Daily driver

My understanding was that the 8 cylinder cars were the "low maintenance" group.
My 8-banger has been pretty good so far.

 

Welcome.

The 328, provided you find one in well-maintained condition, is the most reliable of the Ferraris near your price range. The better ones tend to be above $55K, but if you'll take a higher mileage car or one that is cosmetically just average you can find them in the $40K's. The other good choice is the 308 -- also a relatively simple car to work on for the mechanically inclined, and I think you could get a very nice 308 Quattrovalvole ('84-'85 being best) for <$50K.

348s and Testarossas are also available in your range, but they do seem to have more things to go wrong, and the engine needs to come out for timing belt services (every 3-5 years, though that's a controversial topic...)

5K miles a year isn't much for a daily driver, but you should know that these cars all have drawbacks. As a daily driver, you'll find a Testarossa very wide and not the easiest car to see out of for parking. The V8 cars are easier, but you're really better off having a Honda in the other side of the garage. Exotics are fun to drive and look at, but when it comes to carrying more than 2 bags of groceries, stopping at Home Depot for mulch, getting over steep curbs, etc., they have their issues. Also, when they're in for servicing it's usually not a 1-2 hour wait-for-the-car-at-the-shop kind of deal.

Finally, make sure you know what you're getting into moneywise. A major service on a 308/328 looks like a $5000+ expense, based on my recent experience. A 348 will be more, and a TR could run you $8000+. Purchase prices are affordable, but Ferraris are still toys for the thick of wallet. Parts prices can make you weep. Brake pads are cheap, but try replacing that broken dash vent or targa top latch.

Some good info here regarding servicing: www.eugeniosferrariservice.com

 

Well said! +1

 

Bullfighter said it proper.

in another perspective:
With 40-50k, i would put the Ferrari idea out the window and consider the new M3 (E92).. Lovely performance, lovely sound and quite comfortable, with decent looks... There will be a gas gusler tax and then you will have a warrenty (i test drove one eariler this summer before my wife settled for an A5 instead) - best car to by with 50k atm, imo (not to mention you can get it brand new.) The best Ferraris to daily drive are over 60k, because the likes of the 308/328 series wont have a warrenty, and if you are only doing 5,000 miles, why deal with the hassles.... Unless you were getting a 355 or 360. Even those will be out of warrently, but you will be in something more exciting and with 5k miles a yr, there will be no issues if you find a mint one.

 

ive been buying/driving/selling all of the mentioned cars over the past few months and currently have all 3 at my disposal...heres my take on them!

328:makes an excellent daily driver and much better performance and creature comforts than the 308's but its still basically a 308! Maintain it properly and water pumps and clutches will be the only issues youll face..since its the last of the 308/328 platform these cars have risen sum 15,000 thousand dollars in value over the past 10 months or so as they've caught on to the collector car status.they were a decent number produced and theres not a plethera of low mileage cars out there so remember the more you drive it the less its collector value will be.


348:an even better driver with oodles more power along with a more contemporary design thruout!ALMOST as good as a 355....almost!!its got that great sound but electrical glitches can sometimes occur and clutches can also be an issue!its a real drivers car with a nice powerband that allows one to hang its rear out whenever you want it to!!just know it will also do that in speed situations where you dont want it too so respect the car or become a passenger quickly!! ive seen them as cheap as 40 up to 60k for the nicer ones


TestarossaExcellent Testarossa are priced in the high 50's and a whole lot of bang for the buck!!its a 12 cyl Ferrari (they way Enzo wanted all Ferrari's to be).yeah like a true ferrari it drives and rides like a truck in low speed situations but get it out of traffic and it will scare you and your friends!!like the 328's if you properly maintain the car it wont eat your wallet either!! 58 will get you an excellent example.....like the one i have

 

Yikes! If he buys a decent driver 308 or 328 for $40-50k and grenades the engine after 3 years, he'll take less of an economic hit than he would with a new M3. Plus, he won't have been enjoying a Ferrari for those 3 years. Forgive me, but the M3 option wouldn't even occur to me if I were in his shoes...

 

True about the economic hit, but you should test drive an e92 M .... While the 308s and company are great classic Ferraris, they are only fun when they are not too much of a liability (like most Ferraris.) At least with the BMW he will get a warrenty and get better performance out of the car.

Whilst it would not occur to you as an option, I'd rather have a brand new car with clear disposability, and wait to get a better Ferrari, than get the 308 now and send it back in 8 months... Good little sports cars, but as daily drivers they dont have the versatility the M possess. If he wants to consider the 328, why not consider the 348? Problem is, when you DD these cars, maintinence is a serious set-back, especially if one's networth only allows them a 40-50k car in the first place.

 

In that price range and considering the type of low maintenance you would want, I would absolutely go with a very, very nice 308/328.

I mention the 308 as it is older and therefore probably fully depreciated

if fiberglass commands a better premium down the road, therefore a better investment/holds-its-value

as for the 328 they are getting to be classic too.

stay away from the 348's as they are expensive to maintain and therefore would leave you little on your budget [other than the Mondial T series which MIGHT be in that price range].

You won't find a decent 355 or newer in that range so you are looking at 348 and older.

NOW, here's the hard part: HOW do you drive, What do you want to drive and WHAT roles is this car playing.

IF you want extra room and not just a two seater: then the Mondials are the way to go. Coup for all year driving

IF you want or can accept the two-seaters, which I kind of feel you are leaning, then the coups or TS' are the way to go. WITH the kind of money you are quoting, the GTS would be VERY nice in that you can have any leak issues easily solved in your budget range. These cars are all-weather drivers and yet the GTS has that open feeling, which is my preferred model.

THESE 308/328's are easily sorted, and can easily be boosted if you want more power.

The groups here have re-mfgr'd many important parts such as fuse boxes and [IIRC] strut parts etc.
the 348's are just about getting to that point of re-mfgr'd parts but a few years off. I've paid 'fortunes' for auto-leveling systems, fuse box, engine-out tuneups, etc.

AND, EVERYONE knows, loves the 308/328 series. IF YOU go with a late model [non-purist ] 328 with ABS system, then you have a nice SAFETY commuter.

mmmmm, can't think of anything else except
I drive or the wife does the MONDIAL T as a daily driver, and it works fine. [where is that wood to knock on]

 

I have to agree. New BMWs are great cars, but every gearhead needs to own a Ferrari at least once, and I think the window for picking up a nice 308/328 for reasonable money is finite and closing gradually at this point. They are a raging bargain with respect to exotics. Also, as David S astutely implied, a new M3 is going to cost you falling-off-a-cliff amounts of depreciation.

A 3-series BMW is a top-notch daily driver, especially the M3 package. But it's just not an exotic car or, IMHO, a true sports car as a closed four seater.

 

Bah. First ABS, then airbags and power steering, then vibrating seats, then automatic gearboxes, heated seats and DVD players ... it's a slippery slope into Buick ownership and then off to the retirement home for some cribbage.

 

Porsche 944 and 944S2 timing belts do not last 60K (ask me how I know).
And 308 / 328 timing belts can be good for more than 30K, but you have to watch out for age as well as mileage, if you plan to drive only about 5K per year.

 

Ferrari doesn't design low maintenance cars. These cars require valve adjustments and regular maintenance, in the tradition of racing engines. They were designed and built as plaything for very wealthy motorsports enthusiasts, and to some extent that's still what they are. Belts fail very rarely, but the cars will develop oil leaks and have other foibles that demand some willingness on the part of the owner to open the bonnet and keep his machine in top condition.

If your criteria are maintenance costs, belt durability, and oil change intervals, stay away from exotic cars. Lamborghini services on the Countach and Diablo can run $10,000, and I believe you have to remove the engine to replace the short-lived clutch. Back in Ferrari land, I've seen Boxer and 355 service bills over $20,000. There's a reason most people just buy Porsche Boxsters. Kind of common, kind of mass produced, but the ownership experience doesn't have to be that different than having a Honda.

If you're mechanically adept, you can do a lot of the 308/328 service yourself (so I'm told -- I'm a disaster in waiting when I'm near a toolbox) to keep costs down. Still, Ferraris don't take kindly to being driven hard and then ignored. So, that maintenance still has to happen, whether by your hand or by your mechanic's.

OTOH, Acura NSX, Toyota Supras are very wallet-friendly and might be a better move. Old Porsche 911s, as you mention, are also cheap and indestructible. Nothing wrong with that. Many of us here had Porsches at some point and just decided they weren't nearly as exciting as Ferraris. Frankly, they aren't. "Economical" lost out to "pulse-raising". I had a Porsche 993, and my brother's on his second 911 (997). They're nice, but they just don't excite me the same way a Ferrari does.

You make your decision.

 

Post of the year! Excellent! (from a long-time F-car mechanic who has put 18K miles in three years on my Mondial t Coupe daily driver {with three oil changes, freon and a set of tires} and been racing E30/E36 and E46 M3's for fifteen years )

 

IMO old Ferraris. meaning anything produced more than 4 years ago, are not daily drivers. They break, they are expensive to fix, it's almost impossible to find the right size tires for them and they are ridiculous to insure.
The 599 however, and the 612 particularly, due to the added accommodation, can easily be driven every day. Unfortunately they are not $50K cars just yet.

 

Have you considered Maserati? The cambiocorsa & gransport coupes are quite nice. They have their problems of course, but from what I have read, make better daily drivers then a lot of Ferrari's. The maintenance seems to be a bit better as well. Of course, it's sometimes hard to find places to fix them at if you aren't in a city. You can't expect the car to be done with repairs like a Honda would. Make sure you have another car to use or a reliable, alternative form of transportation. A lot of the car parts probably would need to be ordered in as well. So you're car could be in the shop for awhile. Then again, this is coming from someone with no personal experience. Hopefully someone else can chime in about Maserati reliability and the like. You should look into Maserati though.

 

Unless it's your dream to have a Ferrari, spend the $50K on a new car. Not only will it be more reliable and cheaper to service, it will wipe the floor with a $50K Ferrari performance wise.

 

This is really good advice. NOT a Ferrari by any sense of the word, but a wonderful car none the less. And no compromise in creature comfort or safety compared to driving a 20+ year old 328. (yes, I owned a 308 and 328)

But if you REALLY want to own a Ferrari, find the nices 328 you can, and do it fast.

 

Well this is why I initially recommended the new M3 because its different! I've had 911s (2 previous, and current have a 997) and they are great cars, perfect daily drivers... The best sports car ever built would have to be a 911 Turbo just because of its versatility. I mentioned this in another thread: one of my mates in Portugal (when he was living in the French Alps) bought a 996 T back in 2001, brand new... He uses it as a daily driver, and has done so since 2001 (he still has the car.) He also used it for track driving and long distance trips. . . That car has endured bad whether, hard driving, and daily driving, and is still in solid condition with just over 120,000 miles.
You want a reliable, fast sports car a 996 Turbo is the BEST option for the current price. I have a GT2 and enjoy it just as much as i enjoy my Diablo SV . Two different souls, two different animals .
(not directly to you Bullfighter, but to everyone as well) Do not under-estimate Porsche just because they are not as exotic as Ferrari - quite frankly, the where-with-all for an exotic is well beyond 50k.

Well I daily drive my 355 when im in London, but then again, i only drive it as a secondary means of transport, use taxis most of the time - driving it 3 times a week is healthy enough.

You are right about the front engine, newer Ferraris....

My wife has the old 3200GT and she was happy with it for the first yr, but it has lost its thrill over the time of ownership. . . The feel very underpowered and dont seem fantastic anymore. The cambios are hardly much better, but the Gransports are a great improvement.. I think i have seen some in the 60k range. They can be reliable, but seem to act like Porsches when it comes to owning... At the same time you pay more to maintain one. . .

Exactly what I was saying in the first place. Sure you will take a hit on depre. when you get a new BMW or Porsche, but compare that to the expenses of your 348 or 328, and then balance the feasibility of both scenarios.... You will find out that infact those cheaper Ferraris are a trap unless you have the means of paying 5-20k for maintaining (with no warrenty)

 

Not underestimating. Just a different experience - not a substitute for Ferrari.

Ditto BMW 3 series/M3, which are performance passenger cars, not sports cars.

 

A Ferrari is a Ferrari...end of story.

Many other cars are faster, brake better, handle better and are much cheaper.

But they still are not a Ferrari and you won't find yourself staring at it in the garage with a big grin on your face....

 

i only read the first half of these posts so im not sure if it was mentioned but i truely think for this price range the best idea is a late 90s, early 00s NA996. theyre a lot of fun to drive, very reliable and have very comfortable interiors...which compared to the older ferraris will seem luxurious which is key for a daily. a friend's friend found a great looking '99 black 996 with the hot looking aero package for a little over $25k! thats insane to me, but theyre getting more reasonable. imagine if say...35k was spent..you can prob get a mint one maybe even a carrear 4S ??? ....def would be a super solid buy in my eyes.

 

For this price range, a Porsche 996 isn't a Ferrari.

However 996s are a deal - $25K might buy you a decent coupe.

 

I drove my 308 GTB 85K miles in the rain, sleet and snow, up and down the West Side Highway. Loved every mile.