Reality check

Sly,

PM sent.

Jim

 

Embossed cavallino in the headrests of a 308??
Never seen something like that. At least not on original seats.

Best Regards
Martin

 

What are your goals for this car? If it's a driver you want, you'll be fine with this car provided it checks out (although 50K for a driver "i" car would have been comedy this time last year

If you want to bring it up to factory correct it's going to cost you some bucks and you'll probbaly be better served finding another unless the seller has all the stock parts he changed out.

cheers,

warren.

 

Maybe that varied by year. I'm pretty sure the QV's had them. Not sure about carb or 2Vi cars.

 

my 77 cared nope
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This seems like a good price, if anybody is looking for an GTSi
http://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=207587567

 

My QV has them, faint from many years ago, but they are there. You wouldn't notice them if you looked casually, have to look closely.

 

nice looking car

i like the early 80 gtbi interior better over the later ones with the different aux gauge housing and the long shifter. makes it easier to back date to a carb look!

 

Sly any updates on the 308 you were checking out yesterday

 

Well not good... The outside & inside of the car look great, but it needs all bushings to be changed, CV joints need to be rebuilt (one was completely open), suspensions need to be rebuilt (not sounding good on bumps) + major service (the owner does not recall the last time the valve clearance was checked, and he bought the car in 89). Basically bought the car and let it sat since then (I estimate less than 200miles per year based on carfax). This all I could notice but I suspect the engine tubing will also get bad quickly since none expect fuel lines have been replaced. Basically very far away from a $53k GTBi in my opinion.
My advice is stay away from that car. Price is non negotiable btw.

But the most interesting part is that he does not insure the car and for that reason, despite agreeing on it before I took a trip coast to coast, he did not even let me drive the car!!!

No wonder why it has not sold in over 1 year. Stay away.

 

Or very close to it.

 

What do you mean? Would you put $53k in a GTBi with potentially 15-20k investment for all rubber to replace and major service + not being able to test drive it?

 

As I see it, there are two options. You can either:

a) Buy this particular car at what's likely a middle of the spectrum price (or slightly above), then spend the money needed to properly refurb or even restore it. This way you'll end up with the car you want - knowing it's been done properly.

b) Buy one that's already "done" to the level you'd like, and be prepared to spend top dollar to get it.

In my case, I searched for many months and couldn't find a car that fit option B. The majority of cars described as "nice" needed some level of cosmetics, complete suspension/service/brakes. So I went with a car that needed to be restored. In the end I'll have more than I would have liked in it, but it will be done the way I want it and I won't be wasting months of my life searching for what may be a unicorn in the first place.

 

I agree, and I was ready to pull the trigger on that car, but with zero room for negotiation at all on a car that "needs nothing", and an owner not even letting me test drive it (when he agreed over the phone previously), it's certainly a no. I would not put money down on a car without test driving it.

 

Sylvain, I know it's over your budget but take a look in the Ferrariad for the yellow 328.

 

Yep, I looked at it, very nice but over budget...

Also looking at the 79 GTB, very nice too!

Well, this exercise requires patience

 

From your mechanical description, it sounds like the owner was afraid the car would explode and burn if driven. Sounds like a #4 car at a #3 car price. Too bad you wasted so much time and airfare.

 

It has been for sale for closer to 3 years.
New rubber bits, valve adjust, new belt, find a steering wheel, ditch the awful seats...... the math isn't there.

 

As someone who spent many, many years looking for the right car and wasting thousands of miles of travel to see complete dogs I advise you to stay the course and take your time.

Cars and owners like this guy are major red flags. The problems you see are just the tip of the iceberg. If someone doesn't have the money or pride to keep a 308 in decent shape the odds of it being a total basket case are high. 53k for that lump is ludicrous!!!

Don't let your enthusiasm get the best of you or you will find yourself in a nightmare that you resent instead of the car of your dreams. There ARE great cars out there and you have plenty of time to find them. Don't let the current Red Mist market effect your thinking. Bide your time and you'll find the right one at a fair price.

 

I don't see a hang-up with a test drive when an inspection revealed so much other work... provided the inspection was done by an experienced 308 guy.

And for comparison, Ferrparts just sold a 1981 GTBi that had rust, needed complete repaint, interior cosmetics, ran "rough", and would have needed the other things like suspension/service etc too. That car sold for $40,700. I think as a project car that was on the lower end of the pricing spectrum and the one you looked at is in the upper end. After the dust has settled both will probably have somewhere between $65-75k in them to be "very nice". Or you could find a nice one now for $75-85k.

 

Tan ribbed cloth. Original.

 

Injected cars had the embossed headrests.

 

My 2 cents:

Seller sounds like he has his quirks.

Price seems reasonable to me. I wouldn't pay too much attention to Sheehan or Hagerty price recommendations. They have been behind the curve on 308s for a long time. A quick look at completed listings on eBay will prove this.

Many, many 308s presented as clean and roadworthy need hoses and bushings. These are time consuming but not tough jobs and can be done easily by the DIYer.

Seats are not pretty and do not look original. The padding is too full. Usually on original seats it is almost flat due to time. I have redone quite a few.

I would replace the steering wheel and seat upholstery ASAP and deal with mechanical issues as needed. Sale of the Nardi wheel should cover the cost of a used original replacement easily. The wheels look like Speedline Mistrals. These can be sold for $4k or so. That will cover the cost of a set of new K-N repro wheels and tires and the seat upholstery.

Take another swing at price concessions against the cost of a major. Get a PPI. If nothing major pops up, buy and enjoy!

Good luck!

 

Well, yes, the seller clearly has his "quirks". I am not going to comment further.
By the way, closer observation of the car and the photographs I took makes me think the car has been repainted, unless the "orange peel" paint look comes from factory.

Anyways, moving on.

I shall say I had a great time in SF, and had the pleasure of meeting a forum member, Jim, and his 1985 (built in 1984) euro 308 GTS QV. It is great to share the passion with real enthusiasts! Jim's QV is really gorgeous and we had a great time driving along the West Coast in a splendid spring weather. Took some pictures to share with the members here. Thanks again Jim!

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Also had the pleasure to meet another Jim, the owner of Alfaman in Novato, CA. Jim owns a very nice garage where he works on Alfa Romeos, Ferraris and other vintage cars. Really nice guy and shop, I recommend. Check it out at Import Auto Repair & Restoration | Marin, Sonoma County: Novato, San Rafael, Petaluma, San Anselmo

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Anyways, still looking for that GTB that is waiting for me

PM me if you know any for sale.

Cheers,

Sly