How To Buy A Pre-Owned Ferrari With Paintwork

April 30, 2019
How To Buy A Pre-Owned Ferrari With Paintwork

What is the importance of paintwork on a used Ferrari?  What does it mean and what should you look for?

Looking for paintwork is very important when you are looking to buy a car, Ferrari or any other manufacturer.  Paintwork can tell a lot about a vehicle and its history, and in turn, affect the car’s value.  First, what is paintwork and how do you know if a car has it?  Paintwork put simply is a panel or portion of the car that has been repainted.  This could result from a variety of different things, years of rock chips, fading from the sun, tree sap, or a car accident to name just a few.  Determining if a car has paintwork can be done in one of two ways; one is by simply looking at the car, and the other is by using a paint reading tool.  Some paint jobs are obvious while others require a special tool that will measure the thickness of the paint.

How exactly does paintwork affect the value of the car?  This can be complicated to answer and really depends.  If the paintwork is the result of a bad car accident, then the car accident will affect the value of the car more than the paintwork will. While this probably seems pretty obvious, you must keep in mind that not all car accidents are the same and some may not affect the value that much.  For example,  your used Ferrari 308 may be parked next to another vehicle that pulls out of its spot and lightly brushes against your Ferrari scratching the paint.  While this type of accident is minor and is not going to cause mechanical concerns, the value of the car could be affected if the accident receives a Carfax and the next buyer does not properly investigate the Carfax.  Even further, in some instances people do not even report accidents so looking for paintwork is really necessary when buying any used Ferrari.

Paintwork can also affect value due to the originality valuation, which of course depends heavily on the specific Ferrari you are looking at.  Some Ferraris are much more valuable in their original condition with all their dings and scratches.  Some models will also bring a much higher valuation with all the original parts over one that has been maintained and may look much prettier asthetically.  I always advise anyone who does have paintwork performed for scratches, dings, or wear issues to get documentation of all the work done so it is not an issue down the road.

Just like artwork, vintage jewelry, or any other luxury good that can be collectible, there is no answer that is true across the board.  Therefore, when you are looking for a used Ferrari or any other exotic car, be sure to ask about paintwork and based on the answers, you should be able to evaluate how it should impact the value, or your purchasing decision either positively or negatively.

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