328 are terrific cars. Why do do you think they are so reliable, bulletproof. I use to have a 328, sorry I sold, now starting to look for one. Sent from my LM-G710VM using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Because the 328 was a 15~20 year refinement of the basic design incorporating many fixes and improvements learned along the way without having a bunch of needless complexity added. The 348 and Mondial t that followed were the exact opposite of that
Less of everything and fuel injected. Perfect balance for a long term low maintenance car. If you are spending a ton on your 308/328 you are probably being taken advantage of by your mechanic.
Steve, Although I realize that the 328 is the culmination of the 308-328 series, would an '84 Quattrovalvole be the equal of a 328 in terms of reliability (4 valves, fuel injection) or is it an unfair comparison and it's far behind? I like the more angular external aesthetics, 4-valve and f.i. engine even it it gives away some displacement. I ask because at the moment I'm in the hunt for a good solid, reliable 3X8 GTB and as you well know berlinettas are few and far between. Any thoughts or recommendations?
The electronic ignition on the 328 is better than the 308QV and way less expensive to maintain. The ignition boxes for the QV are no longer available and would run $1000 for a rebuild of one box. You need two. Other than that one big change, I find the electronics among the two to be equally (un)reliable. The 328 does have better fuse board except for the fuel pump circuit. The 328 achilles heels are the fog light lenses and heater control. Its pluses are better suspension and ABS if you have the 88.5 model. I find the 328 integrated bumpers more pleasing to my eyes, although lately I have been more accepting of the older European QV bumpers and the old fashion toggle switches for the interior. I am currently working on a 308GT4 (I had one years ago) and I have to say the difference in build quality and designs between the GT4 and the '89 328 is beyond night and day. Yes, they made a lot of progress.
No, a late 308QV is very close to a 328 as it also has the upgraded cam drive bearing change. I agree with Mitchell that the Microplex ignition on a 328 is a slight step up from the 308QV Digiplex ignition (and that US version 308QV bumpers are a bit of an eyesore compared to a euro 308QV bumpers or 328 bumpers). On the complexity side, I'd give the 328 a small minus relative to a 308QV as a 328 has more stuff to go wrong in the HVAC system while the 308QV HVAC is more basic/simple/less complex. For equal money, I'd take a 328 over a late 308QV, but wouldn't mind a late 308QV at all -- JMO. PS Agree with you that the Bs are just gorgeous!
It sounds like I better stick with either an early carbureted 308 (no cats) or else move past the QV's to the 328 cars. In either case it won't be easy finding a suitable GTB, I've been trying for months and not much to choose from out there. Can't imagine it's going to get better until this COVID plague is over either.
Very few 328 GTB in the US. They are all in Europe. And while the carbs are sexy-ish and so forth, the car chassis is not as robust as the later 328. You look at them and they … just rust.
My friend has a 85 QV, its got about 60 k miles, its been pretty bullet proof. I believe that all 3x8s are pretty reliable, as long as you maintain them. I do believe that the 3x8s got better and more reliable as the years progressed, and that the most reliable are the 89 328s, the last iteration of that design / engine . I know that some 348s have had some minor problems, but have seen posts saying theyre owners are pretty happy with them, they certainly were a lot more reliable than the 355. I like the 348s and the Testarossas, especially since their interiors are so Ferrari, not matched until the F430 , if you disregard the F430s interior switches coatings disintegrating after a few years.
328 is the most reliable Ferrari ever. It's an Italian car, so usual problems are electric wirings and ignition. Sometimes fuel injection gives some problems too. A/C sucks, but those old cars in my opinon should stay home when you need A/C: I never switched it on once, despite having all the A/C system fixed. It's not an aircooled Porsche 911, so it requires a bit of care despite being the most reliable Ferrari ever. The 88.5 better suspensions legend is not true at all: they were only changed due to fulfil the ABS requirements (see my book, the Dario Benuzzi interview at chapter 15). I would choose between the fascinating early -not cat- carbed cars (glass or steel, much better if drysump) and the 328, a model that has a lot of power and a lot of reliability focused improvements too. This said, all the other models (i and QV, the second much more) are great cars too. ciao
I disagree especially if you figure inflation. It already had its big run that faltered. It will never be more than a third of a BB or quarter of a Dino. All Ferrari prices relative to each other.
It’s reliable and the value is much higher from its bottom like most exotics from the 80’s which helps offset the overall cost of maintenance and what the question was about. Comparing inflation to discretionary spending is assumed because the result is always the same.
If you want to split a hair about the 84's, I would never consider a single belt 84 to be on par with a two belt later updated version. I have stood on the side of the road 3 times because of that ******* single belt. I swapped to two maybe 15 years ago and never had another issue since. And the cooling system on a 328 is superior to ANY 308 QV.
When I was looking for a car in '07-'08, I briefly considered a carbed 308 because a '78 308 was the first Ferrari I ever drove and I really liked the sound of that carbed engine! But, after some more consideration I decided that a '89 328 GTS was what I wanted. Re the 328 cooling system - I have been in bumper to bumper mostly stopped traffic for over an hour with the outside temp at 106F+ with the AC running (not being very effective, but running) and engine temp was no issue at all. The gauge never went more than a needle's width beyond the 195F hash mark at which point the fans would engage and immediately drop the temp down. Based on checks I have done at home, the temp at the thermostat box when the fans engage on my 328 is around 205F. On the road at any speed much greater than a few MPH, the needle never gets close to the 195 hashmark.
+1 I've noted the cooling on my 328 many times, like Mike and other have mentioned in traffic, they cool better than some new cars in my opinion, it takes plenty of heat and idling in traffic just to get the radiator cooling fans to kick in, back to the reliability, not just excellent reliability but great build quality, some regard these older models of better build and the way they age, in my 9th year of ownership now and I'm still impressed with little to no degradation, replaced some rubber here and there and just like new again! did you read this article ? https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/news/are-classic-ferraris-built-better-than-todays-stallions.1532/
Single belt vs two belt later updated version??? what belt(s) are you referencing? Can you please explain.
Alt & wp belts. For some reason and we could discuss this for weeks as to why, some (NOT all) cars that had a single belt driving both, would break on occasion. Just snap right off. A service bulletin was issued by the factory offering a kit to convert cars to two belts that seem to be experiencing "frequent" (define that as you wish) belt failures. Mine failed 3 times between 97 when I bought it and about 05. According to my records, it did it at least once to a prior owner. I had Rutlands dig up the parts to convert mine to a 2 belt set up that Ferrari eventually did at the factory as well sometime in that latter part of the 84 model (mine is a Jan 84 production). So as far as I know, later 84 - obviously after January - and all the 85's used two belts. I never had another problem since I updated my car.
I cannot speak for the 2Vi cars or the carbed ones. I don't know what they have down in there or why they didn't see this as frequently as the QV's. No idea. I do know that, ALL else being equal, a two belt QV is preferable to a single belt in my own personal first hand experience. Apparently the factory wouldn't necessarily disagree based on that SB. Remember, some single belt QV owners just never had a problem, and still haven't. It didn't plague all of them.