Are all 328's like that?

The throttle cable needs adjustment. If it begins working halfway through its travel, it will only be at half throttle when it is floored. Yea, that would be slow. As for the clutch they are self adjusting. If its high, its worn out. To check it put the car in fourth gear and let out the clutch. It will slip if its worn. Sounds like alot of money in todays market. Drive one that has been properly maintained. It will be a completely different experience.

 

It's not for everyone.

It is what it is.

 

No comparison here with your other car. The 328 is a "vintage" car. Don't expect it to be anywhere a modern sport car should be. It's slow, poor driving position, interiors are fragile, exteriors are fragile, tough clutch, tough steering, high maintenance, long this, short that...you get the drift. But I think of it as an acquired taste. One you "get it", you can't get enough.

I just came back from a 30 miles drive with the wife and she literally hated it. Between the heat (AC needs charging), the sun, the "smelly" interior, and the loud noise, she just doesn't get it. I'm smiling from ear to ear with enjoyment.

Like I said, it's an acquired taste....

Ace

 

Throttle travel is long on 308's and 328's relatively, but 328 motors are responsive to part throttle inputs even though there is not a lot of power. It's hard to explain but the motor just plain wants to run even if it is no sprinter. The clutch sounds like it is worn out. These have cables, not hydraulics, so the travel gets long as the clutch wears. It can be adjusted but it sounds like this one is at the end of the line. So, I'm guessing the car you drove is not typical. I can't figure the not fun part since every 308 and 328 I ever drove (about 15) was fun though I never drove one with anything near 80K on it.

In any event, 39K is way too much given the mileage and cosmetics and clutch even if service was pretty recent. I would not give up. Drive some others. It may be that it is just not for you but I would not decide that based on this one car.

Dave

 

My 328 is a BLAST to drive. It is fast, no not as fast as some, but once I learned at what rpm to shift and actually how to drive it, there was nothing left to do but have fun. If all you want is speed, then no, the 1980's technology is not for you. If you want to go somewhat fast and in style, then a 328 may be for you. At 39K, the owner knows it needs work and from your description, it needs to be "tightened up" and probably a few other things.

I often drive with the Lamborghini club, and while they can "go fast", I'm not into that but can hold my own with them.

I think you need to ride with someone that knows when to shift and go for a spirited ride in a well tuned 328. Then you can make an informed decision.

 

I have to agree with other posters - either your expectations are more for a 360, or
the car you drove is buggered.

My '86 328 is the most incredible car I've EVER driven, and I love every minute in
it in every way - I love the 'funny smell', the SCREAMING engine, the odd seat
and wheel physics, the way it clutches, the way it accelerates, and especially
the way it LOOKS!

My Mercedes could kick it's ass any day in a straight line, and probably go a LOT
faster on the top side. And I don't care

I would suggest you drive a WELL SORTED 328 before ruling it out. I really
think you drove a poorly tended car that's not very happy.

Jedi

 

It's WAY too high from what it sounds like. And even if you got it for $20k - which you WON'T - it will take
a LOT of money to set it right. Walk away and find a better one. There's lots for sale right now, and the
prices have never been lower in recent years.

Jedi

 

... just curious - in the photos which is you and which is him?

 

At 80K miles and in the current shape, $39K is a bit high. It probably needs a major, clutch (as you said) and more. I would guess $10K in repairs, that puts the car at $49K which is way too high for one with 80K miles. Don't get me wrong, these engines can go 150K miles before a rebuild, but there are nice 328s available in the mid $40s with 35-50K miles. I would take a pass on this one.

 

Good suggestions here - try to find a well sorted 328 and take that for a drive. If it's a nice day, pop the top, you'll like the semi-open air experience.

It's fun to take my wife to the local Italian restaurant in the ole' 308, they leave it parked in front and it just looks so right. No offense to the GS (it's a wonderful car) but I think that would get parked around the back.

 

I don't exactly disagree with your "test ride." Compared to a "modern" sports car, the 328 is everything you described. It is not "fast' in any sense of the word though compared to other production cars, it was in 1989, having more HP and less weight than the Corvette of that year, for example.

It may be that the car you were in was not in the best shape and needed some work. And, obviously, if it was not running well it would be even less impressive than it should be. But the truth is that just about any current sports car will out-accelerate the 328 as will most sport coupes, a lot of full-sized sedans, and a some SUVs.

The first time I ever drove a Ferrari, a carbed 308, was in 1979. I expected to be blown away by the speed/performance but my initial reaction was, "This thing can barely get out of its own way!" But all my driving time from the late 60's to that point had been in Mopar muscle cars, usually much-modified. My daily driver at the time, a 1968 340S Barracuda would have run off and left the 308 for dead; I had expected the opposite to happen and was VERY disappointed.

HOWEVER...after the second day of driving the car (rented it for 3 days), I began to realize that while my 340S would easily out-accelerate the 308, there was no comparison if you actually had to stop or turn! And the more I drove that 308, the more I enjoyed driving the car. Everything about it seemed well-balanced and "right."

That was my last experience with a Ferrari until I bought my 89 328 in August, 08. I bought it in Vegas and, 2 days later, drove it 3000 miles to Maryland. Hit 140+ in NV/AZ and enjoyed the heck out of the trip. I love driving the car and enjoy it more than any other car I have ever owned. My previous sporty car was a new 996 Porsche 911 which I drove for 7 years. It would out-everything the Ferrari performance-wise. But though I tried for those 7 years, I never really warmed up to the car. I sold it in '06 and have never missed it for a second. The 328 is, to me, what the Porsche was not, fun and involving. The 911 was extremely competent and was a great daily driver the entire time I owned it, putting 60 miles a day on it back/forth to work. But for all my attempts, I couldn't grow to like the car or to "care" about the car.

The 328 is different. For a while I thought about adding a supercharger kit or nitrous to get additional power out of the engine. But I realized that every time I am in the car I have such a great time that I now have decided it isn't necessary. BUT I will readily admit that it is difficult, especially depending on your car background, to initially get over the "It's not as fast as I expected" thing. And it is possible that you just can't adjust to the fact that it's not that fast but I did it and my background is in much quicker cars...none of which were even close in the fun/satisfaction quotient to the 328.

In any case, Good Luck!

 

While my AMG Mercedes and especially my track car Porsche are sooo much faster than my 328 (that I have owned for 22 years), I still remain enthralled with my 328. I may request that I be buried in mine.

 

The clutch in a 328 is adjustable. Check your owners manual.

 

'80s cars aren't for everyone.

 

Drive a Biturbo, then the 328 for comparison. Then come back and tell us what you think.

 

No, I think something was wrong with this car. A 328 in good working order may not be very quick off the line but I've never heard someone say they are not fun to drive.

Were you able to operate the car in the 4500-6500 rpm range with relative ease? You should be able to reach and pass 5000 rpm in a few seconds (5-8?) at which point you should be rolling along rather swiftly, at least for street use.

-F

 

Agreed, this is another "1980s Ferrari isn't as good as the 200x [insert sports car name here]" thread.

Fortunately there are a good number of well-preserved 328s around, no reason to buy a worn out one.

 

Page 76 of my manual states, "The clutch is of the dry single plate type with a spring hub, diaphragm spring; cable self adjusting type clutch release system". So the cable is not adjustable, which what I was referring to. The manual also states on page 77, "A shortened pedal travel before release indicates that plate is getting worn out". It goes on to explain removing the clutch assembly. That is because when the pedal is high there is no cable adjustment, the clutch is worn and needs replacement.

 

There is adjustment at the cable, but really just to bring the pedal back to the same height as the brake pedal.

 

After reading your first post I can only conclude that a 328 is not for you, at any price.

 

The 328 may be more refined than the 308 but what about parts? I rarely see 328 parts cars.