Welcome to Ferrari Life. The Mondial T, 348, and F355 all require engine out service to change the cambelts every 5 years or so. The 308, 328 and all early Mondials do not require engine out service. The 328 had a bunch of improvements over the 308 and has proven very reliable when well maintained. That should carry over the the Mondial 3.2, as well. Both have improved performance over earlier models. The four valve models, QV and later, also do not have the welded, sodium filled exhaust valves found on the two valve models. These sodium filled valves have been known to drop the valve head, with consequent unhappiness for all involved.

 

H pattern shifter

Hi Jason,

Having owned a 1984 Mondial Coupe QV back in 1987 and now driving a 1995 348 Spider I can make the following observations regarding the feel of the shift gate:

In regards to the sound of the gear lever moving through the gated metal shift plate on your 308 I can tell you that it will feel very much the same as a Mondial QV or 3.2. As far as the 348 and perhaps the Mondial T the clack, clack of the lever moving around the box is somewhat absent. While the shift is smooth and positive the sound is subdued.

My understanding is that the 348 uses rubber componants as part of the mechanism and inso doing has a different feel and sound. Doesn't make it bad, just not your typical Pre Fiat era experience.

My 2 cents.

Best of luck with your next Fcar move.

 

Reliable and Italian in the same sentence..... That's funny. The 3.2 will be the least troublesome. 328s really are great cars. Not sure where you are but a knowledgable mechanic will keep the experience a happy one for you.

 

Thank you for that imformation. I knew the QV was preferred but I wasn't sure why and obviously my 80 308 had had the welded two valves.

 

I am located in baltimore and I imagine I would have any services completed at Ferrari of Washington in VA

 

Competezione in Gaithersburg have an impeccable reputation as an alternative.

Fernando and Richard
Competizione & Sports Cars
7913 Cessna Avenue
Units C, D, E
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
(301) 977-9484
http://competizionecars.com

 

I am in the same situation of purchasing an F car. I currently am looking at 2 308GTSi, a QV, 348TS and a 348 Spider. Seems most 328s are a bit over priced IMO. I have been researching these for years, only to be soured by my 97 Esprit V8 TT experience. Now having recovered from that, back in the market. From talking to owners, sellers and mechanics...all 3 can be very reliable as they are tight little engines. Not sure what the likelihood of the sodium valve issue is, or they would have been sorted out by now. The upside of the pre-F355 cars, is that the amount of electronics involved is minimal. Though I hear the F355 can be quite reliable, my understanding is that the odds of a failure are higher due to simply the number of things that "Can" go wrong.) I know of several 308s and 348s that are driven a ton with minimal effort. My intention will be to use mine as a nearly daily driver. The question comes down to value....the GTSi are in the mid to high 20Ks, the QV mid 30Ks and the TS 30K and Spider $40K.

 

328 prices are what they are because of the cars reputation. It is not over priced at all. I have been in the Ferrari business since some years prior to the 328 and it still has the reputation within the Ferrari business of being one of the very best cars they ever built.
You are making a serious mistake in just considering purchase cost when you should be considering ownership costs. The 328 offers many improvements over any 3L car in reliability and performance and much lower operational costs with much better reliability than any of the 3.4L or 3.5L cars.

The car will cost a little more to buy, less to operate and will be worth more, possibly much more at time of sale.

 

Additionally Competizione may be able to help you locate a good car since you are local. We have a strong group of enthusiasts in MD so I'm sure you'll really enjoy the camaraderie. Buy the best car you can afford.

 

Catalysts having nothing positive to offer the engine, particularly OEM offerings which were only used to get the cars through more strict emissions. They do help reduce all of the unpleasantries associated with a straight exhaust though. If you are allowed to run an improved product like the Hyperflow catalysts, which keep obnoxious exhaust fumes to a minimum, affect the engine's efficiency very little to none and meet your Country's emissions regulations, everyone is happy.

 

Totally disagree.

A. Hyperflows are crap and they do not stand behind their product. In California where we need to pass real emission testing I have had a nearly 100% failure rate for Hyperflows and their response is "too bad, so sad".
B. While cats offer nothing positive they also offer almost nothing negative to the motor and are a major benefit to the air.
c. In the scenario of the OP for a legal precat car he needs to go back to 1977.

 

Good point...If I can score a 328...it would be a plus over the 308.

 

It's like the old average desmogged 77 308 Wayne Carini is selling. He's asking $69000 for it.

All the carb'd 308 owners on the other sight are slapping each other on the back and lighting Cubans over it.

He'll never get it, He'll never get close.

It's good to want but the market sets the selling price

 

It's very true the market sets the price. The more people desire a carb 308, the more they will increase in value regardless as to whether they are superior or not. Look at the air cooled porsche vs liquid cooled. The cars look the same they drive the same but they aren't when it comes to $$. Saying the 308 carb won't garner a 60000 price tag is as ridiculous as saying the S&P wont hit 1800. That's the beauty of free markets... you don't know, and what people are willing to pay while it may be incomprehensible to some, is considered value to others. And when only 2000 carb GTB's were made, it would seem that you might be wrong..

Signed a 308 GTB carb owner:thumbsup:

 

It's very true the market sets the price. The more people desire a carb 308, the more they will increase in value regardless as to whether they are superior or not. Look at the air cooled porsche vs liquid cooled. The cars look the same they drive the same but they aren't when it comes to $$. Saying the 308 carb won't garner a 60000 price tag is as ridiculous as saying the S&P wont hit 1800. That's the beauty of free markets... you don't know, and what people are willing to pay while it may be incomprehensible to some, is considered value to others. And when only 2000 carb GTB's were made, it would seem that you might be wrong..

Signed a 308 GTB carb owner:thumbsup:

$70,000 for a plain Jane carb 308 someday maybe but not now.

 

Looks like someone else was lighting up a cigar. 2185 GTBs and 3218 GTS models were built. There are some early GTBs worth really good money, and many, many more that are not, just like all the 308 family. Incidentally, the number of carbed 308s exceeds the number of Maranellos and the coupes outnumber the 575M, so they are hardly rare.

 

I agree, i don't believe these high offer prices will transact immediately. But looking at the trends of the dino (not putting them in the same class) on a percentage basis there is significant upside to early GTB's. And i completely agree with the Maranello. I firmly believe that one has upside as well. I have a 550 in TDF with cuoio leather that i won't be selling anytime soon. It's fun to enjoy these cars while also having potential upside with them.

 

So I've seen a lot of good information which has helped a me and I thank everyone who posted. Regarding the comments about the 328 does the same quality transfer over to the 3.2 L Mondial models as well. I imagine that transmission wise there would be a difference in gear ratios and such but essentially from an engine and mechanical stand point they are pretty much the same, Right? If I am completely wrong with this thought please correct me.

 

Affirmative, all the mechanical updates for the drivetrain should be there and transmission gearing is identical for the 328 and Mondial 3.2, except for the idle gear ratio on the 328 at 27/29 vs 27/30 for the Mondial to make the Mondial a bit more of a cruiser.

 

See i think that I would like the cruise factor the Mondial has to offer, or even a 308 gt4. My 308 GTSI was a beautiful sporty car and great fun to drive 14 yrs ago but I think I'm looking for more of a touring car now.

 

If you can afford it, get a 550. Serious cruising with a big V12.

 

Trust me, I would love to. The Maranello by far is one of my favorite Ferrari's but at the moment it is a little out of my comfort zone lol one day though I hope to be there.

 

I think the 3.2 Mondial was the best they made. The t did have more power and a few other things but at the expense of some problematic systems and much higher repair costs.

The 3.2 Coupe was an outstanding car to drive but not too many made.

 

Good luck. I cannot even afford the one I have.

 

Brian- They were very low production, 987 coupes and 810 spiders. A mere drop in the bucket.

 

I bet the Coupe # heavily favors European distribution. Very few in the States.


I was at a dinner once with a bunch of people from Ferrari. Big table, lots of people I didn't know but did know some were important in the company.

It was one of those minutes when you are talking and suddenly it goes quiet so to everyone it sounds like you are shouting?

I was in the middle of saying I thought the Mondial Coupe (the 3.2 at the time) was the best driving car Ferrari made. Now the entire table went quiet and they all turned to the guy at the head of the table (I think he was a VP). You see, in Ferraridom you were really not supposed to like the Mondial, it wasn't a real "Sportscar". The guy at the head of the table said "I agree completely, it's a great car. Everyone sighed relief at not needing to take me out and hang me in the little square in Maranello.

 

Time clearly indicates the correctness of the assumption by some of you, that the 328 is one of the best built early 8 cylinder models. Proper, well cared for 328 GTB's are trading at 80'000 USD here in Switzerland (if you find one) GTS 's interestingly only at around 2/3 rths. of this Price, all within the 15' - 35' miles category.