buying a 1985 308 GST QuattroValve

I am buying a 1985 308 GST QuattroValve,Car has 36,000 miles Can anyone give me tips and pointers abouth this car ?This if my first Ferrari and I would love to hear what anyone has to say good or bad. Many Thanks Captglen

 

Congrats! These are great cars. I'd suggest you get a PPI, make sure you have all of the maintenance records, and you most likely will want to look into getting the belts and tensioners changed immediately if you don't know that they were done recently.

Paul

 

Thanks Paul
Supposedly all belts and pulleys were replaced aprox 1500-2000 miles ago. Sorry to sound stupid
what is a PPI ?

 

Hey, we all gotta be newbies at one point

A Pre-Purchase Inspection. You pay a competent Ferrari Mechanic about $500 to check the car out and make sure you know the condition.

 

Pre-Purchase Inspection. They generally cost a few hundred dollars and take a couple of hours. But it will find any problems the car may have. Find a shop who is familar with 3x8 series cars as well

 

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "suposedly", but in my opinion, if it ain't documented... it ain't!
Make sure there are detailed service records showing the major belt service including pulleys, tensioners, etc. If it's not documented, the owner/dealer should be able to tell you where the service was performed. You can then contact that mechanic and see if they have a record of it in their system. If that fails, you probably can assume that you will need to invest in that service before long. On a positive note, the 308/328 series is one of the least expensive in terms of major service costs because the engine doesn't need to come out for the work to be done.

 

Oh yea, it's also important to find out how long ago that service was performed. It may have been a couple thousand miles ago, but 10 years or more. Anything over about 3-5 years, and it's due again regardless of miles. However, this could be a subject of debate.

 

"308 GTS Quattrovalvole."

Practice your Italian. If you say "QuattroValve" while you're near the car it will break. An '85 is a good year for 308s (last year of that model), and the mileage isn't too high or too low, so that's good.

As far as what to know/do, it somewhat depends on where you're buying it (Ferrari dealer? Lawn sale somewhere?) and what kind of history comes with the car. You want a stack of recent service records, documenting that a major service (which includes the belts, tensioner bearings, and a valve adjustment) was done by a reputable Ferrari tech -- and you need to know the date of the service. If it was done last year at a Ferrari dealer, that's $4K (approx) you won't need to spend right away. If it was "supposedly" done 10 years ago by some guy's neighbor's cousin at the Shell station, you can assume the car is due for everything. That stack of receipts should tell you something about the owner as well: Ferrari service is expensive, and a lot of guys won't do the preventative maintenance needed on these cars.

During the PPI, a compression test will tell you if the engine is in good shape or will need major attention. Don't underestimate the costs of a Ferrari with a bad engine. Also don't underestimate the costs of rust (check the door bottoms especially.)

Finally, make sure you drive the car, and don't expect too much. Appreciate it for what it is, which is a body-on-frame car from another era. The 308 design goes back to 1975, and its chassis has roots in the 1960s. It is not a modern car, and even in 1975 it had crappy climate control, a stiff gearbox when cold and 'interesting' ergonomics. It makes most of its power at high RPMs, so it doesn't feel fast off the line, and there are no electronic nannies to prevent the car from swapping ends in the hands of an unskilled driver.

That said, there's nothing else like a Ferrari, and the new ones lost something along the way.

It could even be the subject of a thread. Or two...

hundred.

 

I also have an 85' and the only area that really needed attention were the fuseblocks. They should be replaced with the heavy duty ones made by a member here called "Birdman". I would also reccommend replacing all of the relays. (next to the fuseblocks behind the cover on the passenger side)
I did both of those things($200 for both) when I bought my car and it's been unbelievably reliable for 2 1/2 years now. Everything works better with the proper voltage applied.
Enjoy, the 308qv's are GREAT Ferraris !!!!

 

The dirty little secret is that even if there are records, you don't know that the work was actually done. I ALWAYS want the parts that were taken off returned to me. Tensioners come to mind in this regard. Hard to reach spark plugs are the most commonly ignored. One good reason to do what you can yourself, aside from saving $$$.

 

Just want to say thanks for all the great feedback on my 85 308GTS QV, I plan on taking the car to Joe Palma's Automotive. I spoke to him briefly yesterday and he said call him Monday to make the arrangements also has anyone done business with him or another shop called Fred Sonsini's in Plymouth Meeting, PA. I spoke to him also but Joe's place came reccomended. Any feedback would be appreciated !!!
Thanks again to everyone !!!!
Captglen

 

are you going to share some more info on the car? what color,interior,what shape is that in hows the carpet, you just going out there leaving us in suspence! and how about filling out the rest of your bio,then we will congratts you on your new car.........85qv good year

 

Sorry I didn't give more info but here it is. The Car is Red with a Beige leather interior. Car looks really good and drives great, interior is in really good shape just needs a good cleaning, I did notice the control shift that says F-M-R on the side does not go all the back so I suspect the cable may need to be lubed or replaced, I didn't think it was a deal breaker. Car has apprx 37,000 miles and I will get all the records when I pick up the car on Tuesday. The shop I purchased it from had some major cars there like 3 Countaches, 1 Really Sweet Ferrari F40, a few Diablo's, 4 Testarosa's and he said he had about 20 more cars at various locations. The sales guy ( the owner ) seemed Ok but really didn't give me as much time as I would have liked but then again he said he was very busy and sells almost 40 cars a month by himself and this car was one of his least expensive models and he was selling it for a friend who wanted to upgrade to a newer Ferrari. I liked the car and he took my 83 944 with 59,000 mile ( I am the original owner and was in great condition ) in trade along with a little cash to make the deal I needed. I am a little concerned about the upkeep costs but I plan on keeping this car a long time and will put the car on a maintence schedule so I know it should run fine, I just need to get everything checked out and find a starting point to begin. All the suggestions I have gotten so far have been great and I plan on using most of them right away. I will fill out my bio page when I get the chance as I need to clean my garage so when the Ferrai comes home its room is clean. Thanks to everyone, I am so excited my wife wants to send me to the looney bin. LOL
Thanks
Captglen

 

Post some photos

 

Depending on how "little cash" you are referring to, sounds like you got a great deal!

Please post pics when you pick her up We'd love to see.

James in Denver

 

Here are the pics I have now, when I get " The Car " I will post more
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well I've to say welcome to the land of ferrari,and when you get her home register it with wade, he'll put it up on the site but be paient it well take amonth his site for qv is www.308qvregister.com , you well be in the elete club of 308'sqv,but then anyone who owns a ferrari is in that club!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

can you share what you paid so that we qv owners know that our prices are holding,I paid 37k,and it had new interior,paint3 years ago,belts(maj) 3 years ago also I have 52k miles and I'm happy with it,I plan to keep it a long time,but I think you did very well,congratts

 

According to the photos the car looks great Glenn.

 

hey glenn, do you have the vin# that would be the last five numbers,mines #52969 build date is july 1984,but its a 85,don't forget to reg it on the site I gave you above

 

From the photos your car looks beautiful. I am newbie as well, but have had a Euro '85 for about 7 months. I immediately did a major service which I knew it needed and replaced the fuseblocks with the Birdman's unit. The car runs cool, zero glitches, so far. I probably should have replaced the relays as well while replacing the fusebox.

Post up you driving impressions when you finally take it for a spin. I was "nervous" that I might have been drawn to an ideal, not the actual car. Have to say that turned out to be a ridiculous thought. I had a grin the rest of the day after the first drive - Thanks again Daniel for the intro.

 

I will be glad to post the price and also the Vin number once I pick up my car which as of now is Tuesday. I just don't want any bad Karma until I have the title in my hands. Thanks again to everyone and hopefully I will get to say Thank you in person some day. I am looking forward to learning about my car and meeting some great Ferrari comrades.
captglen

 

understood,good luck and that title is very important

 

It is my undertanding that 1985 QVs are identical to the 1984s.

 

Verrrrrry close. Dr. Tommy knows the secret difference between them.

With regard to this car, check the wheel wells - the photos aren't crisp enough to tell, but it looks like some overspray there (?)