348 first year costs, a reality check....

Okay, my version goes like this:

Car: 1989 Ferrari 348 TS purchased February 2005

Maintenance/Repairs:
30k service performed
Replaced defective window switch
Replace fuse block (one of the fuses had melted from heat resistance)
Cleaned drivers side window guide
Replaced all brake pads with Axxis performance plus
Replaced all 4 cracked / discolored wheel caps
Replaced car battery hold down
Rewired pin door connection with thru door wiring
Rewired A/C blower circuit with self-resetting breaker
Corrected dnumerous dings on both sides of the car
Repainted front and rear bumper and lower side panels
Stripped & repainted interior A/C vents
Remove gooey from interior center console area
Replaced interior mirror covers
Catalytic converter testing
Replace A/C compressor
Remove / repair crack in A/C pipe
Replace A/C fill valve (cracked)
Recharge A/C
Recharge A/C
Convert A/C to R-134A
Refinish all 4 wheels
Total Maintenance and Repairs: $8,979

Cosmetic improvements/add ons:
Purchased fender shields (ands subsequently sold them)
Purchased new floor mats from Ricambi
Purchased Hill engineering drilled pedal covers and dead pedal cover (through Ricambi)
Purchased Hill Engineering slick shift gate (through Ricambi)
Purchased new shift knob through Ricambi
Purchased dash cover through anythingauto.com I think.
Total Cosmetic improvements/add ons: $ 1,231.

Total first 3+ years of ownership expenditures: $10,210

I've driven the car about 5200 miles, so a little under $0.50 per mile for repairs / maintenance and upgrades. Not a bad deal.
The A/C is the only area that has needed repair to any degree, and we did some repair for preventative electrical work.

 

When you drive the 348 by itself it's good. But Ash drove the Esprit S4s (real one, not US spec 'fake' one) which is the best product to come out of Lotus, just 5 minutes before, so the comparison conditions were not favourable for the 348.
More pics are up including interior.

 

Man, those seats look GREAT!!

Here's a pic for all those interested. Black/red stitching. Awesome!
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WOW! That is HOT!

My only complaint is that the PASSENGER gets to drive her!

Jedi

 

That'd be a lot closer to $2/mile, still a great deal!

I'm running just under $1/mile myself for a '94 spider

 

HA!! LMAO!! Interior is gorgeous, though

 

More interior pics. New carpets (black with red borders) haven't gone in yet.
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BTW, the leather is Nappa, that's why the 'creased' look.

 

Exterior and undercarriage shots. Some were taken with a camera phone. I am sure you can tell which ones.
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Looks wonderful Andre.

Can you tell me who re-trimmed the seats please mate? I want to get mine done and would love to know who did yours, cause they look great!!

Is the guy there in Melb? I forget his name, but 360C told me that he is one of the best auto-trimmers in Australia and he does all the trimming on his cars.

 

Billy from BM Leather in Richmond, Melb. he does all the Lambos/Ferraris/etc here. Cannot fault his work.

He's done the whole interior - seats, doors, console, sills, rubbers, etc.

 

What kind of front spoiler do you have I like it..

 

Custom. And I love it too Looks real good in real life.

 

And I bet it is functional as to displace the air so the car does not get squirrely at high speeds

 

Awesome!!

Can you PM me what it all cost you please, for interior? Or post it here if you like.

Thats the guy I was thinking of, in Richmond. I remember him now.

 

$6k give or take. Plus all the Hill's Eng bits and pieces.

 

Cool cool. Thanks mate.

 

D'oh! And I got a decent scholarship to college based on my math scores!
I guess I need to drive the car more.

BT

 

BEST ADVICE EVER!

I had a nice BMW 3-series that I couldn't have afforded if I didn't do all the work myself.
I am in college and sold the beauty because I don't need a car here at college (and am always afraid to the point of paranoid of it getting hit), and when I graduate next year and get a good paying job again, I want to get a Ferrari (only considering I move from the area; the university is great but the surrounding area is not).

The 348 looks great, and with a few mods (or even without) can look like a brand new car. I somewhat laugh at people who drive reeaaly old (once nice) cars that look like crap and think they are cool, and I never want to be like that. So I want a beauty with contemporary appeal that I can also appreciate as a classic. The 348 is as good looking as the newest one, besides only a couple things like the tail lights and the headlights, and the front bumper. The further awesome thing about this car, though, is that even with nothing done to it, it still has that contemporary appeal, unlike the 328 or an old M5. It also is still one of the fastest cars on the road, and is in a relatively affordable price range, even considering maintenance, for a new post-graduate or graduate student with a decent job.

 

wow thanks for the very helpful thread!