New Hagerty article about 308s

Affording them is one thing. Maintaining them properly is another matter.

 

What do they mean by “Increasingly Affordable”

 

This part:

More recently, Ferrari prices have softened. This trend extends down to 308s, which are still at the lower end of the collectability spectrum in Ferrari-land. Values were down 3–7 percent with the latest update of the Hagerty Price Guide, and, on average, 308s are down 20 percent over the past year.

 

Been out of the 3x8 section for some time.
Had a bunch of them, and they are fun cars.
Never paid more than $25k for any of mine, carb or injected.

Loved my euro QV's and the 328s had more power and refinement that you could actually feel with your butt dyno and ears.

- But there are too many cars that are better performers and are safer to own, both in costs and what happens to you when you play crash-test-dummy.

Never understood the: HEY !!!!!! 308S AND 328 ARE $75K+ NOW !!!!!

I mean - they and the 3.2 911's I had were nice, but not that damn nice.

Maybe the process will cool off and actual enthusiasts can have them again. Used to blow folks minds living in my blue collar area, houses from the 1940's and seeing all the cool exotic cars I had come and go. I was happy to share them with others.


I was priced out of the market, and imagine others were too. I actually had a good idea how to work on the cars, and cross reference parts ( hence my sticky thread) but have not owned an FCar since 2015.

 

A couple of nits to pick: the targa top is not "vinyl covered" and no, not every kid in a Mustang wants to "race me" from the stop light. 308's are rare enough that most people are just plain happy they get to see one. They actually get a lot of respect.

 

Thanks for posting

 

Don't try to catch a falling knife....

 

After 28 years still love it. Will add a Scud eventually then i'm done,unless Speciale's come onto the radar which is unlikely.

F8 is interesting but looks like the sound is a bit of a killer.

 

This gets me to thinking (again) about getting a 308. I know all of the "technical" spec differences between the early Carb 308's, the GTxi and QV models, but how about the actual driving differences between the cars? Certainly, the early non QA injected cars are down a bit on HP, but can y'all comment about the actual driving differences that you felt when you compare the cars?

 

When I first started looking at 308s, spoke with a few individuals in California, one of them was Lyle Tanner who owned Ferrparts at the time He was very generous with his time and I bet I called him at least four separate occasions and asked his opinion. Told me to get a Quattrovalovle as they were easiest to live with. I consider myself pretty handy but I am definitely not up for rebuilding carbs and not a lot of Ferrari repair facilities in Montana. Any of the 308/328 series appeal to me but my purchase was driven mostly by ease of maintenance.

 

They are all slow as dogs by modern standards. The differences between the models you mention are negligible at best. These vehicles are 30 to 40 years old.

 

I get that. I know my 2018 Audi A4 Quattro with a turbo 4 would beat these cars in acceleration, braking and handling, so that really isn't my concern. I was just curious where to start from those of y'all who have driven/owned them in the past. Sounds like a QV might be best for a first timer??? I am lucky that I have a great mechanic that is very close by in case.......

 

The big bogey today is parts availability. Many parts are becoming increasingly difficult to get, and when you do find them, the prices can border on astronomical. And on pre-'84 cars you also have to worry about rust, since around 1983 is when Ferrari discovered galvanizing.

 

I would avoid the 2v injected cars, they are absolutely gutless.

 

The thing I’ve noticed after almost 7 years of 308 ownership is that each and every version has its merits and problems, advocates and detractors.

Unless you have specific goals (carb sound, FI reliability, etc) the common wisdom is to just buy the car in the best condition that you can afford, whatever that means. Even the oft disparaged 2V cars are wonderful and have their advocates.

You’ll discover that these cars are hard to buy; they are scattered across the country and each one is unique in its condition, maintenance history and price expectations of the seller.

 

Agreed with what Brian A said, No two 308 are alike, every each 308 has its own attitude, personality, and behavior, each one is definitely unique like having its own fingerprint.

 

This is totally true. These cars have all led different lives and have had different maintenance regimes. I’ve driven a few and they were all different. Some sublime and others downright scary.


Regards
David

 

Adding to the buying difficulty is that you get to review them in series and not in parallel. We are looking at buying an newish F-150 and there are 100 of them near me for sale in every trim level, option package, color, etc. We just need to go buy one. They are a commodity. That's not how rare cars sell. One car comes on the market and you check it out and think, "Is this the one?" You pass and it sells and then another comes up. Dang! The other one was better and cheaper! You missed a deal. But it sells and then another comes up for sale. This one is great, thankfully you didn't settle for the other two! Then it gets bought by someone else and you have to wait for the next one. Oh, and the best looking and most fairly priced cars are always on the other coast.

People spend years shopping like this.

 

AMEN!!! I just bought a 1985 308 Prugna QV and had been looking at quite a few. It’s not the most popular of colors - but - unique to day the least. There is the range of quality, attributes, options and yes — “personality.” The 3x8 are nostalgia laden from the Magnum PI days to the unique style setting for future models. Are some going to say “derivative” styling across models - sure. Just like Vanilla is not a favorite for everyone not was Star Wars.

Hagerty could take insight from the Dino 246.

 

I wanted a Euro QV berlinetta. Preferably in red metallic, but that is a real unicorn. I ended up buying a USA QV berlinetta. We knew the car needed a major service and the maintenance updated, which we are doing now. I've thought about repainting it red metallic, but probably won't I suspect it will keep me busy fixing the things that cars need when they are put back into regular driving after a long period of not being driven much at all. Meanwhil, we are doing all the catch-up stuff, moving the bumpers in to the Euro position, and generally updating "stuff".

Although they are enjoyable cars to drive because of their handling, braking, and spirit, I don't think anyone would term them fast cars by today's standards. But that's okay. My driving skills are fairly modest, so the 308 is probably about the right car for me to enjoy and stay out of trouble in, all at the same time. There's no question that the Ferrari market has eased significantly for the middle-rank collectible Enzo-era cars, but purpose of buying a collector car is to drive it and enjoy it. There are better investments monetarily, but perhaps none better for fun.

 

Personally I don't get the "slow" sentiments, what exactly are you guys talking about, juvenule off the line stoplight to stoplight nonsense? The car seems perfectly fast enough to me for street use. There aren't any other 35 year old cars that are gonna smoke it unless you're talking about a Boxer or Countach. The 308 was the replacement for the Dino remember?

As for which version, I bought when prices were rapidly escalating and it was torture to pass on one because there was no telling when another would come up it's not like there were lots full of them to choose from. So I stopped struggling with the choice and decided i didn't really care if it was a GTS or a GTB or if it was carbed or injected. In fact i stopped worrying about the color, they all seemed to look great. I just decided I wanted the best condition in my budget that would be no problem with Ca DMV and I ended up with a red/tan QV which is perfectly fine with me. It was even local so I was able to paw all over it before pulling the trigger then drive it straight home.

I'm happy and that's all that counts in the end.

 

Paul, I also don't agree with the "slow" comments. Not because it's as fast as performance cars today - it isn't - but because it is fast enough. Are you racing? If so, move along, the 308 has nothing for you. It's still faster than a Miata, it's not like it's a Mercedes 220D. If you are just out for a drive and working the road, it's a great car. The engine is eager, and loves/needs to rev. Rowing the gear box is great, the car handles great even by today's standards and is great fun as it approaches its limits.

 

My QV is about as fast (or slightly faster) than my DD...so it's fast enough for me.