New Day, New Rules

Buyers simply don’t wake up in the morning and decide they will buy the highest-priced, least-documented car on the market

by Michael Sheehan

Six months ago we received one or two calls or emails a day from people who wanted us to help them to market and sell their Ferraris. Today we receive half a dozen calls or emails every day, and the number is growing.

With each call I laboriously explain that regardless of whether prices are going up or down, in any market it always takes the best car, best documentation, best service history, best marketing, and best price to sell. Since very few cars meet all these criteria, you will always need to have the best price comparable to other, similar cars before you can sell. Buyers simply do not wake up in the morning and decide they will buy the highest-priced, least-documented car on the market, yet I’m amazed at how many sellers refuse to grasp this simple concept.

Thirty-plus years of selling Ferraris has proven that all too often those wishing...