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How do you buy a Ferrari ?

C

coppins999

New member
Hello everyone, my first post here, so please bear with me and I will try and avoid this being too much of a rant.

Like I am sure a lot of owners here, owning a Ferrari is something of a childhood dream. I am now in the fortunate position where I can just about afford one albeit it may only be for a few years. My budget is up to £75k and probably more importantly my allowance for depreciation, services and repairs Im hoping to be less than £20k. As such having done far too much research online I am considering buying either a 360 manual or a F430 F1 gearbox.

However, now comes the difficulty - car dealers. Obviously at my budget I’m not going to be able to afford buying from main dealers and they rarely have the 360 / F430 anyway. But all the dealers I’ve been to just behave so rudely. They seem to take some form of pleasure in making you jump through hoops for their entertainment firstly just to see the cars, and test drives seem to be an impossibility. The general attitude has been that I have to commit to buying the car and Then they will maybe allow me to drive the car.

Now I fully understand the need to weed out joyriders, but I’m in my 50’s, I know the cars I’m looking at and yet am made to feel like I’m a spotty teenager being rejected by the bouncer at the night club. So my serious question for the collective is how do you know which car is right for you (both in terms of model and specific car) if this is how dealers behave? In the past I have just known when I got the “feeling” for a car, often buying cars that weren’t on paper what I thought would be the best. I really would welcome suggestions as to what to do.
 
Hi and welcome to CS.

I'm quite surprised you've been unable to drive the cars, like you I certainly wouldn't buy from a dealer unless I had. Are you looking at cars at dealers who tend to specialise in Ferraris or at car dealers where they sell all sorts and the 1 or 2 Ferraris they have are perhaps at the top end of their stock? I'd have thought there'd be no issue at the former but I could be wrong, it's years since I went looking.
 
Not sure which dealers you have been to, but a) start with reputable ferrari indies, b) be prepared to travel to see cars, c) if they treat you like crap, call them out and walk out d) appreciate that they do need to weed out tyre kickers, most cars at dealers are on sorn so they have to look after the owner and prep the cars after every drive e) be patient, it may take sone time, 6 months plus to find the right car; you would be wise to develop a relationship with key indies, it is part of the process. (kent high performance, nick cartwright, dk, rardley, gto, autofficina to name a few) but remember however nice they are to you, they are still second hand car dealers!

don’t discount main dealers immediately, a number have 360s & 430s in at the moment.

join the owners club and get to some of the bigger events. most owners are more than happy to chat about their cars and if you ask nicely take you for a spin.

when you find a car that ticks the boxes and you have agreed a price, ensure you get a ppi. this is absolutely essential regardless of who is selling.

also post up pics and details you are interested in here. we will all happily pass comment; but someone might know the car as well.

good luck in your search.
 
I bought my first Ferrari at 22, from an Indy. No problem with test drive. I have owned various since and never had a problem with a test drive. I usually get offered, without having to ask. I don’t always drive a car before buying as I don’t really get much from a test drive and I don’t enjoy the experience.

I didn’t really get on with my manual 360 Spider, but it did look great. So personally, I would buy F1 430, drives much better, faster and I prefer F1 box. Subjective though …
 
Many thanks for the replies from everyone. In terms of geography I’m in Somerset, so nowhere is very close, but a lovely place to live. I’ve been to Carsr in Exeter (1.25hrs) before Christmas just to view some Ferraris in the metal including an F430 (£90k so outside what I wish to spend).

Of cars I hoped would be “the one”, I then went to Mugello cars (1 hr) who are an independent Ferrari specialist to see a 360 manual at £65k. I was quite keen on this one but the inside was a bit disappointing and it needed a new hood which they would do for full price but lost service book too. Couldn’t drive as it would need cleaning.

I tried to arrange to see a 360 just north of Bristol (1hr) at £80k, but when I phoned was told not doing viewings at the moment (why advertise on AT ?) but will ring me.

Next I enquired about a F430 (£80k) in Cardiff. Was told it wasn’t ready for viewing as needed a service at Dick Lovett. About a week later I’m rung up and told someone wants to buy the car without seeing it and if I still want it I need to pay a deposit. Sounded all a bit fishy, so said I wasn’t prepared to do that until I’d seen the car.

Final straw was I went to see a 360 at Sovereign Car Sales near Andover (1hr30). Car was generally nice but hardly driven in last eight years. Salesman said come back to test drive next day which at 4:30pm was fine. Said I would ring to confirm. As life happened I couldn’t make it so rang at lunch and asked if could book a time for next day. Told then that manager not happy to allow a test drive unless I was more serious about buying it and agreed deal which would be refunded if there was a problem on test drive! For reference the car has been for sale on Autotrader since March 2023, was last serviced in December ‘22 and driven less than 11 miles since that service.

I have also been to see two cars for sale privately. Both owners were obliging and happy to answer questions and show the cars, but obviously I wouldn’t expect to drive either but was happy to just be driven. First in Reading (2hrs) was scruffy and needed some work, but priced accordingly. The second in Worthing (2hr45) was tempting, but I was worried about the hood not folding tightly and some catching whilst folding and leaving the hardcover standing a bit proud. Neither totally discounted but unknown costs are worrying me.

So my plan to visit a range of cars that were contenders to buy over the last two weeks and hopefully answered the question which model was right for me and buy the car has been scuppered. I can see more and more why people are turning to buying cars via online supermarkets and auctions.
 
I can see why you're frustrated. Biggest issue I had was cars being advertised as "immaculate" and "perfect" with FFSH (which I've never seen on an older car) and being far from that. Living in the depths of rural Lincolnshire I was often driving a good distance as well - on one occasion having quizzed the sales place at length about the car's condition to be assured it was near perfect I drove over 2 hours each way for what turned out to be a 2 minute viewing when the car turned out to be in dreadful condition. It can make you tear your hair out. But it is worth it in the long run.

If you want to buy from a dealer (and there can be advantages buying private if you get the right seller, such as talking to someone who honestly knows the car) then I'd stick with known reputable indies, some of which are named above. Tim Walker at WalkerSport is a bit out of your area but is very good at finding cars not yet on the market and he's one of the few (possibly only) dealers I'd buy from unseen. If I ever move on from the 348 I'd be asking him to do the ppi anyway.

Best of luck and hope you find the right car (and right dealer) soon.
 
I'd add Forza288 to the list in post 3 above as someone to talk to even if it means stretching your budget to go to one of them - don't forget many of the cars advertised are not really for sale just stored at a dealer for the owner - it can also mean the cars even if you can view them are not prepped for sale - you are looking at older cars so they may have signs of wear which has to be factored in (as you do note)
 
Unfortunately you are in a part of the world poorly served by known reputable indies. They are the place to go.

But given the relationship I have with several, simply walking in and getting a test drive is not really done these days, due to insurance, mileage, prep and risk. You'd have to show serious interest in a specific car, know exactly what you want (and your 2 choices are quite different - refine it first as no dealer is going to give you a drive to see what you prefer) and build that relationship - they probably wont have what you want right now but be prepared to wait and they will offer you something, in time.

A test drive to confirm the car is as youd expect will be offered once you have agreed everything, to confirm, but expect to be putting a deposit down as part of that process, likely immediately you get back. the test drive should be a 'yes, I'll have it' rather than ' thanks, thats useful, I'll think about it' in this world.

And get a PPI no matter where the car is from. I know someone who arranges them....
 
Nosevi, as a Lincoln born and bred I understand your plight, but again some great but tricky roads. I am happy to buy from private sales, however there are far more cars at dealers. I certainly think an honest, open owner is far better to buy from than a SOR car dealer. As test driving is so difficult I’m also considering the gamble of buying from auction. Assuming buying price is lower then this is the buffer for repairs.

I have searched all the dealers mentioned by A348W and jos but nothing in my spec at any of them. For reference and in case anyone knows of something worthwhile around, I am looking for a spider 360 or F430. If a 360 then ideally the fully analogue experience with a manual gearbox. If a F430 then happy to have an F1 gearbox as the premium for a manual seems too much and I understand that the F1 is much improved in the F430. Colour wise I’m not a huge fan of shouty colours. I would consider red, as so prevalent, but ideal would be TDF blue or grey/silver/black. I like the inside colours to contrast with the outside and cream is favourite, particularly as the two tone effect in the 360 looks great. Finally I don’t want a pristine low mileage show car that I will worry about driving.

Obviously the biggest choice is 360 or F430. There are pros and cons to both for me
 
You’re experience sounds about right unfortunately.

As mentioned once you know what you want, call the specialist dealers and have a chat, including Carrs. A lot of stock is sold before it is advertised, and you will only get a potential whiff of these if you speak to the dealer and let them know what you are looking for.

Its also worth knowing that the main dealers have some strict rules around what and how they advertise cars for sale. Ive been offered two (f430) when I was looking by a main dealer well before they hit the showroom. unfortunately/ fortunately neither fitted my requirements enough to get me out of my 355, but it emphasis the point.

(re the one in cardiff, let me guess a synter franchise dealer?!)

if you want a rarer colour, eg tdf blue you will have to put in some serious leg work as there arent many about in the first place, so the options available for sale are even more limited. The f430 one currently for sale is the first ive seen for sale in about a year!

if you get a f430 make sure the headers have been done or budget for them.
 
MoreThanPolish, I understand that is the process that dealers want so that basically the only test drive is to one buyer. However most of the buying advice on lots of forum posts seem to be try the cars to see which one you like before buying. So I’m in a catch-22 situation, can’t decide which car to buy without a test drive and can’t get a test drive without buying a car.

A348W the one in Cardiff is this one http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403237891699 . Also yes appreciate that TDF blue are rare but to my knowledge there have been four in the last 6 months, current private sale, one at a dealer in dark warehouse (forgotten name), one at Stafford Cars and finally Maranello at Egham. However I’m not set on a colour too much, but prefer discreet looks and lighter interiors.

For a car that is meant to be purely about bringing joy and is a heart not head purchase, the buying experience to date is poor and, to me, is making me question if I’m doing the right thing at all. After all I have not had this widespread jumping through hoops issue before with BMW, Porsche, etc.

So one thing I am wondering then, is how many cars did everyone test drive before you bought your first Ferrari ? And how varied were they ?
 
Oh and comparison with other brands has only limited validity because there is so much more choice both with cars and retailers (when Porsche only made sports cars they still had ten times as many cars in the uk as Ferrari for example)

(as an aside is it no longer possible to edit posts ?)
 
didnt drive any; bought the model I liked/ could afford.

if you are that split in 360/430 I try lyndhurst dealer/ kent high performance, put your cards on the table and ask if they can help you out. both have 360 & 430 in.

(you must be keeping a better eye on the bkue 43o market!! if you see one with cream sports seats, manual let me know !)
 
Hi jos yes kept All discussions to one model with last two Also I disagree that comparison to other car makes just based on competition is not valid. Behaving reasonably and acceptable customer service is as applicable no matter which car dealer you go to

A348W I may try asking one of the dealers that. Certainly would with Carrs as if I bought they would be where the car would get serviced. Unfortunately Lyndhurst 360 is an F1 gearbox. In terms of finding a F430 in TDF with manual gearbox, I try not to look at cars of that price. Manuals seem rare enough and with a big premium.

Finally I don’t think I could buy a car that is basically trading on its vehicle dynamics, without driving It. Could be a costly mistake if you didn’t love it? I did buy a Morgan without driving as it was as much about experience, beauty and occasion. I knew that any test drive would be so different to other cars that 10 minutes behind the wheel would not be informative or allow me to know if anything didn’t feel right
 
I bought the first one I drove. It was a poverty spec manual 430 that no one wanted (F1 cars were more expensive then !! ) It turned out that the original buyer had ticked every options box from new (spending near to£40k on extras) so its a very high spec car with carbon everything.

Message from me is if you find what you want, buy it before someone else does, and dont go thinking something better might come along.

You might make yourself a better buying prospect by asking for specific cars and dont say you have a set budget
 
In answer to your question when I went looking I wasn't set on which model I wanted so drove several different models. The advice back then was to drive the cars and there wasn't a huge issue doing it in most cases. That said the market was very slow and prices were cheap - you could pick up a mediocre 348 for under £20k, 308 GT4's were going for £11k-£12k etc. so it was a slightly different world. Since having my car I've had a member on here who was a potential first time buyers over to drive my car. He had never driven one and was in your position of having no clue what they were like to drive. I've had others over for an in depth look over a 348 and long chat about them from an owner's perspective rather than a salesman's. I think it helps to talk to owners rather than just places trying to sell the cars.
 
I knew I wanted a 550, however living in Aberdeenshire meant any viewing of cars was likely to prove expensive and time consuming. So I made a shortlist of the ones I liked from what was available, got a PPI on the top one, agreed a deal, paid for it, then collected it. I hadn't driven it or seen it in the flesh until it was all paid and signed for
 
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