Here is my story: I have been a car guy forever. I do all the work on my own cars, but I am not a professional mechanic. I do not own a Ferrari. But I want one. A lot. I have found a 1982 GTSI that is only 500 miles from me for $17000. The problem is that it doesn't run. The story that I am told is that someone damaged the underdash wiring during a theft attempt. It doesn't start. The current owner has spent $2000 at two different (non-Ferrari) mechanics and it still doesn't run. He is now fed up and wants out. He says the rest of the car is in good shape. (i.e. body, interior, etc.) Assuming the botched theft damage is the only problem that I can see, should I do it? By the way, this is not the first crippled car that I have tackled. The most recent was a 1991 BMW 318is that had been stored, disassembled, for six years. I reassembled the engine, dashboard, rear brakes, etc. and drove the car for several months until I sold it. Can this 308gtsi be any worse?
A car is a car, but the parts can kill you $$ if it's missing things. Also, a "wont start" story may be concealing a issue with the drivetrain. Just thinking.... There's probably a car out there somewhere for similar money that you can drive home.
Possibly a good buy, at that number... Be advised that the injected Ferraris have BUNCHES of engine control devices, warm up regulators, fuel pump safety interlocks, the fuel distribution system itself. Injectors clog with fuel varnish if not run hard and regularly.. These can 'lock up' simply from disuse, so it's possible they have repaired the dash properly and not realized these problems exist under the hood... As posted if the car is "all there" and you are willing to learn the "fairly simple" early injection system..... Jump on in!
"Non Ferrari" mechanics commonly miss the nuances of these cars, while an old school Tech will put his finger right on them. There's your trouble. Your purchase decision should be based upon distance from a known guru, they are scattered across the country. Where are you located?
I'd be very careful with this one. You could be looking at a possible nice project car that is repairable. Or you could be looking at a total money pit or barely a parts car. It would be well worth paying a couple of hundred bucks to have a Ferrari mechanic take a look at it, make sure the engine turns over, that you don't have a siezed or cracked block, that indeed it is just a matter of sorting out the electrical wiring underneath the dash to get it up and running. Parts on these cars can get expensive, fast. And sorting gremlins can be time consuming and costly as well. Post some pics if you have a chance to look at the car, especially of the engine bay and the fuse block area in the dash (behind the panel on the passenger's side lower portion of the dash).
and what about the electric moduels in the trunk I think their called ecu's or something those boxes if damged by someone hooking up the wrong leads and burnt those out I think they maybe alot of money to replace. I have a reciept that a owner b4 me replaced one at a cost of over $600. and is there two of those?
Digiplex Ignition Modules....yea, I forgot to mention those...... IIRC there's a modern retrofit that takes some of the $$$ sting out, but yea, another issue.
this could be a machanics nightmare in the "what could it be now" as he's replacing wires and boxes,fuse's,and relays
As you mention they are delicate, sensitive to both voltage spikes and grounding. Please post some pics of the overall car's condition, when you see it. There's a reason Insurances Companies are hard on these machines, is it already a Salvage Title from the theft claim??
Unless you are very handy with electrics and know for sure that the drivetrain is in good shape, don't do it. If you want to get into a Ferrari at a reasonable price, find a good driver that is good to go with no stories. Cars that need something can ruin the experience and a portfolio.
As others posted, "doesn't run" can conceal pretty much anything. In fact, if you had pending doom in the engine bay, messing up the underdash wiring would be one unethical way to divert attention from it. And Ferrari parts prices will put you underwater fast, even if you do the work. If you want a Ferrari 308 and don't mind the slow/rust-prone 1980-1982 years, there is a gorgeous, 7,000-mile 1981 308 GTBi for sale in San Diego in the very low $30K range. I don't know why you'd bother paying $17K for a project car that doesn't run when cars like this are available. Before you say that the cheap car is cheaper, I would be surprised if you got that non-running 1982 back on the road for under another $10K. If you want a Ferrari -- a lot -- bank some cash and buy a good one to start.
Totally concur - buy a car that is known to be (and demonstrated) in good working condition. I also have worked on cars my entire life and professionally built performance and competition engines. I have never taken a car to a dealer for other than warranty work, preferring to do it all myself. HOWEVER, IMHO unless you specifically want the challenge/satisfaction(?)/time and MONEY SPENT of turning junk back into a nice car, don't bother. It is almost never a good deal and you will probably end up with more money in the car than you would have if you had purchased a good car in the first place.
Everyone here is correct. I have one other thing to add, given this is your first. If you think you're going to get someone to connect a few wires under the dash, put in some gas, and drive it home, your chances are about as good as winning Powerball TODAY. It's possible, just unlikely. This sounds to me more like someone's project car. Someone who would want to risk spending double the selling price to get it on the road. If you're willing to risk spending that much on the car, then go for it. Either way, expect to pay $30 grand and up to have one down the road. If it were me, I'd find a cream puff and get a PPI. There is no such thing as a "cheap" Ferrari. You get what you pay for, one way or the other.
I think the "unknown zone" aspect of the car(that fact you can not hear it run and drive it) warrants a serious price reduction. 17k is just too close in price to a running car and is too much to pay for the potential risk of a bad drivetrain. You could buy this running one in the low 20's: http://cgi.ebay.com/Ferrari-308-GTSi-1982-Ferrari-308-GTSi-Red-Beauty-in-California_W0QQitemZ360167415872QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item53dba6a040&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A3%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50
Good advice Jay! You can also contact seller and make an offer, if this car is not sold at the end of present auction you will have news from him for sure! I think you could get this car for 20 000$ and even try with 19 500$! As you can count it is not a big difference with 17 000$ !!! Good luck anyway!
As someone posted early the most pressing issue at the moment is the state of the title of the car. I would not be at all surprised if this car was an insurance 'buy back'. I am extremely curious why the seller's insurance company is not footing the repair bill when the car was damaged during a theft attempt???? That has to be ascertained even before worrying about any repair estimates from armchair mechanics, even though there is a lot of validity to those concerns as well.
I think that the advice you are getting here is very accurate. Personally, I would hold off on this one and spend a bit more money to at least get a running car. There is a HUGE difference between working on a 3 series BMW and an 8 cylinder Ferrari. I had a similar 3 series and just bought my Ferrari (I still feel my heart race when I type that). The engineering on the older 3 series is amazing and easy enough for even a novice like me to figure out. I do NOT feel that way about the Ferrari. I bought a good condition, well-known 308 which formerly belonged to another F-Chatter. I have still put $5k into it myself in order to ensure that the car is in perfect working order before I take delivery of it. I know that the car was extremely well-maintained previously and I have 11 years of records to go with it. While these cars are "relatively" simple mechanically, there are still a lot of expensive parts, unavailable parts, etc.... to consider. I would also rather see you have a running chance at driving and enjoying a car than have you turned off and end up with a pretty lawn ornament that may never run again. PDG
Thanks for everyone's input. I am still interested in the subject car, but everyone has convinced me that the price is going to have to be lower for me to be interested. Especially since there are 3 other 308's on Ebay right now for less than $20,000.
Also, do yourself a massive favor and don't make your first Ferrari some cheap unknown clunker on eBay. (I realize there are some reputable sellers who use eBay, but it's also a dumping ground for cars that people want to unload from a long distance.)
