Buyer's Guide
by Ric Rainbolt

The text below is from an old email sent by Ric Rainbolt to the FerrariList and is published on this site with his permission. It might contain from nice tips for persons looking to buy a Testarossa.

Note: If you're looking for good places to discuss Ferrari-subjects with owners and enthousiasts, go to FerrariChat and FerrariList.

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I would seriously consider a 512TR. The price premium is, IMHO, worth the difference. If, in fact, you do look for a TR, there are many things to consider. Here are just a few...

1) Early TRs have spline wheels, which have been known to come off at speed. Although not "normal" or common, this has been known to happen (right, Chuckie? :-). It also makes it harder to get aftermarket wheels. Replacement OEM wheels can be very expensive.

2) Some Early TRs (particularly Euro-spec) have metric rims. I would avoid these OR factor in a $2000-$3500 deduction to buy replacement wheels if you find an otherwise perfect car that has them.

3) When TR production "swapped" to bolt-on wheels (mid-1988), other changes were introduced, including a near total change in suspension parts. Several other minor changes were made in various parts of the car.

4) Make sure any early TR (pre-89) you might buy has had the "pump chain update" and the "water pump update". These items are problematic, and can be cause for the engine to have to be removed (i.e. $$$).

5) Keep in mind that a TR has to have the engine out in order to do cam belt maintenance. This service runs from $5000-$7500, typically. If the car has more than 15,000 miles or 6-7 years since the last cam belt service, you should include the costs of this maintenance in your math.

6) Watch out for poorly converted Euro-spec cars (gray market). Amerispec does top quality work, but there are (or rather, were) many "Importers" during the TRs heyday. Many TRs were imported due to shortages and astronomical prices here in the U.S. Quite a few were shoddily homologated, sometimes creating a time-bomb (literally).. a few of them have actually burned up.

7) If the prospective car you find needs parts, determine the cost *AND* availability of those parts BEFORE you commit to a deal. Some TR parts are now getting close to impossible to get new, and scarcely available used. Your best bet in this situation is to make a contract to buy a car, AFTER your listed repair items have been corrected.

8) Low mileage cars are not always the "bargains" they appear to be. A car that sits for 5 years with no mileage may also be a maintenance nightmare waiting to happen. Corrosion, dry seals, hardened O-rings and gaskets, gas "gum", rotted coolant lines and seized brake pistons are not uncommon on very low mileage cars... (e.g. "I only drove it twice a year, why should I have to replace the coolant annually??").

9) Like almost any model of any car, the later the better.

The Test Drive...

It's best to inspect a prospective car from dead cold. If the car has been driven to you, or driven just before you arrive, the seller might be (consciously or inadvertently) hiding a cold start or warm up problem.

The engine should start fairly easily... 2-3 seconds, longer if car has sat for days. A small to medium ejection of smoke is normal after starting flat-12 engines, so don't be alarmed. Let the owner start it. If he has to "work the throttle" or wrangle the car to start it, somethings wrong. If the owner races the engine cold, be wary. After starting from cold, the fuel control system will idle the engine high during warm-up (2500-ish) and "settle in" to around 1000 RPM when fully warm. Allow about 1 minute before pulling away. *Don't* let the car warm fully before driving it. If it has a cold running problem, you want to discover it now, not later. Light bobbling and an occasional miss are not uncommon during warm up. No backfiring or exhaust popping should occur (afterburn).

Drive caringly for the first few minutes to let the engine and gear oil warm up. Do not abuse the car until the oil temp has risen at least 1/4 of the scale. When cold, 2nd gear may be finicky, this is somewhat normal. After the car is fully warmed, you should be able to select any gear. Run from 2000 to redline (6600) in 2nd gear (15 to about 60 mph). The car should pull hard, smoothly and with no hesitation, misses or backfiring. During the pull, observe the rear view. Some light brown haze is normal, as the Bosch CIS tends to run excessively rich during WOT. White smoke is not good.

Some steering wheel shake might be normal, if the car has old tires or has sat for a long period. If the steering wheel shake is coincident with braking, it's likely to be warped front rotors and not old tires. In a safe place, brake lightly while holding the steering wheel very lightly (fingertips). No off center pull should be noted. Progressively increase braking to about 80%, continuing to monitor the steering. As a norm, the TR is rock stable from a dead stop to over 150 mph, so any queer straight-line handling could be problematic. BTW, I don't recommend exceeding 80 during a test drive, for liability and safety reasons. Braking should be nice and progressive, but remember, the TR is a heavy car, so don't expect miracles from the brakes.

Again, in a safe place, run the car up to about 50 MPH. Shut the key engine, but DON'T lock the steering wheel!!! Return the key to the run position, but with the engine still off. Remember with the engine off, you'll have no brake assist, so do this on a deserted road and BE CAREFUL! Make a light figure "S" in the road, listening for clonks and hissing. Any hissing noise other than tire or wind noise could mean wheel bearing or CV joint problems. Any "clonks" could be one or more bad shocks (the TR has 6 shock absorbers!).

After the drive, but before you turn the car off, test everything electrical (A/C, heat, radio, both windows, move the A/C vents (recirculate, feet, windshield, etc.), windshield wipers, honk the horn (yarnk!), etc. Get out and check all the lights... don't forget, the TR has two sets of headlights.

Check for the presence of the tool kit and the jack bag (two separate kits, usually under the front bonnet). Check to see that the front bonnet and rear deck open and close normally. Since it's easy to damage the front bonnet and, to some extent, the rear deck lid, let the owner open and close them.

They should both open easily, and close with a light push. After about 5-8 minutes, restart the car. It should start quickly and with little fuss and return to idle quickly.

Also, look up inside the "cheese grates". A well maintained car won't have much (or any) trash inside. It's also a good place to spot overspray from any paint work.

Here are some nominal adjustment costs to consider:

Needs a clutch job: Deduct $3000
Needs emission work: Deduct $1000-$5000
Has TRX tires and metric rims: Deduct $2000-$3500
Has not had "chain update" or "water pump update": Deduct $1000
Needs brake work: Deduct $400-$2000
Needs shocks: Deduct $600 front, $1200 rear
Doesn't idle smoothly, starts poorly, or stalls: Avoid, at least until corrected
Smokes on startup: Normal for flat-12 engines
White smokes while running: *Avoid*

And for God's sake, have the car inspected by a mechanic and, if desired, a body shop man.

Good luck,

Ric Rainbolt

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