Is There a Ferrari That's Affordable?

[gordner]

I think the 308 is a gorgeous car. From what I have read the last year of the carb'd car is the best of the lot, more so of course if it is a euro model. The last 308 with carbs was the most powerful motor until well into the 328 production I think.

[aschen]

yeah every time I come accross a similar thread to this people reccomend to avoid the 355 due to expensive maintenance. I am suprised to hear it is analogous to the 993.

There was a thread on lotustalk where A guy cataloged his cost of ownership to drive a 430 for a few years I think it was something like a couple bux a mile. It was really insightfull. Another owner commented that owning a 328 was completely reasonable but would never be cheap like owning a 930. That point cemented the fact that my admiration for the marque will be from the outside vantage .

[HardDrive]

I like Ferrari, but I've never been able to get over the distaste for what I perceive to be unnecessarily expensive service costs. Yes, they are pretty, but I also like the understated style of the P-cars. At any price point, I always favor the P-car. Your mileage may vary.

[HardDrive]

btw, if I win lottery tomorrow, this will be the Ferrari I bring home.

288 GTO

[Captain Ahab Jr]

Even though I could afford some of the less expensive models I would never buy one as the cheap part of owning a Ferrari is the money you spend buying it.

Shame as I have real soft spot for the 'red cars' but I don't think I would get enough driving enjoyment to justify the running costs

[Don Ro]

I like the GTB...vs the GTS. $69,500
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"An enormous amount of money has been spent on this 308 GTB to make it not only exceptional cosmetically, but one of the best and quickest Ferrari 308"s we have even driven."
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Description:
--Rosso Corsa with Tan leather interior and Tan Carpeting,
Fully Restored,
Collector Owned,
Factory A/C and 5-speed manual.
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1979 Ferrari 308GTB for sale | Hemmings Motor News
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I like this view...and the keys just waiting for me.
Factory a/c for those hot AZ days.
57k miles...ruh roh!
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[Don Ro]

OK, I think I've bugged you gents enough...on to a cold shower.

[gordner]

I agree, I love the lines of the B as well

[Embraer]

Originally Posted by aschen

yeah every time I come accross a similar thread to this people reccomend to avoid the 355 due to expensive maintenance. I am suprised to hear it is analogous to the 993.

There was a thread on lotustalk where A guy cataloged his cost of ownership to drive a 430 for a few years I think it was something like a couple bux a mile. It was really insightfull. Another owner commented that owning a 328 was completely reasonable but would never be cheap like owning a 930. That point cemented the fact that my admiration for the marque will be from the outside vantage .

the typical Ferrari owner does none of his own work. It's a car...it's not made of unicorn tusk and unobtanium. I work on mine all of the time. It's one of the easiest cars to work on I've ever owned.

Things of importance:

If you want to resell the ferrari, have the maintenence done by a very reputable shop. Every buyer wants records. And they need to be from one of the known shops.

When I first got my car, I had the major service done and one of the best shops in SoCal. By having it done, it increased my resale value by 10K. Once I realized I was going to keep it long term, I decided to do my own work.

The parts are expensive. But only if they come in a yellow box. There is a cross reference online that shows where you can get most maintenence items and even most of the parts that arent super-specialized.

I've put about 5000 miles on my car this year. besides having the belts done (preventative maintenence), Ive spent only the cost of an oil change, and $225 for a new alternator.

[motion]

Originally Posted by Embraer

General consensus is that the 348's are on the upswing. You can pick a well sorted one up for the low 30's. Anyway you shape it...it's not going to get any cheaper. 10 years from now, it will be worth more.

I said a couple of years ago that the 308/GT4 models would be going up in value. Long considered the poor-man's 308, and not desirable because of looks..they are shooting up in value.

In the Ferrari world...the 348/355 is the 993 of Ferraris. 360's are the 996's. The 360's are considered to have bland styling, higher production numbers, etc. While it's arguably a better car then the 348 or 355, it lacks the soul that the earlier cars have.

Internet forums have done a good job of tarnishing the reputation of the 355 with regards to manifolds cracking and valve guides going bad. You'll see that the 360 (and 430) also suffer from these same issues.

On another note...from an investment point of view...keep your eyes on Lamborghini Jarama's. V12 Lambo from the Miura era. now that Miuras are unobtanium, you'll see the Jaramas go up up up in value.

I pretty much disagree with everything you stated. Just my 0.02

[aschen]

Ive heard the same thing that nobody does their own work. Do you have a 355? Ive heard that any mayor service is engine out. 225 for an alternator must be for a cross referenced part right?

Porsche parts seem very expensive to me or at least oddly priced. Some things that you would thing would be cheap or not. 930 tax gets me on some items as well. It is the same thing for my lotus. The lotus specific parts are pretty expensive, the toyota sourced parts in a lotus box are very expensive but a good cross reference list can save bunches o dollars.

But nearly everybody I have ever talked to has said 355s can be a real pita to work on and should be avoided by those without a lift or deep pockets. This is just internet second hand info, but there is at least some consistencies in the opinions.

Its acedemic to me, Im not interested in buying any prancing horse unless my 3% raise is mistaken for 300% by HR

[Don Ro]

"Once I realized I was going to keep it long term, I decided to do my own work."
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Understood!
I think that's the key.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Don Ro

1979 Ferrari 308GTS ...$34,750
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What's the wisdom on carb'd 308's?
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Love yellow...for some damn reason.
But not black interior.
BTW, I've always liked the looks of the 308's.
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1979 Ferrari 308GTS for sale | Hemmings Motor News
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Sweet... but I would have to ask myself... how much Porsche could I get for $34K?

[Don Ro]

Of course, I can always keep and run what I now have...
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It kinda does...sorta...'sound' like a Ferrari when at 5 - 6,000 rpm.
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Sorta..

[aschen]

Never mind on the cross reference I see you discussed that

[Don Ro]

"Sweet... but I would have to ask myself... how much Porsche could I get for $34K?"
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With another $100k, I could buy a rental...and be better off.
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Where is Prudence?

[ForBell]

Keep the Abarth - invest the other $$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Embraer]

Originally Posted by motion

I pretty much disagree with everything you stated. Just my 0.02

cool. what's to disagree with? the 348's have been going up in value for the last 1.5 years. I understand you used to have Ferraris. you should know the 360 also suffers from valve guides and header issues. Moreso, the 360 and 430 require SD2 service tools. especially if you own an F1 car. so many more issues with that setup, then a gated 348 or 355. the 355 has issues, but again...most reports have been blown out of proportion, mostly because of people who don't own the cars, spouting off second hand information on FerrariChat or the like. Just like most people on this thread don't own a Ferrari.

am I wrong to say that a parts cross reference exists, and that a yellow box means that it costs more? in fact...everything I said in my post was spot on. can you elaborate?

[Embraer]

Originally Posted by aschen

Ive heard the same thing that nobody does their own work. Do you have a 355? Ive heard that any mayor service is engine out. 225 for an alternator must be for a cross referenced part right?

Porsche parts seem very expensive to me or at least oddly priced. Some things that you would thing would be cheap or not. 930 tax gets me on some items as well. It is the same thing for my lotus. The lotus specific parts are pretty expensive, the toyota sourced parts in a lotus box are very expensive but a good cross reference list can save bunches o dollars.

But nearly everybody I have ever talked to has said 355s can be a real pita to work on and should be avoided by those without a lift or deep pockets. This is just internet second hand info, but there is at least some consistencies in the opinions.

Its acedemic to me, Im not interested in buying any prancing horse unless my 3% raise is mistaken for 300% by HR

I have an F355, yes. it's not bad, at all to work on. lots of this crap is hyped up. The alternator for example...is a Nippon Denso unit. It's about $1400 in a yellow box. Or about $225 for the exact same unit, with a higher output.

what's crazy...is when you take the interior apart, and start looking at the backs of the switches...you'll sometimes see a FOMOCO logo.

exhaust gaskets....$50 a piece in a yellow box. They're $3 Victor Reinz gaskets, with the same part number. I bought those at NAPA. etc etc

[Embraer]

don't get be wrong...the Ferrari is by no means a cheap car to operate. but there's so much misinformation that gets spread about them...99% of it by people who don't own one.