Hi all,
I have owned Alfa Romeo's for all my life, but have always been wanting a Ferrari 308 GTS. I would prefer a GTS, or maybe a GTS QV, although I prefer the carburettors. Any advice on to do's/don't when buying one? Cost of upkeep? Insurance? I would not be driving it daily, but I do not intend to turn her into a garage queen either....
Any input is welcome....

Thanks,
Peter

Hi Peter,

Welcome to Ferrari Forum. I hope you enjoy the site and find the right 308 for yourself.

The 308 is a great first Ferrari and the GTS is awesome for sunny weather.

I would recommend looking at the Buyer's Guide we created for the 308. The car is one of the most reliable Ferraris and if you get a carbed 308 they will need tweaking, but once tweaked it will run smoothly.

Insurance will not be a nose bleeder so you don't have to worry about that.

I sometimes get this confused but I think the QV was only available in a fuel injected configuration.

General buying advice is to take your time and look at a few different 308s before deciding to buy one.

Regards,
Andrew

PS: I just created this site for Alfa: www.alfaromeoforum.com so it isn't as exhaustive as Ferrari Forum, but I'm working on it and will get it to this level in time.

Well you did not say where you are from but if you are in the US than insurance will not be an issue. I have insurance through American Collectors and the first year it was like $400 and then the second year it dropped to $220. You can only put 2,500 miles a year on the car but for me that was not a problem.

Cost of upkeep? I have put probably about $1,500 in the car since I have had it (3 1/2 years) and most of that was switching over the points to electronic ignition (which I did myself.)

Sounds like you'd be driving the car much as I do. The 308 would be a great car for you. The best advice I have - get a pre-purchase inspection from an independant mechanic. You do want one that has a recent timing belt change and watch for rust on the bottoms of the doors.

Oh, and don't have a cow if the speedometer doesn't work or the power windows are slow. These are both common problems that are easily repaired. Use them as leverage to get a better price, concentrate on the body and paint.

thanks for the quick replies! I am in the USA, in Texas to be more precise.
Any leads to a good 308 would be appreciated.
Thanks again!

Texas is pretty centrally located in the Ferrari world. You should be able to find a good 308 fairly easily. I found mine through Hemming's Motor New's and it was a 10 hour drive for me (from Maine to Pennsylvania). 10 hours, depending on where you live in Texas, should take you to Florida. Good luck and keep us posted on how you make out.

Only the early 308s are carbs. These came with first fiberglass and later steel bodies. In 1980 Ferrari switched over to fuel injection with the 308i and then added 4 valves with the 308 QV a few years later. Of the 3 versions the 308i is probably going to be the least expensive. Early fibergalss 308s are starting to command premiums vs other later cars.

In terms of where to look, suggest you check the classifieds here and on FML (http://www.ferrarimarketletter.com/)

Good luck.

Alfamale, We have Buyer's Guide for the 308 in the Members section which covers all the different models. It also provides guidence on the different buying options and what to look for when examining different cars.

I know that the early, carb versions are more desirable, and faster. I am not looking for a GTSi, unless maybe a QV. The other thing I have not researched yet is a Euro version 80/81/82....Would that thing still be carbed? I think the FI was added to US models to meet federal regulations?

Both US and Euro versions switched to Fuel Injection in 1980. The only carb model still produced in this period was the special 2 liter tax break 208 produced only for the Italian market. Performance on an early 308 and a 308 QV will be very similar.

that's what I heard about performance between GTS and QV. But the Weber version supposedly sounds a lot better....

IMHO, the Weber carbs certainly do!

Trust me, there is no sound in the world that can compare. When you put your right foot down and you hear all 8 barrels of those webers open up and the Ferrari V-8 climbs to over 7,000 RPMs. In a hurry to! You've already shifted once, you are already doing over 50 mph and you have 3 more gears ahead of you! You've got the deep throated rumble of the carbs sucking in air as quick as they can combined with the high pitched whine of rotating steel trying to push all that air out and make the car go faster. Oh man, its a rush.

Oh, my neighbors always know when I am taking the Ferrari out for a drive. I always let the car warm up for 10 minutes or so and they tell me they can hear the garage rumbling.

Yes there is.....4 triple throat Webers and 12 barrels of rumble 8) 8)

Ouch. You got me there. :green:
I would love to put my right foot down on one of those babies and hear it sing!

Pete0422, Let me know if you ever get to this side of the great pond.

Trust me, when I get to Europe again, I'm going to make sure you know.
I want to get you and DJ Dirk and Dr. Bob and even Basoz in for a couple of beers. But don't push me too hard, I might want to stay at your house.

I told you that you where welcome Pete

funny how this thread takes a turn, I am originally from Europe as well

Thanks for all your input!