Mondial: New Potential Buyer?

Only the T needs the engine out...but some managed to change the belts with the engine still in the car even on the T.

 

Check youtube. Bell Bloke (helidoctor) has a video on a belt change for a QV. Same procedure should apply to 8s, QVs, and 3.2s. The t has a longitudinal engine layout (vs transverse for the 8s, QVs & 3.2s) which puts the timing belts up against the fire-wall and very hard to get to.

On the 8s, QVs and 3.2s, the timing belts are accessible from the passenger side, rear tire well.

Check out all helidoctors videos - he has quite a few on maintaining or fixing the Mondial.

Sid

 

Regarding the auction at Bonhams-Greenwich...this was a very nice car- there was zero interest...only one guy there that cared...and he didn't care that much. The auction certainly had international buyers coming in--several lots went overseas too. The room also certainly had many Ferrari experts and I saw a few well known ones. There seems to be very little interest in these cars. I think you can get a great one perhaps sub 20k/very low 20's ...I would watch the auctions & really inspect the cars. Don't be fooled into thinking the room has lots of bidders for these cars- it doesn't. You can get a great deal on one of these if you are smart and patient! Good luck!!

 

Its been a good driver. My '87 Cabriolet has had issues, but in 7 years and almost 25000 miles (now at 98000) it has been a blast to own and drive. Yeah there are chronic issues (electrical system) but I've done some bypasses on the original fusebox, new tires, new clutch, slave and master clutch cylinders, boiled out the radiator, starter, battery, finally abandoned the A/C system (slow leak but bearings failing on compressor), one timing belt change, oil cooler replaced, a fender bender, and constant tending to little problems--but it runs well, daily almost 3-season driver that people gape at and compliment--that brings joy to otherwise dull commutes and trips to the store and whatever.

Its not for the faint hearted, thank god for a nearby expert indy shop for the cooler and clutch internals and belt, and lots of patience and fiddling (its a hobby, not a sickness, dammit), and no I never dreamt I'd own and drive a Ferrari for tens of thousands of miles.

Naturally this web site and other enthusiasts provide hints and tricks, avoiding problems and parts interchanges that will save you some serious money.

Naturally my car, as a driver, is getting a bit tattered--but she's an old gal and much loved. Is there life in a Ferrari over 100,000 miles?? My inital purchase with higher miles was viewed as a positive--proof that the thing ran well.

 

Came here to post something like this. You should budget at least $40k regardless of the car you buy: either buy at $20k and spend another $20k making it right, or buy at $30k and have $10k ready for regular servicing.

 

Yep. As a rule of thumb, I'd say there's really no such thing as a sub $40k Ferrari. Even that is pushing it. $50k is more realistic over the first 2 years, once you drive it enough to shake loose the surprises.

But whether you hand it all over at once for a perfectly dialed in car, or pay it out in chunks - first to the seller and then the mechanic, it all comes out to be roughly the same.

That said I think the Mondial, even at an assumed $50k over the first two years, is not only the best value in Ferrari world, but one of the best sports car values in the world today.

 

No, only the "t" requires pulling the engine out for a belt service. However, I know that many garages will pull it out anyway during a major to make their life easier and to poke around for other issues.

But 8, QV, and 3.2 can all have their belts changed with the engine in the car.

 

We now know the t can also be done with the engine in the car, but you have to drop the gas tanks and work in the more cramped environment of the engine in the car.

So for t owners, you might talk to whoever is doing the work and see if there is a preference and the cost difference.

Regards,
Jerry