328 decision

My first one I was terrified, but once you get familiar with them they are not too scary.

Best of luck, and glad we could help!!
Alan

 

The advantage of a lower miles car is not so much in mechanical, as seals go bad but the metal is good, but in the wear items like leather and rubber stripping.

These will always look better on a little used, but cared for example.

 

There's always been a marked difference with the V12 Ferraris and the smaller and more nimble V8s....

For driving fun, I think you made the right choice!!!

 

At some point, you just have to jump in. The 30K car sounds like it is fine. Only you can decide wether a lower mileage car is worth it to you or not.

One thing I can comment on is the GTS vs GTB question. I've owned both. The B is much prettier IMO and I have found that, more importantly, they drive much nicer. Even the Bs are not exactly stiff cars by today's standards. After owning Bs, I find the S unacceptable to drive. But some people are more sensitive to flex than others. Bs are hard to find, everyone wanted to be Magnum in the 80s.

Dave

 

30K miles is NOT a lot of miles! That's probably about a perfect amount if you actually plan on driving the car. As long as it's been properly looked after and a PPI checks out, you'll be fine.

 

Well said again, Dave. I drove my 308GTS and 328GTB back to back today. B is definately more solid!

 

Best of luck to you. In my case, the right car found me. I looked at and drove 308s, 355s, 412s, and 550s. Had likes and dislikes with every car.

I was in Boston looking at a 355 Spider at Copley that I was seriously interested in (nice people, BTW.) I decided to stop by Ferrari of New England, just because i happened to be nearby. I wasn't looking for a 328, especially not a white one. However, that's exactly what I bought, on the spot. 1988.5, 30,000mi, drove beautifully, near-concours condition, complete service records and a terrific price. (I can wholeheartedly recommend FNE too; one of the best buying experiences I've ever had.)

I put 5,000mi on her this driving season, learned how to change the motor and gear oil, and replaced a relay. Couldn't be happier with my purchase.

The moral of my little tale is: drive everything you can, and read everything you can (particularly here on f-chat.) Then you'll be prepared to make a sound "impulse" purchase.

 

R.R., you don 't say what year the car is, but it has to be at least 20 years old. That means it's been driven, on average, only 1,500/yr. That is not a lot of driving. Even with the current owner putting 15K on over the last 4 to 6 years, that's still not a lot of driving. But the fact that he has been driving it is good. They need to be driven.

Two years ago, I bought an '86 328 with 47K miles on it. The car needed some work, but I've now got it up and running, and enjoying it. After owning a '78 308 GTS and an '84 Mondial QV, I can say the 328 is a more refined and, for my taste, enjoyable car to drive. YMMV, but that's my opinion. I'm very please with the car. If he had the 30K service done ten months ago, ask for the paperwork and go talk to the mechanic that did the work. You'll likely learn a lot about the car. And be sure to have a PPI done. No one likes surprises.

Assuming the price is right, go for it. Life is too short not to own a great car!!!

 

It depends. Is the lower mileage car nicer? Then it might be worth the extra money.

The question is too simple. Not all low mileage cars are nice. Not all high mileage cars are bad. You have to look closely at the individual examples that you are considering. There are no absolutes.

You really need to drive a GTB before making a purchase. It has nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with how they drive. I owned a GTB for a long time and recently sold it. I drove a number of GTS cars over the years and wouldn't consider owning one. That's just my opinion; I have my reasons, which may not matter to you. Other people enjoy them, beacuse you can take the roof off and that's fine. I just don't like the way they drive.

Don't make a decision based upon what advice you get from the internet, or from reading a book about these cars. Get out there and look at them. Drive them. You'll find one suits you more than the other.

JR

 

fwiw, I drive a gts year-round in the san francisco bay area. No snow, of course, but rain and cold no problem. The top seals well.

the milder climate up here is good since the heat works great and the a/c not so great. You can drive with the top out most months.

the loose seat back is typical. You can tighten the screws in the hinges and they'll loosen again. You can try replacing the conical lock washers and they'll loosen again. Locktite? maybe, but you can probably weld the things in and they'll loosen again

I wouldn't restrict the search to low mile cars, and would be especially careful with garage queens. A higher miles, sorted car will probably give you less headaches.

 

For my purposes i.e. fair weather, street driving, I prefer the 308/328 GTS. Being a targa-style convertible, the GTS is comfortable and exhilarating to drive with the top off even during one of the more rare rainless winter days in Seattle. Just make sure the heater works.

If I were to pick a Ferrari for the track/more aggressive driving, then a road-going production 308/328 GTS would not be my choice. But then again, I most likely will not choose a GTB either...unless it's a Michelloto. ;-)

WRT low miles versus high miles, I've had a 328 and 308 that were both over 50K miles. I currently have a 22K mile 328 in my garage. I have to say that the current car with relatively low mileage is significantly nicer to drive i.e. better quality, more solid, etc. I suggest you drive the particular cars of interest and compare directly.

 

I would definetely go for the 328! the door sagging seems to be an issue every 20K miles or so...a ferrari restoration shop did my hinge pins driver/passenger now the door shuts as good as my 911!... this is very important to do slamming the door to make it rise and hit striker due to sagging will cause inside leather door skin to come thru screws and break/misaligh window/motor n' stuff... I've had my 87 328 gtb since 2008 LOVE IT man...

 

my 328 has a really good heater for what that's worth...328 good first ferrari...minimal electronics..galvanized steel....cheaper if not one of the cheapest ferrari to own..beautiful engine note/tranny sound/induction sound but all ferrari's have this....does it have spare black horsey folding key? original torino safe 4xxx door/fuel key? these are hard to find now...how is all the glass....St Gobain? carello originals? driving lights/turn lens ok condition??? leaher on dash ok...stitching ok?? Marshall Goldman auto sales in Ohio they have a sweet 88 red.tan gts 12K miles looks really nice 60K I would go for that even though I personally prefer concave non-abs 328's in person wheels look better but abs ones are great too!!! Paying 10K premium or more for a lower mileage car IF IT'S ALL ORIGINAL I would be the only way I would go when buying ferrari's...BUY THE BEST YOU CAN AFFORD CAUSE YOU CAN GET 20K IN "RENOVATION" DOESN'T GO VERY FAR IN THE FERRARI WORLD...