#60057 - a first post

After months of lurking, I am finally making my first post. Be gentle.

I remember being really discouraged a couple of years ago. I said to my then-girlfriend, "When am I /ever/ going to be able to afford a Ferrari!?" In May of this year, I was able to answer that question. I found my 328 sitting in a garage, shrouded by dust. I know "there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Ferrari" but I found myself in a position to roll the dice.

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For some years I rented a garage from an elderly gentleman. Last fall I learned that he had passed. He had not been cashing my rent checks for the previous year. I suppose that in offering to write a new check for the back rent, I won the confidence of the woman in charge of his estate, his sister. She told me about the Ferrari.

A dealer had spooked her about starting the car by suggesting that the timing belts would snap the first time the key was turned. He made an extremely lowball offer. I assumed that she would find a buyer at a more realistic price.

Winter came. Months passed. One morning early this spring I was sitting at my office and it occurred to me that I should try to buy the car. I called the sister that morning and asked her about the situation with the Ferrari. She had not attempted to pursue the issue. She said that if nobody else came forward, she would sell it to the dealer.

When the sister returned to town this Spring, we had an agreement that I would inspect the car and we would come to a mutually-agreeable price. On a Friday evening, a friend and I pumped up the tires and pushed the 328 out of the garage to inspect it in the daylight. It was covered in a thick layer of dust. The muffler hung at an angle. Both rocker panels were dented. The spare tire was on the car and one of the rears was under the hood with a severe blowout. We weren’t allowed to turn the key. But the interior was good and the engine bay was fairly tidy.

I knew that I was in no sort of financial position to take a foolish risk on the car. I’m a young engineer; I had to pull most of the money from the market. But the car got under my skin and I couldn’t let it go without trying. I made the highest offer that I could. I was incredibly nervous waiting for the estate’s response. I couldn’t sleep.

As it turned out, my offer was accepted. I gave the sister a certified check. We transferred the title and I got a new plate. The car was mine. I can’t even describe the feeling.

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The night that the 328 became mine, I couldn’t stop myself from finding out whether she would run. I put a charger on the battery, put the car up on jack stands, and changed the engine oil. I turned the engine over a few times by hand. I twisted the key at 1:30 am. She was cranky! Her idle was rough. She poured vapor from the exhausts. I heard sounds that terrified me.

I turned her off, waited for the oil to settle, and topped it up to level. I looked for leaks, inspected the accessory belts, and sniffed around. I turned the key again. She settled to idle. That night I drove a Ferrari for my first time. I laughed in a maniacal fashion. I didn’t park her back in the garage until after 4 in the morning. I can't really describe the experience beyond the following: it was awesome.

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I couldn't work on the 328 for the next couple of months. I had many tasks to complete on my project-house-hell before getting married this past July. Upon our return from the honeymoon trip, my new wife gave me permission (heh) to spend my time on the car. Since then I've changed the belts, tensioners, fluids, and tires. I've driven a couple of hundred miles. There's still plenty of work; I'll spend many more hours in that tiny garage. But she's reasonably safe to drive and running well.

I'm still incredibly excited about it. I had to finally make a post here and share my story. I want to thank all of the folks that have contributed to this great forum. I could not have made an educated decision to buy the car, known how to perform the work, or felt comfortable about either without your writings. I hope to have the opportunity to meet some of you. And I'll try to keep sharing my successes and failures for the sake of future owners.

Sean
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Thanks!

I'm really not sure what caused the vapor but I assume that there was some condensation in the half-full tanks. Perhaps there was some sitting inside the exhaust? Maybe the vapor was not really excessive and it was the fear getting hold of me.

Regardless she's had a couple of fill-ups since then and I've had her up to temperature for extended periods so I would hope that any other old condensation is gone. I also replaced the old Fram oil filter with a new Baldwin before putting any serious miles on her. When I removed the Fram, it was empty...

I did have one failure: the 10mm hose that returns coolant to the overflow and sits below the plenum decided to give up the ghost. The temperature gauge never got above normal so I'm not concerned about damage. But while that particular hose was a real pain to change out, it certainly reinforced my belief that I have to replace 100% of the old hoses.

Thanks again for your comment.

 

Thanks! I think that asking her to marry me is the best decision I've ever made. But buying the car's a pretty close second.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!

So far, so good. Thanks for the advice.

She makes a sound that brings my blood to boil.
I had never before driven a car that raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

I'm afraid that posting the figure would make me an outcast. I figure that I should let my personality be the cause of that...

But I'll say this about it: If it would have turned out that the valves were bent and rats had eaten all of the wires, I probably still wouldn't have been under water.

Once I had the car running, I felt a bit guilty over the price I'd paid. But I was completely honest about the situation with the seller and her family. I couldn't make an offer that would put us in financial jeopardy.
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I'd call it a barn find except for the fact that I found it in a garage.
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