| Author | Message | ||
| john w. houghtaling, II (Johnhoughtaling)
Junior Member Username: Johnhoughtaling Post Number: 155 Registered: 11-2002 |
Luggage will be tight. If your fiance is anything like mine, better fed ex. | ||
| James Wiseman (Jameswuk)
New member Username: Jameswuk Post Number: 2 Registered: 6-2003 |
Thanks for the words of encouragement, John and Andrew - although I guess on this board I shouldn't have expected any other response... ;-) Definitely tempted now - but going to have a lok at a 328 on Friday, to see 'how it fits'... By the way, one last question - what's the luggage space like on the 328?? Would I have to fedex stuff forward on a 2-week trip?? ;-) Regards, James W And thanks for the welcome to the board!! | ||
| john w. houghtaling, II (Johnhoughtaling)
Junior Member Username: Johnhoughtaling Post Number: 153 Registered: 11-2002 |
James: If you purchase a late model 328 thats been serviced, they are absolutely bullet proof. I have an 89 328 GTB that I've driven 15,000 miles in the last five years and its never broken once. All I've needed to do was changed the belts (which I did when I purchased it) and changed the oil and re-tired the thing. And the 15,000 miles I've but on it were very hard. Lots of track time. These are incredibly good cars. If you buy a good one, that has its services, it will circle the planet with no problem. Also have Fantastic lines, Fantastic sound, and a real exotic car Ferrari feel (very intimate cockpit). Also has a fabulous gearbox and gear lever that makes an unmistakable Ferrari "clink" when changing gears. Definately worth the trade. The car is much slower than the lotus but for the trade you get a quintesential Ferrari feel, look and sound. I bought a GTB. In my opinion they are better looking and handle better. They may also be a bit cheaper. As for the trade, it makes MUCH better financial sense. The 328 prices will not change much (they are about fully depriciated) Whereas a Lotus (at least in the US) will fall greatly in the years to come. The "Ferrari golden rule" though is to buy the car in the best mechanical condition you can and then include another $2,500 USD for a belt service anyway (throughing the belt is the one and relatively few problems with these cars) Bravo. Fantastic trade, that makes sense from an excitement point of view and financial sense as well. John | ||
| Andrew Menasce (Amenasce)
Intermediate Member Username: Amenasce Post Number: 1087 Registered: 10-2001 |
As you probably know , if you buy a well cared after car ( with all services being done when supposed to ..) the car should be pretty reliable . Classic car mag said that the V8 , if maintened properly is bulletproof. The only thing that might annoy you is the performance as your Esprit is in 355/360 territory ! But as you said , you like classic look ! And since you already get your need for speed on the track with Alfas , the 328 should complement your collection pretty well  ! Hope you can find one in time for your honey moon ! Welcome to the board ! | ||
| James Wiseman (Jameswuk)
New member Username: Jameswuk Post Number: 1 Registered: 6-2003 |
Hi all, I'm writing this in the hope that someone may answer my questions. Apologies if these are FAQs!! I currently drive a '99 Lotus Esprit Sport350 - very fast car, comfortable, and, so far relatively reliable. However I've always been tempted by a Ferrari 328 GTS, and, seeing as they're about the same price as the Lotus, the swap would not be financially restrictive. I'm not a complete Italian car virgin as I race a couple of 1950s Alfa Romeos, but this would be my first Ferrari. Obviously, the 328 would be 12-13 years older than my Lotus, and a bit slower, but I do kind of prefer the classic lines of the 328 over the 'wedge' of the Esprit. Part of the reason for swapping is that I'm going on honeymoon to Italy in September, and thought the 328 would be fun to take there, since it's a 'true' convertible, makes a lovely noise, and most of all, my future wife doesn't like the shape of the Esprit!! Assuming I find a well-sorted, low-mileage, well cared-for 328, would the car be reliable enough to take to Italy and back, and use on a once-weekly basis thereafter?? I'm not expecting BMW-like reliability, and accept that a more 'exotic' car needs a certain budget set aside for maintenance and tyres (as with my current Esprit), but apart from this, assuming I find a good'un can I expect the car to be relatively reliable? Will the roof leak? How robust are the electrics? Am I mad to swap a '99 car for an '87 one?? Any other tips? Finally, my local dealer in the UK would be MHT. Any one on here got any experience of them? Regards, and apologies for asking Newbie questions, James W |