As the buyer of the £17k PH 456 I can honestly say that, in my experience at least, they are reliable cars and parts If needed can normally be sourced at more competitive prices than main dealers. I did about 10k in mine over 6 years and it never let me down, apart from when taking it to a potential buyer and the alternator packed up. But as has been mentioned the window closure can be a pain and although it can be adjusted it could be pricey to get 100pc so do check this if you are looking at one. From memory I think the new door seals were the most expensive thing I bought at over £400 per side.... but cambelt changes are relatively painless. Definitely a special car for the money they are fetching, even now....
This is exactly what worries me although it would get far less use than you put it to. Shocks can be rebuilt more economically and I'd hope there is a fix for the windows by now, anyone know if that's true?
The window problem as far as I recall affected the first 12 months or so of RHD cars. There were even rumours some were sent back to Italy, sat in the car park at Maranello for a bit then shipped back again, leaving the dealers to sort them out.
I had a 1997 GTA for about 12k miles and 7 years with no window issues. The only bits that failed were Bilstein shocks (rebuilt by Bilstein U.K.), Bosch alternator and Jaguar seat potentiometer. The Italian bits were spot on.
I liked the handling of the GTA with its transaxle and the Ricardo auto box which made it great for touring. I'm sure it would have been more of an event driving a manual version though. I didn't fancy that at the time after suffering with a dodgy knee, and bought it for holidays while the kids were tiny, so the auto suited our needs and seemed a grown up choice.
Pros - V12 engine, looks (especially rear), interior quality, snazzy rear spoiler, noise over 4500rpm, big fuel tank, rear kiddy seats.
Cons - felt like a big car, ate rear tyres for breakfast, sold in 2014 for £28k
I'm still glad I ticked the V12 box though and survived.