| Author |
Message |
Greg Owens (Owens84qv)
| | Posted on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 4:23 pm: | |
Thank you Mike! I will definitely contact Bud and tell him ZOOM ZOOM says hello! Thanks for his phone number. |
Mike Fisher (Mikef)
| | Posted on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 2:39 pm: | |
Greg,
Bud is a car guy. No Ferraris, but he is into Porsches and Mercedes. His number at DQ is 850-422-2490. Most good foreign car guys will find most of the 308 series fairly easy to work on compared to some of the newer cars with all the exotic electronics etc. Its probably easier to tune one with injection than the older ones with carbs and dual distributors. If the mechanic has good manuals to refer to for specs, the procedures are virtually the same. The trick is to find a mechanic who is meticulous enough to do the job right. The best mechanic I ever found was an anal retentave SOB, but that is exactly the kind of guy I wanted working on MY car. |
Greg Owens (Owens84qv)
| | Posted on Thursday, January 17, 2002 - 7:13 am: | |
Mike, is "Bud" a car-guy? Is he into the exotics? For some reason, your suggestion sounded like "well, go find Floyd at the local pub, he should be in the back room..." LOL!
I will try to find "Bud".
Also, thanks for all of your help Octavio!! |
Octavio Mestre (Alfab4308)
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 5:21 pm: | |
Greg, I'll try to find a number for him but it has been a while. Like I said, he didn't advertise so looking him up in the phone book won't help. I am also trying to remember who recommended him. |
Mike Fisher (Mikef)
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - 10:29 am: | |
You might try calling Bud, who owns the Dairy Queen in Tallahasse, to see if he is aware of anyone. Tell him ZOOM ZOOM says hi. He will know who sent you. |
Richelson (Richelson)
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2002 - 7:56 am: | |
He sounds like a good mechanic. Thanks for the info. |
Greg Owens (Owens84qv)
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2002 - 7:27 am: | |
Octavio, you wouldn't happen to have a phone number or any other contact information for Mr. Sparks would you? Thank You again! |
Greg Owens (Owens84qv)
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2002 - 7:23 am: | |
Octavio, THANK YOU! I'll give him a call and introduce myself. Thank you very much!! |
Octavio Mestre (Alfab4308)
| | Posted on Monday, January 14, 2002 - 5:54 pm: | |
I went to law school in Tallahassee and I took my first alfa romeo with me. I am a pretty good diy'er but the once when I had a problem I couldn't figure out I looked around for a mechanic. Every shop I went to basically said to me (using a heavy southern acent), "that's one of them italeeen jobs isn't it? Never seen one u them before. Lets get her on the lift and see what we can figure out." At which point I lose about a month of clutch quickly leaving the shop.
The only mechanic which was able to work on my car was a guy named Chuck Sparks who was a retired Jaguar racing team mechainc that would fix exotics to pay for parts for his collection of about 15 exotics. He had a 4 bay warehouse on the outskirts of town with most of his colection in it. This guy was a MECHANIC not a parts changer. He had forgotten more than most people will ever know. Anyway, on a couple of occasions I saw 308's in there. If he is still around and you can find him he is good and a hell of a nice guy. He didn't advertise because he didn't want too many clients but some of the local mecahincs should know him. |
Craig Dewey (Craigfl)
| | Posted on Friday, January 11, 2002 - 6:45 am: | |
I live in Panama City and there isn't anyone here I'd trust to work on mine. I haven't checked out Tallahassee but nobody on this board from there -- although there once was a person that was "thinking" about getting an F car. |
Richelson (Richelson)
| | Posted on Friday, January 11, 2002 - 6:33 am: | |
In Panama City I don't think that you will find one that you will be happy with. There was a parts store in PCB and they said that they could get Ferrari parts. I asked them about a few parts and found out they ordered them from Ferrari of Atlanta. Plus, the prices were higher than FOA. Maybe there is an independant in Tallahassee. |
Greg Owens (Owens84qv)
| | Posted on Friday, January 11, 2002 - 6:23 am: | |
I was in Tallahassee last week and on the way to the airport, saw a white carb 308. You are right though, this will be a great time to be a better do-it-yourselfer!
I've got to believe that between Tallahassee and Panama City Beach, there is at least one respected garage. Thanks for your feedback! |
Scott Gold (Scotttgold)
| | Posted on Thursday, January 10, 2002 - 9:42 pm: | |
I just graduated from FSU last year. I never saw a Ferrari in that town in the 4 years I was there. I bought my 308 when I moved to the Tampa area. I wouldn't trust a mechanic in Tallahassee with my 308. For major work I would just take it to Orlando. If you've never been a do-it-yourself-er then now would be the time to start.
I've done everything from replacing the Alt, Radiator and A/C systems in my 308 all by myself. I think the 308 is one of the last Ferrari's produced where you don't need a Phd to really get down and dirty and work on her.
Good luck man!
If you have any questions about that town, please feel free to ask.
Scott |
Greg Owens (Owens84qv)
| | Posted on Thursday, January 10, 2002 - 9:18 pm: | |
Hello All...
Soon I'll be moving from Virginia to Tallahassee, Florida and wanted to get a headstart on looking for a reputable & respected Ferrari service shop...Orlando is just too far to travel to!
Any suggestions / recommendations? |