Most dependable/reliable Ferrari?

Lots of guys say the 328 is bulletproof. I have had (mostly) good luck with 550's.

 

328, although the F430 is too new to judge.

 

I have been told of someone in Italy who owns a 599 with almost 150K Km (90K miles!!!) with 0 problems. Only regular services.

 

As a daily driver or 12K miles/yr I’d take the 550.

For weekend fun the 328. Starts every time even after sitting for 3 months.

 

That's amazing -- he must never shut the car off.

Still, I think you'd want a bigger sample size before concluding that a 599 is reliable.

 

He had the car for 3 years. So about 30K per year. It's the guy's DD.

Not bad...

 

How do you manage to let it sit for 3 months? I can't last more than a week or two at the most... But yes. Dependable every time.

When I first bought it, the local mechanic told me that the 328 was "the closest thing to a Toyota that Ferrari ever built. And I mean that in a good way."

 

I'm out of the country more than I wish at times. Maybe I should get two

 

Yes. I think you should.

 

The most dependable Ferrari is one that is properly maintained and sees regular use.

 

+100

 

Are you sure you're on the right forum?

 

Not quite sure I believe your post sir. They say if you remember the 70's you weren't there. LOL.

 

Getting off topic, but I think of the 70's sports cars as wedge shaped ala 308 GT4. 308/328's were pretty unique in the car world styling wise.

Back on topic, all 3 of the 328's I owned and still own were/are very reliable. Likewise the 430 I bought new in 2005 but it is a bit early to make final pronouncements.

Dave

 

My vote is for the 328.

 

To me the most reliable Ferrari's are the early models 60's, 70's prior to computer involved car maintenance, just "points ,plugs,condenser" as soon as you(mechanic) has too plug the car in to get a "computer read out"....."YOU ARE SCREWED!!!".....Owner maintenance equals "Owner Involvement".....Much more pleasureable...Much more informed!!!!.....Mark.....ps, Computers "SUCK!!".

 

Which explains why every vintage owner converts their point system to modern electronic ignition while they curse every electrical system in their cars, add modern electric fans for cooling, use modern silicone sealers for gaskets to try to stop oil leaks, rebuild the clutches using modern materials, etc, etc.

Oh, yah. Classics are MUCH more reliable.

 

The 2009 study has*Buick*and*Jaguar*tied for the top spot. This is a considerable improvement for both brands — Buick moved up from sixth place in 2008 while Jaguar jumped from the 10th spot.Lexus*follows in third place, with*Toyota*and*Mercury*rounding out the top five.
lease take over

 

+101!

 

+102



Mike in Kuwait

 

550

 

I'm not a computers-in-cars guy, but I think we tend to glorify the old days overmuch. The 328 (especially) and Testarossa seem to be Ferrari's first very well-sorted cars for the owner without a live-in mechanic. And the models that followed got too complicated won't age well.

Prior to that, you had adventures in vintage Italian wiring, mechanical/durability issues due to old school manufacturing ('60s Ferraris are some of the most dollar-per-mile intensive cars I know of), and the charm of old Italian cooling systems -- which seem to have been better than the British ones, if that's a consolation (the Jag XK-140, for example, had a narrow grille that made proper cooling difficult.)

The '60s and early '70s cars are certainly easier to troubleshoot, but there seems to be more of it. Someone posted above about Jaguar being at the top of the JD Power quality survey this year. Can you imagine an E-Type up against any modern car? The leaks and tantrums would drive any modern buyer nuts.

I'm a huge fan of classic/vintage cars, but they are more of a hobby than a mode of transport.

 

To use the phrase "every vintage owner" would implie and infer that you "know" very vintage owner, which I am sure is not the case. My main point is this, once you are at the mercy of a Ferrari Mechanic telling the owner that the car needs to be hooked up to a diagnostic machine to find the problem, then the hands-on experience of fixing your own Ferrari is no longer an option. On aside note I don't believe that concourse judges like MSD ignition on "vintage Ferrari's......Mark.