For those on the fence...

+1. Been there myself as well.

 

+1

 

+2
"been there, done that"...had the T-shirt for a L-O-N-G time too...it is so cool now when someone comes up to be when I have an Fcar shirt or hat on and says "do you own a Ferrari?" My old answer was always, "not yet" but now just a simple yes suffices quite nicely.

 

Absolutely right! I just bought my "new" 328 to realize that dream. My 996 Porsche 911, which I bought new and kept for 7 years just wasn't "THE ONE!" I never warmed up to it. I have a better "bond" with my 328 which I have owned for about a week (2600 miles!) than I ever did with the 60K+ miles/7 years I lived with my 911! There is NO comparison as far as the heart is concerned.

 

My mate is just about to pull the trigger on a Porsche 993 S4 and reckons once he gives me a drive, my 328 will be for sale.

I doubt it, I actually prefer the 3.2 Carrera of the late 80's to the newer ones. The Ferrari just has such a strong presence especially in a country like Australia where so few were/are sold. Only 152 328's were brought in during the 1990's.

Consider this...... Approx 150,000 Ferrari's sold in just over 60 years. If each car is owned on average by 6 different people, that's roughly 1 million Ferrari owners that have ever existed within a world population of what??....... 6 Billion?

To many zeros for me but I'm sure someone can calculate what percentage that represents especially when 99% of the population would LIKE to own one!
Cheers,

Bob.

 

+1

I bought my 328 8 years ago and it has been great. Unfortunately, I am now in the market for a yellow/black 355 convertible. If I get enough room in the garage one day, I hope to put another 328 back in there. My Dad owns a C4S and I would never compare that to a Ferrari.

 

I scrath the itch with both a Porsche and a Ferrari. Lately, my neighbor is enticing me with one of his two GT350 Shelby mustangs. Tempting ....

 

Couldn't have said it better. Have been a very happy 308 owner for 4 years now and still am thrilled every time I drive her. Other cars I've had brought fun, but this one brings joy. Although you could probably get more bang for your buck somewhere else, there is nothing like the feeling of driving these cars. And for those who do take the leap...... drive 'em!!!! Not only will you love it, so will your car.

 

WARNING: NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED :











( owning and driving these old Italian cars is habit forming, and WILL be harmful to your nestegg, and mad money)

they are all a bit different, so you may not stop at just having one!

 

you've got that right!

i bought my first, a '87 euro 328 gts in April.

In August i bought my second..........
and i'm pretty sure it not will be the last one.

Ferrari is like a drug, looking at it makes you happy every time, driving it makes you feel like flying

 

What he said.

 

Bought mine as a 50th birthday treat, wish I had got it earlier, but better late than never.
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You're lucky Philip. And you're right - better late than never. I gyped myself out of 7 more years. I had to wait till I was 57!!
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Today I took my wife out to dinner in the Mondial for our anniversary. It was a beautiful night, and the drive there and back was probably the highlight of both of our evenings. Driving the Ferrari is an event, every time.

There is truly nothing to compare a Ferrari to. It is such a divine and unique experience. It attacks all of your senses, the beauty of its lines, the sound of the engine, the feel of the wheel in your hand and the smell of italian leather. To those enamored with the breed, you must find a way to indulge yourself, even if just for a little while. After I got home tonight and my wife went to sleep, I went down to the garage and just stared at her for almost a half-hour. I can't believe I own a Ferrari...I sincerely hope that all of you dreamers like me can share in this truly remarkable experience.

I know it is an expensive indulgence, and I know it is intimidating. However, believe me that once she is in our garage, the bills will be the last thing on your mind.

I hope all of you lurkers get your opportunity to own the car of your dreams. Good luck...and I am sure others, like me, will be there to help you in any way we can.

 

O.K., so now that you've got this devoted BMW owner all lathered up, here's my first post. What's the best method to monitor the market and find the 'right' one over the next few months? In example, Cars.com, Autotrader, FerrariChat, Ferrari Market Letter, Dupont, etc.? My problem is that I'm located in the Detroit area and obviously don't have a huge local pool to draw from. Willing to go any distance as I'm very picky, but curious how others approach the market here in the states? Apologies if this is covered elsewhere...

 

.

Ahhhh.... BMW and Ferrari, the perfect pairing!

Bob.
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Don't forget Hemmings and collectorcartrader.com. Hemmings is where I found my car. Check the dealers but most of those are overpriced IMHO. Try to look at as many cars as possible of non-selling owners to get a feel for what to look for in a car. Call a LOT of people about their cars and write everything down. This will give you a good comparison between price and condition. Somewhere on here is a buying guide with questions. Don't be afraid to walk away from any car. Don't be afraid to look at a car with a low price compared to the rest of the market. (Someone may just want to dump their car because they need the cash) Decide if you want a driver, a show-car or a garage queen. If you find one you think you want, ask if anyone is close to it from this board and can look her over. Birdman did that for me and I think that was the best thing that could have happened. Be prepared to put money into even the best show car. They are old and they will break something.

Oh, and READ, READ, READ FChat! Start searching old threads and read the stickies.

Off the top of my head here are some basic questions:

1) Do you have all the maintenance records? If not, do you have at least the last 10 years?
2) Who did the last belt/tensioner change and valve adjustment and when?
3) When was the last time all the fluids were changed out?
3) What condition is the body in? Any rust in the quarters, under the trunk carpet or on the lower door lips? (Ask for hires pictures)
4) How old are the fuel hoses?
5) Do all the electrics work? (that includes the headlights raising and lowering together)
6) Is ALL the tool kit there? (Ask for pictures)
7) Are all the manuals and books with the car? (Ask for pictures)
8) How is the interior leather?
9) How is the fabric on the rear deck and top?
10) If you live in the PRK or a state like it, is all the smog equipment there?
11) Ask if they mind a PPI.

My personal opinion is the mechanicals are the most important things on these cars. Paint can be buffed, rust fixed, seats redyed, car TLCd, etc. (Although seat skin replacement is VERY expensive as is replacing original tools) As long as the price reflects the things wrong you can still get a good car. (That assumes you aren't looking for ready-to-go show winner!)

Oh, find a good mechanic NOW. Ask around in the local section. Interview him and tell him you are in the market. You never know, he may have a customer wishing to sell.

Good luck.

YMMV.

 

I justified it by saying the sooner you buy the car the less it is per day.

If you buy the car in 2 more years you paid the same for the car but have two less years of life left. So if you keep the car for life the sooner you buy it the less it is to own.

The longer you wait the more you pay.

 

What to buy, is as big a question as how to buy.
There's quite a bit of difference in the 20 or so years of 308-328 manufacture.
I feel educating yourself on these distinctions will increase your likelyhood of getting the right car for you.
That's where F-chat can be a large help. Its all here if you do the reading.

 

For those interested in the 328, I thought I would promote this little post again

 

You need to figure out whether you want old school (Boxer/308/328) or modern (360) in the Ferrari sports car range.

If you're brand new to Ferrari, save yourself the grief of inspecting a parade of dicey old cars. You've got Cauley Ferrari nearby, so it wouldn't hurt to let them know what you're thinking of buying. The owner has (had?) a beautiful blue 328 as one of his personal cars, so it's not like they don't appreciate these cars.

Also, places like Sport Auto in NC and Motorcars Int'l in Springfield, MO, occasionally carry classics back to the 308/328 era, and they seem to really go through the cars they sell -- a big plus with Ferraris out of warranty. Some Ferrari dealers, like Ferrari of Denver, Ron Tonkin in Portland and Ferrari of Atlanta get 328s in inventory from time to time, and again you're buying from a place that knows these cars.

I personally would avoid buying through eBay, supermarket auto trader rags, etc., because they tend to be the garbage pits where the uninitiated buy someone else's looming service nightmare. The purchase price is just the starting point, as you probably already know from surfing around here.

Yup, the perfect sporting sedan and the perfect sports car. I've had both. And the Italian car so far has actually been the more reliable of the two. Go figure...

 

Having an Fcar is fun. Sure the bills add up if you drive it like she is meant to be driven and track it for real fun. Hey, what's the point of having an Fcar if you don't have some fun with it on the track??? Eventually i sold it as the needs for real speed happened
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Thanks for all the replies and please keep them coming regarding sources. I've gone through this phase in great detail in the BMW world before purchasing mine and am enjoying the experience of learning the Ferrari marque.

To answer a couple of questions I am, at the moment, interested in a 'late' model, low mile 328 GTS. I've also considered 348's (love the looks, dislike the maintenance $$) and 355's (ditto) and even the Testarossa's (double ditto). I keep coming back to the 328 for it's reliability, best of breed (for Ferrari at the time) reliability and classic styling. However, I've been spoiled with the perfection of my Bimmers (current '04 545i) so as Bullfighter pointed out, I need to get close to a few and get a feel for them. I'm not constrained by travel $$ and won't buy one sight unseen; I also, firmly believe in the PPI process.

I'll continue perusing through F-Chat here and appreciate everyone's input regarding sources. I've found that, much like the Ducati and specialty vehicle worlds, there are experts who specialize in certain models around the country who seem to have a finger and be connected to the buy/sell pulse; Bullfighter has shared a couple of names, any others out there?