Costs after 30k mile major ??

Being new to the process, I need some guidance as to costs following the 30k major. The 308s I am looking at seem to have solid maintenance histories. I intend to use the car only on the weekends for enjoyment, so will not be putting many miles on it. Also, it will be garaged, pampered to death, etc. Still, I can't get a consistent read on maintenance schedules and associated costs.

Looking for some help on this. comments welcome, thanks

 

There is no one answer here. some guys have probably spent little, others have had very large $. i bought what i thought was a well sorted car, but it turned out to need lots of love and attention (ie, thats what my wife calls cash).

 

It also helps if you're a wrench turner,I do alot of my own work but it helps if you know a independent Ferrari Mechanic who can do the major work.You should be able to find one on this site in you're area.

 

+10000.
Got me a driver 328 in 2006 and after the major done, no problem. In 2008 got myself a TR with major done recently and then thunder struck...So get ready to spend some money anyway. If everything goes well you're gonna be a happy camper. And if it start to rain cats and dogs you'll have a nice umbrella.

 

I'd recommend not relying solely upon the maintenance history - you'd be surprised, people do all kinds of funky stuff to sell a ferrari, including manufacturing fake maintenance records (ask me how I know). I'd do a complete check up of the condition of the car including compression and lead down, and see if you can get a read on how the timing belts look - timing belts are date stamped so you can get a rough idea of when the belts were last done. If the prior owner, and the records, suggest belts were done a year ago but the belts themselves are date stamped 2001 then you know you're in for a 30K service drill.

Frankly, if you're handy with tools/mechanicals, it's not that tough to replace the belts and tensioners on a 3X8, and quite inexpensive doing it yourself...some peace of mind just going ahead and doing this yourself as a post-purchase tick-the-box item. If you're not handy/mechanical then, yes, a good independent Ferrari mechanic is wise to engage.

My experience has been that a good DIYer with tools and facilities can do as good or better job than a professional because the DIYer can take their time and fix other items along the way as well as the basic procedure. A WSM is very helpful.

The whole you-need-to-budget-$5,000-year-for-maintenance is for check book mechanics.

Good luck!

 

I can't comment on the actual costs and I don't have first hand experience with a 308 but for a 328 you will need to:

Change the oil every year, maybe twice a year depending on the miles and what you feel comfortable with.

Change the trans oil every two years, mileage dependent. At 3000 miles per year you should be fine with changing it every two years.

Flush the brake fluid and inspect the pads every two years.

Inspect the air filter every year, not sure how often people are replacing this but I would think it should last at least two years without replacement or in the case of K&N filters, re-oiling.

The list goes on (coolant flush, spark plugs, etc.) but this just includes the typical consumables which aren't terribly expensive and if you can find an experienced independent tech the labor cost won't be through the roof.

This is assuming you are not tracking the car.

Where are you located? Members here might be able to direct you to a local shop ask some questions and get an idea of costs.

As far as the validity of maintenance records, find out where the work was done and then call the shop. They can verify what work has been done.

Hope this helps,

-F

 

Before I bought mine, I searched the archives & this site & found, on average, most folks drive their cars 3K miles/year and spend $4K/year in maintenace (inc. averaging majors across the years as I recall).

This is pretty much spot-on. Mine is a 25 year old car. I've had it about 7 years & 40K miles later (it's now got 80K on it). Things that have gotten averaged:
A major
bearings & another major 1K miles later.
rebuilt front end
replaced front & rear suspension bushings
repaired radiator
recharged A/C several times
quite a few cam seals
shifter linkages
switched from 12 to R-134 (not really my choice, Sorry Dr. Tommy)
On my second set of tires
Refinished the (5) Rims
replaced the air pump
replaced an air rail/exhaust sampler tube
(2) set of wires, one set of rotors & distributor caps
Hot start problem with new Accumulator & fuel pump.
rebuilt rear caliper(s)
replaced rear brake rotors

I do my own fluid changes and electrical & mechanical stuff when I can.
But even doityourself requires parts & tools which aren't cheap

 

The biggest pitfall that everyone makes is they forget that the 308 depending on yr , is a 30 yr old car.

When you have a ton of service records (which is great) it still does not replace the fact that the interior may still have fart stains from some fat a$$ from back in 81.

The best advice is check the VIN, if it has had 20 owners in 30 yrs...enough said.....most well sorted cars will not sell for the fleebay price you see...the guys that have good or great cars will want the same amount of money.PERIOD....because they know they cant get another one for the same price.

So, either pay low to get in, and large on the way out....or pay large on the way in, and lower on the way down....there is no such thing as cheap.

If i can add one more piece of advice....all 308s now regardless of the mileage will most liekly need the motor refreshed....my engine was redone in 2003, as all my suspension, and im not talking about resealing either....i talking NEW FERRARI PARTS. Buy the best car you can find and drive it down, not theother way around.

PS...Newman on here is selling his 308gtb carb for 75K...i think you would steal it at that price if you got.

Look at this ratio...you can buy a 308 for 25K....and be wasting your time at home under the hood, or worse still on here asking for free advice on how to fix the damn thing after every 5k drive....and then spend another 30 in the next few years, and still nto run right...

or

you can buy Newmans for 75....drive the piss out of it for 5 yrs headache free, no belts just gas and oil changes....and the sell it for 40-50K anyway as it was restored....

which 25K hit looks better to you ?

 

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a WSM? Obviously some sort of service manual. And hopefully better than the Xeroxed Ferrari 308 GT4 Workshop Manual I have, which leaves a lot to your imagination, or previous experience.

Doug

 

Big Red has a lot of good points. These cars are old and the parts are sometimes expensive, if they're available at all.

Every car is different, so there is no magic $$ for annual maintenance costs... It really depends on how well it's been cared for by the previous owners.


My advice: Be patient and spend the money for the best car you can afford.

 

Never mind, WSM-Work Shop Manual, different terminology than i use.

Doug

 

The fact is that most 308s, no matter how well maintained, have some things that need fixing. Yes, there are some that have been totally neglected and are going to need a whole lot more than others, but just about all of them need some repair and maintenance (other than Paul's yelloe 308). The key thing is to differentiate between those that need repair work that is going to be incredibly expensive to rectify (either parts cost $ or time (yours or a technicians)) or not so much.

It's not as simple as pay now or pay later. There are some very good 308s available on the market right now for quite modest (sub $30K) prices. Correspondingly, there are some very nice looking 308s that have been priced up but which have some fundamental faults ( ie. low/uneven compression). Not every shiney $40,000 308 is a gem - some are real dogs. And not every $25K 308 on ebay is a dog - some are in very good shape. Key thing is to educate yourself about you're buying so you can differentiate between the junk and the good!

 

I am a check book mechanic, and $5K per year has been more than enough to cover the regular stuff, some unexpected stuff, and a few "oh well, as long as we're in there" extras.

I paid a pretty big bill up front setting things right, and after that, just routine maintenance. To be honest, and if I were so inclined, most of the stuff that's been done in the last couple of years I could have, and probably should have done myself.

 

i have owned 5 308s so far. i did the belts as soon as they arrived. none of them had any major or expensive failures. cars were, a 78 308 GTS, 2 1976 GTBs, a 308 GT4, and my current GTB QV. get a good car, do the maintenance, and DRIVE IT. let it warm up a bit, and enjoy the car. you wont be sorry.

 

get a good car, do the maintenance, and DRIVE IT. let it warm up a bit, and enjoy the car. you wont be sorry.[/QUOTE]

Some of the best advise you could ever get.