I have never owned a Ferrari but was recently interested in looking through Ferrari models and got to know there are plenty of cheap Ferraris available that you can get under $100,000. The models are obviously old and were released in the nineties, but there are some newer (that was surprising) models as well like the Ferrari Cali T or the 612 Scaglietti.
What are your thoughts on buying a cheap Ferrari car? the maintenance and fuel costs will be high but how much? Which old Ferrari would you recommend with the least problems that you can be bought under $100k?
Back in the mid-sixties, the local Ford dealer had an early '50s Bentley on their used car lot, and the price wasn’t very high so for a brief time I actually contemplated buying it. But, I decided to research the cost of repair parts for that car, and when I found out that replacing the muffler–which was a frequently-needed repair on cars of that era–cost a bit more than $1k, I decided to drop the idea of buying it.
If you can afford paying cash for a $50-80k car I think you can afford to maintain it. Go for it.
It is an odd way to describe buying a car though. What is it worth to you? I’m sure you will be learning a few things about buying cars in a short while.
An older Ferrari is NOT going to be cheap to maintain. Do you have the skills to do all maintenance yourself? Do you have the $10,000/yr to maintain such a vehicle?
If you see from from a Ferrari point of view where the prices go beyond millions in value, $100k is still cheap for an old/ classic model
As for my previous question, is it stated somewhere that you can’t ask anyone their opinion besides your expertise or favorite brand? I think the Car Talk forum is for fans of every brand and not limited to just only a specific one, right?
​Not really, many classic Ferrari models are really expensive(going in millions) to get, as collectors love the Ferrari cars and you don’t see much on the road. The older ones going down in value are mostly the ones that collectors ignored
Here’s an outline of the cost to maintain a Ferrari, straight from the prancing horse’s mouth. Yes, it’s very expensive to own a Ferrari. That’s one of the reasons it’s not a daily driver. BTW, the more exotic Maseratis use Ferrari engines. Don’t go there either.
If you’re thinking about a Ferrari, then you don’t mind two seat cars. Your best bang for the buck is a Corvette. Maintenance costs will be a lot less than the European cars you mentioned. If you want a sedan, consider a Cadillac CTS-V or CT5-V, depending on the years that interest you.
After Tanner Faust drove an early year CTS-V, he said that anyone that buys one should go to racing school to learn how to drive it because it was dangerously fast.
This is essentially the same type of situation referred to in the old joke about Mercedes vehicles:
Q: How can I become a millionaire?
A: Start with $2 million, and then buy a used Mercedes. Within a couple of years, your net worth will be $1 million.
Just FYI, the cheapest “Ferrari” you can buy is probably the FIAT Dino Spider with the Ferrari 2.4 liter V6 at the bargain price of $275.000.
Bear in mind that you will NOT have the pleasure of a Ferrari badge, you WILL have the dubious pleasures of Ferrari costs, 50 year old Italian engineering, handling and construction. Let’s just say that the standards back then were very different.
like the texases said, there are plenty of cheap options available under $100- $150k, Ferrari 400i and Mondial are the cheapest Ferraris here you can get
Goodness I forgot about the Ferrari Mondial or what was Ferrari’s answer to the Chrysler TC by Maserati or the Citroen Maserati SM. Products that were the result of the late 70’s / 80’s safety & emissions requirements and the concurrent Italian Sportscar Manufacturers’ desperation to avoid bankruptcy.
The formula seemed to be to combine the undesirable body design of a desperate Sedan manufacturer with the undesirable engine of a desperate Sportscar manufacturer to speed them both to a Government Bailout.
Ferrari’s “genius” was instead of partnering with a volume manufacturer, they designed their own “4 seater sportscar” which was taller, heavier, slower and more expensive than competing Porsches and Lambos.and then blessed it with rubber bumpers and a 3 liter V8 making only 214 HP…
In comparison, a NEW 2025 Subaru BRZ makes 228 HP, Sticker price of $31,000, incorporates 30 years of technological improvements and has a 3 year warranty.
No such thing as a “cheap” Ferrari in the context of the whole ownership experience. I would only consider it if I had the tools, a reliable source of parts/spares, and the necessary working knowledge to do the upkeep myself.
At the local Cars & Coffee we have a contingent of Ferrari owners, they typically have models that are 10-20 years old and have bottomed out in value. Most of these guys are quite well to do. And the Ferrari is their weekend car. Nobody uses these things as daily drivers.
It’s one of those, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it” deals.
