Which is the better investment: 308 or 328?

I agree that the 3x8 market is not a problem at all - there are still FAAR more interested people than there are cars for sale and probably always will be.

As noted, although most young males are not into cars as we all were, the relatively low number of these cars pretty much means there will always be interest in them - it only takes 20,000 people or thereabouts to buy every 3x8 ever made. In a world population of 4 billion, there will always be plenty of people who want one. Heck, people buy used sneakers!

 

How does it look for previous Ferrari series & their various updates? Is the series 1 more valuable or the final in the series? For example, iirc Series 1 330GT 2+2s are more valued than the Series 2 although the Series 2 caught up somewhat.

I don't follow these trends much but I'd have thought that an overview/average over all models would be an indicator for whether the market (generally speaking) goes for the older vintage car or the newer vintage car, despite technical developments & styling tweaks. Only profound differences in production numbers need be accounted for imo.

 

Some wonderful insights in this thread.

You missed an opportunity. You should have asked a beautiful woman close by to pose next to the car for the guys to take the pics. Or one of their girlfriends if available. Win-win for the guys. and you would be passing on the desire for the model.

I'd LOVE to have a 308 in a current racing SIM.

I disagree. We don't need guns for a militia, but folks still buy plenty of them. They are fun, functional. There will also be a population for cars, all be it much smaller.

I relish the day you get the morons off the road. Let them text while the car does the driving for them.

Sadly, I agree. Which is why I always ask the Valet if they can handle the manual. No, valets can't drive my Ferrari. My DD is a manual. Always has been, and I hope always will be.

 

328 the best...

 

IMO
The 308 and 328 are in that sweet spot where they are not too old, hard to repair, or valuable to drive all around weekends and yet old enough to feel "old school" and involving for the driver because of their design....

 

Good call in 2014! Hope you followed your tip?

Any more ideas for the future?

 

In fact we are closer to 8 billion than 4. Possibly you meant 4 billion… males? Ahah

 

Look at aircooled porche prices, and there were something like 20k built per year for decades. After 74 they had big bumpers and not much hp, hasn't held them back. the reason imo is fr a classic theyre kinda reliable and hassle free, any squib who can handle a stick and pootle around in one, and most seem to enjoy just going to some club events and :showing" their car.

in that context the number of 308 series cars built is miniscule, and any 308 gtsi will drive about just like a 911. But ownership is harder because there are not a plethora of specialist, and realistically very few peopel who understand these cars well enough to put them right. porcher by contrast is an easy "club" to join and any urban area has one or two 911 specialists.

The other issue I see with 308s is that older ferraris fall into the so called concors trap. Thats an issue because the 308 series cars were crippled due to emissions control and fugly bumpers. The real way to go with these cars imo, and same with BBIs is to keep them "origional" but let the engine breathe as it should. That may mean proper exhaust and cams so they work up top. Stock the one that really works is a euro carbed car, or even a Us spec QV, get rid of the bumpers do and exhaust and youre all set.

on the subject of exhausts, pretty much every aftermarket ferrari exhaust seems to think loud is the way to go, whereas in reality tuneful and not too loud is the way to go.

if I wind the clock forwards 25 years from now, pretty much all these cars will have been redone to some degree, and it will most likely be an elctric world. A 308 could only be worth less than a dino because its somewhat elss rare. Its evry bit and beautiful, and setup well and with a motor that can breathe arguably a better drive.

the pantera world has shown the way. the original cars were deeply flawed and had strangled motors. A redone pantera with a motor that breathes, cooling system that works etc is simply worth a lot more than a stock big bumper not yet redone car(ultra low miles excepted).

The future for 308s is imo euro bumpers, and a motor that breathes, with redone stock suspension. in other words the car as ferrari would have built it had 70s and 80s regulation not have forced band aids. Seriously do you have to leave the band aids on to win a concors, how does that even make sense.

but its also chicken and egg, to make the car right is something like 30-50k and thats not going to be justified by sales value, well not untill enough people do it and we have a two tired market.

one of the reasons why the early glass cars are so appealing is that high lift cam motor, it gives a real experience compared to any strangled us spec car. the glass cars on the scale are just not really that much lighter, its the motor.

 

308 carbureted is the best -- pure analog

 

Interestingly, 2 days ago RMSotheby’s Paris auctioned:
- a 328 GTB with 13.300 km at 120k€
- a 308 GTB QV with 22.000 km at 92k€

On the market, for same conditions a carbed 308 sells at less than the QV.
It seems to me that many people like the idea of the carbs more, but then are willing to spend more for electronic injection models for peace of mind.

 

No 308 ever made had electronic injection.

Carbed 308s are highly valued around here because there is a very high proportion of do it yourselfers few of which understand or can tune/fix fuel injection.
In the real world, against a plain Jane carbed, steel, smogged car a QV is highly valued because it is so much better car.

 

Ehm… isn’t 2vi and QV electronic injection?

 

No and neither is the 328. CIS is mechanical.

 

Wow, I never realized before that there was a distinction between mechanical and electronic injection!
Thx!
Ciao, Nic

 

I have never looked at a Ferrari or any other vehicle as an investment. I believe the 328 is considered to have electro- mechanical fuel injection. One thought about the 355, if I could afford to buy one, it would have to be a gated machine. I would much rather have 458 or 488 than a 355 with an F1 gearbox.

Like I have always said, I cannot seem to get my mind wrapped around selling my 328 in order to try and buy a different Ferrari. Its been with me for so long, physically as well as mentally. I have not driven it much over the last few years, but every time I do, Im reminded how much I love driving, owning , and staring at it .

The roads in LA county are getting more disgusting by the minute that my mind wanders to thoughts of homicidal acts to eliminate the ones responsible for their condition . I do feel very powerless in respect to this problem. I hope to someday have enough money to procure a rental in San Diego county where I can park my Ferrari as well as a few motorcycles . Have a nice weekend.

Big G

 

The injected 3x8s used the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system. The fuel injectors spray continuously (no pulses of fuel) and are primarily controlled by a "flapper" in the airflow; the more air that the engine is aspirating, the more the flapper valve moves to increase the flow of fuel. It is referred to a "CIS" fuel injection which stands for "Continuous Injection System". In this most basic form, the system is fully "mechanically controlled" although it should be more accurately described as "hydraulically controlled" with the hydraulic fluid being gasoline. Note this is a simplification; there is more to it than just flapper valve control. There are no electronics involved, however.

In the 1984 and beyond 3x8s, Ferrari added an oxygen sensor which required a small circuit board to interpret its signals and send instructions to a frequency valve. The basic flapper valve part was tuned lean, and the frequency valve added more fuel, as measured by the oxygen sensor, to bring the air/fuel mixture to the optimum point. Even though there is some circuitry involved, this still in not referred-to as "electronic" fuel injection.

 

I like to call the 328 s fuel system " electro mechanical " This system has proved itself to be quite reliable in the 3 x 8s since its inception in 1984 . I have never , ever had even a hint of a glitch in 25 years and 105 k miles in my 89 s fuel system. Its antiquated by todays technology though, but for the mid 80s this K Jetronic system was definitely built to perform well and to last for decades .

Big G

 

Mechanical injection and electronic ignition

 

… and even the “electronic” spark boxes are so simple they need a vacuum hose input.

 

Kinda funny that this thread goes back 10 years. But the question is still a good one. Its really a matter of taste.

For sure, the 328 is a superior car. Why shouldn't it be? They improved a lot of stuff from the original but its still very closely related to the original.

Then it comes down to style. IMO, the original 308 has a bit more aggression -- and perhaps purity of design-- to it. The 328 looks a bit more modern but "sleeker". One looks closer to the 70's and the other closer to the 90's. You could say the 90's is more "generic" looking as all cars started to integrate their bumpers then -- and you'd be right. But its still attractive.

I don't see either ever becoming "collectibles" given how many they made. I do see good ones going for more money than bad ones. The 328 does have the advantage of galvanized steel rust prevention that really hurts some 308s. More torque and power, better steering, and a better cockpit along with some better creature comfort (albeit not a lot).

None are difficult to work on. An X1/9 is more difficult. Parts are still available. As Rifledriver said, car tinkerers like to mess with the carbs while shy away from the FI. Today most mechanics never even worked on carbs. Its becoming a lost art while the Bosch-K is as common as dirt from many German cars of the era.

So its Carbs vs FI vs 328. I picked a 328 as I kinda thought this should have been the car Ferrari made in the first place.

And I think the designs have held up very well. Even today they look terrific and get a lot of compliments. For a design to be appreciated after 40 years, that's saying something about what they created.

 

Not true.

 

When the GTO came out Phil Hill said it is the car the 308 always should have been. He was right. GTO was not that expensive to the dealers. The 328 should have been cancelled, the 288 should have been put into full production with an option for either the turbocharged 2.8 liter version or the 328 engine.

 

There is nothing about any variant of the CIS system that could be considered electronic. It is a mechanical system.

 

Except for the Chrysler 300 fuel injection system of 1958 most fuel injection prior to Bosch D Jetronic in 1968 or so was mechanical. Some later systems were also mechanical like Bosch K Jetronic (CIS in America ) , Spica used by Alfa Romeo in 1969-1981 and Kugelfischer used by BMW.