I need Advice and Insight about a Mondial....

Call the number and ask.................

 

Survey says.......................

I passed on the car. Why?

Some is the overall condition, some is the amount of time and money it would possibly take to get it roadworthy and pass a state inspection, and then, and this is my opinion.............it has no balls, it wasn't a "woody" in my book. Now I will explain my statements in more detail.

First and foremost I want to say the current person who is selling the vehicle bent over backwards to give me info, unlimited access to the car and last but not least a very good price on the car if I decided to purchase it.............But.

The whole front bumper/spoiler area needs to be attended to. I have no idea what parts might cost (if needed) and how much time would be involved to get it presentable. There is a hole worn through the tub in the front storage area where the spare sits that would need to be re-fiberglassed. I could not tell at the time if the hole was worn through from the inside out by the spare vibrating or if there was an "intrusion" from the bottom of the car. Headlights would not flip up and stay...........Turn on the light swich and both, or the left, then the right headlight would flip up and then immediately hide away.........Front drivers yellow lens is cracked. Interior............the leather looks much more "aged" than the pix show....as it probably should for a 22 year old veichle. The cig lighters are missing. The heater fan does not work. The shift gate is loose.There is a crack in the leather on the console and there are some worn and "furry" areas on the leather. Emergency brake either does not work or needs adjustment. The rocker panels have spots that appear to have been lightly ground off and need to be re-painted. Tires are worn-out as the seller said they were and are metrics. Drivers door handle looks like it was f'd with when somebody tried to break into the car, seller made me aware of this. Underside of the car, the chassis was very clean, straight, and showed no signs that I could detect of bottoming out or running over debris. There is a fuel leak, whether it be the tank, a hose or what I have no idea, the 1 foot in diameter puddle was on the passenger side in front of the rear tire. There is an oil leak in that same area 4 inch diameter, in same area as gas leak. Seller said that there was an oil leak. Gas is OLD..........what a smell. Rear trunk lid was a jar and needs adjustment and the cable release does not allow it to lock without some tinkering. The muffler has a dent on the rear of it, dead center and is probably (I am assuming) why the muffler is exposed. There are 6-7 threaded inserts along the back of the car above the muffler that probaly are for securing some kind of panel or grille to hide the muffler.

By the way the tool kit is complete and correct, The spare tire has a plug in it. The factory issued First-aid kit, located in the rear seat console is complete and un-opened and perfect. All the paperwork and manuals are up to date and complete.

Now for the driving experience. May I preface that I own a Testarossa........... I turn the key and the mother fires......this car took a few minutes to get the right throttle position in order to get it to keep running. I did not want to idle........but in it's defense.......the gas was skunky to say the least. Next the driving position, seat to wheel for me was awkward. Again I know there is some adjustment that I did not fine tune.........but it just felt odd to "me". Car shifted alright and the steering was good..........brakes have an issue. I have no idea if they are worn, or rotors are funky or if I just mis-interpeted the pedal feedback......again I was NOT impressed. Now again let me remind you the reader........I have a TR. This car to me had no balls. It didn't perform the way I would have thought a Ferrari should, it was a Honda with a V-6 to me. This may be the nature of the 308/Mondial models, this was my first ever drive in this type of Ferrari It didn't set me back in the seat. It did not encourage "wood". So I within a mile turned it around and parked it and said. "It's not my cup of tea." This after driving 275 miles with a truck and trailer and 20K+ dollars in my pocket and actually 900 miles from home. I wanted this car.............it just didn't impress..........me.

Now for the final words................This car is well worth the 20k+ the seller is asking if you have never owned a Ferrari. It has some of that pop that an F car emits to the driving public, it scoots along Ok and it will not take more than 5K to get it where it should be......Tires/wheels, electrics, leaks, body repair and panels, if your DIY...........But as I said, "Not my cup of tea." I want wood, not............Shrinkage as George Kastansa would exclaim...........Kerry

 

By the way....................This is what I bought the following day for a new "toy" when the Mondial didn't quite fill the void...............

2003 Ford P71 Crown Victoria Police Intercepter, it's got all the lights/sirens/antennas/scanners/push bars and lots of attitude.........No more tailgaters, road rage and hopefully fewer tickets on my 15 hour, 1000 miles each way commutes from NY to the office in Alabama!! Great power, good mileage (24-27 mpg), a trunk that can accomadate all my luggage & tools and a pony or two if need be.............Now I'm just one of the "Boys"......................

PS I just ordered new brakes, Baer cross drilled & slotted rotors and a Paxton Twin screw supercharger (550+ hp @ the rear wheels) Yippee.................................And for about $9500 less than the Mondial asking price
Image Unavailable, Please Login