308/328 Parts Availability and Other DIY Questions

Some parts are easy to find ... some are difficult, and may take awhile to locate. loca are relatively affordable, and some aren't.

Some are practically unobtainable, until you find someone stripping a car down for parts. You'll really pay for those, because everyone knows they are a rare find.

It's not like maintaining the average Corvette nor Porsche.

 

I have owned both carb and fuel injection 308s. I went over 10 years without a Ferrari. I also owned a Dino 246 and Testarossa.
I just purchased a 1978 308 and found parts not too difficult. I bought from USA, Uk, France, Germany, etc. Yeah, I had to search some, but I found the parts I needed.
The internet has made obtaining parts much easier than in the past. Also a good amount of DIY articles on Ferrarichat.
There a a great deal of aftermarket support for the 3x8 models.
I have found the carbed cars to be easier and less complex to work on.
I am an Instrumentation and Controls Instructor, so I can work on electronic / computer systems. I do all the mechanical work on my cars.
I will stick with my 1978 308. Not like a Porsche or Corvette. I own a Porsche 911 and have owned a Corvette, and I get the biggest thrill driving the 308. Worth every dollar. Buy the special tools when needed. They are available.
Just my opinion, based on my experience.

 

Mechanical parts are generally more readily available but certain trim and body parts are NLA,although even though they might be re manufactured by aftermarket sources,they still appear to be very expensive..
328 fog lights and targa seal are just a few examples..

 

Ferrari has never been anything like GM or Porsche in regards to scale so it's definitely a different world. There is some crossover compatibility however in many common parts weather it be Weber carburetors, Bosch K-Jet injection components or even axles and CV joints but it takes a bit of research, not as easy as just going to your typical Porsche or GM parts vendor. In a lot of cases you are going to have to deal with aftermarket as OEM stuff is simply NLA and quality can be a real problem. Again, it takes more research and effort. That's been my experience at least but I came here from the Alfa world, a Mark that has been orphaned in the US for the past 23 years so I'm used to this stuff.

 

These cars are becoming more like rolling art. They can be quite reliable, but parts are in fact getting scarce. The fuel injection is Bosch and shared with many Mercedes so no reason to stay with carbs. You need to work the internet hard for suppliers and ebay and so on, with the lag in shipment and ship costs is part of the experience. Some parts are outrageously expensive, others quite reasonable (eg. clutches). Simply no comparison to Porsche, which everything is pretty much available for a price. Not quite like a friend of mine who runs a 1930's vintage Alfa Romeo, and gets parts fabricated from scratch in many cases. But you really need to have some financial means and patience to run these cars, even where you do all your own work. With that in mind, make sure you buy a nice one in the first instance, with no missing bits.

 

Hi all. I am thinking about buying a 308, and thought that it would be a good time to revisit this thread since it dates from 2018. Is parts availability better or worse since then? Thanks.

 

I bought my 308 (GTBQV 85 Euro) last January. Having read the previous comments, I 'd say they still hold good.