Hello all, I've been reading thru as much info as I can find recently, and finally registered here tonight. I hope to get a bit of advice for my most recent quandry. 308 GT4 or early 930? I'm ready to buy, and I believe I have found the perfect (for me) GT4. I've owned a couple of Porsches (356A & 911S) and know the cars. I've always wanted to tackle an early Turbo, but something keeps calling me to the GT4. I would be using it as a daily driver (low miles, I work out of the house and wouldn't be using it everyday). I've got the cash for the purchase, but as is the case with most, I'm a bit nervous about maintenance. The car I've found has complete receipts so I'm not worried about deferred maintenance...but the future? The price of entry for the 930 is higher, I believe insurance will be higher as well, but I do think keeping it on the road would be less. I should add, I need the back seat for an occasional child or two. Anyway, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you and I hope to get to know many of you soon.
Hi there, I bought a GT4 in February this year after asking advice from the kind folk on this site and several FOC members. There is a wealth of knowledge out there. I don't use the GT4 every day, but whenever the sun is out you can't keep me away from the thing...there is somthing very special about a Ferrari which you (like I) will only appreciate once you've got one. 900 miles since Feb. My twin boys are 4 and fit just fine in the back, but be prepared to put the seat forward one notch from ideal if around 6' or so. It's no great hardship. All accounts of reliability are good for the 308 series engine, just put £800-1,000 away each year for servicing and tinkering. Insurance cost me £200 on 3,000 miles for value of £13,000. I driven many of the 911 variants over the years, and whilst I admire the streering feel, traction and some of the styling.... they just leave me a bit "cold" if you know what I mean? I think there is some residue of the 80's image still lurking aswell! Hope this helps and look forward to your thoughts in future.
I would go with the Ferrari. I had a Porsche many years ago. When I bought the Ferrari in 1999, I knew this was the car for me. Porsches are great cars, but maintenance is no cheaper than a Ferrari (especially for me as I don't do the work myself). I enjoyed the Porsche but it did not compare to the feeling of driving the Ferrari. Get the 308...you won't regret it.
You've done the Porsche thing, now try the Ferrari thing! The GT4 is a great car by all accounts as long as you like the way it looks. It's fully depreciated and is likely starting to go up in value just a bit. As long as you don't have a catastrophic failure, you can always sell it and get back what you have in it, so I say go for it! Ken
Drive them both, pick the one that sings to you. Obviously, this board is biased towards the GT4. Personally, if the price is right on the GT4 I would buy it over a 930 any day. If it turns out not to be the car for you, you can always sell it and then get the other. Wouldn't you rather have at least owned a Ferrari and tried it out, rather than driving the Porsche and wondering what the Ferrari might have been like? Try these links: What should I know before buying a Ferrari 308? http://www.ferrariclub.com/faq/308_buy.html What should I do before buying a Ferrari? http://www.ferrariclub.com/faq/prebuy.html Here's a search for 308 maintenance cost in the archives: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/search.php?searchid=396934 Read some of those threads and you'll get a good feel for it. Don't bother with the "Nick's 308 to 4.0 conversion" thread The GT4 page that made me realize I could own a Ferrari: http://members.tripod.com/~ferrari308gt4/ferrari.html Good luck
From your description, the Porsche would be the more practical car for you. However, the Ferrari is an experience unto itself. Especially if you turn your own wrenches, a GT4 should not be difficult to maintain (I'd rather work on a GT4 than a 930). Only the parts prices will make your eyes water. From the economic side, I think a 930 is still a bit overpriced at the moment and that the GT4 is severely underpriced. I MUCH prefer the driving charactersitcs of the GT4 over the 930, but recognize that's just preference. I'd go with the previous advice and try the GT4. You can always sell it and do the Porsche. Bill
I'm a bit biased towards the 308 GT4, so take that in mind when reading my advice: In truth, I believe the 930 will be more reliable/easier to maintain. The reason being, I would image, is that the 930 is a newer car (correct me if I'm wrong). However, I also feel that you can't go wrong with a 308 GT4. It is the most underappreciated ferrari out there. Lots of fun to drive. As a comparison to the other 308 cars (GTB/S) it handles better, is lighter, and I believe probably faster (although that is really relative- these cars are 30 years old, and SLOW by modern standards). If you can do some maintenance by yourself you will save money over costs. In general, I have found that the more I drive my GT4, the better it runs. A few weeks ago, I decided to have my daily driver (An alfa 164) painted, and drove the GT4 daily for 2 weeks. What a blast. No problems to speak of, and the car loved getting driven every day. The only potential downside of daily driving one of these cars is that the mileage will build up, and you will find yourself doing the Major service ($$) more often. There's nothing wrong with that, as long as you are prepared for it. Definately do a search of the archives here, you will find lots of info on GT4's. They are definately a bargain. If you wan't more info, feel free to send me a PM with your contact info, and perhaps we can chat. Dom
Dom, Your Alfa/GT4 thread was one of the MANY that I read on my first search last night. Thanks for your input. Tillman, Thank you for taking the time to link those past threads. I am one who believes in driving cars and feel that the more they are used the better they hold up (with major $$ service as mentioned). The 930's I'm looking at are the same vintage as the GT4, so 'newer/older' isn't really a concern. The early turbos can be expensive to run, but due to the difference in production numbers parts are cheaper/easier to find. I have also considered buying the Ferrari and if things didn't work out, sell it and get the Porsche. I agree, the GT4 is very undervalued right now, unfortunately I think that that may lend to some sketchy cars coming on the market...when the parts/labor/restoration to keep one running correctly/looking proper=more than the value of the car, you can see problems in not buying a fully documented car. The car I have found is well taken care of, which is the reason I'm leaning so heavily in the Ferrari direction. All that being said? Lust and desire are VERY tough emotions to overcome. In the end they may end up being the most important factor in my decision....I'm sure none of you have ever fallen prey to that sort of thinking... Thanks again, I look forward to reading more opinions.
I'll declare some bias as I've been a v.happy GT4 owner for 2 years now. Mine's a '74 and although I don't use it every day I have put 5000 miles on it this year in all sorts of crappy UK weather. After an initial sort out when I bought it, it has not missed a beat and I certainly agree with the oft-quoted wisdom that the more you drive them the happier they are. Of course my transatlantic friends think i'm mad to get it wet, but if I waited for the sunshine over here it would be a very neglected F-car! Back seat just about usable for my young daughters - last weekend I had three small girls on board for party delivery and they made me drive twice through the same underpass with the windows down!! They are learning fast.. Go with the lust and desire - Oh... and you get to meet some nice people too when you have an old Ferrari.
Nice. I've got four young boys....I have a feeling the car is going to be used for Little League/school drop off more than I had planned. LOL
I may be the most recent gt4 owner. I've had mine about 7 weeks and have put on around 900 miles;no trip over 20 miles,translation I drive it alot and love it. Looked at a porche but imo, they're just too many of them out there. I have two other classics, including a mid-year covette coupe (sting ray); The vette has a bigger engine and is alot faster, but it isn't nearly as much fun as the ferrari. I've driven the vette around 30 miles since I've had the ferrari. my 11 year old boy fits fine in the back seat, as does my 15 year old daughter. There's alot of lateral room in the front, much more so than my vette. seating is more confortbale as well. I happen to like the looks of the gt4, and I prefer it to the gts/b because it looks like (to me anyway) a cross between a ferrari and a lambo contac. from everything I hear, aside from the 5 year maintainence stuff, as long as it's sorted out, they're supposed to be reliable cars. Mine has around 60k miles, and I intend to drive the hell out of it. I'll let my kids worry about the high miles, but then, if they're like me, one of them will probably drive the hell out of it too. bottom line: I agree with the board consensus. get the ferrari; you won't regret it. good luck.
Hate to write the minority opinion here but ... as soon as you said "daily driver," I thought the Porsche would be the better move. YES, I love Ferrari's and I'm hoping to have one this summer - have a 993 right now as my weekend car - but you may find the P-car to be easier to get serviced, find parts for, and run on a daily basis. (That's the upside to there being a lot more of them.) If you go with the 308, maybe there's enough extra money left over to lease a transportation "appliance" (e.g., Honda or Toyota). The 930 costs more because of its reputation and modest practicality. If you can have two cars, go with the Ferrari. It's an obscure classic. If you're going to have only one car, Porsche - my opinion. Jon
Of course like all other GT/4 owners I too say go with the Dino. I've had a few muscle cars in my day, some very popular models at that...68 camaro, 55 chev..etc. I was even offered a 911 for the 55' at one time. A good friend of mine has a 911, he's had it for many years and drives it quite well so going for a ride with him is quite a thrill, nice car. I'm no p-car expert by any means but I am guessing the 930 is similar? Having said all this, I have a pretty good idea how certain cars can make you feel. You know the tingly feeling you get while driving, riding in, or talking about the car with other owners or just the interested passer by. No car has ever given me more of that feeling (x10) than the Ferrari. There is just something about them. Call it mistique or whatever. You'll never get that (IMO) with the porsche. Not that they are not great cars. But after all...they are not a Ferrari! And that really says it all. If you have the oppertunity to exeprience it once in your lifetime, I highly recommend it. Kurt There is nothing like a Ferrari, there never has been and never will be!
I own both, ferrari and porsche. both '88s if your going to want to use the car every day and not worry about it failing or costing you a bunch to run, buy a porsche.
Thanks again. We've got a Durango for our #1 vehicle. The GT4 would be my business/pleasure vehicle. No commute, just visiting clients/jobsites locally. It looks like I will be test driving the Ferrari late this week/weekend, and will give a full report when I get back. dinogt4guy, as I'm sure you can tell by my username, I've had my share of GM product as well.
LT-1 Indeed I did notice. I am really looking forward to your report after the test drive. I have another good friend who is going to sell his BB 69 Chevelle, and his #matching 70' LT-1 Vette to get garage space for a 360 spider. He's going to keep his 62' Vette though. Those two would look good in anyones garage I think. Kurt There is nothing like a Ferrari. there never has been and never wil be!
i had the "major" service done on my porsche (30K mile tune up w/belts) at a factory authorized porsche dealership for $1,248 same service for the ferrari will be five times that. that being said, if you can afford the service, get the ferrari. joe
