Buying a Used Ferrari? Prepare for Disappointment

[@ask4george1]

When I bought my 430, it was hammered. I have almost 40k in repairs and mods and it still needs more. The starter is randomly skipping now, but I've got it to where I'm happy with it now. It's freaking awsome to drive ! Now that I have most of the major repairs out of the way, there's no way in hell that I'm going to sell for someone else to enjoy. I'm 63 now and the car is paid off. I like F8 & the new 296, but I'm going to retire soon and I can't have a big car payment over my head, besides the economy looks like it's probally going to crash, not a good time to have debt.

[@normalguysupercar]

Congrats on getting it sorted. They are really solid cars when taken care of.

[@TheTrueAdonis1]

@@normalguysupercar Thats what happens when you "Vote Blue No Matter Who". The Economy crashes....

[@blakesejarma]

@@TheTrueAdonis1 like vote red even if a sped. Voting purple is the best way. Regardless never ever vote orange! Unless you support sedition and are against the republic.

[@TheTrueAdonis1]

@@blakesejarma Trump 2024. Give me one policy of Trump that is bad. You can't.

[@blakesejarma]

@@TheTrueAdonis1 this is why we can’t heal. Because oranges are delusional. But thanks for having to turn this political. I feel sorry for you.

[@vonJaerschky]

The pursuit of perfection is foolhardy. I know my 991.1 isn't perfect, but every time I drive it, it puts a smile on my face and the day's troubles fade away. Perfect to me is perfect enough! Love your videos guys!

[@normalguysupercar]

Exactly!

[@tbtb196]

Love my imperfect 991.1 for sure!

[@jwescott1]

Having owned 2 Lambo’s and 2 Mclaren’s I finally purchased a 488 GTB. Surprisingly the Ferrari has had the best fit and finish of all of them and I now know your love for the brand. I can stop ribbing you now for warming up to Mclaren. Thanks for the great content, it makes me feel good about my purchase.

[@normalguysupercar]

Indeed I do think Ferrari probably has the best fit and finish generally but that's not always true. Lol!

[@mariodesmo]

I agree with your advice completely. I've bought and sold many vehicles over the 50+ years I've been in the car/motorcycle hobby and I agree that a second set of eyes are invaluable. As you're talking with the seller and inspecting the car (every car has a story), and the seller is talking (seller/owners also have stories), you really need someone there who is not in the conversation to help inspect the vehicle. I've missed many things as I was being bombarded by chatter from sellers, and I am typically surprised at what my buddy found, that I didn't. And this is also true with brand new vehicles. Concentrating on a specific set of items to inspect can be hard to do when someone is talking away at you.

[@normalguysupercar]

Exactly. It's always worth having 2 or more people look at it.

[@markchip1]

Josh - "Everything can be fixed - it's just a question of money." Dan - "Well how much do you want to spend?" Ferrari - "'Ow mucha you got??

[@normalguysupercar]

Lol yup

[@thechallengestradale]

100%. Not including unnecessary modifications like my 430 Challenge hub conversion, exhaust, Trev tune and a few other small things, I’ve spent around $70,000 on just repairs and parts on my CS getting it where it honestly should have been when I bought it. Annnd it was a very “nice” car with full records. Crazy. I also did about half the labor myself at that price. Add in my few mods and I’m in a little over $100,000 into the CS in 2 years of ownership and have only just now totally finished. These cars are not for those expecting perfect at the time of purchase. At all. And if you find perfect, just pay the premium for it. It’s worth it.

[@normalguysupercar]

You got it right

[@ndpesicgroup]

Great points gents !! I like looking for the less expensive model then comparing what the needs are to bring it back to life...if the repairs are way out, i just look for a different model....i always seem to find something in the middle that works....

[@normalguysupercar]

Yeah there's a lot of consideration in buying these cars

[@js3602]

You can't get a more honest, thorough 'reality check' on that elusive Ferrari perfection pursuit than Dan and Josh's comments in this video. Although you can get a good start by buying one of their dealership's cars!

[@normalguysupercar]

Thank you! Although as we said, our cars aren't perfect, we just show the imperfections

[@dommorton]

So true. I’m an obsessive with a low tolerance for ‘patina’ and so I spent time to seek out the best possible 458 I could find and afford. Very low miles and from the main dealer. Even so I found a number of small defects post the dealer inspections and had those corrected. Then since I continue to find ‘opportunities’ for enhancement. Spending time and a lot of money to find the right car got me most of the way there, but as you say no such thing as perfect. Coming from Porsche I was also quite surprised by the build methods employed by Ferrari. Mostly I am very impressed, but the number of shims and fasteners employed is incredible. If I’m honest I would be bored if there was absolutely nothing to do. I love tinkering. Loving the content and hands on nature of the channel. Keep it up 👍🏻

[@normalguysupercar]

Haha yes there are some things that Ferrari does that are very impressive and others that are impressive but in a bad way. Lol

[@hlynurstefansson9947]

Classic quote was also: There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Ferrari.

[@normalguysupercar]

Lol accurate

[@thiosemicarbizidebenzoylal2921]

To keep ANY old performance car markets appreciation there has to be mystique. When the car becomes transparent it becomes a depreciating mechanical device that appeals to those still in the mystique phase. This is a great format you guys are doing.

[@normalguysupercar]

Thanks

[@kevinmay5212]

Perfect point about the CarFax. In Canada you only will have a report if there was an estimate to repair or it was repaired at an authorized body shop. There is a big problem of fly by night people buying wrecked cars and fixing them for cheap with cheap crappy parts then selling at a high market value. It's basically buyer beware situation.

[@normalguysupercar]

For sure! Lots of people pay cash and don't get it reported

[@kevinmay5212]

@@normalguysupercar Yup, huge problem in our bigger cities such as Toronto.

[@the-bu3lb]

Dan don’t forget to add to the fact when buying a Ferrari update you AAA membership because u will need a flatbed

[@normalguysupercar]

That's true!

[@plu5five]

As a person that has alot of experience with buying cars in general, Your advice is Spot-On👌

[@normalguysupercar]

Thanks

[@WildDigger]

Are you still going to do stuff to the Merci? Can't wait to see those videos if so. That Merci is so beautiful!

[@normalguysupercar]

Not sure honestly

[@edwinmedina4338]

I would agree on this, Just got my hands on a 2022 F150 Lightning brand new 500 miles and already scuffs ,overspray lol I was like whats this 😅!! Nothings perfect so enjoy your ride as much as possible and forget about that one ding you always notice when you rinse herr off.

[@normalguysupercar]

Exactly. The sooner people realize it's not perfect the more they can just enjoy it for what it is.

[@lebojay]

I’d add: always assume a major service is necessary, even if the previous owner just had one done. More likely than not, important issues were overlooked.

[@normalguysupercar]

Yes that's true

[@keithsfastcars1133]

The only thing I disliked about my Ferrari was the previous owners resto modding.

[@normalguysupercar]

Ah

[@ResetToZero3210]

I am just appalled how many Ferraris for sale out there have very poor taste configs, especially for the interior. Color clash, excessive carbon fiber, etc…No, more carbon fiber does not mean a better looking car! Remember, you will be inside the car while driving it…you should look also for a nice, well-balanced interior that ages well. I think Ferrari owners who order new cars should take a design course first. Lol.

[@normalguysupercar]

True

[@michaelgiordano2093]

Great car buying advice. Great setting to make the video loved the background 😁👍

[@normalguysupercar]

Thanks

[@stephenwabaxter]

A lot of what Josh and Dan says applies to any vehicle. For sure vehicles straight from the factory sometimes have defects so if you want to avoid this buy Toyota! Remember that vehicles are made of components and just as in vehicle manufacture a few bad vehicles reach customers, some components called escapees are defective. That means, for example, that a switch might not work. Likewise overtime more defects will show up and eventually components will wear out. The modern Ferrari is an excellent vehicle but you need a good mechanic pre-purchase and then for maintenance. Only use the manufacturer specified components and fluids. Happy motoring.

[@normalguysupercar]

For sure

[@jsarg]

No doubt you can apply a lot of this to any vehicle, even houses and some other tangible assets

[@James-mf9to]

Josh is great on camera! And love his input

[@normalguysupercar]

Indeed

[@jsarg]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@Dav1d_Fi5h]

Having never had the chance to really experience these cars personally, I'm glad there are some people like you guys who are really honest about this. However, pulling back the glamour this way has definitely made me rethink about my future ownership, which is why I thought about getting a c8 as my first mid-engine car, and then a Ferrari, can be the next one.

[@normalguysupercar]

Eh, it's strange but we all have said many times, the c8 is great but it's kinda hurting after you've tried all these Supercars. It's hard to explain.

[@Dav1d_Fi5h]

@@normalguysupercar hurting? If you guys ever figure out a way to explain it I'm all ears.

[@freddaniali]

You're right, they aren't even perfect when they are new....

[@normalguysupercar]

Yup

[@NiceterCoolster]

Which is why I prefer robot built over hand built.

[@freddaniali]

@@NiceterCoolster Like our future fast food? LOL

[@carlosgarcia-jz3dq]

gratitude is key to a happy life.

[@normalguysupercar]

Ok

[@livnaway]

Interior leather is a common issue. Especially on the dash. Would love info on solutions

[@normalguysupercar]

Yeah the solution is don't keep them in hot and humid environments. So that's not easy

[@Nacho_Ferrari]

11:00 Josh, I suppose you´re not talking about a certain 430 Turderia that got famous on this channel, are you? :D Hahahahaha! Thanks for the video, guys!

[@normalguysupercar]

LOL! Actually no, it was another friend's car.

[@dewaldtfourie8614]

The best car is a koenigsegg everything is carbon. Solid.

[@tg_ny]

People are taught to budget for a purchase, not for the maintenance. You get the sales price on paper, but not an itemized list of the current common service costs. The same thing happens with homes. Both require a financial commitment during the entire period of ownership. This is one topic of many which should be taught in a finance course which should be mandatory in all high schools.

[@normalguysupercar]

Agreed completely

[@joshsargent2759]

This is spot on. People like to turn a blind eye to the costs of ownership on exotics. Even if your car appreciates, you're still going to lose money in the long run most of the time.

[@ricsu3462]

Yeah I know this perfectly. I always laugh when I meet a seller who has no full body ppf and says his car is detailed every week thinking it’s the ultimate perfect car. People have no idea how to take care of such cars or what to look for. The range of skills on mechanics and Detailers are so large most pple can’t even tell the difference even if the car is 500k to a mil. U would see pple who goes to car shows in SoCal showing 5M car collection dry wiping dust down their xj220 or 959 thinking he’s so picky about the conditions of their cars, it’s pathetic. If u know, u know. Paying someone a lot of money doesn’t necessarily mean ur car is properly taken car of.

[@normalguysupercar]

Amen

[@joshsargent2759]

Everyones definition of "I baby my car" is different. Its not that they are lying about it, but when most car guys tell you that they genuinely believe it. The problem is a very small percentage of them actually do.

[@PixelVogue]

I detail cars, I get brand new cars straight from Germany (cough porsche cough) with paint defects........theyre not the only ones..nothing is perfect.

[@normalguysupercar]

Correct.

[@jim99west46]

Most new car Ferrari buyers don't notice the orange peel, farmers welds or ask where the fuse boxes are. That's ok, lol

[@normalguysupercar]

Accurate

[@joaoalegrio6433]

My question is: how reliable is a 488? I want to change my Huracan 610-4 which has been my daily driver since 2016 and has never given me any problems

[@normalguysupercar]

They appear to be pretty reliable

[@joaoalegrio6433]

@@normalguysupercar Even with the battery drain problems that Ferrari is known for? even though there was a recall because the IHS turbos were leaking oil and what was done in this recall was to exchange the turbos for the same IHS ones?

[@kevinmanning8214]

Dan and Josh “keepin’ it real” while Adam is off wondering in mustache… I mean wonderland.

[@normalguysupercar]

LOL!

[@joshsargent2759]

Poor Adam 🤣

[@eagle2032]

From my time buying and selling on eBay I can’t believe people’s perceptions when selling their items. Everything is a gem mint 10 or 9. Nope. Not even from the factory people. That’s why there’s a 10 on the scale.

[@normalguysupercar]

Lol yup

[@velocelens]

You mentioned that your company is available for consultation on helping looking at cars before purchase. For reference, do you have numbers to share on how much that would run? Or is it more of a case by case basis?

[@normalguysupercar]

We charge $250 an hour but if the car is not local then we typically just come up with a flat rate plus travel expenses. It's usually a couple grand.

[@nickhoffman5524]

excellent points if you want a perfect car have it restored to perfection even brand new lol

[@normalguysupercar]

Yup

[@drivewayhero]

Is it the camera angle or does your buddy have a huge forearm

[@normalguysupercar]

The angle and lens is fairly wide so it distorts the edges

[@miki35001]

Are the ferrari approved cars worth it? Also are the cars maintained in the ferrari delarship mostly taken care of well?

[@normalguysupercar]

Not necessarily

[@thomas2729]

Depends a lot on the age of the car and the dealer. Some of them have no experience with the cars older than 15 to 20 years. So indrpendents are oftrn better if yiu iwn a 550, 360 or anything older than that. Exceptions are the Classiche workshops.

[@davidperry4013]

My expectation for buying a 45 to 85 thousand dollar used Ferrari is being prepared to spend thousands on maintenance and repairs right after the money and title are exchanged.

[@normalguysupercar]

Yeah

[@vanillasf]

Interesting perspective

[@normalguysupercar]

Thanks

[@truthordare-kd8dx]

Good advice

[@normalguysupercar]

Thanks

[@mtnvalley9298]

Now that's how to sell used super cars folks.

[@normalguysupercar]

Well it's also just the truth!

[@verboten911]

What wasn’t perfect with the PPF? Please educate us what to look for.

[@normalguysupercar]

I've done a video on this previously if you look back in my history

[@jrodsrides8945]

Hey Dan, When are you guys coming down to Monterey?

[@normalguysupercar]

18-20

[@jrodsrides8945]

@@normalguysupercar wife and I are going there that week, celebrating my Bday , hope we’ll see you guys.

[@feerstyy]

Sticky buttons are the sticking points? :)

[@normalguysupercar]

Ha

[@martyanderson3390]

They’re just cars, stay within your means. Enjoy the car you buy, if you worry about value you wont enjoy it.

[@normalguysupercar]

Yup

[@LiteBrite]

Our 458 is perfect for me. Lol

[@normalguysupercar]

That's what matters

[@lk7144]

2000 miles + messed up = odometer rolled back!?

[@normalguysupercar]

Nope. Seriously people don't take care of these cars

[@mikemorrissey4543]

Ummm, polish the turd…damn my polishing cloth WAS perfect, now look at it!

[@normalguysupercar]

Haha yes

[@phillipgarrow2297]

The customer trading it in will tell you it's perfect the people that buy them find out different

[@normalguysupercar]

Yup

[@sihnbrekhtasar8079]

Something tells me that you are not going to do anything with the 599 and the Lambo. Are those projects DOA?

[@normalguysupercar]

The 599 is not. Murci is unknown.

[@dewaldtfourie8614]

A perfect car is one with 0km on the clock.

[@normalguysupercar]

No car is perfect

[@dewaldtfourie8614]

@@normalguysupercar I want a new white Toyota Fortuner 4x4 2.8 turbo diesel 2024. Perfect family car.

[@FML]

All of this: Truth.

[@normalguysupercar]

Yup

[@Philippinesbound42]

Agreed. No used or even new car is perfect. Some people are too anal. I flipped corvettes for awhile. Zr1s etc. but they were 20 years old. Some people expected the car to be new. I’m sure expectations are even higher for the Ferrari buyer

[@normalguysupercar]

Oh yeah sometimes it's nuts

[@joshsargent2759]

Maintaining expectations is one of the hardest things to do when selling older high end cars

[@kobusswanepoel6447]

True!!

[@normalguysupercar]

Yup

[@JayandSarah]

Do you know if ferrari can be imported/exported to Canada Dan?

[@normalguysupercar]

I think so

[@joshsargent2759]

They can fairly easily if the same model was sold in both countries. There will be import tax, shipping and other fees so most of the time it doesn't make sense financially.

[@JayandSarah]

@@joshsargent2759 yeah I've done importing before just not with Ferrari. It would need to be on the RIV admissability list and get a clearance letter for recalls directly from Ferrari north america, which could be something they refuse to do to block the vehicle being moved. Hard to say, some brands do this. Honda as an example. It does make sense depending on currency. When they were at parity, bringing vehicles north was quite lucrative. It might still be worth doing today for certain vehicles, hard to say but I think generally your vehicles (and I don't mean NGSC dealership specifically) are high. I mean that your luxury goods market tends to be overpriced.

[@wh1ppet1982]

Did ngsupercars have some sales fall thru due to picky shoppers - thus the video?

[@normalguysupercar]

Actually no, it's because we've bought many cars that were sold as "perfect" and oh boy, they certainly were not.

[@wh1ppet1982]

@@normalguysupercar makes sense. I was seeing it from a salesperson perspective.

[@carlosgarcia-jz3dq]

if you think a ferrari is disappointing, you should try a corolla

[@normalguysupercar]

Haha I have. They are good at what they are meant for

[@larrybland007]

To me a car is a car. I want a Ferrari but it’s just a car I am going to mess it up and I am going to fix it. What’s not going to happen is I’m not going to fall in love with a car ever.

[@normalguysupercar]

Yes

[@dzikijohnny]

Do one on McLarens, or did you already do that one?

[@normalguysupercar]

not yet, but this applies to them as well.

[@philipparana9225]

I rather buy the non perfect one and enjoy it.

[@normalguysupercar]

Agreed

[@danmetz5112]

Interesting, but not very informative. As Yogi Berra said: "You can observe a lot by looking." The only real good judge of paintwork is someone who has years of experience and has painted a lot of cars, and even then he may have been doing it wrong all of those years. These guys are car salesmen. Have they ever actually DONE any mechanical work? Any paintwork? Or are they just observers? Being an observer and having a second set of eyes is, of course, a good thing. But I've rebuilt lots of engines, for example (everything from a 4-cylinder Ford Model A to a Porsche twin turbo, and everything in between). Every engine and every subsystem in every car has its own quirks and there are national characteristics; Italians tend to do things in a way that can be recognized, so do Germans, so do the Japanese, etc., but if you have actually DONE some of these things with your own hands, you will see that there are lots of common characteristics, and it doesn't take a couple of fancy Dan car salesmen to figure them out. Having owned a couple of Ferraris, I can unequivocably state that they can be worked on by any competent mechanic; it doesn't require a guy named Luigo who charges $200/hour. Yes, the parts are expen$ive and that's unavoidable. But a Ferrari engine (or Porsche, or Lamborghini engine) has pistons, connecting rods, etc. The only thing that these guys really got right is that there's no such thing as a perfect car. If you know what you're doing, have the right tools, are meticulous and think before you act, you can get close to perfect though. Of course, if you drive it around the block, it won't be perfect any more!

[@normalguysupercar]

Yeah

[@philskype101]

that's not true

[@normalguysupercar]

Ok

[@mattyp3119]

Porsches are usually perfect get more porsches

[@normalguysupercar]

Lol ok

[@garyleibitzke4166]

I've had a number of perfect cars..................................... they were perfect P.O.S. 'es. 🤣

[@normalguysupercar]

Lol accurate. Me too

[@ndpesicgroup]

First ?? Wow, feel so honored... giggle

[@normalguysupercar]

Haha yay

[@revioli493]

I think you could change your intro up a bit, I always end up muting it or skipping ahead. It kinda got old, the loud obnoxious acceleration. And this goes for any KZbinrs who have annoying loud intros, not trying to single you out.

[@normalguysupercar]

Cool

[@marciabrady3323]

Hey Hot Stuff

[@normalguysupercar]

Heeyyyyy

[@michaelbutcher9343]

Third

[@normalguysupercar]

Thanks

[@berlintanker]

Adam and Steve?

[@normalguysupercar]

Huh?