308 or 328 for first Ferrari???

I've had both and the 328 is by far the better more reliable car. the 308 is a bit more pure and somewhat better looking, but overall the 328's are super reliable for a Ferrari.

Working on both is about the same, parts will be expensive on both, but they are basic and straight forward cars to work on.

My choice would be a 328 any day. A/C on both cars are weak, but it will cool you off if the car has not been baking in the sun... or the humidity is not super high. I live in Atlanta, and the A/C in my 328 is ok most of the time except on the hottest of days... Humid hot days.... then I take the top off.


As for mileage its not so important assuming you are not looking for a garage queen... service history is where its at... buy the one with the best documented service, check independantly with the service providers to make sure it was done, and that there is invoices for all the work. To say that Ferrari's are maintenance sensitive automobiles is an understatement! However a well maintained and sorted car should provide you with a great Ferrari experience.

Best of luck!

Tom

 

I agree re the 328/308 but I would not consider a car with that mileage regardless of what records could be produced. If you were in the 50k range I would agree that if the car had good service records it MIGHT be worth considering over a car with 30k and minimal service records but 91k is, IMHO, too many. I'd look for something in the 30-40k range; they would be notably cheaper than a car in the 20k range but the wear difference would be minimal.

But all this is just personal opinion...whatever you are comfortable with.

 

I would agree to look elsewhere for now. Most Ferraris, not mine of course, are driven quite hard by the owners. The mileage can also be easily tampered (despite what the records or carfax will tell you.) So the 91k mileage may very well be "heavily driven" miles.

The white color with the red interior is also not the "norm" for resell. if you plan on selling it, plan on taking a big hit in price.

If you are looking for "cheap" driver 308 take a look into the an 308 in the 80-82 year range with 40-50k miles. Those can be had to less than 20k these days and still have the "wow" factor of being a Ferrari. The performance is not shabby at all and, compared to today's cars, they're all very slow....but makes you feel like you're going fast (that's what counts!)

Plus if it's your first Ferrari, you really want a red one!

Ace

 

your first Ferrari depends on what you want to do with it.

As mechanically inclined as you are, any 308/328 is likely a good candidate. Buy the latest for the money you have. Put aside $5,000 for incidental. Drive and ejoy.

 

I'm a huge fan of the ebay white/red car. 91K. Some might argue that most cars have that many miles on them, they have just been tampered. These engines have been reported to go 150K or more with proper maintenance and regular use. At 91K it may not sell and you may be able to talk to the owner, get a PPI done with a compression and leak down tests. It may be a great car. Depends where it sells at. Plus, if you can put 15K miles on it, you'll have a 328 with only 6K miles indicated, you start over and it's value will skyrocket!

 

Also, on which color to get, look at several cars, decide what you really want. There are enough of these out there that you can take your pick of red ones to get the very best. Don't chase price, chase the good cars.

 

A lot of us around here (myself included) buy a 308 over a 328 really only because we always wanted a 308.

So, if you can have either, buy the best 328 you can find. It's a little quicker.

 

The 308 interior is what swayed me into a 308.

The toggles and black and white guages feel more authentic and classic to me as compared to the more plastic 328 swithches and guages.

More importantly it will be a lot easier to just say "yes" when people ask you if that is a Magnum car instead of having to explain why it is similar but different.

 

If you like that one, drop a note to FChat'er rimoore, who works for the selling dealership. I think the mileage is high, but Rick would probably negotiate a bit.

The 328 is a better car than the 308. Servicing is the same, but the 308 will have more electrical gremlins, weaker cooling, troublesome power windows, lesser corrosion protection, lesser brakes, etc.

The "climate control" is better in the 328. It's not what you'd get in any modern car, because the vents were still small, but I had mine out on many 90+ degree days and the a/c did the job in the tiny interior.

In terms of looks, you have to decide. I think the European 308 GTS in dark colors is probably the handsomest of the series, followed by the early 328 GTS (U.S. or Euro), followed by the U.S.-spec 308 GTS. You are smart enough not to live in California, so you could do a European car.

 

"More importantly it will be a lot easier to just say "yes" when people ask you if that is a Magnum car instead of having to explain why it is similar but different."

That's true but I quickly learned that it's easier, when they ask if my 328 is the Magnum car, to say "yes." Nobody but us Ferrari nerds know the difference and nobody else cares anyway.

 

Drive both - and a few of each model if possible. Then decide. You may prefer the drive of one versus the other. I preferred the looks and drive of the 308 over the 328. The 308 is more curvy, and the drive I found to be a bit more raw. I also liked the interior controls (knobs) better. I found the 328 drive to be a bit more refined.

As far as color, some like the black bumpers on a 308, some don't. If you acquire a black 308, the bumpers blend in seamlessly, so the look is more modern, like a 328.

Whichever model you decide, buy the best specimen you can find and afford. And when you are close to buying, get someone reputable to do the PPI.

Phil

 

I don't think you should base your 308/328 decision on which car is "better." Spend some time around each model and in the end, get the one that puts the biggest smile on your face.

 

+1. I've had both. I replaced the 328 with the Euro 308 QV. Aesthetics/looks won out over perceived reliability. Performance is not that much different, although quality seems more consistent on the 328. I would get the model that gets you more excited and buy the best one in your budget.

 

Touche'

 

i agree. and frankly i think a lot of the reasons the 328 is "better" applied 20 years ago, but not so much anymore.
for example, the 328 is fater. true, but both are slow. if fast is what you want then both are poor choices.
328 is more reliable. maybe? ive owned my 308 for 2 years now, havent had a single problem. all the problems that the 308 commonly has like electrical gremlins, slow windows, ignition issues, can be solved and likely already have been addressed in a well sorted 308. and for the record, the worst horror story ive heard on this board involved a 328.
328 has a better ac. probably true, and if youre going to drive your ferrari when its 100 outside maybe thats important. but i only drive mine on nice cool days, dont even have freon in my system.
looks are totally subjective of course. 328 has a bit more of a modern flair while the 308 retains some classic features. i love the interior, the switches, the gauges of the 308. so like flyngti said, pick the one that stirs your soul the most, both are great cars. nobody here can tell you what you want

 

Properly working A/C on a 308 woks just fine with windows up and roof on. Unless you're on a race track or at the dyno, I doubt you would notice the power difference between a 308 QV and a 328. Mostly a matter of personal preference, but I just can't stand the funky '80's orange numerals on the gauges and the Testarossa-style nose treatment.

 

"Mostly a matter of personal preference, but I just can't stand the funky '80's orange numerals on the gauges and the Testarossa-style nose treatment."

As stated, it's TOTALLY a personal opinion - I bought a 328 because in my opinion it is the much better looking version of the two, including the instruments! I don't care for the 308s pointy nose and the large bumpers. I never liked the 308 all that well, even when it was new and Magnum was driving it. It was the 328 that really appealed to me and it was the one I had posters of.

SO, BUY the car and colors YOU like; do NOT buy something just because someone else prefers it; they aren't driving/owing it, you are.

 

That car was sold, I believe.

 

I'm with you on the orange instruments. I think they look better than the 308's, and I like how the 328 went back to the old carb'ed 308-style flat center console shape.

But I wouldn't make a decision based on stuff like this. If a nice Euro 308 GTS showed up on my driveway, and I could somehow get it registered in CA, I wouldn't complain at all.

 

Bingo. Nail on the head.

 

With the age of these cars and the availability and cost of parts I would vote for an early 308 carb car. My reasoning is based on FI parts and old electrical boxes that are hard to diag or source.I would stick with the basic car without all of the frills of FI unless you plan on converting the system to an aftermarket FI system. My 2 cents

 

You have to love the looks of the car you're buying. Test driving different models of a Ferrari can often be difficult since most sellers won't let you drive a car unless you're really serious about it. How many ads have we seen where the seller says "no joy rides" or "money in hand before driving it"? Plus all of these cars are maintained to different levels and it's very difficult to compare one to the other. Then there's the problem of quantity. It's not like you can walk down the block to test drive the next 3x8, 355, TR, etc.

I would say consider these factors when you're searching for your 1st:

1) How much are you willing to pay. It'll put you in the range of the general models you can afford.
2) Assuming you have a choice, do you want "vintage vs. contemporary."
3) A daily driver or show car
4) Appearance (color, body style, etc)
5) Choice of transmission

Is there anything else?

Ace

 

The 308 and the 328 are both great - the differences are mostly fairly subtle, although the 328 certainly has a few improvements over the 308 both in terms of performance and reliability. Personally, I like the pointy nose on a 308, even prefer the US front spoiler and bumpers as goofy as that sounds. But, I do appreciate the more integrated bumpers on my 3.2 mondial (similar to a 328) over the earlier style. Different cars with different looks I guess.

I do think that the 308 is aging very well - the switch gear is pretty cool and somewhat vintage looking for example. The 328 will, of course, age well also, it's just a little father behind the 308 time-wise at the present time given its younger years.

Go drive a nice 308 and a nice 328 then you decide - forget about listening to all us biased ferrari nerds!

 

~ Miles are high, but it's from a reputible dealer. If it has a good size stack of maintenance records and a decent PPI... ??