01 Oct 04
A car dealer once told me that there was no such thing as a cheap Ferrari. "The price on the screen," he said, "is just the down-payment." There is an element of truth in that, but certain Ferraris have become so unfashionable and cheap that I reckon it's worth taking the risk.
I can speak from happy experience: I've just spent seven months with a five-grand Ferrari 400 automatic that proved to be one of the most reliable - and certainly one of the most fun - old cars I have ever owned.
Maybe I was lucky, but I maintain everyone should own a Ferrari once if they get the chance.
I define a really cheap Ferrari as anything under about £12,000 to £15,000, which brings you into the realm of the unloved big four-seaters of the '70s and '80s - particularly if they are automatic - the oddball Bertone-styled 308GT4 and perhaps the most unpopular Ferrari of all time, the Mondial.
My bargain hit list doesn't include Ferrari-engined hybrids such as the Fiat Dino and Lancia 8.32; fine cars to be sure, but why take the risk if you're not going to end up with the real thing?
