308 High vs. low Mileage

Do you have pictures of the car, have you had it inspected?

 

The chances are cars that claim to have been averaging even fewer than 2000 miles per year have no records to verify that mileage for a reason

Since these cars' drivetrains have capabilities in the hundreds not tens of thousands of miles buy credibility

 

Hi,
I have just bought my 308 GTB (1977) with 57,000 (fully documented) miles on the clock ..... it drives like a dream. I would have absolutely no compunction about purchasing one of these cars with 60,000, 70,000 or even more on the odo, as they are bullet proof engines, provided maintenance and services have been regularly followed.
I think these cars are now heading in the same direction as the Dino GT , where condition is the key and far more important than, lets face reality ..... sometimes, less than honest/reliable odometers in this model of Ferrari!

I paid far more than you are considering for my car (RHD UK spec) ...... if paperwork and condition check out, i would snap the dealers hand off, before someone else does!
BR,
Jez

 

From a resale point of view, low mileage is always better. BUT, as noted, a higher mileage, well-cared for car is better than a low mileage one that has not been.

Sure, I'd rather have a 3x8 in perfect condition that had all it's service records back to 198x but on the other hand, the current condition of the car is all that really matters. You could have two cars, one with all records back to 198x and another with nothing. But if the current inspection indicated the no-records car to be in better condition...THAT's the car to buy. The fact that there are no records doesn't mean anything in itself OTHER than there are no records.

 

I bought a 1986 328 with 70K miles, five years ago. It had just had a $40K restoration and had full documentation from window sticker to restoration. Now due for belts etc, but nothing but fluid changes since purchase. Never skipped a beat (touch wood). Condition trumps as previous folks have said. Remember also at this age, all rubber bits (hoses, bushings etc) really need to be replaced if not already. Probably lower drive bearings esp on the higher mileage ones… My 70K mile car with new suspension was tighter than the 30K cars riding on original bushings…. Perfect deal would be a low mileage car with all that done, but I imagine it would be a few pennies in the current market. Im happy with what I got, if that helps...

 

The only problem with that logic is that if you have a car with no records at all then you have to do a very very careful ppi before buying. Looks can be deceiving and unless you can fully trust your inspector to spot any important issues from the past, I would simply pass on such a car. There are far too many cars out there to consider one with no records at all regardless of how good it is. In fact I would argue if a car is in such condition indicating it has been cared for then why wouldn't the same careful owner keep some records? Furthermore you will always struggle to sell such a car on same basis.

 

what is worng with 55,000 miles?

I bought mine with 57,000 showing (and a history of speedo sensor replacement at least once) in 1997

 

My QV had ~55k miles when I bought it. Those miles have not really presented any problems to date. I think that many of these cars suffer more from age than miles--that has been the case with mine. The rubber degrades, the bushings crack, the hoses need replacing, the shock seals fail, that kind of thing. My conclusion is that the ideal situation is a car that has had ongoing use, and especially RECENT use. I feel that often a car that has been driven a lot in the last few years is ideal because that forces the owner to fix the problems related to age.

Another issue in addition to age and miles is the condition of the wiring harness. I have a friend who had a Mondial that suffered a massive wiring harness fire that was caused by an 80's-era cell phone mounting screw that finally wore through a wiring bundle causing a catostophic short. This leads me to think that any wiring changes should be looked at very carefully. Goofy alarm systems, Miami Vice-era cell phones, crazy stereo upgrades--any one of those could be a $5k problem waiting to bite you.

I've been reading these boards for a while now, and I haven't really seen mileage related complaints at all.

 

My 328 has 70K miles and it gets driven regularly. I prefer this to a low-mileage car for the reasons already mentioned.

Most of the 308s and 328s I see for sale have just under 30,000 miles. Coincidence?

 

My .02.

I bought my QV in 2009 with 63,000 miles on it. It has records back to 1998, nothing before that. I did a major service at that point and have driven it a lot since then, it spent a lot of time as my daily driver just because I could. I had a shorter drive to work back then than I do now, but still drive it regularly - usually at LEAST one day a week to work if not more. It has had a few minor issues (relay went out - that was a PITA), WUR went out, fusebox replaced, but nothing really major. It has proven to be relatively bulletproof.

The odometer passed 80,000 on Tuesday!!

The thing is that I do believe those to be original miles - I dont believe the odometer has been tempered or changed in any way although that apparently is easily done and many here have commented on that they dont believe many have NOT been changed. There is wear on the seats, there are stone chips in the paint, but the experience of owning it and driving it regularly is simply amazing. Those things can be fixed easily.

Buy it and DRIVE IT!!!!




PDG

 

For an old car, it's the service over the last few years that matter. I wouldn't have a problem with a 55,000 mile 308. That isn't high for a 30 year old car.

I would steer well clear of a 308 with low mileage and limited recent service history. Fresh belts & oil mean nothing. Let someone else pay to get it back on the road.

 

Having records available is an indicator that the prior owner paid attention to the car. A good thing to see. It is only a predictor of future service needs in that you can see what hasn’t yet been done (heater hoses, suspension bushings, etc.), by confirming what routine maintenance has been done (oil changes, valve shims, etc.) and by showing what beneficial repairs have been already been made (window motors, headlights, etc). It doesn’t “assure” much. Likewise low mileage itself is not assurance of anything either. Picking between two cars is always a bit of a “gut feel” call and a bit of a crap shoot.

I admit I am a bit jaded. I bought a 38,000 mile “no issues” 308 with a good providence maintained by the same factory-trained technician for most of its life. The first week I got it home, the oil cooler began leaking. Grounded in a week. Nothing sneaky involved, just a weird coincidence.

 

This sounds like a pretty major service which counts for a lot. Nothing wrong with a well maintained car with 50,000+ miles. Nothing.

$50,000 for a QV with 50,000 miles might be a bit on the high side but with all the work done it sounds like a nice example. As far as I know, most QV's have their original lines and bushings and clutch and stuff like that.

-F

 

They always have 30,000 miles. Even back in the 80's.

Always 30,000 miles....

 

Retro Air a/c setup? That is a little bit of an upgrade

Simply charged with 134? That is a downgrade.

 

Agree. Have a 328 with 63k miles on it and its like a Honda.

 

Miles with maintenance is a good thing.

Sitting can be torture for Ferrari's.

I guess one could do sitting with maintenance?

 

Short answer: probably. It's hard to know what the true mileage is on any of these ~ 30 year old cars. Mine has 68K miles which, based on service records, I believe to be authentic. I have put about 4K miles on it in the past year and expect to do the same over the next year and thereafter. I bought my 328 to drive and enjoy. I consider the cost of maintenance and ownership as I would any recreational activity or travel. I'm sure adding mileage will come with some cost, even if prices generally escalate and the added mileage results in a comparatively lower value. If I was concerned about the future value / depreciation to the extent that I didn't drive the car, what would be the fun in it? Just my opinion.
Jon

 

There is the "unused" threshold at around 10,000 miles.

Thereafter, the only next threshold is the "rebuilt engine" threshold at 100,000 miles.

There is no threshold between theses two.

All mileages above 10,000 miles are assessments as to how close you are to a $20,000 engine rebuild at 100,000 miles.

 

Not to everyone.

I would buy a 60,000 before a 10,000 24/7

 

Sorry but that is rubbish : your 10000 mile criteria is accurate however the evidence here is that few of the 308/328 that go beyond 100000 miles have needed a rebuild at all let alone self-destructing at the magic mileage