Newbie needing help, please ../

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=55

Hay Guys,

I am new to this board and I am about to become a Ferrari owner. I need your help in evaluating a Ferrari that I am currently looking at.

The Ferrari in question is a 1985 308 GTS QV. It has around 43K miles and it is in excellent cosmetic condition in and out. Here are the last things service-wise done to this car in winter of 2004 (39,949 miles):
- All gaskets and cam seals were replaced.
- All intake and exhaust valves were adjusted.
- Shims were replaced
- Both tensioners and springs were replaced and new belts installed.
- Intake plenum, throttle bodies and valve covers were refinished.
- Entire ignition system was rebuilt with new distributor cap, rotors and ignition wires.
- Alternator was overhauled as a precaution.
- Gearbox, engine oil and coolant fluids were replaced.
- Engine mount dogbone bushings were replaced.

Through research, correct me if I am wrong, I found that the maintenance schedule for this Ferrari is as follows:
- A service? Every 3,000 miles or 12 months which ever comes first
- Every 3rd service, 9,000 miles, cam belts need replacement

This means that this car should have had at least 2 more services since winter of `04 and is due for cam belts service. The seller claims that this car should not require service till winter of '09 or 65k miles whichever comes first.

CarFax does not show any records pre-1993 and the seller is asking for $38K.

What do you guys think? Good deal, bad deal?

Thanks in advance,
B

 

the cam belts don't need to come off at 9000. Ferrari says (now) 3 years or 30,000 miles. 4 years or 30,000 is about what most around here do.

 

My first take is the price seems fair. An 85 308 GTS is a desirable year/model.

Servicing often ends up being based on time - Ferrari says (in a TSB) that the belts need to be changed every 3 years or 30,000 (??) miles, whichever comes first - due mostly to the fact that few of these cars get anything close to that amount of mileage.

The valve adjustment is often omitted when people try to do a service on the cheap, and re-powdercoating the intake plenum suggests an owner who cared enough to keep the engine bay looking nice.

The car isn't quite due for a major service, but it's also a new-to-you old car. I wouldn't wait for the 4 year mark. I would also replace the battery if you don't know how old it is, and check the fuse block closely. There are many posts on FChat about Birdman's upgraded fuse block, and 308 electricals are the cars' weak spot.

If you haven't had the car inspected ("PPI"), you might make sure the compression numbers are good and have it checked out for frame damage. Carfax is a good start, but Ferraris are frequently hit and repaired without that being reported to insurance or Carfax. I'm assuming this car doesn't have a 'salvage' title.

Congrats in advance, though. Sounds like a well looked-after car.

 

The 3K miles services are largely inspections and tweaking, so are able to be skirted if usage is minimal...

Belts are a big deal as the cost of failure is high......tensioner bearings at the same time always...

I agree this sounds like a pampered car......drive on!

 

IN the seller's defense the Original Owner's Manual in the car has a longer belt change interval..........

He'd have to be a Ferrari Service Tech, aware of the recent Tech Bulletin changing this interval, or spend all his time hanging around Internet chat rooms, to know otherwise.....

 

I think valves are every 30K. I have done mine twice and both times they really didn't need it. The first only 2 were out opposite of each other and the shims just needed switching as if when they were first put in, they just got reversed by accident. The second time they were all still in spec. I read somewhere that after the first adj. or so they pretty much stay still. At least mine have between 57,000 and 98,000 miles

 

An 85' GTS QV is a great car and a blast to drive, I have one (since Aug 05') and love it.
Just be sure to get the "right one" that's been inspected by a Ferrari expert. (not just a local mechanic)

Then enjoy !

 

Exactly. You'd have to be a real web chat nerd to know crap like this.

 

Thank you, you guys are the greatest.

I hope that I get this car as it looks like I am going to have tons of fun hanging around you on this lovely board. I am going to see it this weekend and hopefully I’ll be driving it back.

Ok, what I gather so far is that:
1) The 12 months or 3,000 miles service is a bunch of check this, inspect that and one could lax on it if the car is not driven much.
2) The Cam Belts service is done every 3-to-4 years or 30,000 miles which ever comes first. Do you guys think I should at least ask for this since the last service on this car was done in winter of ’04?
3) PPI is a must specially a compression test. Believe it or not but my relentless online search for a Ferrari Specialist/Mechanic in the area where I am buying the car, Pittsburgh, PA, did not yield anything. From the looks of it this dealer seems to be the only Ferrari Specialist in the area, odd. If I cannot do a PPI, what could my alternatives be?
4) Check the Fuse box. I am thinking of getting Birdman’s upgraded Fuse box as a first mod for this car.
5) Find out how old the battery is.
6) Check completeness of the onboard tool kit and the presence of a spare tire. What is that plastic white container that sits above the spare tire? Is that the Windshield washer fluid?

How much does the Cam Belts Service set you back? I have also read about a Major Service. What is a Major Service? How much does it roughly cost? And how often do you do it? Or is that the same as the Cam Belts Service?

P.S. The CarFax came clean on this one.

My apologies for the many questions and I really appreciate your patience and your help.
B

 

1) It should be a fluid change service - motor/gear oil, coolant, brake fluid (not sure that has to be done every year, but I do). Plus my mechanic takes a spin around the block and puts the car on a lift to check clamps, hoses, etc. You cannot be lax on anything on a 22 year-old Italian car! My car had its annual service in December, and he found that one of the steering rack boots was loose. No big expense, but a year of driving that way would allow dirt into the steering rack and improper lubrication.

Another time he found a hose that was on the way out. $9 hose, but I would have had a geyser coming out of the rear deck if we had just let it go.

2) Get the cam belt service done after you buy it. I negotiated a couple of thousand off the price of my car because it was slightly overdue. You want to get to know your mechanic, and you want your mechanic to get to know your car. Also, you want to be absolutely sure the work is done thoroughly and right. Sellers can throw a new belt on a Ferrari V8 and call it done, but there's more to it than that.

3) Exoticars Pittsburgh should be able to point you to someone. Or post in the PA section on this site.

6) Yes, the white container is washer fluid.

A full major service on a 308 should run about $4K from an independent, higher at an authorized dealer.

Patience? We hate talking about Ferraris around here, but if you insist ...