308 as a Daily Driver

They were built to be driven not built to sit in warehouses.

I have a friend that uses a 400i as a daily driver in New York.

It would be a lot more fun than driving a Lexus or Jag. And you're right; I thought Ferrari's were expensive until I owned a Benz.

 

Andy,

If you don't care about the car deteriorating physically, then by all means drive it!!! When I say deteriorating physically, I mean that with all the rain and damp you have there in England, that car is going to rust like there's no tomorrow, not to mention salt on the roads in the winter. If you bag yourself an already cheap, high-mileage, cosmetically rough 308, I think it would be perfect to use daily, year round. And I'd be interested to hear how it does in the snow!

Better yet would be to find a Mondial to use as the daily. It has a back seat and I know for a fact that you can get yourself a decent running, driving Mondi for around $15K US, or about 7,500 Pounds Sterling. And I'd be pretty confident that their values will not reach 308 levels for a long time, so running one into the ground would probably be more economically "smart" than doing it to a 308.

At the very least, put new cam belts and tensioner bearings on it and just drive it till it drops.

Cheers,
Aaron
'82 GTSi
'83 400iA

 

The carb cars can be a bit finiky to drive in heavy, rush hour traffic and would certainly make a dent in the wallet when you pull up to the gas pump (I mean, petrol station ).

Best suggestion would be to find an injected car (like the Mondial suggested, or a 308 GTBi or GTSi). Sure they're the slowest of the bunch, but when you're only doing 5mph in rush-hour?...

 

While I have by no means put on a ton of miles, about 1500 last fall, now that my 77 308 driver is sorted out, it runs fantastic. Sitting in traffic does not seem to bother it at all. And fuel mileage, at an average of around 20 plus MPG, is not that awful either.

That is not to say driving in heavy traffic is any fun. Just that if the car is running correctly, it shouldnt suffer.

 

Carb cars with points are known for fouling plugs in traffic. Also, the early 308s have a heavy clutch which kinda sucks around town. I would vote for an injected one as a daily driver. They are just a little more tractable. The carb cars like to be howling down a country road. The injected cars are more civilized around town.

Also consider that the early 308s (pre-84) didn't have any rust protection so they are bad choices for getting wet. A later Qv will last longer as a daily driver. Not much longer, but longer!

Birdman

 

Go for it. You won't be disappointed as long as you buy a car that's in good shape mechanically.

Jim

 

Hi guys,

I hate to disagree, but I think an early 308 is cr*p as a daily driver. I tried it with a 79 carb'd GTB and ended up selling it after about 8 months and 8k miles. I drove it everyday, but you never feel right when it's raining heavily, it mists up, the windows are painfully slow, the lights are terrible at night (work fine during the day..haha, that is until one decides not to go up or down because of an old diode), the plugs fouled up if the car is left under heavy rain, windshield wipers are pretty useless...need I go on? OK...that's the winter (loooong in the UK), in the summer, the a/c is worthless, so the car gets unbearably hot, the windows don't go down properly (oh, sorry, I already said that).

Don't get me wrong, I loved the car, it was beautiful, sounded amazing, and would have made a nice occasional car, but not as a daily driver. It never gave me any problems (after quite some money was spent sorting it out) starting when cold, idleing in traffic, the engine never overheated (no cats). Having said that, I'm looking at a 328 as a daily driver, but am not totally convinced. Might go the P-car route

RS6bird

 

I also drove my 308 as a daily driver. Mine is a spider and I love it in NICE weather. I agree at night the lights are worthless!! The windshield wipers are there for looks. Driving it everyday ment some days it didn't get cleaned and I had trouble keeping it clean. A dirty Ferrari looks terrible!!! Mine is an 82 and that means once a year getting a touch up paint job for the rust spots (add this into your yearly cost). The Fuel injection was very dependable but be prepared to work on your car EVERY weekend (window motor to slow or stops, missfiring, radio ant. won't raise, blinkers malfunctioning, horn not working, spider top leaks in heavy rain when car is not moving) just to name a few!!! I am still a die hard Ferrari fan and still love driving my car but only in beautiful weather with the top down and when she is clean. These cars do run better when driven everyday but keep them out of the rain if at all possible. They don't like the rain at all!!! Just my 2 cents!!!

 

Do a search on memeber "TomB" here. He had as his daily driver an 88 Mondial coupe. No longer active here since he sold it, though he had close to 90k on it by then.

 

I own a carb 1980 308 for years and use it often. It is a very reliable car if you maintain it well. You must check levels often as old car consume oil also.Petrol costs will be heavy on an Ferrari driven daily.Old cars will occasionaly have a bearing here and their to change.Don't drive it hard it will last longer.
I would not use a gts in heavy rain as some water does eventually get in. Wipers are very slow also.Lights can be updated with stronger globes.

The guy that said get a mondial probably is right, same engine cheaper car to buy , run it over 100,000 k's no problem.

I know of a guy that uses his testarossa as a daily driver he has well past 500,000 kms.

Ferrari engines are very strong engines and can easily do 300,000 k's if well maintained.

328 is a little newer and will give less problems than older cars.
injection 308 no way ,to many problems.

348 to expensive to maintain ,one of the most expensive in maintainance costs to service belts need to pull engine out,while on 308-328 or mondial just remove wheel and wheel guard.

If you got the money a good used 430 for everyday use for 6 months then sell it at close to price you paid and then move on and get another one.

Good luck with choice, by the way 308 carbs are reliable cars 70000 k's little maintainance ,when car is driven normal and car maintained well. A car hire company in u.k spoke about the gtb308 being a rental car with few problems in 70000 k's

 

Its the least comfortable car I have ever had! I love driving it when the weather is fine and to fun places. I drive at least a couple of times a week but I would not want to drive it every day.

 

I have a 79 308 and have driven it daily but just in the summer in Michigan. If I was to get a "year round" daily driver I would go for an 88 328 GTS or a Mondial Coupe (any 80's vintage). The Mondial with the trunk, lay down back seats, and the sunroof would be good for unpleasant conditions and going to the store.

 

Only problem I see a 308 as a daily is when its in the shop, your gonna be out of a car for a while.

Plus, these cars are getting old now, so parts are becoming scarce if you have to replace trim items.

That being said, I drive the snot out of mine a few times a week. Nothin keeps it running right like those weekly italian tune-ups.

 

Beyond being a Ferrari, the 308 is simply an 'old car'. I drive my 81 308 alot (84,000 miles now showing) and have had times when I was using it every day for periods of a few weeks at a time.

Can you run a 308 every day, day in and day out? --- Yes. But, you will be fiddling with it often to sustain that pace. No 308 will allow you to hop into it, turn the key and go all the time, pausing only for refueling.

So, if you're willing to tolerate fussing with the car as a permanent, part-time job, go for it. If you're expecting something else, you will be sorely disappointed.

I used to use my car heavily when I had more free time to keep after it --- in the beginning, I actually regarded it as fun hobby. But, after I got busier at my work, and with other commitments (family, etc.), the novelty wore off. Instead of going in the garage every Saturday morning (to tweak something on the car) with a smile and enthusiasm --- it degenerated into more of a burden, and began to burn me out a bit. I actually began to despise the car. But, after readjusting the usage rate ---- I fell in love with the stupid thing all over again!

I guess the moral is if you accept these cars for what they are, it's a positive experience. If you try to force them outside of their limitations, you will be disappointed.

I do agree that you are better off driving a 308 regularly, rather than letting the car sit around, in terms of the expenses for major repairs / problems, though. In my experience, these cars respond poorly to sitting around their whole lives.

 

Even if the car was as reliable as a Lexus, which it wouldn't be, they're not very comfortable, practical or convenient. For example, try parking one in a row of Ford Expeditions/Chevy Tahoes when you do a grocery run: backing out of a space is taking your life in your hands - and you'll need to make several trips if you have more than a few bags of groceries.

There are parking lot ramps that I just can't do in the 328 for fear of losing the bottom of the car - you need smooth and level. I have a mental map of the areas of San Diego where I take my car, and 'Ferrari-safe' parking lots.

Finally, there are parts that break on these cars that are unconscionably expensive. For example, the driving light assembly on the 328 is $1000, if you can find one. Given the usual crap that happens to cars on freeways and in parking lots, the parts bill might add up more quickly than you'd like.

Honestly, the Ferrari is best roaring along fast winding roads and my Jeep is best for errands, airport parking, long freeway trips, etc.

Also - be careful with the "328 is newer" perspective. They do seem to be better built/designed than the 308 in some respects, maybe because Ferrari learned all the trouble spots in the 308 and fixed them for this last, 4-year model. But a 1986 328 is 21 years old, while a QV is about 23 years old. In terms of stuff wearing out or aging, they're all old cars. You'll still need to change fuel lines, brake lines and coolant hoses, in addition to the usual maintenance.

 

The 308's like to be driven but as everyone else has said, they like it best on nice weather days. I put 3000 miles on my '85 308 QV last summer and had a great time...almost all of those miles were on open, paved country roads where I could enjoy the car to its fullest. I have made a couple quick stops at the grocery store with my Ferrari to get a gallon of milk and must confess that I always felt like a moron. They're cool for joy rides but stupid for getting groceries. You absolutely have to have a practical vehicle. I have an SUV for the normal driving. If you are going to get a 308, I strongly urge you to get an 84 or 85 308 QV. They are your best bets all around.

Paul

 

i wouldn't do it with a carb 308. i have a carb 308 and a 328, and lemme tell you, there's no choice regarding daily usability. the 328 is by far the better choice. the 308 has its charms, daily driver usability isn't one of them.

john

 

Well, if you have that level of expectation, you will probably be happy.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

I wouldn't use the 308 as a daily driver as I would be worried the magic would soon disappear when you have to live with all the downsides everyday.

I guess it's partly down to what you personally get from the Ferrari experience?

For me it's a mistress car, great fun for days out, but difficult to live with.

 

Has anyone seen the March issue of Sport car Market..Page 104?? THere is an 86 Gray over Black leather 328gts with 99,899 miles on the odo. Condition 2 car with well sorted interior. Sold in Hilton Head SC World wide Group. Joe Severns said" Sale price was in line with all estimates.As long as no Mechanical blunders were hiding under the hood, it was a good buy."

So someone out there was daily driving for awhile.. JJ

 

I would say the 308 outhandles and has better climate control than the Model T.

 

I have an XJS V12... Smooth as silk, fast, quiet, like riding in an old gentlemens club... Oh, all right, I'd rather drive my 400GT!!!