The adage goes that if you can’t afford an expensive Ferrari, you certainly can’t afford a cheap one. This is because if you can’t front the six figures necessary to buy a new Ferrari (or restored classic Ferrari), the cost of upkeep for a used/old/cheap Ferrari could generally bleed you dry. There’s also the fact that a V6 Toyota Camry will dust nearly all of these cheap Ferraris in a straight line and replacing the clutch in one of these older cars will cost as much as an entire used Honda Civic.
Now, I can hear many of you scoffing that the Ferraris listed below are the worst Ferraris. Well, of course they are; that’s why they’re also the cheapest Ferraris. The laws of supply and demand know no bounds and there are no real bargains in the cult of Ferrari.
Ferrari has revamped its California with a pair of turbochargers and made it the new “entry-level” model for the marque. But if the $200,000 cost of the California T seems insurmountable, there are a few lower-priced alternatives. There are dozens of well-founded reasons why you shouldn’t buy one of these cars (expensive replacement parts, infamous unreliability), but here is one reason why you should: They’re fun! Acceleration times can’t express the sound and theatre that goes along with driving a Ferrari. Any Ferrari is an enjoyable car and these ones are the cheapest ways to enter that club.
Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you have $35,000 to spend on a used car and your only requirement is a prancing horse on the steering wheel. In no particular order, your best options are:
Dino 308 GT4 – Expect to pay: $25,000
Clik here to view.
Dino 308 GT4
Supplied, Wikipedia
The Dino 308 GT4 is as close to a “classic” Ferrari as you can get for the money. Ferraristi will snub out their cigarillos in your eyes if you call the Dino GT4 a Ferrari, because to them, it isn’t a “true” Ferrari. The Dino brand was named after Enzo Ferrari’s late son and during the 1960s and ’70s was made of Ferrari’s V6- and V8-powered offerings.
The four-seater 308 GT4 was an unconventional design and used a transverse 3.0-litre V8 mounted behind the seats to drive the car. The shift linkage is considered to be Rube Goldberg’s opus. The angular Bertone styling is largely responsible for the attainable price and Richard Hammond famously found out how (un)reliable these cars are on an episode of Top Gear.
Ferrari 400i – Expect to pay: $20,000
Clik here to view.
Ferrari 400i
Supplied, Wikipedia
For those who demand that their Ferrari contain at least 12 pumping cylinders, there’s no more affordable option than a 400i. The 400i is an interesting business man’s express coupe with seating for four and honest-to-goodness quad-cam V12 power. Most of these came with GM three-speed automatic transmissions (at least one of the components is cheap to replace) and the rare five-speed models fetch a large premium.
Assuming you can keep the intricate and delicate V12 running, these make great long-distance tourers. They have plenty of room, an exotic soundtrack and, personally, I think the design has aged very well. This one will go up in value as 1980s cars become classics.
Ferrari 348 – Expect to pay: $35,000
Clik here to view.
Ferrari 348
Supplied, Wikipedia
Hardly anyone remembers the 348 today and this is probably due to the Acura NSX completely stealing the 348′s thunder when it was new. The 348 was maligned by journalists for excessive understeer and represents a period when Ferrari was asleep at the wheel. It was built after the glorious classic era of carburetors and before the modern frighteningly fast Ferraris. Nonetheless, the 348 packs a 300-horsepower punch at a frenetic 7,000 rpm and the stylish side strakes will have less knowledgeable car people thinking it’s a Testarossa.
Ferrari Mondial – Expect to pay: $25,000
Clik here to view.
Ferrari Mondial
Supplied, Wikipedia
Ah, the infamous Mondial. The convertible version is still the world’s one and only open-topped, four-seater, mid-engined car. The cabriolet and ‘T’ versions will cost over $30,000, but the earlier coupes can still be bought for under that. The Mondial is nobody’s favourite Ferrari and its price reflects that.
The 3.0-litre quad cam V8 makes 214 horsepower for the driver and untold thousands of dollars in revenue for the local exotic car mechanic. It’s an odd-looking car, but the unconventional proportions make it one of the cheapest ways to enjoy mid-engined Ferrari motoring.
Fiat Dino Coupe – Expect to pay: $25,000
Clik here to view.
Fiat Dino Coupe
Supplied, Wikipedia
The cheapest 1960s Ferrari you can buy isn’t a Ferrari at all. The imaginatively named Fiat Dino Coupe uses the exact same V6 found in the Dino 246 GT and makes it the best-sounding Fiat ever. But whereas a Dino 246 will set you back about $600,000 these days, a Dino coupe with the same engine can be found for less than 1/20th of that money.
The Coupe’s looks are admittedly not as graceful as 1960s Ferrari four-seaters, but it’s hard not to love the “ripping silk” soundtrack that only carbureted Ferrari engines can provide. Is this the best classic “Ferrari” bargain out there?
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
