'80 308 GTsi technical advice

1) get a record of service done on car
2) is it the original engine? rebuilt? 80-82 had defective valve guides and engines were usually swapped out..

 

I've got an 80... It doesn't have the power I'd like but for what I use it it's just fine. It's been a good first Ferrari for me. People talk a lot about the early 2v injected cars using oil but I haven't noticed that it uses any more than any other car I'vre had.

 

Some were oil burners and some were not. To make matters worse, some engines were replaced under warrenty with another "bad" one.

Pull the tag off the back and see if there is a residue behind it that doesn't look to be regular dirt.

 

I just drove my 84 308 QV yesterday after driving my "new to me" 348 for the last month and man is the 308 sssssllllllooooooowwwwww. I still love the look of the car but I wanted to get out and push yesterday when I was driving it

 

308 2 valve engines were notoriously "sluggish" - 255bhp (european versions, and I guess the US engines are even lower bhp) The engines suffered with worn valve guides, piston / bore wear and were very underpowered compared to it's rivals. Best bet is to try to "upgrade" to a 328 - (270bhp european version), the engine was stronger and performance was as expected from a Ferrari.

Watch out for weak gearbox syncros, rusty exhaust manifolds, leaking shockabsorbers and worn out suspension bushing. Body corrosion was worst in the front and rear lower wing sections, lower edges of the doors and the back edge of the engine lid.

Having said that the 308 GTB/Si & QV are still very desirable and can be run and maintained at a very reasonable cost, as can the 328. MW

 

'82 GTSi here....faster than my Hyundai but no rocket; nice thing about FI is its' trouble free running; ice cold or fire hot outside, just turn the key and it starts right up; no problem with altitude changes. None of the valve giude or other enging build issues;

K&N filter, Krank Vent and cat replacement pipes seemed to help, but think of it as driving a fine piece of art rather than a performance car and he will be happy. These are very heavy cars, the build quality is outstanding, and I have 0 rust issues, and my 20 year old paint looks near new.

If he wants the reliability of FI but not the expense of a QV and is not happy with a 2V's performance, have him buy a comparably priced 911. It will be faster, handle better, stop quicker and last 130k miles. My '69 911 outperformed my 308 in every aspect but design - but once you drive an 'F' car, your'e hooked!

Rather than embarass Ferrari when some Ricer or guy on a 10 speed bike wants to race, I just tell them I outgrew that street racing crap years ago and now limit myself to professionals - not amateurs!

 

Dear Ferraristi,

I have an 80 308 Gtsi. The car really is exciting. All my Porsches were faster, braked better, more reliable, better build quality, cheaper to maintain....but as boring as an Honda compared to the Ferrari. My 80 308 is slow, but it feels fast. Just a run through the gears, engine screaming, gear box whining,...like the mastercard ad....Priceless. : )

Oh yeah, the looks are great too. I mean from the blonde chicks, not the car.