Today, I visited my new (to me) 88 Ferrari Testarossa.  As you know
from my other thread, I overpaid for the car, and promptly had the slow
down cyl 7-12 light go off 12 hours and 17 miles later upon restart.
Buzzers were going, parking lights wouldn't go off, and generally I was
instantly regretful for the purchase.

The dealer was kind enough to buy a new ECU for me, and I negotiated a
reduction on the major engine out service.   Today I went to visit my
car, and found the rear steel cage replete with the Koni shocks,
splines for the wheels (wheels off), and my engine, on a working
mechanic's table.  My car was on a lift, front wheels still on.

The mechanic spent the next hour advising me that they ran a smog test
to check results on timing and that my car was excellent on those
results, that they felt the pre-cats and cats were in good shape, the
engine is in excellent shape, brakes at about the 1/2 way point into
the pads, and so on.  They say it is an excellent engine.

I did become convinced that as long as I was already biting the bullet
on the major, that I should have the water pump rebuilt.  The mechanic
thought it was fine, but commented that it is much cheaper to redo it
now, while the engine was out, rather than 10,000 miles from now, when
taking the engine out would cost thousands of dollars, yet again.

They recommended taking the time for a hand bleeding of the brakes,
which they said characteristically takes doing at least twice.

So, while I was bleeding money and looking at my car in pieces, looking
at the offensive rubber cam belts, and self tensioner bearings, and
rubber hoses that looked fine to me, but apparently needed replacing
since that part of the car bakes rubber over time...... a funny thing
happened.

The car became mine.   Not legally.   Not monetarily.  That had already
happened days ago.

But now I was talking Swepco oil vs. Mobil 1, whether gearbox oil
needed changing at 17,000 miles if I wasn't tracking the car, why my
brakes felt spongy, and whether water intruded into the brake fluid.  I
was hearing how strong the Testarossa engines are, but how weak their
transmissions and drive shafts are.  I was learning that unlike my
Viper, racing off the line, or away from stop lights wasn't the right
approach to Ferrari "racing".  I was hearing about how I would now be
getting into the practice of shifting from 1rst to 3rd gear until my
engine oil temperature gauge was at least 1/4th of the way off the pin.

I was finding out why steam cleaning an engine doesn't work with
Ferrari electricals.

And suddenly I was looking forward to seeing it all come back together,
knowing that I already know more about this new to me car that I've
spent 17 miles driving than I've known about most of my cars other than
my Viper.

And so the too much money for the car, and the too much money in sudden
repairs, and the too much money on maintenance suddenly stopped being
too much.   Yes the bill will hurt.  But the relationship with MY
Ferrari, and my knowledge of how it works, the shape it's in
(coincidentally quite good apparently) and the little things  (like the
nut on the wheels self tightening as one drives) are already becoming
more than car ownership to me.

In the lot, I was talking to an '87 owner of my car's clone.   He had
his alternater rebuilt at 20,000 miles.   Neat guy to talk to.  Neat
TR.    Yes, it is an excessive look, but it didn't look anything like
all the new 360s, Gallardos, and Diablos in the shop.   It was "old"
and "distinct" and different.  And swoopy.

And mine.  Cool.  ( I can say that. My car is from the 80s)