328 Buying Advice

Go with what the mechanic thinks. Get a quote that would fix everything and start negotiating. You may not get all the way between asking price and "fixed" price but it should be comfortably close. Take whatever the seller is saying with about 20,000 grains of salt.

 

"Tach reading incorrect" and "Some oil leak at oil pan" are extremely common with these cars and should not dissuade you, though both will require some investment to repair. "Tail pipe flow low left side" is actually normal unless the mechanic thinks that it's too low.

 

With the stock exhaust the right side seems to flow about 80% of the total exhaust volume. It's a very noticeable difference between sides.

The normal idle speed is 1000 +/- 100 rpm.

Tachometers in these cars always seem to be a "best guess" affair. Sometimes it is just a bad ground, other times the tach head needs to be replaced. Rebuilt tachs are about $500, I think.

Lucky that it only leaks a little at the oil pan! Usually they leak there, at the shift rod seal, and at the cam seals.

Brake pulsation could be a couple things. Could be pad deposits on the rotor. rust on the rotor, or a warped rotor.

Depending on what price the seller is demanding he should repair none of those things listed or all of those things listed.

To me, none of them would be a deal breaker for a properly priced car. None of those things would be hugely expensive to fix (in relative Ferrari terms, anyway). I would be more concerned if/when the belts and tensioners have been changed along with the associated maintenence.

Things that are ridiculously expensive to fix seem to be cosmetic things. Try finding a replacement fog light lense or amber tail light! Or have the seats re-covered.... Or try and find some of the other soft trim pieces. THAT's what will make you cry.

When I bought my 328 I started under the assumption that it was a 20 year old car and I would either have to accept some flaws or spend a king's ransom. It only took me 2 weeks to find the exact car I wanted. Ended up buying the first (but not only) car I looked at.

 

On the high idle issue --

This is a really, really stupid little thing, but so often it is the culprit: Make sure that the mechanic didn't push the floormat forward when he got into the car. The usual floormat in 328s slides forward so easily, which pushes against the accelerator. This causes an increase of idle speed by a good 500 - 750 RPMS.

 

These almost sound more like someone justifying his fee than real problems - its a twenty plus year old car its not going to be perfect - an alleged slight error in the tacho is a pretty pathetic fault really isn't it ?

 

Sounds like a good car. Like previously said, the money is in the interior and paint (looks like a shot engine is not in the offerings here) as well as the expensive/unobtainium trim/switch items. The car, if it truly is pristine regarding the interior and paint/body, sounds like a good purchase. If the price is right, the come on down!

 

If the belts haven't been done in 10 years that should be your biggest concern with this car from what is posted here. $35K 40K if it is really a 9.5 out of 10 paint and interior. I'll keep that Porsche thing between you and me.

 

So you're telling us :

The tacho is slow = big problem

The belt service was ten years ago = no problem

I think this is the wrong way round.....

Factor in a serious belt service immediately & get it done somewhere good where all the fuel & hydraulic lines will be checked etc etc - oh and the a/c will probably need a good service too

 

+1 on the belts. Replacement with a full major could run you around $7-10K depending on if the water pump needs replacement.

However, I think the car if it is a 9-9.5 may be more like $40K rather than the low of $35K, but that depends on the market and how fast the seller wants to sell the car.

 

The tach is no big deal. Just about all 3.2 tachs go bad. Rebuild is about 150. if memory serves plus removal and installation. I would assume the brake pedal pulsing is a warped rotor. You can get them "turned" pretty cheap but this would make them useless for track events and they will likely warp again. Brake work can get pretty expensive. Since it hasn't been driven much, the calipers may need rebuild also. The motor being sluggish concerns me the most. It's probably in the fuel system and could be expensive depending on which parts need replacing. Regardless, it needs a BIG service now. With that and the other issues, I'd figure 10K, maybe more to put everything right. There are also issues that are likely to rear their heads that your mechanic would not find in 10 mile test drive. Bottom line: unless it's really cheap, I'd keep looking. There are lots of no stories 328's out there.

Dave

 

what year is the car? if it's not an 88 1/2+, i'd pay about 30k for it. Maybe 35. You will likely put 2k miles on it pretty fast and then you will have a 50k+ mile car. it won't be worth much then. I'd prefer to find a much lower mileage car and pay the extra 8-10k. If you want a really nice black 328 at a great price with a fresh major, pm me.

 

If the last service was ten years ago then we can assume the tires need replacing too - another thousand bucks off please

 

From what I saw a year ago when I was in the market, a 47k mile '88 (not '88.5) 328 with fresh service in excellent cosmetic conditon is worth about $43k-$46k. Deduct from that for service needs or glaring cosmetic deficiencies.

So a 9.5 cosmetic '88 328 that hasn't had a major service in a decade is likely worth about $35k unless prices have gone up in the past year.

For comparison, a truly nice, no stories, freshly serviced, 25k mile '88.5 or '89 328 would sell in the very high 50's, maybe even $60k.

 

+1...And get a major.

 

I would have the sluggish engine looked into a little more. Hopefully he is not comparing it to a more modern technology. I would also bet the "cruise control" floor mat was pushing on the gad pedal.

 

$30K sounds very low. Really needy 328s (not parts cars, but higher mileage, running 328s that are cosmetically needy) seem to go in the mid $30Ks. Somehow I don't believe it's a 9.5 out of 10 (platinum car) as is, but a nice 328 like that is going to go in the $40K range. (There's a really average one for sale near me right now asking $52K with slightly lower mileage.) Obviously negotiate a bit, but if it's making good compression and has nice paint/body it's going to be $45K or so. With half the mileage, it might have been closer to $60K.

Fast idle is the classic way to cover up other symptoms. As others have said, an inaccurate tach isn't big news, but it would be good to have the idle set to 1000rpm and see how she runs. The sluggish acceleration could also be a symptom of something. I wouldn't accept "idles fast" as the conclusion from a PPI -- I'd want to know why it's high. Could be nothing...

 

Excellent point...

 

The tach in my car was only reading about 50% of actual rpm when I bought the car. As the orange markings on the face had also faded, I wound up buying a new tach from Ricambi and am quite happy with it.

And as for the tires, check the code on the tire for year of manufacture. If they are more than 5 years old, regardless of apparent condition, you ought to replace them. My car had 7-year-old Dunlops that had plenty of tread left but felt very hard, so I replaced them.

 

No US 1988 MY cars had ABS. The suspension update which includes convex wheels became standard at #76626 though at least a couple of cars with later VIN's have the earlier suspension and wheels. All 1989 MY cars have ABS.

Dave

 

So, per Dave's post above, no red flags, assuming your car is a late-88 production and VIN is after 76626.

What is the VIN, by the way?

 

That would be a very late '88. 89 MY started at app 78800. I have an 89 79392 actually built 11/88. Some people prefer the late 88's for the suspension upgrade but no ABS. I previously owned an '87 and greatly prefer the driving manners of the later suspension. As for the ABS, I could take it or leave it. I have found it is an excellent system for an early one. Even on track days I did not find it cut in too early. good luck with your search. any year 328 is a good one.

Dave