96 RT/10 or 90 Ferrari Testarossa

[LW VIPER]

Drove a 90 Testarossa yesterday. Terrific car. Am driving my Viper today. Terrific car.

Anyone have opinions on which vehicle would be more fun to drive as a second car, doing 800 miles per month, mostly sunshine?

Things to watch out for if any of you have owned a Testarossa?

 

[ViperJoe]

Price ANY part on the prancing horse...... that alone should make up your mind, unless you have tons of disposable cash out your ying yang, in that case get it!
Good luck! JMHO

 

[Gheijos]

I understand the tune up for a Ferrari is pretty extensive and expensive.

 

[Bill B]

I think "more fun" would be the roadster.

 

[CHAD]

As above, maintenance will kill you on that car.

Chad

 

[Rollin4]

Maintenance on the Ferrari will kill you. Your looking at least $5,000.00 every 15K miles for tune up and belt replacement if nothing else in wrong. A Freind got rid of his just because of the required maintenance and the cost of replacement parts. Get the Viper...the "Viper tax" is less that that for a Ferrari.

 

[Andy 98 RT/10]

If money is not a factor for you, owning a testarossa would be an awesome experience.

 

[Casey]

Duh, Viper!!

 

[CHAD]

Guys, if money is no object, you do not look at 1990 'Rossas and consider selling your Viper.

Chad

 

[NY VIPER]

Testarossa is an awsome car but for the price of one tune up(5-10 grand) you can put a lot of great extras in a Viper.

 

[Sam 01 RT10]

These guys are correct. If memory serves, you have to drop the engine on a Testarossa or most any V12 Ferrari for the 15k service, which entails changing the clutch, all belts, hoses, valve adjustment, tuneup, etc etc.
Hence the $5-$7k price for the service.

Many can afford a Ferrari itself, but not the maintenance, LOL!

 

[JGarrett]

I have an 8 cyl Ferrari 1989 328 GTB as well as the Viper(and others). My last tune up was about 4600; cheep, because they don't have to drop the engine on the 328 to work on it. The T car's 12 cyl are more expensive to work on. Also the average mileage on a F car is 2000-2500 miles a year; though I used mine as a daily driver for a year and put on about 12k without a problem. Mine is currently in the shop for clutch, AC, a couple of little broken parts and the estimate is about 4200. The Testarossa is considered among Ferrari folks as not the most beautiful or the one that has aged the most gracefully. I personally think they're quite lovely. Ave asking price today according to the Ferrari Market Letter (FML)for a 1990 Testarossa is $69,252
DO NOT BUY A FERRARI unless you can verify ALL the maintanance has been done and you are close to a dealer. A lack can cost HUGE engine repairs. VERY FEW shops in the nation can work on one properly. Have the car checked out buy a Ferrari dealer or broker (these can be found in the FML as well.)
The Ferrari crowd is a really nice group and and shares many of the same great traits as Viper Owners. Fewer do track events. We Viper owners have a relatively rare car. Ferrari's are rare only about 20,000 of all years are in the country.
Whatever you decide you're about to get a great car.
Cheers,
Jim

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Were Testarossas really that great of car 'cause I never heard much about their tracking ability? I remember when they came out and I thought I wanted one but probably more for the Ferrari name because I never thought they were very good-looking. Just wondering.

 

[ViperJoe]

I recall an addage.....roughly $500 per cylinder (several years ago from what I remember) for a tune-up on a Ferrari.

Guess with a Ferrari, you buy it new and then get rid of it after it is a few years old.

 

[01sapphireGTS]

The Testarossa TR was a pretty good looking car, (and I like some of the red horses also) but the first thing anyone is going to ask themselves, and maybe you is: "Is that a kit car ?" The body has been ****** out by more than a few cheesey aftermarket companies and cheapens the pure Ferrari experience. No chance of that with the viper... From everything I hear and read, the Ferrari's are finiky, and quirkey, almost a "femanine like" experience. Now to switch makers, a Diablo, even with all of it's quirks would be a different story. But in the end, it's all what YOU want.

 

[STUGOTS]

To be 100% honest I would take my viper (or any viper for that matter) over any ferrari including the new enzo unless I could get the enzo and sell it and but a fleet of vipers then I would do that but if I had to stick with the car for life it would be a viper over ANYTHING.

 

[phiebert]

What kind of crappy car needs a new clutch, hoses, belts etc. every 15,000 miles? The fact probably is none! I'm curious what realistic Ferrari owners think of the service "requirements". Is it a case where because it's a "Ferrari" people think it is something different than any other high performance car and needs to be stripped down every few feet. I mean, even some Viper owners think that just cause we have 2 extra cylinders that it has to have some special engine god to work on it.

Personally, I like the Viper or a Diablo, but if you like the Ferrari then I would buy it and screw the Ferrari tax, I mean over done servicing.

 

[LW VIPER]

Thank you, one and all. I had my Viper sold, and I had an absolutely terrific deal on a 90 Testarossa at $59,000 with 18,000 and the 30,000 mile service done already. Dealing with terrific dealers on both vehicles -- Marv Rose of Vipers for Sale buying my vehicle, and Ron Perry of Auto Showroom in San Jose giving me an EXTRA price break just to help me get started on my first Ferrari.

I was all lined up to go.... Marv was 10 minutes from getting a cashier's check, I had already purchased side window to go with my original top, in addition to my Autoform windows and hard top..... Ted was set to put my cats back on.

And then I just didn't want to do it. I still love the Ferrari, but at this point in life, the Viper fits me better.

I want to compliment both of the dealers for their honesty, assistance, and willingness to put up with my lame act of having Seller's remorse and deciding to keep my Viper.

Larry

 

[Mopar426]

Never owned a Rossa, but The Lamo I had cost $5,000 for the clutch(parts only not labor) and this was the late 1980's. Do some research before you make the swap on a whim.

 

[STUGOTS]

96 great choice.

 

[garolittle]

Good choice.

 

[01sapphireGTS]

agreed, good choice. if you look at a spaghettimobile in the future, try to swing a F355TB or maybe a diablo, but still be prepared for constant upkeep.

 

[rcdice]

Good decision to stick with the Viper (not subjective of course). A buddy of mine has an early 90's Testarossa (black). He's almost afraid to drive it anymore. He's had a few problems here and there and is tired of spending big cash to get this little thing or that fixed. Says that every time he thinks about taking it out he asks himself "is this drive around the block really worth $2-3k?" Nice garage queen though.

 

[LW VIPER]

rcdice sort of hits my decision squarely. In February, when I bought my 96, it had 8,500 miles on it. Within the next couple of weeks I'll turn 12,000 miles. I figure I'm doing between 700 and 800 miles per month, which I believe can be done with a low stressed Dodge pushrod engine, T56 Trans, and very little else. I have been putting some money into the Viper, chasing cooler engine temps, cooler sill temps, but those have been by choice, not required. I sense the Viper to be reliable enough to be a daily driver, (the Mercedes gets used when I need it for business, or for people hauling duties), but would be very concerned about using a Testarossa in that manner.

Plus, after taking the Skip Barber course, I came away thinking that I have lots of car to use, at levels I don't use my car. Still plenty of upside.

I am spoiled enough, though, to think a top and windows that I could have with me. That's what got me started down this road. A Testarossa that stickered at $161,000 in 1990 can be had with 18,000 miles on it, pampered, for LESS money than a 2003 SRT-10. That made the Ferrari seem like a bargain. Particularly if they are at the bottom of their investment range and headed back up. And the build quality, and interior appointments on a Testarossa are absolutely amazing. Imagine the interior of your Viper, all in hand fitted leather, instead of hand fitted plastic.

Having said that, I'm driving the Viper to work today. It will be grins, I won't worry about it in the parking structure, and I can drive it without worrying about preserving its investment value. That's very "freeing" for a car that still gets more attention, and appears far more "exotic" than my former Corvettes and Porsches.

Having a "bargain supercar" in the 96 Viper feels right at this point in time. And if the SRT-10s would drop enough in price to become a "bargain supercar" so that there would be a take along convertible roof and windows, that would be even better.

 

[Vanquish]

I was in the same situation prior to coming to reality and getting a perfect 96 Viper GTS. I was looking into a Black with Saddle interior 91 TR with 10,000 miles with the 15,000 mile servicing done. The price was right but optioned out after I found that the seat belt restraints failures were notorious and a fellow TR owner stated not to get stuck in traffic for a long period of time causing it to over heat causing major engine problems in the future. With that my path was set on the 96 Viper GTS. I still love the car but wonder if the pain of expense would take the thrill out of having it.

 

[JWVIPER]

Most likely the right choice un less disposable cash is an issue, the Viper costs a bit more than regular cars to drive but in the end it is still a Dodge.

 

[BLEBYU]

I traded a Testarossa in on a 99 gts and I loved driving the car. Someone may remember the post about me out running 1tony1 in it, (he was in an srt-4 neon). The car was a head turner for sure, but as all these guys said when you are out there driving this thing, the whole time you are bashing on it, all you are worried about is "I hope nothing breaks because it costs so much" I agree with your decision to buy the Viper. I am a Dodge guy through and through, but I would love to have the tr, but The entry fee for repairs is to high. I sold the car, would have loved to keep it, but the new car business is just not that good.

You must be registered for see images