Hi everyone, I am in the market for my first f-car and I have my heart set on a 348. I went to see my first car today at Verdi's and liked what I saw. As this was my first viewing I made sure I didn't get carried away but it did make me want one even more. The car in question was a 348 tb 1990 model in red. It looked a nice car and was well known to verdi's as they have serviced it for the last 4 years. It came belted and everything as most of his cars seem to. There was one thing which I noticed and this was the bubbling starting along both sides where the rear quarter panel joins the rear roof strut. I pointed it out to Mr verdi and he informed me this was a common problem with 348s and 355s. He even pointed it out on a 355 to me. His explanation was due to the way the car was made and this would need rectifying every couple of years. I suppose I am asking do other owners have this problem and will it really need looking at every couple of years? Any other info on things to look out for would be greatly appreciated. As this was my first visit to a specialist dealer I did not know what to expect and was worried I would be ignored and brushed off as a time waster. Especially as I was turning up in my renault megane. But I have to say Mr Verdi was very helpfull and keen to show me the cars and impart his knowledge on what's what. He was even willing to do me a deal to meet my budget. You never know I might have to go back but I do want to look at more 348s until I make my mind up. I,m sure this has been covered before but how much can colour affect the value of a car. I have seen a 93 348GTB advertised for a shade under 24K which seems very well priced. But it is dark met blue? Anyone? Many thanks in advance. I have learnt so much from this site already. Chaddy
mine had a stress cracks in the paint on both sides in the places you were talking about. Don't know how it happened, but I am told this is pretty common...Mine is being painted again though, as I am sure that will fix those cracks...
Common on the 355B and GTS, never seen it on a 348, but would assume it is entirely possible. I would never buy a car without having that fixed first, regardless of the explaination. 348's are nice cars...there is tons of good information on this site if you search the archives. Here is a nice place to start: http://www.ferrariclub.com/faq/348versions.html Dave
I've seen a lot of 348's and 355's but never seen anything like that... And I can't call The Netherlands a sunny country.
Chaddy, If it's your first Fcar, I would go for red, it's not called 'resale red' for nothing. But it's also a personal thing, so if reds not your 'thing' go for what is but it may be harder to move on if you want to sell and will invite lower offers. The 93 GTB I assume is LHD?
Hi Guys thanks for replies so far. Yes I am talking £ sterling. The 1990 348tb, red one, is being offered at 25k and is a LHD. Not bothered about that as it fits my price range and its an F-car. The 93 GTB is also LHD. Not red. Same milage. Have not seen it in the flesh yet so cannot comment on condition. It is at Forza288. I agree about the red. It is the colour I want for the same reasons as everyone else I suppose. It looks the Dogs. But then how desperate do I want one of these and GTB is a better model to go for due to the revisions according to opinion. If it was yellow then I wouldn't be worried but this Metallic Verdi as it's decribed. Not sure. Just doesn't look as stunning as the red. Chaddy
This is quite typical on 348 and 355 and should be a straight forward repair. Other areas to look out for are:- Bonnet (around the badge and corners) Front wings (wheel arches,around side indicator lamp and at the bottom rear edge) Inside the lower intake on the sill Rear of the sill Rear arches Rear wings under the channel with the stripe Underside of doors Lower part of windscreen frame Mirrors & Mounting Brkt Rear of engine cover Sill Kickplates/cover plates The front and rear bumpers/spoilers are GRP so they wont rot,but check the underside of the front one for damage. Best of luck with your search Steve
I have not seen that before, but my 348 has a little corrosion on the right side mirror post. Join the 348 brotherhood, you will like it. BT
I spent about a year looking for a LHD non-red (just a personal choice!) 348GTS. I am surprised that you've found a '93 GTS as all that I found were '94. The price of 36000 (equivalent) appears DEFINITELY too good to be true. I got mine for just over 40000 and had to take accept quite a few negative points (service due, paint chips etc.) All other GTS were going for 45000 - 46000. A couple of so-called '93 "GTS" at really good prices (40000) turned out to be 348ts with paint jobs on the lower skirts. Good luck anyway, but be careful if it's really a genuine 320hp F119H that you're after! (BTW, mine doesn't have your corrosion spots. Just rust around the sill plate screws on one side)
It's a LHD GTB Drew, which even being LHD in UK is a good price. It must be because of either mileage, colour or condition... or a bit of each. Chaddy - those "rust spots" on the base of the flying butresses are indeed VERY common on the TB and TSs and GTB / GTSs. It not rust though, so much as the weld cracking slightly due to heat from the engine. Karl Verdi has a top reputation and knows his stuff. As it is your first Ferrari, I would definitely do a deal by which it is repaired prior to purchase or it will bug you every time you look at it. If you find a 348 whithout this problem, chances are it will be very low miles, or it will have been rectified already. Good luck.
Dohhh! Like they say "reading educates"! In any case, the price still seems incredibly low since, even if it is in UK now, it must have originated as a continental europe priced car. Mine is blue too. (It's not actually, it's blue sera ) My experience with the colour was a bit different to the common belief. I WANTED a subtle dark blue car (it's just my personal belief that HAVING a Ferrari is enough without having to SHOUT it). When I found one, I really had to rush to get it as there were a few other people interested and a blu sera 348GTS is as rare as rocking horse manure. Red 348's are plentiful and this tends to put the buyer in a good bargaining position. Anyway, even if it is a non-targa, the comment still applies that (at least in Germany) there are even car dealers who genuinely think they are selling a GTB when it is actually a tb. A photo of the engine bay with plenums (plena?) is the quickest way to determine the car's true nature via eMail! In any case it's nice to hear from someone who is actively seeking a 348 - IMHO the optimum 'first Ferrari' Drew
Here is a picture of the engine bay of the GTB from the dealers website. Not very clear so gon't know if anything can be seen from this pic. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Have just looked at the website. IMHO, if you like the colour (verdi = green, not blue), a genuine 348GTB at that price with that mileage and FSH, recent cambelt etc. seems very good value. They don't say anything about accident history though, do they? From the pics (which can sometimes be deceptive) the steering wheel looks really ancient and sun-dried. The front bonnet (hood!) looks a bit crinkly near the LH headlight. I wouldn't say that that mileage is anything to worry about - any less and it is getting into garage-queen territory.
Sorry, I did actually start to think it was probably green not blue. If the car presents good value then maybe the colour isn't so important. But an inspection will be all telling. Think I will have to request more info from them. BTW - how can you tell its a genuine GTB from the engine?
A bit difficult to describe, but the pattern of ribs on the two intake plenum chambers is different and this is the most noticeable visible feature. GT plenums are like the red painted ones (sorry, it's my car but I wasn't responsible for the chav red paint job!). Previous ones are like the silver plenums pic. A shame, but a tan interior would really set off the green metallic nicely. I have a similar gripe with my blue interior, but GT's are few and far between and I'd long since decided I wanted a GTS when I bought mine. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Verdi means green in Italian and it is listed as Metallic Verdi so definitely green. You will want to love that colour as it will be hard to shift later. I have blu sera on my spider and it is nice without being red. Good hunting - find a solid car, fix the few niggles that will likely come up and then drive the hell out of it. I love mine.... On the C-pillar issue I just read somewhere that the factory used lead to smooth that seam and it will crack over time - I have seen a 355GTB ('95 I think) that had that problem so it mightn't be rot per se but just what may be a more typical problem. Cheers Kevin
Please! the word chav should never be used near an fcar. Surely this marque is above the shelf stacker at Tescos who puts polished baked bean tins on his GTi exhaust and suddenly thinks he has a real performance car.
Yeah, but that's exactly the point! A previous owner thought if he painted the engine red that he's now got a 360 Oh well, no accounting for taste. I've even seen TR conversions with a glass engine cover - sad. I toyed with the idea of a F355 rear light conversion but then, if I take the 2000 that it would cost and put that in the piggy bank, that can go toward a real 355 in the future. At some time in the future when I've got loads of time to spend (ha ha!) I intend to get the red paint bead-blasted off.
My advice on getting a 348 is to shop around. There are enough dealers with good 348's at present. Seriously, verdi may have one to suit your budget, but so does Hollingsworth, Rardley, Talacreast etc. Goldenwheels looked at the one at Forza288, in the end he bought a 348TS (silver) from Talacrest. I believe the Forza car was good, but I think Ralph turned up on a bad day! Don't rush unless you've been recommended a top car on the quiet. Many excellent 348's can be obtained from those who know of one about to come on the market. I once saw a post about the availability of a seriously mint 348 spider (black) for a good price - and that was on Fchat. As for the rust - use common sense, you don't have to be a ferrari expert to see a good car. I looked at 3 or 4, but the one at Nick Cartwrights looked very well presented. I looked at a red spider at one of the London dealers which was a dog (rust on the wings where the black line runs) - and Als yellow 348 spider from leighton (ferrarimadbloke) was immaculate, because it was from somebody who actually cared and spent the money - although i decided a spider wasn't for me. Don't be taken in by all the sales spin. Shop around, and because you're buying at the lower end of the market, you'll have to have your wits about you. You're in Oxford, that means you'll fall into the Cotswold FOC (should you join). We know of good 348's which may be available, if you need any advice over the phone, just send me a pm Good luck
Thanks Tommo for your advice. I may be intouch sometime to pick you brains. What I do realise and had already been advised is not to jump in. The excitement of owning one of these cars can get in the way of common sense and responsible judgement. But I am sure the excitement would soon become despair if the gremlins started to appear and large repair bills were sitting in my garage as apposed to a rare piece of motoring craftmanship. My conscience(the other half) has also been wispering in my ear, well not wispering but more direct concerns, about my desire to own such a vehicle. She thinks its a waste of money and I am trying to pull chicks. I have aggreed to hold off untill our house extension is built which should give me plenty of time to look around properly and see what I am getting myself into. If the right car comes along in that period well i may just have to snap it up. Everyone has been very helpfull. Many thanks
work a deal contingent on a ppi at a decent ferrari dealership, get their opinion on the car as a whole, make a checklist of things that you would need/like to repair or restore.. then make your decision!
