue of Sports Car Market there is a report on the RM Auction Novi, MI April 2004. There were 2 TR's both did not meet their reserves. Here is the info: 1987 Black/tan 10K miles #3 condition not sold at $54K 1989 Red/tan 4,500 miles #2 not sold at $61. By the way a number #2 car by their standards is a very nice car. 6 months ago I sold my red/tan 87 TR with 8K miles, all service done for $58.5. Take this info for what it is worth to the discussion. Stuart
IIRC "Martin" had a TR for sale a few months ago, and "Henryr" had a buyer who was only a few thousand away from getting his TR in the mid-hi 40's a few months ago as well. There're out there.....and the analysis of this market is easy to do......if a TR sits a long time......it's too much money FWIW........ If the car is listed cheap in your mind........the buyer scratchs their head or other body part and wonders why........but by then it's usually too late.......because someone with their act together gets a bargain and when you've finally come out of the ether and go back to look again......it's gone. Which is why you don't see them sitting around forever like the other cars.....it's a principle I call paralysis by analysis.......and it will get you every time.
The Trs biggest liability is they made too many of them. I'd rather have a TR over a 355 or 360 anyday.
Boy, that car looks great! So, the moral of the story is.....everybody's right! Keep looking and you'll find a good deal, or alternatively, you can pay more right now if you'd like. Thanks for the inside scoop on the low priced sales which "happen quietly". Some good information shared here. Even some places to look some my have overlooked. And JET-X, thanks for your well put together post, by the way. Best! Wes
You're welcome. Bottom line - they're out there. They're just not going to call out "hey I'm a good car for $40k" Negotiation is usually required. Given what I've negotiated with 2 Ferrari dealers and an individual on Mondial t cabs, asking, desired, and realistic selling price are two different things. even helped a friend shave some big bucks off of a 456GT.
Chiaro DON'T!!! If you killed yourself I would just DIE! Then my family would just die, and so on....I mean where does it end? Do you want my whole town dead? Is that what you want? 600,000 people drinking poisoned cool-aid? What a mess!!! And where are we gonna get that many paper cups? We're a happy little hamlet and then this! Please keep, and enjoy your car, leave us alone! (Hope you know I'm only kidding) Best! Wes
LOL - Jim Jones I am not - I'll just take my own life. I am going to take a bath on all the money I put into my 328, so I don't want to ever sell the TR since I overpaid to begin with. If I never sell it, then it's all good.
Let's face it - the reality is if you're happy with what you paid, then you didn't over pay. However, there is always an exception to the rule. I know what Jerry spent (not telling, don't ask). It doesn't fall into what I've outlined as paying for a TR EXCEPT in the color category. Ironically, very few people want a TR in anything other than red/black/white (the Miami Vice years). So, very few TRs in the U.S were built in other colors, blue included. Hell, one of the members of this board has a green TR, something I never thought existed. And if I was in the market for a TR, I'd pay a premium if I had to (to a certain extent) to get the car. HOWEVER (big however), the car had practically no mileage AND Jerry wanted this color blue. It's brand new for all intents and purposes. There wasn't much choice, and frankly, if I was in the market for a TR (I'm not - the wife would shoot me), I would have repeated Jerry's scenario in a heart beat. Period. I looked for a loooooooooooooooong time to find a Mondial t in blue/yellow/prugna. Alas, it was not to be (so few built in those colors). So I settled on black which is common, and paid low. However, I would have paid much higher for a different color (and preferably low miles). Point #2 - price isn't everything. If you're looking for a common car in a common color, price can be your determining factor (along with condition and location of a car). If color is your #1 factor, and so few were built/available in said color (in this case, blue), you don't have that luxury. The irony is that those rarer colors (in this case, a TR) also have fewer people longing after them, so they should be cheaper, right? Go back to my original post, you may have to search long and hard for a cheap TR, but may have to sacrifice the color. Jerry didn't want to, and I don't blame him and the conclusion is he didn't overpay (IMO).
Well said Jet-X. I fell like I overpaid a little, maybe $5k. But for the right car, I was ok with that. The problem was, there was nothing to compare it to. Cars that I come across that "say" they have that many original miles, never appear that way. The 2 best compliments I got were from my mechanic (Larry) who said : 1) This is the nicest Ferrari I have ever seen come out of Florida 2) Once we got in on the lift, he had no doubt that the mileage was correct. Some things you just can't hide. He said he always gets worried when he hears someone talk about a 2500 mile TR. Hey, at least now it's a 3300 mile TR with many more in its future! Now a green TR, that I want to see! I like it already.
Intresting thread....WHen I bought my 86TR in 99 there were very little cars to choose from (actually, took me 3 yrs to find the car). I find it very intresting that a production car of 7,000 is a glut on the market today after 7yrs running. What will happen to the 355 and 360 in 15 yrs then? Is that going to be worth 40K? I think you get what you pay for, and if a 40K TR exsits, Id hate to be the one to repair that tranny or engine. If any on the brd willing to dump a TR any shape or milage PM me, would love to have 2 parts car in the garage.
I agree. You get what you pay for. I have seen a lot of TR's in tough shape & they are not cars I would want in my garage.
355/360 have a bigger glut given the larger production runs. There will come a time when TRs are so coveted, that the price increases. It ain't now, it might not be for another 10 years. But there will always be fewer pre-355/456/550 era cars compared to the newer cars.
I'm having a very tough time with the concept that "they made too many TRs" with a total production of 7-8,000 over 7 years. Why are TRs considered almost common when you see muscle cars, Mustang convertibles, Jaguar XK E-Types selling for much more? Their production figures are astronomical by comparison - there were over 57,000 XK E-Types produced, over 100,000 Mustang convertibles produced in 1965 alone. Since 1958, there have been as many Corvettes made each year as the total TR production, yet most of them are considered "rare".
F****D if I know. I would suspect it being that new ferrari owners who do not follow the brand are unaware of the marques operating costs. Its already $$$ for regular fcars, but the TR is abit more that would probably scare the crap out of someone buying this $60K car. FOr the same $$ they can buy a zo6 and a fraction of the maintain cost, and a quicker car. But at the end of the day, its still a vette (no slam intended). The TR is just such an involving car...its a passion car, not a corner store sports car. I guess because its the best selling 12 banger ferrari made, hence a common car.Still, would never trade my 86TR.
I've emailed with this guy about 1.5 years ago. He always has 2 TR's for sale because "he has an enzo on the ground" and needs to make room. I offered him $47K for a white/red tr he had right as prices were coming down. Told him I had a blank check. He emailed back and told me to stick my check up my ass. He has this tr and another both for 49k and 52K FIRM FIRM FIRM. So call if you want but be ready for his wrath!
Good points. Look at the number of 355's out there when you go to a gathering. Since the early ones will be 10 yrs old in 5 months or so now it wont be long until those prices start dropping big time. And with the header and electrical issues they're known for sub-$40k 355's will be around before too long. The Tr was and is a special car in Ferrari's lineage. It and the 288 were the supercars in it's day. Ferrari made no better road car at the time. And unfortunately I think some of that gets lost in todays world. Hell, the Tr even has a hardcover book published chronicling it's design, development and production. 355's ,360's etc can't make those claims. A clean, strong and well kept Tr will not be had for sub-$40k or even sub-50k IMHO. As quoted I also think these cars will be coveted in the future. They are iconic of Ferrari to the young and old alike in the general public. At least that's been my experience in ownership. Kenny K.
