Put the 328 away for the winter :( | FerrariChat
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Put the 328 away for the winter :(

Discussion in '308/328' started by mike996, Oct 21, 2009.

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  1. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

    Jun 14, 2008
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    Mike 996
    #1 mike996, Oct 21, 2009
    I'm leaving MD for Mexico on Sun so today I sadly winterized and put the 328 under it's cover and in it's garage where it will sit until late May. I took it out for a short run and, as everyone noted, smiled the whole time and kept saying, "What a great car!" It's interesting that when I'm NOT in the car I think about adding power but when I AM in the car I just enjoy it so much that it doesn't seem important at all. I'm just hoping that someday it and I will be able to spend more time together.

    But sadly, taking it to Mexico is just not workable for several reasons one of the most important is that looking like a rich guy there is a really dumb idea. And despite the fact that the car is 20 years old and cost less than many new cars, it LOOKS like a rich guy car. It's too bad because there are some really great roads there and although the speed limit is approx 70MPH on the Quota (toll "interstates" with 4 6 or 8 lanes). If you actually went 70 you'd be flattened by double-semi trucks. 100 mph is fairly common with 80 being the low side except for old pickups full of corn and kids which may be going 25mph on the same road!

    We may be moving to San Antonio, TX in a few years so it might be going there though I think we will still be spending more time in Mexico than there. But it's an easy 1+30 flight from Mexico City direct to San Antonio which makes things pretty easy...
     
  2. MJT328GTS

    MJT328GTS Formula Junior

    Mar 30, 2005
    374
    St. Louis
    Full Name:
    MJT
    #2 MJT328GTS, Oct 21, 2009
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2009
    Mike,
    I know what you mean!! I'll be preparing my car for "winterizing" soon and I'm hoping to get a ride or two in before I take it down for the winter.

    It's so true that even though there are plenty of cars out there that are more powerful than the 328, NOTHING beats its style!!! It is SO UNIQUE and its design is time tested.

    I sat in a 355 the other day and although it perfroms better, I would NEVER trade my 328 for that car!! The 328 just has a style, interior and exterior, that I just LOVE!!! I'M NEVER LETTING MINE GO!!!

    MJT328GTS
     
  3. PittsS2APilot

    PittsS2APilot Formula Junior

    Jun 29, 2007
    857
    Gulfport MS
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    Joe
    #3 PittsS2APilot, Oct 21, 2009
    That's one thing great about living down south. The winter is the best time to drive. Daytime temps normally in the 50's-70's for highs. Nice cool air, windows down, heater on and nothing but highway in front of you!
     
  4. GatorFL

    GatorFL Moderator
    Moderator Owner

    Nov 18, 2005
    16,972
    Wellington, FL
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    Duane
    #4 GatorFL, Oct 21, 2009
    Agreed, I need to give mine a nice wash and get 'er out on the road!
     
  5. Futureman

    Futureman Formula 3

    May 16, 2007
    2,024
    #5 Futureman, Oct 21, 2009
    SA is a great city. Nice people and good food. Hope you make it there. Course, as a Texan, I'm biased. ;)
     
  6. GTVeloce

    GTVeloce Karting

    Jul 19, 2009
    207
    Kauai Hawaii
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    Dennis
    #6 GTVeloce, Oct 21, 2009
    Winter must suck. When I lived in the Puget Sound area, they had something called "winter" there. I didn't like it. :(
     
  7. Mule

    Mule F1 Rookie
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    Jun 25, 2003
    3,758
    Alaska
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    #7 Mule, Oct 21, 2009
    Put mine away two weeks ago, and put the studded tires on my truck. Expecting more snow tomorrow.

    Just washed it and covered it for now. I am planning to detail it a little at a time over the winter, so it looks nice in May.
     
  8. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

    Jun 14, 2008
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    #8 mike996, Oct 22, 2009
    AK, huh?

    I lived 8 years in Eagle River, AK. Didn't own a Ferrari at the time, though I wanted one - a 328 as a matter of fact! My main driver was my 1968 340S Barracuda Fastback which I had driven up the Alaska Highway when we moved there from Memphis TN. I sold the car up there - like an idiot. Before moving up there I owned a bunch of serious Mopar Muscle cars, including competition-only "body in white" models and the Barracuda is the only car I ever owned that I wish I still had.

    The Barracuda, with studded snow tires and a light touch on the gas pedal did fine going back and forth to Anchorage on the Glenn in the winter though I wouldn't have tried to head up to Summit Lake! :)

    I still tell people that AK was the best place I ever lived though I have to admit I don't think I could live there now. At the time I enjoyed winter and did a lot of ice climbing which I loved but now I don't have the body to climb ice or the willingness to deal with the long winter.

    But I loved AK - used to drive home every afternoon and just looking around at the beauty say, "Why would anyone ever leave this place." But, for work related reasons, I did...
     
  9. rolindsay

    rolindsay Formula 3

    Jul 14, 2006
    1,022
    Houston, TX
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    Rick Lindsay
    #9 rolindsay, Oct 22, 2009
    Joe is SO correct. I live in Houston and my 308 is useless for 5 months of the year. Even a pretty good A/C can't compete with Houston's heat, and that four acres of glass right in front of the occupants! BUT, October to April is grand!
     
  10. PV Dirk

    PV Dirk F1 Veteran

    Jul 26, 2009
    5,401
    Ahwatukee, AZ
    #10 PV Dirk, Oct 22, 2009
    Our Baton Rouge climate is similar to Houston, those summers are brutal. Late at night is great for driving, but then it would take weeks to get all the bugs off. Or the deer would make a mess of it, a gator would tear up the suspension or the worst offender, a drunk driver would ruin the evening. In a few months, I'll reinstall the A/C that the PO removed and see where we go from there. In the mean time it's good driving.

    And for Mexico, got a great idea. It's the image that's the problem. Find a rusty 308 and rebody it as a worn out VW. Great drive and problem solved!
     
  11. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

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    #11 mike996, Oct 22, 2009
    Hmm - didn't think of putting a VW body on it! :)

    Actually there are a fair number of Ferrari's in Mexico City - I see more of them there than I did in NY but they are all new models. I have not seen anything older than a 430. Where the folks buying them get their money I probably don't want to know. But if I wanted to buy a new one, the dealer is just a few blocks from our house. The price is around 30% higher than it is in the US though if I had that level of money to burn, I guess an added 30% wouldn't even be on the radar.
     
  12. Mule

    Mule F1 Rookie
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    #12 Mule, Oct 22, 2009
    Shhhh...don't let the secret out.
     
  13. Rv5

    Rv5 Formula Junior

    Dec 22, 2005
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    Ross V
    #13 Rv5, Oct 22, 2009
    funny thing, i just pulled mine out for the winter. way too hot to drive it in the summer, but the 70 degree weather of winter is just perfect for it!
     
  14. effer

    effer Formula Junior

    Jan 6, 2004
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    François R.
    #14 effer, Oct 22, 2009
    Grrr... I know that mine will be winterized soon ...
     
  15. Sledge4.2

    Sledge4.2 F1 Rookie

    Oct 19, 2007
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    Marin
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    Geno
    #15 Sledge4.2, Oct 22, 2009
    one word gentlemen: California
     
  16. redline76

    redline76 Formula Junior

    Feb 26, 2008
    355
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    Warren V
    #16 redline76, Oct 22, 2009
    re: California not helping me here. I lost my job several months ago and my girlfriend and I decided to move to a smaller place. Unfortunately there's no garage in the new spot, so the compromise was to send the 308 to Palm Springs for the winter to be stored in her parent's weekend house. We're leaving tomorrow to drop the car off. I'll go every six weeks to fire it up, but otherwise I'm out for the next 6 months at least :(

    I shouldn't complain, at least I'm keeping the car!

    Cheers,

    -w-
     
  17. klatu

    klatu Formula Junior

    Apr 13, 2009
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    Rob Mckinney
    #17 klatu, Oct 22, 2009

    Better yet San Diego.
     
  18. PV Dirk

    PV Dirk F1 Veteran

    Jul 26, 2009
    5,401
    Ahwatukee, AZ
    #18 PV Dirk, Oct 22, 2009
    Redline, I have a 10X20 storage unit that my car stays in, 5 miles from my house. Is that a possibility. Don't know how much it would cost in your area, but worth looking into. The idea of having to keep my car so far away makes me want to cry.
     
  19. MJT328GTS

    MJT328GTS Formula Junior

    Mar 30, 2005
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    MJT
    #19 MJT328GTS, Oct 22, 2009
    I've always looked at it this way, put the car away for a few months (Dec through mid-March), let it rest for a while, then enjoy it the rest of the year. You appreciate the car more.

    You can't beat the awesome greens of the Appalachian in the Spring/Summer, as well as the georgeous colors of the fall! Just had mine out late this afternoon to enjoyed the trees starting to really turn bright red/orange.
     
  20. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

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    #20 mike996, Oct 22, 2009
    "The idea of having to keep my car so far away makes me want to cry."

    Yeah - when I'm home my 328's garage is 2700 miles away as the crow flies! :(
     
  21. redline76

    redline76 Formula Junior

    Feb 26, 2008
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    Warren V
    #21 redline76, Oct 22, 2009
    Good idea, thanks for thought. Unfortunately here in Los Angeles, a 10x20 spot will run me over $200 a month!
     
  22. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

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    #22 mike996, Oct 23, 2009
    Although it would be further away, could you find a facility "out of town?" The same issue exists here - around 200 bucks in the "big" city (Baltimore) storage but out here on Kent Island I have a 10x20 with electricity for 130/month. Since I live on a boat when I'm here (approx 4 months/year - not consecutively) and the car sits in the marina parking lot when I am here, the storage garage with elec is great because I can actually do work there. They frown on oil changes , installing superchargers, or whatever in the marina parking lot! ;)

    SO maybe a few miles out? I realize that the size of LA and depending on where you are in the area means "a few miles out" might be more like 50 miles out...
     
  23. rolindsay

    rolindsay Formula 3

    Jul 14, 2006
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    Rick Lindsay
    #23 rolindsay, Oct 23, 2009
    Here in Houston, mine costs $160 a month. Spotlessly clean. Only downside is that there is no power for my trickle charger.
     

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