Advice and HELP, which to buy?

1427 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by zack356, Feb 9, 2004

zack356

Discussion Starter · Jan 31, 2004

TO EVERYONE!!!

I'm trying to decide which type/model/year Ferrari to buy. I want a daily driver. Actually half a daily driver. I have a 57 Porsche Speedster. It's a convertible, so I want either a targa-top or hard-top. I've talked to a couple of used Ferrari dealers. They suggest I stick with a 308, the years 83, 84 or 85 since they have a quattro-valvoe engine. Supposedly a more bullet proof engine than the other years. I don't want to spend over $40K, so I think I may need to look only for a 308, not 328s or other models (I'm in NO rush and don't mind waiting for a GREAT deal). I found a 308 GTSi for $28.6K. It's a Calif car, so smog shouldn't be a problem, neither rust. Is $28.6K a good price(bad, fair, great deal?)? Should I be concerned about anything else being a Calif car? It only has 40K miles and has a great maintenance record. Supposedly it's been well kept up.

Besides buying the right car for the amount of miles I plan to drive. And know, I'm totally done with racing around, so other than after first buying it, I don't plan to go more than 90mph. How much should I expect to spend on typical annual maintenance issues? Again, driving 15K/yr. I understand a big expense is fan belts??? That it may cost around $4-5K when needed (30K miles?). Is there any other regular/periodic service issues that I should expect? How much? How often?

I very much appreciate your thoughts, opinions, advice... also the GOOD and BAD.

Thanks,
diz

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Dermot

· #2 · Feb 1, 2004

You should be able to get a 328 for less then $40K. Most people I know who own 328's really love them and recommend them over 308's. As for the milage, 15k per year is a lot so expect a lot more in service charges though I'm not exactly sure how much a 308/328 costs for major services

Dermot

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4kids3fish

· #3 · Feb 2, 2004

The belts in question are actually the camshaft drive (timing) belts, and they need replacing with new belt tensioners on-schedule (every 30K? an owner will confirm). Also, the valve clearances need checking maybe every 40K and this is also expensive as there are lots of them and the procedure is fussy. As the valve seats are on the soft side the clearances tend to get tighter with age = quieter, so you can't just wait for them to get noisy or you'll get burnt valves.

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Dermot

· #4 · Feb 2, 2004

4kids3fish said:
The belts in question are actually the camshaft drive (timing) belts, and they need replacing with new belt tensioners on-schedule (every 30K? an owner will confirm). Also, the valve clearances need checking maybe every 40K and this is also expensive as there are lots of them and the procedure is fussy. As the valve seats are on the soft side the clearances tend to get tighter with age = quieter, so you can't just wait for them to get noisy or you'll get burnt valves.

Any idea how much these will cost? - I'm assuming we are talking thousands of dollars?

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Pete04222

· #5 · Feb 2, 2004

Since you already have a 2 seat convertible sportscar, you might consider a Mondial Quattrovalvole for a daily driver. The back seat would be handy for throwing a few bags of groceries in if you have to stop on the way home from work. You should be able to get a Coupe for somewhere in the low 20's.

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vdavie

· #6 · Feb 9, 2004

what to buy

hello, I am in the same postion as you. the 328 or the 308. I have also been told 83-85 308"s. I have about 35k to spend. i have a few old porsche and other cars so i know about the importance of records ect.. How much for a low milage 308 with all records vs the same 328?

didnt mean to hijack your post but i figured we both can learn something.

vince

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zack356

Discussion Starter · #7 · Feb 9, 2004

Vince,

Ask away. I'm done with this questions, just bought an Infiniti G35. Decided not to go Ferrari. Reliability became far more important than coolness. Good luck with your search. Hopefully you'll find a "good luck" car!

zack

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