308 carb owners...please respond...help!! | FerrariChat

308 carb owners...please respond...help!!

Discussion in '308/328' started by groovzilla, Nov 28, 2003.

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  1. groovzilla

    groovzilla Karting

    Nov 28, 2003
    117
    seattle, wa.
    Full Name:
    william
    ok heres the situation...i have found 2 308GTS carb cars....considering any car i buy will be completely buyer inspected with leakdown test, etc., which car would you buy if money was an issue..(i have 3 porsches and wife will kill if i buy over $26K)

    first car i am looking at has 37,000 undocumented miles(no records/manuals)...some schmuck put the rear wing on this car to make it look newer??...it has very clean interior and excellent exterior..$27K

    second car has 73k miles...all service records...excellent inside and out like the first car..$21K

    which one would you buy considering the miles and $$...and my wife..

    ***i would also like to get some feedback from 78-79 308 owners who's cars have high miles(65-100K)...let me know some of the larger issues when reaching the 75K mark...

    all posts appreciated greatly!!

    william ceriale seattle wa. (porsche 356's: silver 53/ silver 58/ silver59)
     
  2. jbrosseau

    jbrosseau Karting

    Nov 26, 2003
    182
    kirkland,wa
    Full Name:
    joe brosseau
    i bought a 79' 308 in january with 64k miles and the thing runs like a top. the big thing is to know what you are dealing with. i would give more serious thought to the car who's history is known. but if you want the car with lesser miles i would have it looked at by a specialist. either Ferrari of Seattle or Alfa of Tacoma. we paid $23k for our car and it was in great shape. just needed some care in a few areas. best advice would be to know what you are dealing with because even though you are only paying between 20k and 27k you could end up paying almost that amount in service bills if the motor and tranny decide to take a crap. personally i would rather have a higher miles car that i know was cared for than a low miles car that i had no clue on what the previous owners did to it. or did'nt do to it. good luck either way. joe
     
  3. PeterS

    PeterS Four Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 24, 2003
    47,933
    Goodyear, AZ
    Full Name:
    PeterS
    I'd go with the car at $21K with 73K miles hands down. Especially with the wing that was mounted, the owner probably drove it like a 16 year old in a Civic.

    I bought my '77 308 Euro for $15.5K. It ran extremely well, but am just about complete with a $20K end-to-end W/O a rebuild. The motor has 66K and goes like a bat out'a hell. I would not stress it. Just enjoy!
     
  4. Agent Smith

    Agent Smith Formula 3

    Apr 20, 2002
    1,569
    Disclaimer - I don't own one (yet) but I would give a harder look to the one that was driven with documented miles and you can verify the history of over one that had a spoiler tacked onto it (yuck) and that you cannot verify the mileage on. It is too easy to disconnect the odometer on the 308's. Not saying that is paticularly the case here, but why chance it? :)
     
  5. coachi

    coachi Formula 3

    May 1, 2002
    2,108
    SC USA
    I own a 308 GTS 79 model. It has some 47,000 miles, undocumented. If you were closer I would sell you mine doe 25,000. Mine needs a little cosmetic work ...but no wings.

    I would not buy either one. I can tell you there are many available and less than 73 K. Did either of the two cars have the belts changed recently. It is a 1300 dollar job. Also, I have recently changed my water pump..not a tough job but a common fault. Car keeps well, and runs well. If you have it checked out and it is running great, save money and buy the 73 K..
     
  6. Spasso

    Spasso F1 World Champ

    Feb 16, 2003
    14,648
    Land of Slugs & Moss
    Full Name:
    Han Solo
    Hi William,
    Regardless of miles on the clock and the piles and piles of documentation or no documentaion at all, there are no guarantees of the condition of either car.

    Either car could have been run out of oil, maybe more than once. Cooling fan failure is very common on these cars. How many times was the car stuck in traffic with no cooling fans? Knowingly or not? Maybe never but HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?

    The driving habits of previous owners may play a big part in the internal condition of the engine and transmission. Speed shifting when cold, shifting at 8,000 RPM's when cold. Shifting at 8,000 RPM's on every shift. Burnouts etc.................................HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?

    YOU DON'T!.

    That's what a prepurchase inspection is for and presumably one performed by somebody that knows Ferraris. The leak down test and compression test will tell a bigger story than the paper work. A thorough inspection of the underside of the car can tell you a lot, Been off road lately? Suspension bushings shot before their time? Numerous oil leaks? Sloppy steering rack at 37,000 mi or 137,000 mi.?

    Have the seats been recovered in the low mileage car? If they have it's not a low mileage car.

    Ever wonder why some 308's need new engines at 60,000 miles and others don't until after 100,000 miles? Abuse and dirty oil.

    The point I am trying to make is, and this is through my own experience, buy the car on the merits of the car itself then balance that with the documentation (if any). The car with 73k may have had many items repaired on it that the 37k car is about to need. Many pro's and cons.

    Beware of pigs wearing lipstick! You can't drive a paint job.

    This is just my opinion but one mostly learned the hard way. I hope this helps.

    DJ
     
  7. Tennlee

    Tennlee Formula Junior

    Feb 10, 2002
    645
    Great Smoky Mountains
    I would favor any car that appears better maintained. My '79 308 has 80k+ miles, and runs great.
     
  8. PeterS

    PeterS Four Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 24, 2003
    47,933
    Goodyear, AZ
    Full Name:
    PeterS
    "Beware of pigs wearing lipstick! You can't drive a paint job.".....That's beautiful!
     
  9. FABIO

    FABIO Rookie

    Nov 18, 2003
    4
    I have a '78 GTS with roughly 42,000 miles that my father bought new. It has been dealer serviced since new. I will tell you that (in my case) the carbed/distributors car are somewhat tempermental....the last time it was at Ferrari of Atlanta, the service manager said that they have "done all that we can do without putting an electronic ignition on it". This seems ridiculous since Ferrari designed it that way, and years ago it ran like a well-oiled sewing machine. It runs ok, but sputters and spits and refuses to idle obediently....sounding a little "throaty" as opposed to smooth. Now sitting in my garage awaiting belts while I debate what to do. As I recall, the distributors (2) were approx $500-$800 apiece to rebuild. Other than the running issues, has always been a sweet car.
     
  10. Wayne 962

    Wayne 962 Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Nov 27, 2003
    502
    Welcome - you may know me from the Porsche World (www.pelicanparts.com).

    I just bought a '79 308 for $30 with $25K worth of receipts for work done in the past 2000 miles. The car tells the whole story, especially when you have service records. The lower mileage car will come back to haunt you probably when there are major problems. Unless you are doing all the work yourself, then you'll be hurting big time. Even then, the parts are slightly more expensive then your hard-to-find 356 parts...

    Two totally opposite cars though - I just sold my 1960 356B...

    -Wayne
     
  11. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 6, 2002
    79,143
    Houston, Texas
    Full Name:
    Bubba
    The distributors are $500 rebuilt and $800 new.

    Sounds to me like they don't really want to solve your problems.
    Carb shafts may be shot but with only 47K miles they should be able to handle a tune up!

    Good advice by all.
     
  12. Ken

    Ken F1 World Champ

    Oct 19, 2001
    16,078
    Arlington Heights IL
    Full Name:
    Kenneth
    You're not doing the engine any favors running worn distribtors. I would pony up the money to fix this or you will be a DPO to the next owner when he needs a premature rebuild.
     
  13. tuttebenne

    tuttebenne F1 Rookie

    Mar 26, 2003
    3,189
    Bay Shore, NY
    Full Name:
    Andy
    If off-topic posts make you mad, sorry - don't read any further.

    Fabio, If you really changed your Lotus distributor then you have what it takes to remove the two distributors on your car. Look at it as if its two Lotus four cylinders joined at a common crankshaft. Mark the distributors for timing position and rotor position and remove them. Have them checked by a distributor specialist. I'll be willing to bet that if they really do need a rebuild they won't cost you $500 for both of them.

    Best wishes,

    Andy
     
  14. Tspringer

    Tspringer F1 Veteran

    Apr 11, 2002
    6,155
    You dont have enough info to decide yet....

    You really cant decide until after the PPI is done on both cars and your really have a good grip on condition.

    If the 73K mile car checks out well, has had a recent belt service and doesnt need cosmetics, I would buy it. The odometer is sooooooooo easy to disconnect on these cars, if you dont have really good documentation on mileage, I wouldnt believe it anyway.

    My '77 308GTB is immaculate, has just had a MASSIVE service done and runs great. Its had upgraded suspension, wheels, tires and A/C. Its as cherry as they come. Im looking for $32,500 firm and its probably sold. Really great cars bring good money.... dogs come cheap. The thing to remember is you cannot make the $20K beater into the $33K great car for anywhere near the difference in price.

    If you can work on it yourself..... your way ahead of the game. The 308 is not hard to work on and its not terribly complicated.

    WAYNE: Hi! Im a fellow pelicanite and I have both your books! Good to see you here and great to hear you have joined the F-car world as well!


    Terry
     
  15. dwil

    dwil Karting

    Nov 8, 2003
    114
    ozarks
    Full Name:
    Dave Wilson
    Wayne and Terry,
    There are several familiar Pelican board users on this sight.
    These forums are great for would be owners to do research
    before purchasing their dream cars.
    Wayne- Are we going to see a 101 projects book for the 308
    or how to rebuild the ferrari V8 book?
    I haven't purchased the 911 engine book yet but probably
    will soon (2.7 with 120k miles) The 101 projects is a great book!
    Dave
     
  16. lashss

    lashss F1 Rookie

    Nov 26, 2003
    2,564
    DC
    Full Name:
    LSJ
    Without the PPI, it'd be hard to say. Either one could be hiding costly and extensive repairs/issues.

    Without more info, the higher mileage but documented car seems like the better choice. For either, I'd recommend the PPI and then a 30k service right off the bat, unless either has had one recently.

    Also, you may want to explore the option of taking it to a respected independent Ferrari shop as they sometimes have more expertise and patience with the older models.

    I bought a carbed 308 and had a major service done before delivery. I never regretted it and my repair costs were next to nothing for the 3 yrs I owned it.

    Good Luck!
    Lashdeep
     

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