308? which one should i buy?

Hi all, I will be buying a 308 soon and wanted to know from all the knowledgible people which ones i should try and steer clear of. I am looking at a 80- 83 308 gtb? gts/ gtbi? There are so many I want to get the right one . Is the QV a good idea? Curious..... It is my favorite ferrari for sure, well the Modena is my favorite but cant swing that..yet!

 

Welcome aboard! I had an '85 Rosso QV and loved it. Bulletproof car with no problems. If you want to be a real 'purest', do what I did and look for a full uncorked (no smog) Euro. I found an extremely low VIN '77 308. There is no better sound (from the passenger side especially) of the air intake to the carbs and catless headers through an exhaust without a resonator! I found mine for $15.5K (At Ferrari of SF of all places). I had the engine gone through and it's a real pleasure to drive (66K miles)

The 308 is certainly an affordable car that handles great and is a lot of fun. Find one and make sure you get a PPI done from a compitent mechanic.

 

What is the PPI ? Yes im new! I think i know what it is.

 

Pre purchase inspection. Good luck and enjoy.

 

Get a QV. I love mine. I have a carb 308 too but my QVs are my favorites.

 

They all have plusses, you need to decise what is most important to you.

76-77 have the most hp and sound great, but are near the top of the price scale and carbs+mechanical distributor=maintanance
78-79 still sound good, but don't have the hp. still have the maintanance though.
80-82 The cheapest and lower maintanance, but also the lowest hp
83-85 Are the highest hp, lowest maintanance and therefore highest price.

But this is only for stock. If you modify it, any of them can have plenty of hp, handle great and lok great. GOOD LUCK!

 

I have an '84 QV that I bought 11 years ago, and I still enjoy the heck out of it. Had some sorting out in the first year, but after that it's pretty much just been regular maintenance.

If I knew better at the time, I probably would have tried to find a Euro version... they're definitely more peppy.

 

I assume you can get a left hand drive euro?

 

1985 QV is the best of the run.

 

In 3.5 years of owning my 84 GTS QV, it is extremely reliable, fast and gorgeous. I had to replace the battery, a tensioner bearing and a throttle cable in three and a half years of use. The car is amazing to drive, sounds fantastic and really is reliable. Lets go back to gorgeous, did I mention how freakin' gorgeous 308s are??

 

308s are the most beautiful car. It has been the car i want for the longest time. I do like the Modenas now too though. But i cant swing the Modena... yet!

 

absolutely

 

Left hand drive Euro pictured below (WARNING, this car has been HAPPILY modified... suspension, rims, ride height, seats, harness, etc).

 

Here's some more input for you. The simplest of the 308s are the early carbureted cars (76 - early 80) If the minimum maintenance has been done and the car has reasonably low mileage on it (my opinion; 20K - 40k miles) they are relatively trouble-free cars. You will have no more problems with an early 308 than with a 911 of similar vintage. The reason I mention the Porsche is because they seem to be a benchmark for "engineering" and "durability."

All 308s newer than an '80 are fuel injected. The first injected cars seem to be the ones people steer clear of. I think there were injection problems early-on that were solved with the later 308GTSi and certainly for the 308QV (Quatrovalve.) If injection is your preference, go for a QV. If you like carbs and a simpler car, the early ones are the best.

If you can do some mechanical work yourself, you'll be rewarded for your efforts. These cars aren't the easiest to work on but not impossible for someone who can do routine repairs/maintenance on today's road cars. If you don't do your own work, plan on having a skilled mechanic perform the periodic maintenance on the car. I've heard some owners say that maintenance averages $2,000 per year, and problem cars can cost $10,000 to $15,000 to put right.

Best wishes on finding the right car for you. There are lots to choose from and the earlier advice of getting a pre-purchase inspection from a knowledgeable person is the best advice you could get. Paying someone $300-$500 for an educated opinion can save you thousands.

Andy