Gee, one would think my wife would be happy with 2 ferrari's but no she has found a '94 348 spider to buy. So 348 experts, what should I be looking for? This one has 42,000 miles and in May 2010 had a $12 grand major service at Laborghini of Dallas. Have yet to verify the service invoices, they are being faxed to me. So it has some mods, Momo seats and steering wheel, carbon fibre dash, and consol, and through out the engine compartment. Also the orginal airbox/air filter has been replaced with 2 cold air intakes. It has a Tubi exhaust as well. What kinds of things should I be looking for before I ship it to Ferrari of Seattle for a complete ppi. Thnx, Howard and Candy Musolf 1981 308gtsi 1982 400i Cabriolet 1988 Lotus Esprit turbo 2 many brass era cars.
The May 2010 service records should "say it all"....good news is that was very recent, and performed at (I would presume) a reputable dealer.
weak points are well covered in other threads, in my experience the maintenance records would indicate if any ongoing problems, and I'd personally prefer a grumpy independent mechanic for an honest appraisal of the car than someone with a paycheque to protect. stupid little electrical things seem to be very common; switches in particular. I've had challenges with the e-brake until some upgraded mounting pins were installed. the engine and transaxle are the expensive bits to fix, but same as with any Ferrari. Good news is there's not much maintenance expenses for F1 pumps, power-roof systems, or hydraulic suspension repairs Love the Esprit's, nice collection!
Make sure the A/C works (control units $$$$$$$$). Make sure the front lights aren't broken/cracked/heavily pitted ($$$$$$$$$). Make sure the windscreen is in good shape ($$$$$$$$$ if it isn't an insurance job). Make sure the factory tool kit is there.
The cold air intakes are not helpful if they are the ones that suck air out of the hot engine compartment. Stock is to take air from the feeds leading to the door slats on a Spider. This will cost you some performance on hotter days. Tubi is nice but pretty loud in a Spider. You might not like it on a long drive.
I know that car! I almost bought it a year or so ago, but it was a complete repaint from black to yellow. Overspray in many places, and the worst looking interior changes you can find. The service records do in fact check out because I called the dealer that did it. At the time they wanted 33k for the car.. What are they asking for it now? The car is also going to need a top...
