How much is a pristinely restored 1980 308GTBi worth?

p.s. If you have the car repainted, be sure to get a new appraisal and up the amount of your insurance coverage, especially if you have collector car coverage with an agreed-upon value for the car. Too many folks with old cars undervalue them for insurance purposes. If you have an accident or the car burns to the ground, you'll wish you had. I hit a deer many years back with one of my Jaguar XKE's. The insurance company wanted to total the car because the cost of repairs exceeded the agreed value. After that, I had all my collector cars appraised and insured them all to the maximum value.

Just a thought.

 

Well, argue with NADA and Cavallino. They both show top values for the QV at $58-65K, and the 328 $62-75K.

But remember, just as you said, most of us yaking on Fchat arent into those kinds of cars, we want drivers. The guys looking for real garage queens dont come here much, and they wouldnt want most of our cars. They want the 4K mile beauties with all the proper accoutrements, such as perfect jack and jack bag, tool roll, etc... But the days of cheap 308's may be coming to a close.

The point is that, for the OP, if he already has a nice low mileage example with recent service history in decent condition, a high quality paint job can only make the car more desireable. But whether it will pay for the cost of painting it would be anyones guess.

 

Bump

 

So the bottom end "top" for a 1981 is just $4k less than a 328! I'm no expert on the concourse 100 point cars...although now that I think about it these values make perfect sense. These are show cars, not drivers, so they are essentially the same to the people who buy them. We who drive our toys put a much higher value on a 328.

Ken

 

I agree with most of this, although a QV in top condition seems like it would still bring more than an "i". What people are missing here, and probably in general, is that all of these 308s are way underpowered, so the extra horsies, and mediocre rustproofing, are less of a big deal now than they were.

I think the OP would have no trouble getting $35K++ for his car if it had a brand new, show quality paint job - meaning window seals were removed, the car was taken down to bare metal where there was any hint of rust, and the rust-prone areas were treated with modern preventatives. Personally, I would buy an "i" if I knew it was that good.

Condition is going to be paramount with all of the 308s. Performance is already irrelevant. These are very old cars with widely admired lines, and collectors will determine the market for the best ones.

I'd say the OP has to do what feels right to him. I think he would get his money out of a $7500 paint job, but obviously this isn't a get-rich-quick plan.

Good point about FChat and driver cars. People on this site tend to take their cars out more than typical Ferrari owners, IMO. I have no doubt there are pristine, time warp 308GTSi/Bi's out there pushing into 328 pricing territory based solely on condition.

In fact, people tend to save the early or last models of collectible cars, so the in-betweener injected cars may ultimately be the rarest.

 

There was a very nice black 80 or 81 308GTBI in the Atlantic City show this weekend for 32k.The car was very nice and had a recent service.The same dealer had a 6k 87 TR that he wanted 62k for. MBG

 

Give me carbs or 4valves, and no Bricklin-bumpers.

 

328s are four-valves-per-cylinder as well.

Bricklin bumpers look borrowed from the U.S. version 308, esp. the back.

EDIT: Actually, the nose of the car looks stolen outright from the 308.
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too refined though, I prefer my carbed 308.

 

Yes, carbs are a different animal.

 

Right, 7,500 is not that high. I was quoted 6k on a FIAT Spider.

 

I think that bit about having to go down to the bare metal to get a quality job isn't true. Just ask Maaco.

 

Ken, any chance the 308 line will rise in value like the dino did? Who's to say it won't?

 

You can count on it appreciating; how much is the question. A lot of them are pretty rough and will deteriorate even more. They are so expensive to keep on the road compared to the purchase price that lots of people get in over their heads. So the supply is going down.

Being a practical DIY car, even 20 years from now people can keep the expense down by working on them. I shudder to think how 30-40 year old 360's will fare! So there will be continued demand for the 308 series.

On the down side, they made a whole lot of them! So they won't ever reach 246 prices, but should stay ahead of 308 GT4 prices. I think they will pass the 348's for sure, and maybe equal the 355 prices in time. $60-70k for nice ones? Who knows! I'm still waiting for my car to hit $20k! LOL

Ken

 

I always thought Ferrari started rustproofing in 1983...didn't think they did that on the "i" cars.

As far as value, all thing being equal (condition, service records, etc), I think a QV will always bring in more than an "i". The "i"s are underpowered and were built to conform to US standards without proper planning. The QVs fixed that problem in order to get back to the performance of the carbs (not sure they made it all the way as I never drove a carbed 308, but good effort) and are therefore valued higher than the "i"s.

Not sure how Cavallino compiles their prices ranges, but per the Feb/Mar 2007 issue (for those who do not subscribe):

1977-80 308 GTB (Steel) 30,000-40,000
1977-80 308 GTS 25,000-40,000
1980-82 308 GTBi 30,000-60,000
1980-82 308 GTSi 25,000-60,000
1982-85 308 GTB QV 30,000-50,000
1982-85 308 GTS QV 30,000-65,000

I don't understand why the "i" is getting more than the carbed, or why the GTBi is listed as $10,000 higher than the GTB QV at the high end. Makes no sense to me and I disagree. I see no benefit to the "i"...unless they are taking into consideration production numbers (494 for the GTBi and 748 for the GTB QV).

Just my $0.02.

 

Horsepower alone does not make the car. The 308 standing still is faster than any car out there (my opinion). It gets my heart racing just looking at her in the garage. My TrailBlazer has 275hp, but doesn't move me...the 308 does. As far as what's the big deal about a QV...it's an improvement of the 308 line. I personally think it's the best looking of the line (better than the 328)...again, just me. I love the black louvers and the big US bumpers!! That's how I first saw a real 308 (not on TV) and that's what I always dreamt about.

So, to sum up...QV = better performance + better looks.

 

Rareness and desireability are two different things. I saw a guy advertising a 1 of 1 69 charger with a slant six 3 on the tree as rare. Indeed it is but its a turd.

A 246 dino is a perfect example of a slow car being worth a lot of money so that doesnt count either. I bet a new smart car would out run a 246 with some fat chick behind the wheel and her slimfast on the front seat.

 

Per Keith Bluemel, it started in January 1984.

Not sure what you're seeing, but the factory applied no rustproofing, and 308s tend to be rust traps.

Aftermarket rustproofing was a big business in the up through the '80s, IIRC. It's possible it was aftermarket.

You also wouldn't see shiny bare steel inside the doors - it's probably primer (?) Photos would help.

True, horsepower and 25-year old cars don't belong in the same sentence.

I admit I like the plain bonnet and flat center console on the earlier cars, although the 308/328 vented bonnet is more functional. I'd take any of them, though. Frankly the cosmetic differences aren't that big, IMO. The more time I spend around Ferraris, the more I appreciate the earlier 308s as much as the more refined later QVs.

I guess for my money I'd either go with a 'glass 308 (ultimate rawness/light) or a 328 (refined/sleek/dependable) and skip the in-betweeners.

To the OP: If you're planning to invest in the car for the long haul, I agree with the above post about $7500 not being a likely price for a show car paint job.

 

You guys are forgetting our thread on the proper abbreviations. 2 valve injected 308s are not called "i" cars. They are called 2Vi.



Birdman

 

84-85 qv's have 4 valves, so more power, rustproofing, improved cylinder liners(less oil usage) and an improved emissions system-NO air pump, air injection instead, so several improvements over the std 2V cars of the early 80's .
(might be others)

 

Thats not rust proofing, its undercoat. My 79 has it as well. The newer 308's got a metal treatment that supposedly slows rust they also got the goop treatment like yours. The 328 and QV panels had something called Zyncrox. To me its no big deal either way, you give up the carbs and get better rust treatment with rocker switches instead of toggles.

So what is a restored "i" worth anyway? So far I hear about paint but not a nut and bolt resto. I say to someone that wants a perfect 308, $80K considering it takes $100K to get it there. Is there any 0 mile perfect 308's out there? if so they need an engine out service and suspension bushings to start with. Ill sell my 79 GTB when its done for $80K cdn if anyone is interested.