328 vs Mondial maintenance

I'd say the Cab for two reasons, one there's a panel behind the rear seats for access to the forward bank sparkplugs (QV and 3.2). And two, with the top down, no buttresses to reach over from the sides.

Regarding design flaws and deferred maintenance, you didn't mention which Mondials (the t is worlds apart and way more complicated then the previous versions).

 

It depends on which Mondial you are looking at. The 3.2 is the same engine as the 328. I do my own maintenance and its no more difficult than my previously owned 308. Mondial get a bad rap, but I love mine. Condition is everything. Get a good one and regular upkeep should keep it going strong. Good luck.

 

The Mondial's negative reputation came from the first model, the Mondial 8, which had issues due to an overtaxed electrical system and performance was modest as a result of bad timing regarding emissions regs (the required fuel injection to meet emissions killed a lot of power that existed in the carbed version of the same 3.0L engine). The 308's were slower too with FI, but not to the same degree because they were a bit lighter than the Mondial 8.

The Mondial models after the 8 (QV, 3.2, and t) are very reliable . The "t" is more complex with active suspension, but has the best performance -- but, really, everything after the 8 had very good performance in period. Looks-wise, the 3.2 has color-matched bumpers versus black on the QV, the "t" has smaller, squared off side intakes and no fender flares versus the 3.2 (which version looks better is up to personal taste). They switched from metric 390mm TRX tires to 16" in the middle of the 3.2 model. Having tried both tire types, I actually like the TRX tires when they are fresh, but they are very expensive to replace and difficult to find (Coker is the main source), so life is easier if you have the later 16" wheels.

As someone mentioned, the Mondial cabs have an access panel to access the front of the engine, so this should make them slightly easier to maintain than the 2-seat versions of each series of car. The Mondial coupes don't have the access panel, I don't remember why. The only model where the Mondial would be less reliable than the 2-seat version is the "8" because of the overtaxed electrical, otherwise reliability should be roughly the same.

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Have enjoyed my Mondial 3.2 Cab for 12 years as a fair weather daily driver in the summer months, yes I care for the car excessively as a hobby and it was a well cared for low mileage original owner I purchased it from. But I have had no reliability issues whatsoever with my car, and find that working on it is reasonable from an access standpoint. You can access the front engine bank through an access panel behind the seats, but it is still pretty tight in there.

I am not sure what is unique to this 3.2 model that would cause reliability issues, everything I read about and work on are really just things relating to an older car more generally, Ferrari seems to have fully sorted the mechanicals for the runout 328 and Mondial 3.2 series. The fuse box does seem to be a problem for many, but there are upgrades for this if that's the issue. The issue is some increasing parts scarcity and prices for some spares.