How many miles can you put on the 308 engine?

funny

 

I wasn't actually saying my 308 is "lowly." An awful lot of people will describe them as the least desirable of the 308s, and that feeds the lower prices. But that's like dating the least desirable underwear model -- still damn, damn good. My real point to the OP was not to discount these. Fantastic cars that can be had for remarkably little money.

 

This is the best analogy I've heard in my life.

 

That is a great one

 

We haven't had a good mileage thread for a while so I'll play along by echoing the above in the context of a friend's car which approaches 120 000 miles without rebuild and a similar use pattern

 

I drive mine quite regularly.

I bought mine with 63,XXX on the odometer in 2009 and now have past 70,000. I know that doesnt seem like a lot, but I dont have a long drive to work. I do use it as a daily driver when I am back home.





PDG

 

This is what I'm talking about.

 

I spoke to Ferrari of New England yesterday. They have a glass 308 in there with 147,00 on it.

 

You drive it until it needs to be rebuilt, regular preventive maintenance and you can drive anything over 100k problem is if you didn't buy it new you have no idea what you have.

For some reason 100 k on a motor was a big deal maybe in the 50's and don't pay a premium for non existing hp ratings I mean they 308's are all SLOW its a fun car that you can still get tickets in.

 

+1.......+1

 

My 308 QV GTB was at 130K when I sold it. Engine wasn't rebuilt. It is still going strong.

 

My lancia is at 320,000mi (but it's pretty worn), and I believe the ferrari 308 to be tougher.

 

Ferrari is like any other car in the world. You buy the nicest lowest milage car you can find in your price range. Period. The rest of this is a load of crap.

 

I don't think anyone on this thread has said anything that merits this. Everyone is offering the OP exactly what he asked for -- their experiences on how long these cars last and what to watch for. To me, it's been a useful thread because it helps confirm that these cars can last like any other. So why throw that in? It's not useful, and it's insulting.

 

I'm in a bit of an insulting mood I guess. I'm just so sick of this big load of crap about...oh my god I want car thats been driven...and has then been obviously well maintained.
low milege rules period.

 

I think most can agree that a car with lower miles, so long as it has had some reasonable use and has been well maintained, probably has more miles left in it.

But low miles is relative. 50k is low for an older Porsche 911, and incredibly low for a 1990s Camry. Whether it is also low for a given 308 depends on whether such cars typically die before or long after that point.

The average miles at end of useful life is not easy info to come by for a low volume car like a Ferrari, particularly given that (due to seasonal and weekend-only driving) very few ever see lots and lots of use. I think the OP was looking for some sense whether a car with 25k or 50k or 75k or 100k is on its last legs, or whether (assuming reasonable maintenance) it has life left in it.

The thread has offered some useful data points on that. As someone with a 60k car, I have found this thread heartening--even if a 30k might (all else equal) be even better.

 

+1, as much as we all proclaim that we should drive these cars, the truth is very few owners do. Spoke with Peter at Forza the other day and he doesn't know of too many customers that actually drive their 3x8s. So buy the best LOW mileage car you can find and get a PPI/major done. Then park it in the garage like the rest of us.

Ace

 

I just put over 400 miles on mine in the first month. I cannot wait to put more miles on it to see how "worthless" it can get. I know, I know, I just got it and will stop driving it a lot when the miles get higher. BS. I am very glad that the prior owners put few miles on it so that I was able to get a low mile car, but it was for a premium. 60K mile cars are cheaper than 28K mile cars, period. Nothing will ever change that. I have a much different way of looking at this because I just had a Carrera S for 16 months and lost 20 grand when I sold it from the price I paid. What a waste for a car I never liked. I cannot comment on the longevity of the 328 yet, but I will be able to in the future. I have an 04 E class with 96,000 miles on it and cannot wait until it hits 100K.

 

Low mileage cars rule? Ummm...depends on if you want a car to drive or a car to sit in your garage and look pretty.

The best car is one that, on top of having visual quality, has a history of running. This applies to ALL cars.

You have no idea how many times I've advised people on purchases of collector cars that they should walk away from certain low mileage cars. Quite frequently, especially with exotic cars, the cars have low mileage because they have been unreliable and improperly fixed, causing the owners to keep them parked for years out of frustration. How many times have you heard someone say "wow, I've found a Jaguar E-Type SII V12 (or XJ-S) and it only has (insert ultra-low mileage here)...what a great deal!!!"? A year later they've dropped twice the purchase price on dealing not only with the factory foibles, but also the dealer and private mechanic goofs that caused the car to be parked after every several thousand dollar service bill was followed up with another issue.

I agree - buy the best car you can afford, but mileage is only one data point. Buy the 80,000 mile car that's made it up and down the coast five times in the last ten years and maintained all the way over the 5,000 car that has the stack of receipts showing never-ending sagas of issues and huge bills.

 

I agree, when I was hunting for 308, I was choosing between 35K miles and a 67K mile QV. Guess which one I bought? You're right, I end up buying the 67K mile as it runs a lot better, sounds better, and feels better. Been six years now and still no regrets.

 

I purchased my 87 Mondial in August of 09 with 47,xxx miles on it. Same drive train as 328. Today it has 69,xxx. I did one major service 9 months after purchase and it's been very reliable and great to drive.

 

I put on close to 4K miles last year in my 308; not driving them is absurd to me, no offense to those that don't.

 

50933 turned over 150,000 this summer. The more I drive it the better it runs.

 

114,000 on my 3.2, it had 53,XXX on it when I bought it in 2002. Frankly it's gotten little use since 2008 due to lifestyle changes and time constraints.