[maytag]

Hey all!
I just joined, because I finally find myself approaching the point in my life where the means are catching-up with the desires.....

I looked at owning a Ferrari about 5 years ago, with a cash-budget of $25k. I couldn't find ANYTHING in that range which wouldn't have required another $15k into it. I eventually bought a $1000 Fiat Spider and promptly dumped $10k into a resto-mod project.

I've always loved Italian cars and bikes. (I raced Ducatis for many years, until somebody finally convinced me that was God's way of telling me I had too much money)
When I was a teenager, it was more about lambos. But as I matured and grew to appreciate the finer things, I quickly learned to appreciate the refinement in the Ferraris.

But I'm now just passing 40 yrs old.... I'm not getting any younger, and I have been bitten. Hard.

So I am thinking that it's time. I intend to own my first Ferrari before my next birthday (September of '12). I'll be expanding the budget to $50k, cash.

I will lurk here for awhile and see what I can learn, but to start with, here's the thought-process:

A Mondial seems more practical. I still have 3 kids at home. I've always loved that car, but it seems to have a bad rap. Obviously this seems to be the most affordable option out there as well. How happy would I be with this car? does it disappoint in ownership?

A 308/328 is iconic. always draws the looks, and I'm still immature enough to like that. If this is the route, what should I look for? what years came with what improvements?

355: ?? I know almost NOTHING. I've never driven one. I've never studied 'em. Teach me!

TR/512. This is sort of where I'm uncertainly leaning. The F-12 motor, the polarizing looks. I love this car. I've seen 'em dip into the high $30's on Ebay. with a budget of $50k, can I get a nice one? What should I look for?

Thanks in advance everyone.

Hey, (edit) one more question!
I'm a wrench-turner for fun. I've built many, many cars, and I do all of my own maintenance and repair even on my late-model Jag & M/Benz. Is a fixer-upper a bad way to go? What are the best places to source parts if I buy a previously-unloved car and love-it-up?

[Barry]

Welcome to F-Life Maytag.

Lots of decisions to make there but with a €50K budget I'm sure you will land a very nice Ferrari on your driveway before your Sept '12 deadline. A "fixer upper" might sound like a nice project, but I'd caution against it unless you really know what you are doing. Could potentially cost you double your budget in the end if you get the wrong one...

[Killer58]

Originally Posted by Barry

Could potentially cost you double your budget in the end if you get the wrong one...

Welcome to the site and (hopefully) to the owners circle. You're going to like it here.

First stop in your education is to read the Buyer's Guides for the models you're interested in. That will give you the details you're looking for.

I'll second what Barry says but even stronger - You could double your budget even with the RIGHT one... If you learn one thing here, remember this: These are expensive cars. If one is selling cheap, there's a reason.

Again, welcome.

[wetpet]

broken cars can be a good deal as long as it is a known mechanical problem and you are getting a huge discount. Putting a lot of time and energy into a project and breaking even or losing doesn't make any sense to me. Not really necessary as there are many fine examples of each model readily available and reasonably priced. My recommendation is to come up with a short list like you did and go look at and if possible, drive all of them. this will be telling. and it helped me zero in on the 328 when i was looking at the same group of cars. Except 355's which weren't in that price range when i bought. I would steer clear of projects that where wrecks, rusted, extensive interior/body work needed. Make sure it has a strong engine. engine re-builds are pretty expensive, even if you do a lot of work yourself.

for driving impressions, i would get involved with local or regional groups so you can get around the cars and get rides/drives.

[tazandjan]

Welcome to Ferrari Life. The nice thing about a Mondial (except the T), 308, and 328 is no engine out service required. The 355 and Testarossa require engine out service every 3-5 years. That said, the most car you can get for your money is a good TR, which was the top of the normal production Ferrari line when produced, and still turns heads.

For a starter Ferrari, many experts recommend a 328, but if you find a good TR that has just had major, engine-out service, go for it.

Something that might help you, in addition to the buyers' guides here, are owners manuals and workshop manuals for cars in which you are interested. Go to ferraridatabase.com and you can download them for free.

[wetpet]

Taz, i had it narrowed down to that choice and agree with your assessment. They are very different driving and owning cars and i would recommend a couple test drives of each before deciding which way to go.

[champagne612]

Welcome to FLife

Enjoy the Ferrari hunting!

The winter is the right season for buying

[Granucci]

Welcome: Know the exact situation you relate minus the kids when I was starting.

As said, download the buyer's guides, which from this site is where I got my start. Took a couple years, but then made the leap.

Mondial T's, 355, and the TRs may be a bit of a push as 'affordable' but in the 308/328 series not so much an issue, and they look great.

As a DIYer, those older models are at low end depreciation and much easier to work on....however, you'll like more HP IMO.

rik

[Cyril @ Formula Dynamics]

Welcome to the forum. Happy Hunting!
If there's ever anything we can do for you, just let us know.

Cyril

[maytag]

Originally Posted by Granucci

Welcome: Know the exact situation you relate minus the kids when I was starting.

As said, download the buyer's guides, which from this site is where I got my start. Took a couple years, but then made the leap.

Mondial T's, 355, and the TRs may be a bit of a push as 'affordable' but in the 308/328 series not so much an issue, and they look great.

As a DIYer, those older models are at low end depreciation and much easier to work on....however, you'll like more HP IMO.

rik

Rik, thanks for the chime-in. So, given that you were in a similar situation, what did you finally decide, and were you happy with it?

I'll admit that as I've been watching the Mondials on Ebay, I haven't paid attention to years and 'T' or 'No-T', as I should have. Are the 'T's significantly more expensive than the other Mondials? IIRC from the 80's: didn't the 'T' designate a transverse layout, as opposed to inline? Is one mondial more desirable than the others?
And it's true that I'm a HP guy.... though these days, sound counts for just as much. Are there ways of squeaking more HP from a 308/328?

[tazandjan]

MT- The T essentially has a 348 drivetrain and requires engine-out cambelt changes every 3-5 years. Significantly more power than even a 3.2.

Production order:
Mondial 8 (heavier than a 308 with the same power) transverse engine
Mondial QV (same engine, more or less, as the 308 GTB/S QV) transverse engine
Mondial 3.2 (same engine as 328) transverse engine
Mondial T (same engine as 348) longitudinal engine.

Go to the website above and you can see the differences yourself in owners manuals and workshop manuals.

[maytag]

Originally Posted by tazandjan

Go to the website above and you can see the differences yourself in owners manuals and workshop manuals.

yeah... I'm waiting for my paid-membership to post so that I can get to the buyers' guides. (I just bought-in this evening)

[JayG]

Originally Posted by Barry

Welcome to F-Life Maytag.

Lots of decisions to make there but with a €50K budget I'm sure you will land a very nice Ferrari on your driveway before your Sept '12 deadline. A "fixer upper" might sound like a nice project, but I'd caution against it unless you really know what you are doing. Could potentially cost you double your budget in the end if you get the wrong one...

Hey Barry, he's in the Rockies so thats $50k US. Plenty of dough for a nicely sorted 348 or a Testarossa that's on the low low end.

[Jimmy Chen Shiba DDS]

A belated welcome to FL, Maytag. w/ smiles Jimmy

[maytag]

Hey all!

SO I've downloaded and read the Buyers' Guides for all of the models I thought I was interested in, and even a couple I hadn't previously considered. I am surprising myself a little bit, as I seem to be leaning towards a :: gulp :: 308 GT4/Dino.
I'm frankly shocked, as this is a car I've readily dismissed for years. I've never been a huge fan of Bertone's work.... I'm sure that is most of it. But after reading the guide, that might be just the car for me! ? I'm a track-rat, to be sure. I have other toys to enjoy at the track, but ... ??? one never knows.
I assume that folks who currently own one would tell me I'm a smart guy... so I'd love to hear from folks who have owned one, and then moved on to another Ferrari: would you do it again? Or would you skip the 308 GT4?

The other car that I'm rallying behind is the Mondial T (I think it'd have to be the 'T' for me to be happy with it, based on what I've read). It seems a good mix of useability, particularly at my station in life, mixed with the right sounds and sensations.

But I guess somehow the one that is still stirring me in the :: ahem :: "unmentionables", is the 328. It's emotional.

But I'd sure love to have it with carbs.

does EVERYONE have a hard time deciding which will be first? Or am I just making this too difficult?

[550JM]

Hi Maytag, welcome to the forum! It's a great place with great guys, I also joined very recently and was really surprised by the way these guys respond to rookies and the fact you'll be accepted as part of this community in no time!
That being said, I think that for the first Ferrari you will own, emotions should be leading. I looked at it that way while on the hunt for a 550. It's certainly true you should look at making the right decision money and quality wise and listen to the guys with experience, but I definately need the goose bumps when opening the garage and looking at the car I've been wanting for 12 years....

Happy hunting, and enjoy the forum!

Jeroen

[maytag]

Originally Posted by 550JM

I think that for the first Ferrari you will own, emotions should be leading. I looked at it that way while on the hunt for a 550. It's certainly true you should look at making the right decision money and quality wise and listen to the guys with experience, but I definately need the goose bumps when opening the garage and looking at the car I've been wanting for 12 years....
Jeroen

I agree with this concept, but in truth, it will be a very, very long time before I can open the garage and see the F40 I've wanted for 12 years. That means that any Ferrari I purchase right now could be viewed as a "compromise". I've already introduced a budget into the equation, and that automatically leads to a question of "value", ie: what do I get for my buck? the question becomes "what dollar value do I place on the emotional impact?"

And that's why this morning... i think you are right. I think it'll have to be the 328. But this afternoon, after I've made buying / selling decisions all day, I'll be right back to the Mondial or 308 GT4.

What I really need to do is go sit in some, and drive them. I stopped by my local dealer yesterday. They know me from my past involvement with their other marques (Maserati, Lotus, Fiat) and from the racetrack. But they don't have ANYTHING older than a 360 there. Sure, they can find something, but then we're back to square one: what do you want? And I also know that with Ferrari, I've never known this dealer to allow test-drives in ANY situation. So the only FHE I have in these cars is driving an old and poorly cared for 308, a nice Mondial Qv when it was NEW (yes, I'm that old) and a couple laps around the racetrack in a buddy's 360 challenge.

[tazandjan]

MT- Let us know where you live and maybe we can find an owner who will give you a ride in the cars you like. You might also join your local Ferrari Club of America, Rocky Mountain Region and find a volunteer to give you a ride. The dealers carry very few older models and many of their mechanics have little experience working on anything you cannot analyze with an SD2/3.

Incidentally, just bought a new Maytag washer and dryer yesterday.

[Brian]

Any of the flat 12 cars are going to be towards the deep end of the pool. I love them but they are very difficult for the average guy to maintain at home and very spendy to pay someone to do it for you. Same with a 355.

328 should be considered a vintage car in many ways but I have a great deal of fun driving them. The old saying about more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow applies. I can flog the 328 and have a blast but driving a 355 or TR the same way would get you arrested. 328 is easy to maintain.

Mondial t is far more complex to maintain than a 3.2 and the 3.2 is a very nice car. If you are budgeting 50k I would find a 40k car and have a reserve.

Don't bargain shop, it will break you.

Getting behind the money curve on an older Ferrari happens fast so I really counsel being conservative. Finding out you bought an exotic you really cant afford isn't any fun. Being in the business I see it all the time. It doesn't do your home life any good and it has soured many people on the cars. If you are smart about it you can move up to more car later and come out of the first car for very little all up cost.

[maytag]

Originally Posted by tazandjan

MT- Let us know where you live and maybe we can find an owner who will give you a ride in the cars you like. You might also join your local Ferrari Club of America, Rocky Mountain Region and find a volunteer to give you a ride.

I'm in Salt Lake City. I'll look around for a local Ferrari Club of America chapter. (good advice)

Originally Posted by Brian

If you are smart about it you can move up to more car later and come out of the first car for very little all up cost.

Also great advice. Thanks guys!