looking through EBay Motors just for fun. Two years ago a complete door could be had for $500. Now going for $1700. Rear decklid was $2000 now $5000 Vintage speaker grills $2500?? Makes me reluctant to take mine out.
Hi Kim, how do you handle insurance? Over here we can chose full coverage with a small deductible. So I do not care much about the costs for body parts. If I damage my car I have to pay €2000.00 for the repair, no matter how big the whole invoice is. Of course not, if it's totalled. I was more reluctant taking my car out four years ago, when prices hit the roof. More worried about 'false friends', than body damage, when two 308 GTBs were stolen within a short period over here. Best from Germany Martin
This statements was true around 10 years ago. But meanwhile there are great sellers out there. And the bandits got lesser, since the buyer protection tools from ebay and Paypal are working. Common sense and a bit of healthy distrust also helps. And as an example regarding prices. A steel rear decklid at Ferrari UK is roughly €4.800.00 ($5.500.00) A vetro car decklid is roughly two thirds. Best Regards Martin
Insurance works basically the same way here. Just takes so little these days to total one of these cars.
Especially if you consider the year or two or more it takes to get all the parts to fix the car. Loss of use etc. I really like our cars but hope if one gets crashed its a total so I can just walk away. Not worth the aggravation.
Supply and demand, just like anything else. If they have cars and are not moving parts, they'll be more reasonable. If not, just feel lucky you could get it at all. Its not like parts for old Ferrari's are growing on trees and no insurance company is going to pay a panel beater to fabricate body parts for a 308.
Have been looking for a set of used tail lights for my GT4 rear clip I acquired a few years ago. Thought it might be cool as garage art to have it on one of the walls and tail lights illuminated. Noticed last week that new OEM taillights for a GT4 From another well-known vendor had jumped from $1000 aside, now $2000. So if anyone needs this rear clip let me know and I will make you a screaming deal as it’s just collecting dust above one of the cabinets.
Correction. What I have is the rear tail light panel and not a complete rear clip. ( it’s early in my world)
We have special classic car insurances -like mine- here. And they do, as long as the costs for work do not get more expensive than the value of the car -also documented in my policy- plus 20%. BTW. Given the prices for 308 panels, I'm not sure, whether a sheet metal artist would not be even cheaper. My panel beater made half a DeTomaso Mangusta from scratch by mirroring the 'good side' for someone here. The invoice was fair and reasonable. I believe with off-the-shelf panels -which do not exist- at Ferrari costs it would have been significantly more expensive. And these are western Europe labor costs I'm telling about. In the eastern countries there are talented panel beaters too at much less labour costs. Czech Rep., Hungary, Poland, etc. They brought up many skilled people, when they had nothing in former times and had to make all from scratch. Best from Germany Martin
The panel beater in my neighbourhood is time and materials. He will not give quotes. Recently he made a louvred hood for a Packard. The customer didn’t want to pay the price when it was complete and wanted to barter. The fabricator still has the panel. The work was top shelf.
My panel beater gives quotes and recently made a Jaguar XK 140 front fender from scratch for a customer. Cost was €3000.00 incl. VAT. There are new ones available with questionable fit for €5000.00 Rarely any business here works without a quote any more. Maybe there are differences in business culture between the old and new world. Best from Germany Martin
Years back I found what turned out to be one of the last full sets of NOS 308 taillights. I paid something silly like $300 for the set of four. The next set I saw was over $3k. I always said this is a pretty small community and people know when something goes NLA.... and then the price jumps.
For simple curves with lips (not compound curves) a good panel beater is often cheaper. I picked up one 308 door bottom from a well known supplier but the other side was on back order so my body guy made up the other side and was proud to show me how much better his one fitted. He charged me the same as a new one as he knew what I had paid but it might have cost less otherwise. I was happy to pay as it was quality work and saved a delay.
I remember looking in to those lower door replacement pieces when I had my 82 project car in the shop. Thought they wanted something like $480 each? I agree and would have just made the pieces myself as they were not complicated, but what the Mark up! Used to see complete 308 rolling chassis (less interior and drivetrain of course) for $5500. Not anymore.
Just a Point of reference for anyone who hasn’t been down this path of owning a project 308. I Purchased and 82 GTSi with somewhere around 70,000 miles, had a very slight engine fire and worn interior. Ran and drove. Purchase price around $18,000. Was in the shop two years and encroaching on the $33,000 mark, not including one nickel in labor and still had not addressed body/paint. And I come from a family who owned a body shop! LOL When you hear the phrase “no such thing as a cheap Ferrari”, they’re not kidding. Pay now or pay later but one way or another it’s going to lighten your wallet. So by the best you can afford. These are toys and not considered into the daily expenses. Absolutely loved that car but couldn’t afford two 308s and the Lotus Esprit S1
Agreed. All my metal work is done at $100 an hour. Even with a power hammer it still is a slow process that will always be more expensive than a stamped panel or salvage part. It really gets expensive when it’s a compound shape that I need to create a buck from.
Just for my personal knowledge, could you please tell us how many time do you need to "produce" a simple part and a complex one ?
If it wasn't true there would be no replacement parts business. To suggest hand made one off is cheaper is one of the most absurd things I have ever heard.
The fact, that no such thing exists in the U.S., doesn't mean, that it doesn't exist at all. You just must not look in rip-off countries like for instance Italy, where they even empty your wallet when you have a car problem on a mundane daily driver as a tourist. Best Regards Martin
I can form a simple crowned panel such as a door skin, simple bonnet or panel skin in as little as one hour. A compound shape such as an old 59 TR fender can take as much as 40 hours if I have to make the buck as well. The more pieces required to complete the shape the longer the time as everything has to be welded together and then metal finished/planished.
This is a talent I’n truly envious of and always enjoy watching the progress come together. You should start a thread one of these days showing how this is done. I’m sure many of us would enjoy it. ( although always seem to too damn tired due to my schedule to try it myself )
