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612 buying advice

S

Shak

New member
Hi there

I need your help and wisdom.

Been considering a 612 (need a car for 2 little people as well).Now while the 612 doesn't excite me like any of the other cars it seems to tick one of my major bucket list items i.e. to own a Ferrari.

Ideally I would have wanted a manual but it seems these have a considerable premium over the F1 and after nearly doubling my budget couldn't justify it for a car I would use probably only 1,000 miles a year (if that).

I have tried my best to research using search facilities both in this forum, other forums and google but not with a great deal of success. While buyer's guide for 612 is a little more sparse then other models the consensus is to buy the best you afford as otherwise it will be more expensive in the long run. Anyway what I am looking for is a some help, advice, suggestions, ideas of how to go about the whole buying process. Specific questions I have are,

1. Irrespective of where I buy it from i.e. Private, Independent Specialist or Ferrari main dealer, I should get Pre Purchase Inspection. Who would you recommend? Also how would it work if the car is with a dealer e.g. in case they are not happy to have the car taken somewhere. Do some PPI folk travel? Or are there some dealers you would 'trust'.

2. I have noticed that some 612 have after market modification i.e satnav, bluetooth etc. Does this make them less desirable? Personally, I would have preferred to have everything as stock but compromises will have to be made due to budget and just how old the car is

3. Mileage - is the 612 prices a sensitive as other models?

4. What are considered desirable features and set up. Appreciate purely subjective but again interest to hear people's thought. I seem to prefer the darker colours due to it size.

5. While I would probably get PPI done, what are obvious checks someone can do themselves? To be clear I am not at all mechanical minded but have fairly good observational skills.

6. I will be complying the with all the required servicing i.e. annual, major etc. Who would you recommend? I am based in London so the guess that and the surrounding areas would be the obvious catchment area.

I will no doubt add further questions to this list but in the meantime, I would like to thank you for help and look forward to sharing my experience.

Thanks
 
Welcome & good luck with your search

London is a big place so you could be nearer someone not necessarily in London - more detail would help - not everyone is as capable with V12 as others

Yes PPI is essential - its pointless to recommend anyone til you know where the car is as it would usually be done by someone local
 
jos said:
London is a big place so you could be nearer someone not necessarily in London - more detail would help - not everyone is as capable with V12 as others

Yes PPI is essential - its pointless to recommend anyone til you know where the car is as it would usually be done by someone local
Click to expand...

Hi Jos,

Thanks for the comment and definitely makes sense that the PPI would be done by someone local. My comment was also aimed at general practises i.e. is it typical for the car to go to the PPI specialist or vice versa and also if they travel to the car what would be considered reasonable

You mentioned more detailed would be helpful, what details would thoses be?

Thanks again
 
Also would like to thank other people (hopefully you know you are!) whom I have had the chance to either speak to over the phone or via message re offering their guidance and expertise in this matter.
 
jos said:
London is a big place so you could be nearer someone not necessarily in London - more detail would help - not everyone is as capable with V12 as others
Click to expand...

Q6 - where in London would be convenient for you ?

Q1 - depends - sometimes dealer is happy to lend facilities for PPI othertimes car goes to PPI - cost is a few hundred quid
 
Hi Shak. I don't know a great deal about the 612 (other than they seem great value right now) but would say that many if not all indies that will do a PPI will travel to the car to do it. I'm not sure of the current going rate but I paid £200 to have my 348 inspected a few years ago, perhsps expect to pay a little more.
 
jos said:
Q6 - where in London would be convenient for you ?

Q1 - depends - sometimes dealer is happy to lend facilities for PPI othertimes car goes to PPI - cost is a few hundred quid
Click to expand...

Ah I see, you were referring to the servicing question. My prefereence would be 1-1.5 hrs from east london e.g. essex, kent etc. This would also include any inner london place too. If there are place a little farther out or nearer west london terrority then would still definitely look at them if the stars are aligned i.e. servicing skills, costs etc etc.

Also thanks for the insight about PPI both in approach and indicative cost
 
Nosevi said:
Hi Shak. I don't know a great deal about the 612 (other than they seem great value right now) but would say that many if not all indies that will do a PPI will travel to the car to do it. I'm not sure of the current going rate but I paid £200 to have my 348 inspected a few years ago, perhsps expect to pay a little more.
Click to expand...

Hi

Thanks for the response.

While not the same vehicle, what information came out of the ppi for your 348 (that you found helpful/useful) and what could you do yourself first i.e. initial to guage whether that 348 was the right one for you. Curious to know the standard of a PPI as I assume they differing from inspector to inspector.

Understand you may not know a great deal about 612 - I have found it difficuly to find a lot of it myelf - but you mention that 612 seem great value right now....in what context? Based on what they are or on what they were worth when new? An obvious crystal ball style question would be people's opinion of where they are headed - not to make money but may be to buy a better condition for the current price.

Again thanks for getting me to think more about it! :)
 
I got Tim Walker to PPI my 550, for £350 IIRC. He travelled to the car for me, and I think it was a 3-4 hour round trip for him. My car was for sale at a respected indie who had no problem with the PPI.

I didn't see the car until I'd paid for it, so I was trusting the PPI 100%. Outstanding finance, number plate transfers, the service history as well as the condition of the car were all checked and only minor things like the wiper arm alignment needing adjusting came to light. These were sorted before collection.

To choose the car I wanted PPI'd in the first place, I scoured the web to see what was for sale. I didn't want red, or a black interior. My ideal spec was the one I bought, so I got that checked and went ahead. Most people tell you to look at a number of cars before deciding on one. This may be easy in the south, not so much for me in NE Scotland. I wasn't willing to waste time and money traipsing round looking at cars all the time when I could pay someone to do it for me.

4 seater Ferrari's always seem value as a used car compared to their two seater equivalents. A 612 has effectively the same engine as a 550 and 575, and is cheaper than either. But I don't think they'll rise significantly in value.

612s are one of the first modern Ferrari's, so check everything electrical works as it should. The engine should give you no problems, they're solid and understressed. Accident damage and suspension/brake wear, also clutch if it's an F1 are probably the main mechanical things to look for but the person doing the PPI will know this.

Sent from my SM-P605 using Tapatalk
 
Service in your quadrant would probably be Grimaldi Halstead or The Ferrari Centre Maidstone - possibly Ed Biasi up near Northampton (Christian Lewis)

It should be noted that some main dealers are very competitive and good so for example my 575 (similar running geato a 612) used to go to Carrs of Exeter
 
Last edited:
Shak said:
Hi

Thanks for the response.

While not the same vehicle, what information came out of the ppi for your 348 (that you found helpful/useful) and what could you do yourself first i.e. initial to guage whether that 348 was the right one for you. Curious to know the standard of a PPI as I assume they differing from inspector to inspector.

Understand you may not know a great deal about 612 - I have found it difficuly to find a lot of it myelf - but you mention that 612 seem great value right now....in what context? Based on what they are or on what they were worth when new? An obvious crystal ball style question would be people's opinion of where they are headed - not to make money but may be to buy a better condition for the current price.

Again thanks for getting me to think more about it! :)
Click to expand...

Hi. The PPI really confirmed it was the car for me because I was looking for something quite specific - a car needing lots of cosmetic work but was mechanically sound with zero rust. My PPI listed everything I'd need to get done to bring the car up to A1 condition together with a estimated price. It also checked on outstanding finance on the car, CAT C/D insurance etc. Unlike Gordon above, I found the car and looked over it first. I had a good idea of what to look for as there were (and are) a fair few 348 owners on this forum who were ready to help and gave me a list.

As far as being good value goes, I'm not sure any of the 4 seaters will become 'classics' so I wouldn't worry about values booming, but for what they are - a V12 Ferrari GT with enough seats to get the family in and proper luggage space I think they look to be well priced right now. I'm not massively into modern cars (I don't dislike them, but I do like older motors) but if it was me I'd look at both 612s and 456s. I think the lines of the 456 are perhaps a little more appealing and if I personally had to choose between the two I'd probably go for the older car.
 
I have realised I never thanked everyone for contributing to this thread which is obviously quite old.

Due to personal circumstances at the time I want not able to pursue an acquisition of a 612. That being said that seems to be a blessing in disguise as prices have soften since then.

Anyhow while away for work at the beginning of the year, I decided to browse the internet and came across a nicely spec'd one based a Dick Lovett - Swindon that seemed to be well priced as it has been on the market for quite a while. As is usual, when I called I had discovered that it had been sold a few days earlier. However the itch had been rekindled!

Since Jan 2019, I have been looking everyday on the usual avenues and have seen a number frogs but no princess! My hand has been held quite firmly by Tim Walker of Walkersport. Tim has lived up to his well deserved reputation. He has been so generous with his time (& patience in dealing with me!). He has really looked after me and guided me all aspects in terms of what to ask, what to look for both phyically and from a servicing point of view. I also used him to perform the PPI, which helped in getting stuff done with the price.

Anyway as of the 1st Aug 2019, I became a proud owner of my first Ferrari which considering my other car is a Ford Escort so somewhat of a step change!

So thanks to all that contributed to this thread and again a special thanks to Tim for helping me achieve a lifelong ambiton of owner a prancing horse.

The best part was having a my nephew and niece in the back, and when starting the car up she said "the car sounds like a lion" ! :grin:

Cheers

ps While unlikely I can help , I have pretty much seen or spoken to everyone that has had one on the market in the last 6 months so if there is anything I can help with please let me know.
 
Congratulations and enjoy! .....

Tim is certainly one of the good guys [emoji106]

You also know we need pictures [emoji1]
 
Hi all

Thank you for the kind messages.

I haven't taken very good photos of the "beast" (my sister has nicknamed it!) as the weather hasn't been the best. However have attached what I have so far.

The things that swung for me was that it had
  • Carbon fibre trim
  • Contracting yellow stitching, Giallo Speciale (especially as matched the rev counter, brakes and Ferrari logo)
Other details include
  • Nero Daytona, metallic black
  • Nero leather, Daytona sports seats
  • Yellow rev counter.
  • Yellow brakes callipers
  • GTS package

View attachment 154737View attachment 154736View attachment 154735
 
Looks great and the colour really suits the model imo. Enjoy her and hope the weather improves soon so you can :thumbsup:
 
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