What to look out for when purchasing a Ferrari California

If value retention is important, go for the earliest (and cheapest) model. Ferraris continue to depreciate until the 18 to 20 year mark. As time goes on, the values of a particular model - a California for example - are going to compress over time, unless an update has very a significant improvement. As an example, on two f355s that are in like condition and miles, a 1995 and a 1999 are going to be fairly close in value. There isn't a lot of premium for the 1999 just because it is a few years newer.

The California will continue to depreciate for a while, although it is flattening. All other things being equal, I would hazard that an early California is going to lose $3,000-4000 a year for another 5 years. The later Californias are going to lose more, because they have further to fall.

The California is a wonderful looking Ferrari that shouldn't cost you a lot of depreciation to own. I'll be interested to hear from current California owners as to their repairs/maintenance experiences.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to buy any modern Ferrari regardless of miles (barring something ridiculous), as long as it has been properly maintained.

 

Coincidental timing because Husker and I were just chatting about 2009-2014 model year Californias today. I have started following the prices and researching the failure points (primarily DCT and top mechanism). I think mileage depends entirely on what you want to do with the car. Ferraris take a bigger hit with high mileage vs Porsche for example. Are you buying the car for yourself or the next guy?

If I ever get a California it will be to use it as a daily and actually hope to hit 100k miles. At 100k miles a used Ferrari is a tough sell but if you've put most of those miles on yourself then hopefully the smiles per mile ratio made up for the terrible depreciation and difficulty in selling it some day.

Non-accident Calis are now under $80k with 50k+ miles. Plenty of examples under $90k with under 30k miles.

 

You've gotten a lot of great advice above. Quick Q - how long do you anticipate owning this F-car?
If you anticipate, for example, selling this in a few years to move up the F ladder, then mileage could be an issue since - as stated above - F-cars are very mileage sensitive.

I would try to find the newest, lowest mileage example you can within your budget. Based on what I see on cars.com that looks to be Calis in the 2013 - 2014 range from non-authorized dealers. For the UK, I cannot say, but I think you may be likely to be looking @ similar aged Californias. I would think a T - which started ca. 2015, may be above your budget. Best of luck in the hunt...T

 

I shopped for one before getting a 458 instead. advice based on my friends the local techs and service manager: get a T if you want a California, or if you really like the base then stick with MY13-14. ‘10-12 have transmission and conv’t top issues. Maybe consider if DCT has been rebuilt and updated already. But those are the failure points. Some other sensors and electronics too but those are minor.

Budget $12-14k to rebuild DCT if it happens. Replacement is closer to $30k. IMO 20k miles is going to be considered high by many Ferrari ppl and 30k miles is high. But maintenance is more important than mileage and I actually prefer some miles so I don’t sweat putting tons of miles on myself!

I drove the T and enjoyed it. You can daily it as easily as a MB SL or BMW 6. I think it’s a great value proposition in the $120k range, and a relatively low depreciation way to get in a recent model Ferrari.

 

https://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-buying-guides/ferrari-california--ph-used-buying-guide/42549

Plenty of buying experiences in previous threads - spend some time looking at them

For the California which could be 10 years old now I think the low mileage assessment above is not too valid although the maintenance absolutely is - there is no reliable central register so check out the bills if possible

Talk to someone like Roger at Kent High Performance near Maidstone who has had one as his daily for several years

 

No because some cars will no longer be maintained in the network - usual stuff make sure the services are annual whoever did them and ask about any extras - and as no-one has mentioned it yet: PPI pay a professional to check out the car - should include computer read-out to ensure no stored fault codes for example plus brake life etc

 

Allow a grand - it could be much less - and before you ask no there is no-one to recommend because to a large extent it depends exactly where the car is and what the vendor's conditions are for PPI

 

A grand seems a bit pessimistic. My wife’s cali cost £185 to inspect and took my Indy a little over 2hrs to perform. I asked the selling dealer to transport the car to and from my Indy as one of the conditions of purchase.

 

I was in same dilemma, so I bought new and one that was Ferrari certified for peace of mind. There's a premium in price from authorized dealers, of course. I'd guess about 10 - 15 K based on online asking prices.

As far as "too much", I think that depends. It seems here in the States, every 10K miles knocks down the price and more importantly the size of the buyer pool. My general sense though from F-chat is that you Euros seen less mileage adverse than us in the US.

T

 

I think it depends on how extensive a PPI you are looking for ... just get it up on a lift, look for leaks, check for codes, inspect the brakes for wear ... couple hours. Really go over the entire car, plus a compression test, you are getting into some more money ... which is likely money well spent unless the car is under warranty. As with many high-end sports cars, if you are stretching your budget just to buy the car and are not financially prepared to weather an unexpected repair (which can be extremely expensive on a Ferrari), it might be better to set your sights a little lower.

 

I think a PPI is a really good idea. You will know it has been cared for by good records, and the seller should provide these without hesitation. Due to their newness, I doubt the typical California has racked up much in repair and “while you’re in there” expenses. Regular fluid and filter changes are probably going to be the extent of it, as well as perhaps a couple of cam belt changes, which would also involve some other components out of caution - rollers, tensioners, etc.

Whether repairs & maintenance have occurred at a Ferrari dealership means nothing to me.

 

https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/auto/car-part-services