Aha, got it. I would rather have a Mangusta than a Pantera too, and would spend much more to get one. That is, if I had that kind of money.

I agree. Did it seem like I was bashing the ZF, because that wasn’t my intention. I love the ZF...because I own a 55ohp Pantera.

They have never been my style, but they are staring to get “classic enough” and I am starting to check them out. Heh.

The Pantera uses off the shelf parts from other vehicles that were manufactured 40 years ago. Finding NOS tail lights, door handles, whatever from a Lamborghini Espada, or old Maserati isn’t cheap and it is my belief that whatever is made up for in direct cost is lost in the odds that more will need to be fix or…

Here is the difference, buying a $60k F355 gets you a nice car that needs maintenance. Buying a $60k Pantera (low miles, all original) buys you a car that needs a lot of work. I suppose you would eventually replace everything so you could really be in the same sort of maintenance mode that Ferrari needs, but it will…

I think things have moved on from the reference point in your head.

Wow, that car you linked to is an absolute mess. The price doesn’t even make sense. I just...don’t understand.

Agreed. However, this specific 40-year old Pantera is going to cost a lot more in the next five years than the Ferrari that was put up for comparison.

Ha! I have spent more than $18,000 in the past few years. You are totally right that this Pantera will require a pile of cash to get it to the point where it only needs maintenance, at which time it will become less expensive than the Ferrari, but the total cost of ownership over the next ten years will probably be…

Finding a mechanic who knows anything about Panteras is hard? Totally true.

ZF gearbox...cheap. One doesn’t hear those two words in the same sentence very often. I mean, unless the sentence is something like “my ZF was clunky into second gear and it cost $4,500 to pull, ship, replace second gear, service and reinstall...that ain’t cheap.”

The problem isn’t that a 40-year old Pantera costs more to “maintain” so much as there are always a list of things that need to be outright replaced.

No joke. Something is always breaking on an old Pantera.

I would take the Pantera. I have spent a lot of time in the F355 and they are wonderful, but a completely different experience than a Pantera. Or maybe I feel like the F355 isn't classic enough yet?

No way of knowing if this car is worth the price without an inspection.

Is it really 100 times too expensive for farming? Honest question - I am hoping we aren't that far off from effective desalination.

Agree! 47 year old graphic designer here. I assume I not hireable at this point. Luckily, I own a design firm (21 years, holy cow) but it shrank down to pretty much just me when my town imploded during the recession. I have more work than I can handle, but I believe much of it is thanks to technology.

Agreed! I am in my 40s and show up around 9:00 which gives me an hour to walk around a bit and see if there is anything new. I show up earlier for Espresso & Exotics because that is more my crowd and it only happens once a month.

Now when someone asks “how much do you have into that thing” we can honestly say we have no idea. And fewer people will think we are dumb.

Funny thing is, everyone thinks they have class. Just like everyone thinks they have above average intelligence and thinks they are funny. Right? Like the Dunning-Kruger effect.