Drove a 348 for the first time...now I'm really hooked!

One of those 4c would be a blast of a daily driver. When prices drop I'll grab one to replace my toyota corolla street car

 

Funny you should ask, I'm about to post another thread with some questions, but it hasn't gone down yet. Before taking it for the PPI the dealer called me and said the check engine bank 1-4 and slow down 1-4 lights just came on. The slow down light is throwing a "catalytic converter, emissions" code and the check engine light is throwing a "misfire" code. His mechanic has already switched out the ECU's and Thermocouplings from the 2 banks and no change in the lights, so it looks like those are fine, and it is running fine, so he is not sure if it needs a new catalytic converter or what could be causing the codes. His mechanic is coming back tomorrow to run a compression test to see if it is actually misfiring. Any idea what this could be?

 

It makes an awesome daily!!! I am daily driving it right now, and when I get a 348 will switch between the Alfa and 348 as my dailys.

 

Regarding the CEL/SDL, could be something as simple as a failing plug or plug wire causing unburned fuel to overheat the converter. I'd start with the simple stuff first, but you want the compression test anyway since it's part of the PPI. But otherwise I'd chase the misfire first and see if that doesn't solve the converter issues. The answer may become obvious when the plugs are removed for the compression test.

BTW, your 4C driving impressions write-up was fantastic. You place value on the characteristics that drew many of us to the 348, so I can certainly understand why you fell in love at first drive.

 

Can you confirm? I bought the car I think you’re referring to a almost two weeks ago. So would be very interesting to know if these conversations with Scott are occurring, as I have not taken delivery yet.

 

Wait...what?!!! Yes, I have been talking with Scott at Euro Motor Studios, and this is the latest I received from him today, regarding him needing to run a compression check. He had the car in either Monday or Tuesday at Sports & Collector Car Center in Tempe, and they assisted him with the Diagnostic. It showed up as a cat issue and a misfire. As stated above, he told me his mechanic switched out the sensor and there was no change in the lights. With this new info the whole situation seems very weird.

You should call him tomorrow. I know I am. I guess I'm not joining the Brotherhood afterall.

 

Well, what's come of this?

 

I know... I know exactly what you must be feeling at the moment, but remember, if it's not this car, it will be another. Keep your head up.

 

I guess i need to drive one. It has a pretty bad rep for being slower than a pick up truck (cyclone) when launched...but im sure its a great car! Just a bad reputation for a ferrari


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

That "pickup truck" was cheating. At 4.6 seconds to 60 MPH, there are many cars that would go in the crap pile by solely applying that metric, but we know there is a lot more to the experience, don't we?

 

Absolutely! My testarossa has a bad rep too yet super reliable and fun to me.
Sometimes its ppl who never drove those cars that cause trouble!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Plus flat-crank Ferraris were not built for drag racing e.g. 1/4 mile, stoplight to stoplight nor 0-60. So an apples to oranges comparison.

 

It’s the driver, not the car...

Image Unavailable, Please Login

Went on a run with this Mercedes and the 911 Targa and was very competitive in the mountains (yes, they blew me away in the freeway ramp, so what....).

Kai

 

Red Delicious, Braeburn and Weisser Winterflockenapfel.

 

Totally, who cares? Ever since I traded a Corvette for a Cayman S, I’ve been completely unimpressed by acceleration numbers. Far more fascinated by what I can make the car do in the other axes (though not much should be happening longitudinally I suppose). Well...none of that really makes any sense, but you get my drift, no pun intended

 

I called the dealer and he said the lights are still on, but a buyer just called and was willing to buy it as is. He refuted what QSA said and told me the buyer just called that day and said he wanted to buy it as-is. He said it definitely wasn't sold two weeks ago. So, that's that. I'll still keep the search up. If you see any 348's around $50k or less please send them my way.

 

You're right. It was just very frusturating that day. I'm still on the look out for a good one at a good price.

 

There’s plenty for sale Brandon. Keep looking.

 

Well, I'm sorry to hear that you missed on this one but it could be a blessing in disguise. I personally think you'd be much better off buying one from a private party vs. a dealer. Usually private party sales are buy enthusiast owners that care about where there car is going. When I sold my TB aka The Bushmobile some years ago I passed on several generous offers just because I wasn't comfortable with the purchaser. The gentleman that ended up getting it is a great guy and friend of Fatbillybob here on F-Chat. All concerned with that deal are still happy today. Well, I have a bit of sellers remorse for some sentimental reasons.....and it was a damn great TB!
Keep up the hunt, that's half of the fun.
Cheers!

 

The right one will come along... I knew about my car for years and how did I find out it was for sale? The seller replied to a WTB ad for a GTS on FChat and in one week, she was in my garage.

 

Agree the right one will come along. I’ve been meaning to write up my story now for a year. Basically, I had a deal on a silver on red ts....talked to the seller, sent out a 400i friend to have a look at it in person, talked again, agreed to price, talked shipping—then the seller completely flaked out. Deal fell through.

Meanwhile, prices rose, I was pissed. Couldn’t find another good red interior car....

Then almost two years later I found a picture using Google image search. Had no idea where in the world the car was. Within two months I found it in the UK, flew there, saw it, bought it, then had to wait 4 more months for it to be 25 years old to bring it in. And in hindsight, while I paid about $10k more for this car all in, my blue/red euro ts is just so special to me, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

You’ll find one—and the search may be he best part of the story!

 

Wait a couple weeks, I'm sure another one will pop up on BaT. I'll try to keep my mouth shut on the listing. I like to think I've driven up the prices to $50K and over since starting my campaign of cheerleading and myth debunking every one of them over the last year.

 

I bid on a local car on BAT that was far from perfect; One service record (recent engine out), sat for 10 years, old tires, ripped seat, high Ferrari miles, etc. I was prepared to put some money in to make right. It needed about $10k (me doing all the work) to make it right for me. I ended up in a bidding war and lost to someone buying it sight unseen for >$50k.

This car was my second choice, and based on what that auction (and previous) did, I had no problem buying it based on my conversation with the seller.

I lost the BAT auction on Friday afternoon, and the following day (Apr-14) called up and put a deposit on this car. The money was wired on the following Monday.

If you’re looking for a $50k car, you will not be able to poke around much, if at all, in this market. Also, as I can tell you from experience, and multiple PPIs paid for in the past; doing due diligence on these cars can be frustrating as hell. In hindsight I wish I would have bought every car I backed out on, Ferrari or otherwise, due to PPI issues I thought were deal breakers.

Good luck! You’ll find a good one.