308 dreaming

Hello there,

New to the forum but have been reading a lot of great posts trying to get a sense of what 308 ownership would be like. Maybe I can add one more post about the topic and get some of your feedback. I have owned a porsche boxster s for the last 6 years and its been bullet proof even with several track days. Love the car and even found a setup that lets me disable the passenger airbag so i can take my 4yr old daughter along on weekend drives.

Having said that, when I think about a car that has meaning for me it seems to come back to the 308. I've always loved cars and maybe its because I'm a product of the early 70's but the 308 just feels significant for me. Not sure if it was Cannonball Run, Lampoons Vacation or Magnum PI that got me hooked or that its just a beautifully designed car. I get that its 30yrs old but I think that might be part of the appeal... a proper sports car less all the gadgets.

I think my budget would be somewhere around $35K including the porsche as a trade-in and knowing I might get hit with surprise repairs early on. My question is ... am I crazy? Or is it as great as I'm anticipating it would be. From some of the posts it seems like the 308 might actually be a really reliable car with the proper care and regular use. I'd be leaning towards an 83-85 GTS.

Thanks for your perspectives.
Rosso

 

From what I've read the Boxster is a great sports car. I'm sure it will be more reliable than any 308. That said, it is not a 308. If you want modern conveniences, great handling, fast, and reliable, then stick with the Boxster. If you want the sounds, quarks, and magic of a Ferrari, then get a 308. You might even be able to find a 328 that would be more of a compromise between the Boxster and 308.

Good luck.

 

A properly serviced and regularly driven 308 is a reliable car. Period.

 

Seconded. Mine is on the road at least every other day and starts instantly. And no rossolitro, I do not think that you're crazy. I thought that I was crazy too, once Good luck!

 

Hi Rosso,

I have had, in order, a 61 MGA, a 66 911, a 57 & 55 speedster, (enough to make one really good auto x machine - untill my first wife smoked the engine in an intown auto x - but that is another story); a very serious 914 2.5 auto x machine, then nothing for a long while, untill i began seeing my contemporaries dropping off of the twig, so to speak.

I needed a car to get involved with and my best old buddy, still living, sent me an article about the 308 as being both a classic and affordable.
I began lurking and studying the F-Chat and decided to take the plunge, not very logical or thoughtfull, i bought the first one i saw and drove - and never regretted it one little bit.

I maintain the car myself, (with a little help from a buddy with a lift), have tracked it several times and smile a lot thinking about the car, driving the car, fixing it up, doing a few mods and very occasionally tracking the car at Thunderhill.

If you like to wrench on the car, ponder how things work and try to do the right thing with upgrades, you will be a very hapy guy. If on the other hand, you do not do the work on the car, (as my engineer Dad did not on his 74 911, now mine), you can still very much enjoy the car.
It is true that the maintenance is more and parts generally more than P-Wagen stuff, but the car is simple, elegant and very reliable.

If you go with a carbureted car, you will have truely awsome sounds, semi poor mileage, but hey it is fun to drive. The Cis cars are a bit more reliable and the QV's about the same in acceleration as the early 75-77 carbureted cars.

Probably the most important thing to do is to check out the car well before you buy. Stuff like body rust, ratty interior, lots of leaks or bad noises can get really expensive and take a lot of fun out of ownership, as does a car with poor compression or leakdown.

The good nes is that they made a lot of 308's, something like 18,000 over 10 years. This means that parts are fairly readily available - nothing like for a high vulume production car like the 911 but not bad.

Following F Chat gave me the confidence to buy, because i felt the comraderie and support of a lot of guys, into the 308. Any aspect of maintenance or enjoyment of the car can be covered in depth.

Guys will help you with advice, parts, tools and opinions

I don't think you will go wrong,
chris

 

I don't think you're crazy, probably because I had the same questions and ended up getting one about 8 months ago. At the six month mark, I wrote up a summary of my experience, it's here: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=372737. Hope it helps. Quick summary is: the car's not perfect, there's repairs I've had to do, and repairs I have yet to do but I love having it, driving it, and don't regret my choice at all.

Good luck!

 

Hi Rosso,
I looked for a while before finding a great 1983 GTS QV that I imported from oversea, after doing many checks on the car and having it checked out by an independent Ferrari dealer close to where it was being sold, I decided to buy it, but did spend close to 1/3 of its original purchase price over first two years on servicing, major 30k service was due. Make sure you have some cash in reserves for your first service, but will be well worth the effort.
The FChatters are a great resource, and the more I learn about the car the better I feel about my decision to purchase it.

 

Thanks everyone for your input, great advice as always. I'll be sure to keep the group updated on the journey to finding a 308.

Rosso

 

Not trying to nit-pick, just sharing info from my archives. Total 308 production is approximately 12000. This is information I accumulated over the years:

308 GTB Glass built from 1975-1977 - 712
308 GTB Steel built from 1977-1980 - 2185
308 GTS built from 1977-1980 - 3219
308 GTBi built from 1981-1982 - 494
308 GTSi built from 1981-1982 - 1749
308 GTB QV built 1982-1985 - 748
308 GTS QV built 1982-1985 - 3042

Above does not include the variants - 208s and turbos, Dinos or Mondials, and 328s, which about 7400 were built over 4 years.

As a contrast, more current models have much higher production numbers - about 11k 355s over 5 years, 18k 360s over 6 years.

To me, the compelling question about 308s is not how many were built, but how many are left.

Good luck.

 

My view only.

I'm a long time 308 owner. I'm also in and out of the local Porsche dealer 3-4x per year since 1999 as I really like the Boxster/Cayman platform, it is a great car. Even had a deposit on a new Boxster S about 8 years ago, but did not go through with the purchase. As much as I like them, they just can't replace the 308 for me. Let's face it, the lines on the Boxster/Cayman in no way compare to the 308's eternal design. The German's have that whole minimalistic view to design, and as a result these cars do not elicit the excitement that the 308 does. As for the drive, they handle superbly, they are balanced, and have a nice sound out of the flat 6. They are just as, if not more tossable as the 308. The non "S"s have power comparable to the 308, the "S"s have more power. The Boxsters/Caymans feel lighter than the 308. As a contrast, the 308 sounds and looks likes it's going 80mph when it's idling. The Boxster/Cayman - I find - is more comfortable than my 308, and I do love the working a/c and they are easier to climb into/out of. When I take the 308 out for along drive - 2 hours or so, I pull up sweaty, smelling of fuel, but grinning ear to ear. I think the Boxster/Cayman is a more civilized car, and on an equally long drive you'd get to your destination more refreshed.

During the late 90s/early 2000s I thought of the Boxster/Cayman as a possible and more modern replacement to my 308, given the comparable power and mid engined layout. But that could never be. I do like the 2013 Boxster's more aggressive look, and am now thinking of one in terms of a daily driver. Am waiting to see the new Cayman up close and then maybe decide to replace my current daily driver (CTS Coupe).

You need to drive a few 308s, and then decide. The 308s have a way of getting under your skin, in a great way. You tend to think about them quite fondly, even after its been a few days since you last drove it. Hard to describe.

Not sure where you are located, I'm in a NYC suburb if you want to see one up close.

 

Just sold my 246 Dino and 997 Turbo to buy a new property.........consoled myself by buying a 308 GTS carb model............I no longer miss either cars......i absolutely adore the 308.......its a keeper!
Graham

 

Thanks PhilB, I'd love to see it but I'm actually north of the border in Toronto. Good suggestion though, I should probably start by trying a few on for size first.

 

Try posting in the Canada section for local feedback. And if you are around the Toronto area as you mentioned a must is to visit Rocks shop if you are into 308s.

 

+1

 

Hi Rosso
I was all for buying a 1985 QV but I ended up buying a 308 GTS carby model, and it is great being able to do all the adjusting myself. I love this car.

Peter

 

You didn't list the first 308, the GT4. Brings the total up to 18,000+. And he is refrencing how many were made in relation to parts availability so counting GT4s and Mondial 8s and Mondial QVs is very relevant.

 

I too am a product of the early 70's (born in 60), a few years back I got a (Magnum PI red) 308 GTSi - Do it! I promise you won't regret it.

L

 

Well, I did say "Above does not include the variants - 208s and turbos, Dinos or Mondials, and 328s, which about 7400 were built over 4 years.". And besides, those 4 seater guys left us a couple years ago....wanted to branch out on their own if I recall....wonder how that's going for them over in that other section of the forum.

Anyway, a quick Wiki search says:

308 GT4s - 2,826
Modial (all versions over 13 years) - 6,884

That roughly puts the total 308 platform at around 29,000 units, probably a bit more. While some motor, suspension and brake parts are interchangeable, your success with swapping body panels, glass and lights may vary.

 

Ah, that's the $64,000 question. We've seen so many stories of cars being wrecked, burning to the ground, being left in a field and rotting to death, etc. And we've seen lots of posts about cars that have been butchered or the like. Makes you wonder how many really good cars are actually left out there. The one thing that is for sure -- Ferrari isn't building any more 3x8s. So the ones that are still going strong are becoming rarer and rarer every time another one bites the dust. Just a thought, self-evident as it may be.