A cheap supercar is every enthusiast’s dream. You picture a bargain from overseas, a little cosmetic work and a weekend toy. However, one Canadian exotic car buyer says his imported Ferrari 458 turned out to be something much worse.
The Calgary-based host behind @DailyDrivenExotics says he asked a dealer friend to bring in a red 2010 Ferrari 458. The car came from China, entered Canada through British Columbia and sold through a dealer auction. He knew it would be rough, he says, but not this rough.
The Ferrari 458’s Surface Problems
The trouble started on arrival. According to the video, the car smoked, misfired and ran poorly. In addition, each corner sat at a different height.
Then the team found more. They point to overspray in the door jambs, seats with the wrong stitching, missing panels and wrinkled door trim. They also say the wheels are knockoff 488 wheels, the horse badges are stickers, and even the key is a plastic copy. Meanwhile, the engine cover looks like someone painted it with an off-the-shelf spray can.
Underneath, they also found an aftermarket rear diffuser held on with wood screws, plus oil leaks and missing underbody panels. The brakes raised another flag. The team says the carbon ceramic rotors were chipped and worn, which suggests heavy use. Yet the dash showed just 21,000 km.
A Twisted Frame Rail
On the hoist, things got serious. The team says the car had clearly been in a front-end collision. As evidence, they point to poor welding and a frame rail that is not straight. “This is JB Weld from what I can tell,” one of them says, digging a finger into it.
Because the suspension bolts to that frame rail, they explain, the car was not safe to drive. “This was not disclosed at the auction,” the host says. He adds that the car allegedly had a clean title.
A dealer diagnostic tool raised more questions. According to the team, its stored service records suggest someone rolled the odometer back once. They believe the real figure is around 260,000 km.
A Second Ferrari With Too Many Miles
The host says a Ferrari 599 from the Czech Republic had problems too. It had no frame damage, but its odometer showed about 74,000 km. However, a Ferrari dealer pulled records from overseas dealers, he says. The highest recorded reading was 265,000 km in 2014.
How It Ended
Fortunately, the money came back. His dealer friend explains that when an auction confirms undisclosed odometer fraud, structural damage or title problems, the buyer gets a refund and the car goes back. As a result, the host says both cars are going back. He also says he had not paid for the 458 yet.
He also says he contacted the provincial regulator and had not heard back. Later, he drove to the selling dealer’s listed address and found only a parking lot with nobody there. The video reports no charges or findings, and we have not heard the seller’s side of the story.
How To Avoid An Imported Supercar Trap
His experience points to a few checks before buying any exotic from overseas:
- Get boots on the ground. The team’s advice is to have someone inspect the car in its home country.
- Put it on a lift. Frame and suspension problems hide underneath.
- Check stored service data with a dealer tool. It can reveal mileage the dash does not show.
- Read the auction terms. Know what triggers a refund before you bid.
- Be wary of a price that looks too good to be true.
Where Things Stand
Both cars are headed back through the auction system, according to the host. His takeaway is blunt. “There’s no such thing as a cheap supercar, especially now,” he says. In other words, a low price usually has a reason, and the reason may sit under the car.
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