Best second hand Ferraris: used buying guide

Ferrari 308 GT4

Unloved because of its unlovely Bertone bodywork, this was the first 308 (the earliest cars were actually badged as Dinos) and Ferrari’s first mid-engined V8, starting a line that has continued uninterrupted to this day. With a 3-litre motor fed by a throaty quad cam, quad carb V8, quicker and better to drive than you might think. Pay £45,000 and up.

Ferrari 308GTB

The GT4’s Pininfarina-penned sister was far prettier but not necessarily any better to drive. Early plastic bodied ‘vetroresina’ cars are highly sought after because they’re rare, light and don’t rot but you’ll pay accordingly. Otherwise, the best are standard steel 308GTBs. If you want an injected car avoid the gutless 308GTBi and go for the 32-valve QV instead or, better still, a 328GTB. Just remember, for all the looks and image, these cars were little or no quicker than standard 911s from the same era and trickier on the limit. £70,000 (£150,000 for vetroresina).

Ferrari 348tb

Terrible gearshifts and a no prisoners approach to being driven beyond the limit has earned the 348 a poor reputation and prices have suffered as a result. But the looks and engine are lovely and if you’re not going to drive the doorhandles off it, probably well worth a look. Pay from £45,000.

Ferrari F355

Still based on the 348 but so improved as to seem like another car. Prices have gone through the roof of late so buy very carefully or not at all. The earliest cars go the hardest so look for a car with a non-airbag steering wheel. This was also the first Ferrari to be fitted with a paddle-shift transmission which is very slow and clunky compared to its modern descendants and probably best avoided. Pay from £80,000.

Ferrari 456GT

Perhaps Ferrari’s most beautiful true four seater, powered by a superb engine with lovely handling and the first Ferrari in years without a Fiat parts bin interior. Bills can be high so choose with care and budget realistically, but the right car is an exquisite long distance tourer. Avoid the automatic. Pay from £65,000.

Ferrari 360 Modena

A really interesting choice. Younger, faster and fitter than the F355 yet currently much cheaper. It loses a little in the looks department and breaks away more quickly, albeit it at a far higher limit, this is a fairly forgotten Ferrari at present and perhaps worth a punt as a result. The exception is the delicious stripped out Challenge Stradale, but prices for these ultra-rare machines are already over the hills and far away. Pay from £60,000.

Ferrari 599GTB

Currently standing somewhat in the shadow of the current F12, people seem to have forgotten that when new the 599 was hailed as the new Daytona, a titan even in the rich history of Ferrari road cars. Still scarily fast today and properly fun to drive. The GTO version was feted in its day but would not now keep up even with a standard 488GTB. Pay from £120,000 (£450,000 for GTO).

Ferrari F40

To some still Ferrari’s ultimate road-going machine and certainly its most raw. It was Enzo’s last car and because the company got greedy and made plenty – over 1100 in the end – for a long time they were relatively affordable. No longer. Pay from £700,000.