I'm thinking of buying Mondial HELP!!!!!!

Hmmmmmmm. I'm the wrong person to ask because I'm on the lunatic fringe of how much.

BUT... If the 3.2 checks all your appealing boxes, then you're n luck. The 3.2 cost much less than my T to maintain.

Don't be afraid of the miles, I've seen the insides of these engines and they are made for the long haul IF a no good POS didn't touch it along the way. What's more important is the knowledge of where it's been and the who or the how many have serviced it along those 50k miles

Check the history. 20k is very cheap. There's a reason. And there's a saying, there no such thing as a cheap Ferrari, especially a Mondial. What is even more true, is as long as it was serviced well, it can and will be a wonderful car for miles to come. Ask me how I know

-Ted

 

Is this the one? Ferrari Mondial Convertible | eBay .

Looks like a pretty car! Be sure to ask for documentation on the service.

2cam

 

My car has 70K miles on it and not the slightest puff of smoke out the tailpipe. These engines are good for many miles if taken care of. I like to see recent driving history, it will show that it can be reliably driven. They are good cars. Go to the 308/328 section and look at the buyers guide, lots of good information in there, they are basically the same car. Clutches don't have to be too expensive. At 70K I still have the original.

Did you work on your own RRs? If you can work on them without causing harm you should be able to do these. Slow, methodical and with care and you should be OK.

To ask about belt service cost is opening a can of worms. Few recommend doing just belts. A 30K service isn't a bad idea and even that can bring up debates of what is necessary or included. Prices are all over the board. You might get out of a shop for $3500 or less, or if the car is needy and has many problems and you want to make it right or do a full rehab including suspension and on and on, you could spend the purchase price of the car on a mechanical restoration. This you avoid by chosing the right car.

Think condition, not miles.

 

Why a 3.2 only? If this is the one on Feebay, it sure sits high!!

 

The Mondial is the perfect Ferrari in my opinion with regards to their rawness and simplicity that is so appealing. An Enzo era car that just works. Practical and exotic at the same time with Pininfarina styling and Ferrari exoticness that is just more appearing than any other car that sells for the same price of a new Honda or BMW. And you don't have to spend an absolute mint for the privilege of this Ferrari ownshership. As Ted and Dirk said, the 3.2 Mondial engine is among the very best of Ferrari's long history. Highly dependable, easy to work on, and with fewer electrical gremlins than the t and the 8. But these are old cars regardless of which one you get. The wedding is only a small part of the cost of ownership. Something as simple on a car like an ignition coil which may cost $35 on a GM car can cost $600 on a Ferrari. And everything worn out is not easily replaceable. For example David J has the last OEM rubber B column trim pieces for the convertible top in the world. At the end of the day, all of these cars will need love, regardless of which one you choose. Buy the very best you can. There are a few owners out there like myself who have spent almost as much on upkeep as they have on the car itself by getting work done by people who truly know Ferrari engines. These are the Mondials you should really want to own. Not everyone who turns a wrench gets these high performance engines humming at their best. But these cars are still able to be worked on by the do it yourself mechanic and some, like Mike Sou have been able to do their own engine in major service on these cars with a great deal of success. Best of luck! Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

 

These engines are very durable. I have over 90K now with no issues and good/even compression across all cylinders. I think the biggest threat to the longevity of these engines is careless owners, no problem with the hardware itself.

I can't speak to having it serviced by someone other than myself, but in all of the models other than the 't', it is do-able by a shadetree mechanic with reasonable skills without having to remove the engine. A low of maybe $200 in parts, a little more if you go with Hill tensioner bearings.

As you will find in many threads here, garage queens may be in excellent cosmetic appearance but you might find yourself changing a lot of perished plastic and rubber parts. A well maintained car that gets driven should have fewer issues at the outset.

Again, I don't know the cost with someone else doing the work, but well under $1000 for DIY. Of course, this depends on other things, getting the flywheel resurfaced or possibly replaced, etc. On the non-'t' models this service is very easily done.

Off the top of my head, here are some of the typical repair issues that seem to occur with these cars, outside of routine maintenance (note that these things happen with some regularity in the community at large, but shouldn't happen with great frequency for an individual owner):

Water pump refurbishment/upgrade... often done at the time of a belt service.
Shift shaft seals.
Starter issues, a few different problems with different options/remedies, well documented in the community. Aftermarket replacements available, as well as different wiring options to reduce current through ign. switch.
Clutch slave cyl. sees a lot of heat and seals fail, rebuildable or replaceable without great cost or effort.
Fuseblock can be a source of electrical problems, probably affects all cars at some point. Many different solutions/repairs possible. Very common.
Slow window motors: grease that's turned to paste and marginal current supply to the motors conspire on this. Very common.
Oil leaks, usually an artifact of a poorly done gasket/seal replacement in the past, IMO.
30-40 year old fuel/vapor lines are candidates for replacement. Very high quality aftermarket parts available.
Some people have had problems with spark plug wires, pinholes develop and arc occur to the head/block.

Biggest enemy in these cars is deferred maintenance. Often owners can afford the car but don't bother with upkeep. Those are the expensive cars from a maint. perspective. Once you've sorted one of these cars out, it will surprise you with its trouble-free operation.

Some parts are only available at silly prices -- distributor caps come to mind. Many other parts can be had reasonably... most of the Bosch FI stuff crosses to much more common cars, for example.

I have a QV coupe. I prefer it to the cabriolet... much stiffer chassis. These cars will surprise you with the good and well-mannered handling. They are a joy to drive, and are very well designed from a service perspective, making them a joy to work on as well.

Charles

 

Exhibit A = (1986 Mondial 3.2 Rosso/negro cabrio, $20K with 50,000 miles)

How many miles do these engines usually get?
--->Depends but over 100k miles is not uncommon
What should i look for?
--->Service Records, who did the maintenance and when, get a full PPI report on current condition, whats working, whats not, and what needs to be replaced

How much is a full belt including timing belt change?
--->Depends, you plan to do it yourself or take it to a shop you trust?
--->For this car, you will need accessory belts: alternator belt,ac belt, waterpump belt
--->For the cam belts or timing belts, you will need 2 belts, 1 for left bank and 1 for right bank along with a set of Hill Engineering pulley bearing tensioners
--->Depending how old water pump is, may need to rebuild or get new water pump/gaskets
DIY kits ~$1300 + waterpump $500 (RicambiAmerica.com -ask Daniel for help)
Shop price ~$4500 + what ever else they find that needs changing (dryrot, brakelines, fuel lines, tires, windows, electrics, etc)
Don't be surprised that you may end up with a $9k bill.

Should I wait and get a car with lower miles?
--->Depends on service history, cost benefit analysis, how long you planning on keeping it etc...

How much is a clutch replacement?
--->$1500-$3000

The car is an 86 3.2 model and i have just about decided to get the 3.2 only...
--->Is this because you do not want an engine out car like a T? It is true that the 3.2/QV is more user friendly for the DIY guys but a T is a better performance car.


I recently retired Bentley/RR cars for good.....and I mean for good.....
--->So are these cars junk, please explain what you mean???

 

Hey, this is doc, I'm on the other side of the metro from you. I have a Mondial with over 100k miles, and running tight and strong. No oil consumption, and good comps on all cylinders. Still on the original clutch, but I know how to drive.

The belt job is something you and I will do together. The materials for just the timing belts and bearings is about $300 or a bit less. I recommend the water pump and all acc belts be replaced at the same time, adding another ~$600 depending on your water pump housing.

Clutch job is $1200 in materials and a good long wknd of work. If you are not DIY and want the shop to do it, I would estimate 35 hours.

The engines are pretty bulletproof on the inside. It's all the accessories around the engine that go haywire. You should also budget for some front bushings eventually because they do age and the front steering will start to get a bit sloppy or wandering. I just did my front bushings a year back and they were shot.

 

Welcome!

Just 2 things:

1) Get a full PPI (Pre-Purchase Inspection) at a reputable mechanic - they will no doubt come up with a laundry list of faults/defects - keep this in mind when negotiating the final price

2) Once you purchase the car, depending on the model - normal maintenance is part of the cost of ownership. Expect everything to cost about 10X what you would expect of a normal mass produced car, and take 10X as long. Now if you can wrench yourself - even better; but if you're a busy guy with limited skills (like me) - you can't escape this fact. (and know I'm not exaggerating for effect - when I say 10X - I mean 10X)
If it costs $500 to keep a normal car running in tip top shape - expect $5,000 a year to bring back a 30 year old car back to pristine shape (at least for the first years of ownership) - after say 3-4 years of this - I would argue the cost would go down...but just be prepared.....these cars are notorious of somebody buying a 20K-30K Ferrari and not prepared to spend 50% of their purchase price in maintenance the first few years...then sell to another person that has the same exact situation...and so on....see #1

As long as you approach the purchase with a sober and realistic mindset - you will be rewarded with grins from ear to ear....

Good Luck!