Hello, I also posted this in the regional (MI) thread, so please forgive the cross-post, but I thought I'd ask on this thread. Any info or input would be greatly appreciated. Is anybody familiar with this car and/or it's history. Primary Information about this vehicle: AT Car ID: AT-E470393 Close AT Car ID Return to this vehicle quickly by searching with its AutoTrader.com Car ID (or, "AT Car ID"). Price $34,900 Mileage 48,000 Body Style Convertible Exterior Color Red Interior Color Tan Engine 8 Cylinder Gasoline Transmission 5 Speed Manual Drive Type 2 wheel drive - rear Fuel Type Gasoline Doors Two Door Stock No. 2941 VIN ZFFMA13A0D0047819 It is currently at Prestige Motors in Grand Rapids. Any info would be appreciated.
Hi, I actually spoke to the Sales Manager somewhat at length about this car (I'm a little embarrassed to say that his name escapes me ---Phil Lacari? I think). Anyway, the story is, as I remember it is that the car was put on blocks for a number of years and Prestige got and did a major on it around 1 1/2 years ago. Phil actually faxed me the service record of this event, and the car has been drive very little if at all since this time. I spoke to my friend, Steve (328GTS) on this forum and his impression was essentially as follows: sitting on blocks, in Michigan, 1983 car = no rust protection, BEWARE! If you do have a strong interest in this car, I really believe that you first need to get a good look at it in person, or have one of the fine fellows from this site who might be in proximity to the car scope it for you, and then, if everthing checks out on the visual and such, PPI the little temptress. It good be a pretty good car, but I wasn't too keen on its overall background...and it was too far away from me to really do my due dilligence on. Anyway...I hope this helps. My best, Scott
I lived in Michigan for many years, which is probably why I live in Arizona now. I like to tell the story of a friend who went down to Alabama in 1977 and bought a perfect 1966 Pontiac GTO. He brought it back in the summer and put it in a barn. He never opened the barn doors until the following spring. By then, the car was rusty. The fender wells were all crusty, and most fasteners were red. Michigan has such high humidity that you don't even have to drive a car on salty roads to get ugly. I did a quick AutoCheck on the 308 in this thread, and it has been in Michigan for more than 10 years. I don't know what the car looks like underneath or inside the frame, just be careful, and don't take the owner's word for it. When I lived there, people's definition of "no rust" was that you couldn't put your fist through the frame. My apologies to PizzaMan, but you really don't want to get into a project like this if you don't have to: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=192883&highlight=rust Steve
Thanks for the input. The major has been done and the story on the car is consistent regarding the history; so at least their story is straight. Who in the area could do a PPI on the car? It seems like the place that is selling it is the only service point for these kind of cars. I have been told to look behind the front/rear wheels and along the bottom of the doors. What concerns me is that I've been told that it has been freshly undercoated; they could be covering something up. Even with undercoat though, you should be able to tell if there is a structural issue unless they do a really good cover-up job. I really appreciate the input; I guess it comes down to the conditions the car was stored under.
Fresh undercoat = walk away, period. Nobody does that unless it looks ugly there already, and it's one more chore to remove it. Undercoat at a dealership serves no other purpose than to hide rust and make it look pretty. Unless it is really cheap or you want a bit of a project, forget this car.
Is it still a waste of time and money to do a PPI? (If I can find someone) It doesn't make a lot of sense why they would tell me that they were undercoating the car though; if you wanted to hide something then you probably just wouldn't mention it. Really strange I think, especially when they did the major service last summer. You would think that if there were significant rust issues you would have tried to patch it up then, no? I haven't seen the car in person yet and I am obviously skeptical.
If you are interested in the car do a PPI. Undercoating does not necessarily mean they are covering something up. We can all speculate on the car's condition over the internet without having seen the car, but there is no substitute for having a professional look at the car and give you a professional experience. At the right price it could be a great car. The question is, what is the "right price".
Agreed. Does anyone have a recommendation for someone in the area who can provide a PPI? I am interested in the car, but I obviously dont want to buy something with some huge issues! Thanks to everyone who has given input; it's greatly appreciated by a rookie like me. Has anybody seen this car in person?
You could get a fair idea of the rust situation by removing an interior door panel and taking a careful look around inside. This may or may not be an option for you. There are clues that one can pick up on if you know what to look for.
Hockeyfan -- a lot of these dealers who slag exotics are as dumb and hands-off as a lot of the people who buy them. To get started, you don't need a PPI yet; ask the dealer to take pictures of the undercarriage, trunk, etc. Ask for specifics such as the exhaust hangers, the inside of the lower edge of the doors, the bottoms of the front fenders looking up from the rocker panel, etc. If the car is nice, they will get on their knees with a digital camera and take the pictures. If the pictures are blurry, or if they won't do it, then that car is best left for someone else who would never know the difference. There is no excuse for incompetence or refusal to perform here. Any dealer or reseller who won't do this is either hiding something or didn't inspect the car that thoroughly themselves, and/or isn't knowledgeable enough to do so. . . . or they are just poor salesmen. But a shocking number of dealers are either so unknowledgeable or uninvolved with the cars that they don't know their own cars that well, or pretend to. So ask them for some detailed pictures, and if they act like you are out of line, then wish them good luck and keep looking. If they oblige and give you some nice clear shots, then great! Time to move to the next step -- PPI? There are tons of 308s for sale; no need to latch on to this one. On another thread in this forum, someone made a comment about there only being a few pictures of a car on an eBay listing, and that that was not enough to go on. The same thing goes for this situation as for that one: Well duh, ask the seller for more pictures!
Thanks. You're certainly right and I appreciate the input. I'm going to email them today and ask for them to take the pictures and send them to me. I've looked pretty hard for an 83-85 308 and there doesn't seem to be a ton of cars out there. If this one doesn't work out, I'll just be patient and keep looking. Any recommendations of who can do a PPi if the pictures look OK? Thanks again,
PM's responded to. Thanks Guys, This is an unbeliveable community of great people willing to help. Please keep the help and advice coming, it's invaluable. If anybody is looking to sell their 308qv, please send me a PM as well.
Therre are several out there. Get with carguy246 he postged that he wants to sell his grigio GTS on another thread. Blue Sera/blue GTS: http://www.bostonsportscar.com/1983%20308%20GTS%20CV.htm Marrone/tan GTS and red/black GTB: http://www.308qvregister.com/WebMainPages/classifieds.htm You might want to get a subscription to Ferrari Market Letter www.ferrarimarketletter.com There is a red/tan GTB listed. Jeff
Thanks Jeff, Will do. I would like to find something soon, but I know you have to be patient to find the right car.
Nobody seems to know the car in Michigan. I will probably be passiing on that one; it seems like there are a lot nicer cars out there. Thanks to those who have PM'd me. I hope I can put something together soon; I'm sure I will be leaning on the people here for help. Thanks.
So a funny thing happened on the way to the archives today: I ran across a post for my own car! Hahahahaha It may be a 14 year-old thread, but I thought those involved - especially @Hockeyfan - would get a kick out of the next chapter in the saga. But first: glad you finally found your 308 Hockeyfan! While its journey is spelled-out in the CarFax report, 47819 found a fantastic new SoCal owner just seven weeks after the previous post in this thread. It is now "living its best life" - as the youths say - in the PNW after being purchased from that owner via BAT in late 2019. The 308 currently has 56,XXX miles and I'm attempting to honor the investment and obvious care the PO put into this car. It retains its as-born appearance and equipment (as best I can tell) and two separate, well-respected indie shops have said the car was well-cared for and is in great shape for a driver; despite concerns to the contrary earlier in this thread. The 18-year gap in the CarFax history remains a mystery though which I'd love to solve. If anyone has knowledge of 47819 between 1990 and 2008, I'd love to hear from you. As a reminder, it's an '83 Rosso Corsa/Tan GTS and was most likely residing in the Michigan/Illinois/Indiana/Ohio area. Dave W.
