Ok I was picking some things up at my local Home Depot when I ran across a (what else) red 328 in the parking lot. Now don't get me wrong I love the way the 3x8 look but this one was just tired. The paint had swirls and was faded. There were small chips in the wheel wheels and rock chips (some that had been touched up in the front. The black top had a white chalky layer to it. People walked on by without noticing it because frankly it looked so used. My question is why buy and drive something like this if you are not going to take care of it? If it is intended as a beater then there are cheaper ways to go. If you bought it for bragging rights then that kinda goes out the window once someone sees it up close. If you bought it for the fun of driving it isn't it greatly diminished in this state? Kudos for owning one when I still do not have one but why go half way? I honestly don't get it.
One could argue that it's good to see somebody actually USE the car instead of treating it like a Faberge egg! OTOH, I do agree that it's a shame to see one that looks to be in poor shape. But hey, maybe mechanically it's in excellent running condition. I know several guys who love the "Q-Ship" concept of having a car that looks like a total beater but that can actually blow the doors off of most cars around. Though I admit that a Ferrari wouldn't be my choice of such a car. Hey, maybe you can get it cheap and restore it to how it should look!
Why own a 328? That's an easy question... Who cares if it's tired? Do you give people a hard time because their shoes aren't polished, or if their hair hasn't been trimmed recently? If a car's not at a show, why does it need to be kept in show condition? Just to please random passers-by? Why should I give a crap about what Joe the Plumber thinks about my sports car? ...or maybe this is what the owner is in the middle of doing. A restoration takes a lot of time and $$$ if you DIY. It could take years to go from frog to prince. In the meantime... enjoy the drives!
The fun of driving it has a lot more to do with the mechanical condition of the car than its appearance. There is a LOT of fun to be had in a 3x8 that you can leave in the Home Depot parking lot without worrying about door nicks. Now THAT will diminish your driving pleasure
Another possibility is simply budget. Cosmetics on a Ferrari can easily be as expensive if not more than mechanicals. Very possibly the car is in excellent, well maintained condition and he just doesn't want to pop $10K+++ into a cosmetic restoration. Jedi
Maybe its the least valuable car he owns? He could have a Veyron sitting at home, along with other fantasic toys, airplanes, helicopters, whatever. Could be the beater car for him, winter, summer, to work and back etc. Its his car let him enyoy it the way he wants to.
I get the whole "good to see it being driven / who cares where its parked / maybe he has 100 other cars" whatever. However, in my experiences, cars that are tatty on the outside are almost always just as tatty mechanically. A caring owner that understands what they have woudnt let it get this way so I have to agree with the OP - whats the deal? Enthusiasts dont let their cars get like that. Ever. Its one thing to be a little dirty or plastered with bugs on the front. Leather patina and some interior wear is normal. But this sounds like neglect to me. But, its is their car and if its their daily runabout then so be it
America is the land of everything "McDonald's" for lack of a better theme. Everything is throw away. Including McDonald's. I see the buildings torn down and "new" McDonald's built on the same spot. It's no wonder a 3x8 falls into the same dump. Sometimes I don't understand the trash it logic. People are lazy (me included). My 1989 Harley is definitely a commitment to care for. Few people are willing to make that commitment to any vehicle. My 3x8 is "original" in my opinion.
My point was not to give the anonymous owner a hard time about it but to raise the question of if you take the effort to buy a 328 why not go the extra mile and take care of what you have literally bought into. If it had been a ford or a toyota or a honda I wouldn't have given it a second thought as I walked by. In buying a 328 you are not buying a drone beater to get you from point A to B IMHO. But as many have said maybe he is in the middle of a restoration DIY. I agree he or she can do what they want. It is their car. I wasn't trying to say it has to be showroom quality either. But this car could have looked 100% better with even a little detailing. The condition of the engine..thats a toss up. Again it is THEIR car and I agree they can do what ever they wish with it.
Tri: I understand. You would probably be in horror to see the [now] crummy shrunk rear leather in the 456, numerous scrapes on front spoiler [on the Mondial also] and numerous rock chips. Although, in general it REALLY presents well [from a distance ], the details looks a bit, well, needing attention to the detailer. Viewers, probably on the polite side, usually state: "really, it's that old....it looks so new and well kept" [I'm almost certain at times they are being kind, but manners aside, one cannot help but feel the wear] Matter of fact wife and I always make the excuse to those that see it that they are daily drivers and will see another hay-day when I get the extra bling to fix the little items. I'll probably cry at the first rock chip after the re-paint. I'll probably REALLY get upset when they ding my door again. Bird cr#p aside, I only get to wash it but once a week, IF I'm lucky and that's with a quick detailer spray. It needs every year a good detail and I spring for that. I try to keep the leather interior up, but it's a daily and one can even find the stray coat, bag, 'stuff' in the car and begin to wonder. Wife and I feel the pain of it all, but, we drive it a lot. Having said all that.....I understand your remark on the presentation of Ferrari to others. I must either be getting old or distracted...thinking it's both. Probably no excuse for it....then again it isn't any queen
I could not disagree with the premise of this thread more. A) I drive around a '90 BMW E30 showing over 300,000 miles on the clock, that is missing the entire front grille, has a head-light held in by zip ties, and is painted in flat black primer as my daily driver. Why? Because it is a real fun drive; previous owner was setting it up as an E30 spec racer. B) I am now working on the following car to replace the bimmer for daily driver chores; http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_rdcZ1QQitemZ360376637867QQruZhttpQ3aQ2fQ2fshopQ2eebayQ2ecomQ3a80Q2fiQ2ehtmlQ3fQ5ffromQ3dR40Q26Q5ftrksidQ3dp5039Q2em570Q2el1313Q26Q5fnkwQ3d360376637867Q26Q5fsacatQ3dSeeQ2dAllQ2dCategoriesQ26Q5ffviQ3d1. Why? Because I am guessing it will be one hell of a drive. C) I purchased a "cheap" 308. Albeit one that cosmetically is in really good, though not original, condition. Originally I was looking for the ugliest good driving 3x8 I could find. Why? I don't care what it looks like, I wanted the visceral feel of the drive. To each their own, but as far as I am concerned I could give a damn what my car looks like. As long as it goes down the road as it should I am a happy camper. I view cars in more of a strict engineering sense than an aesthetic sense. A trick carb setup does more for me than a polished fender ever would. And, yes I have had some nice cars that I spent way too much money on getting them cosmetically 100%,.....at that point I was scared to drive them, lost all interest, and sold them. I won't fall for that trap again.
Kill it with FIRE! Lousy POS owner... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
@Tricycle - First, I am glad to see you posting!!! You are obviously a longtime member and its good to see you have at least THREE of your twenty odd posts tonight. Thanks for the discussion!!! I would love to see more activity from some of our lesser known members, it makes this site what it is - a GREAT cross-section of owners and enthusiasts!!! Second, I know that with my car (Metallic black 308) I can literally wash it and a few days later it doesnt look as if its been touched in months. You saw the car, so you know what you saw, but I had my car in a shop for a week or so and just picked it up last week. When I picked it up the car looked as if it had been through a dust storm. I could write my name in the dirt on it. Maybe thats what happened??? I drove mine to work one day before I got to wash it - just because I could - and I got some looks, but I figured, "Hey, at least I am driving a Ferrari to work!! It may be dirty, but its got the prancing horse going for it!!!" It was actually a bit of fun to do that...just because it wasnt what people were expecting.....besides, it is hard to keep them up like showroom condition all the time if you drive them like I do. PDG
Remember these cars are not meant to be used. They all belong locked away in a garage and rubbed with a diaper every now and then.
Heck, I drive a Honda and a Nissan, and I take care of them, wash and wax them. You can have a 'name' car and, with minimal care, keep it in good condition, maybe not 'car show' quality, but still good condition. I don't get the impression from the OP that this car was in or close to a restoration project.
But that's YOUR fault. Keeping a car in great cosmetic shape takes time, you cannot expect it not to, that's what you sign up for when you do it, but you didn't want to. It's OK you sold them, but don't blame the car.
For some, the difference in cost from a tired 328 vs. a clean one is the difference between ever owning a 328 in your lifetime or not.
Really?? No way, there is some retarded thread in the general section that's something like "Is it ok to get my Ferrari dirty" I don't know what's worse; that someone started a thread like that, or that there are a page or two of serious replies....
Thanks Glassman, an vastly intelligent reply to an honest question. Sorry I wasted your time. Please write in for your refund.
