348 love/hate, 328 love/love?? Can it be?

i think a couple people here, including myself, have not had positive experiences with daniel schmitt & co. sport auto has a good reputation on this board. bullfighter recently bought a 328 from there and he seems quite pleased with the car and the dealer.

i think 348s can be as trouble free as 328s. it really depends on the car you buy. look for a car that has been loved by its previous owner. one good way of finding such a car is to post here saying you're looking for a car. i bought my 308 from a guy who was very particular about the car, and clearly took care of it. 16 months later, zero problems. buy the car you like, you might regret your decision if you make a compromise.

john

 

Interesting 328. I have never seen one with boxer paint scheme.

As for 348 the second one has less miles, and original paint for less money. That does not mean it's better, but I would look at whichever in person.

 

You cant go wrong with a car from Sportauto--ask for Steve Jones and tell em I sent you.They stand behind what they sell and are great to deal with!!!

 

I saw the SportAuto car two days ago. It is absolutely pristine. The SportAuto car has been in North Carolina for a while, all with meticulous owners. Personally, I've never seen a 348 with such nice interior or crystal clear road lights. It's pretty sharp.

I think these days SportAuto is very very very choosy when it comes to 348's they'll hold. This one obviously met the Steve Barney standards of quality, so that alone is a strong statement.

As I left the showroom and got into my own 348, I realized that indeed, I have a beater of a car.

 

I do not remember why I passed on the Dan Schmitt & Co car but I think it was either lack of up to date service or no documentation. Call them and ask.

The Sport Auto car surely looks worth looking into.

What city are you in?

 

91 348's came with black rockers, though many have been repainted body colorto mimick the speciales that came out late in 92.

I'm not a big fan of 348's. I went from an 87 328 to a 94 348 and "back" to a 89 328. I put 16K on the 348 in 5 years and it was trouble free, but I never really warmed up to it. With 348's, there is more risk of getting a bad one. I have seen a number of them that were quite reliable and others that were/are very troublesome and the problems are often electrical in nature and frustrating. So, if you go the 348 route, I would buy one with very complete records to see if there have been recurring problems. Additionally, maintenance is much more expensive than 328's and if you need parts, be prepared to pay big.

As far as the driving experience goes, 348's have noticeably more power and better brakes, but are not pavement rippers by today's standards. The suspension is quite a bit stiffer and the ride suffers from it. They have more grip ultimately because of bigger rubber and stiffer shocks, but 348's are pretty tricky and unpredictable at the limit. Despite a lot of body roll, skinny tires and not very stiff chassis, 308-328 exhibit much better overall balane IMO and the limits can be tested with confidence the car won't do something unexpected. Because of this, I was able to post just about identical times on a short, twisty track with either the 94 TB or the 89 GTB. This is a big part of the enduring appeal of the "Dinos" beginning with the 206 and ending with the 328.

Where in Texas is 600 miles from service?

DAve

 

The 328 in "boxer" trim may be slower to sell than all red or all black. It's not listed as a factory option in Keith Bluemel's book, but Sport Auto could tell you if they have the window sticker (possible) or build sheet (unlikely, but maybe they could get that from Ferrari) -- it's possible that someone ordered it that way as a one-off.

As johng mentioned, I bought my 328 from Sport Auto in December, and I also had them do the major service that was due. So far, all's well and everything is working. Of course the weather got ugly and work got busy right after the car was delivered, but I'm looking forward to this summer!

328's have a reputation for being more robust, but I ultimately went that way because I like the looks and felt more comfortable with the service costs. It pulls nicely through the gears and sounds amazing, and everyone who sees it loves it. BUT - it's slow compared to modern performance cars (~6 sec 0-60 I believe, respectable but that's about all...)

 

The 348 TS is a great car for the money, a lot of exotic for 328 money. Best advice is DO NOT BUY FROM carsschmitt.com, HE SELLS A LOT OF JUNK CARS THAT APPEAR TO BE VERY NICE FROM THE PHOTOS, BUT BUYER BEWARE MY FRIEND!!!!!!!!

Stephane
Scaledetails

 

I too recently struggled with almost the exact same descision. Both the 328 and the 348 were in my price range. IMO the 348 is a better looking car in several respects. The 328, to me is beautiful but has a more classic look to it, while the 348 seems to cross the bridge into the more modern day cars.
I think the interior of the 348 is much more modern looking and cleaner to my eye.
As far as reliability issues, I agree with johng, each one is a handcrafted piece of rolling art and as such, can be completely different from the next. The key to these cars is service, service, service!! Make sure you find one that has a full documented service history and keep in mind that the major service on a 348 requires engine removal which is more expensive than a 328. I just Fed-Ex'd a check for mine today after looking for 8 months. I must have looked at a dozen cars before deciding on mine. During my search, there were some dealers that either gave me either an uneasy feeling, or just plain ignored me. Schmidt was one of the dealers that I called a couple of times. Each time they seemed to know nothing about the car I was calling about and never called me back so I disqualified them. Naples Motor Sports seemed good but in the end I gave my business to Symbolic Motor Cars.
I will let you know when it gets here if it's as clean as it appears to be. Good luck on your search and drive both cars if you can.

 

You should drive both before you buy, if you're undecided. The 328 won my heart/wallet, but the driving position (pedals especially) takes some getting used to. It is gorgeous and I can't put gas in it without someone starting up a conversation. I'm sure a 348 would do that as well.

So far I haven't had other drivers racing me -- the bigger issue is that people want to get a look at it and kind of "swarm" around you. My 911/993 was faster but the sensory experience in the 328 more than compensates. Also, you can actually use 4th gear around town without going at track speeds. I honestly don't know how the guys with the hot red 355's and TR's drive on public roads at double-digit speeds. Lot of power, lot of attention...

Like all Ferrari's, the numbers and online pics really don't do the cars justice.

(Ecoloqua -- your car looked stunning last time I saw it at Symbolic. You should be one happy guy if all the prep and shipping goes right. If it's still there, I'll be over in La Jolla on Saturday. I can take more pics if you want.)

 

Thanks Bullfighter! The car is over at thier service dept. getting a new catalyst put in (at thier expense of course). They are also going to eyeball the belt for me as best they can without removing the motor. The service manager Bill Pierson has been a pleasure to work with so far. If you will be in the area on Saturday I could definitely use another set of eyes on it to verify its condition. I can call them and tell them to give you acces so you can see it.

 

I think you should try to tesst drive a few of each model to get a better feel of what the cars are like. I bought a 348 about a year ago and did not read the bad press until after the purchase. Fortunately for me, the car has been serviced thoroughly by a well respected local mechanic and has been relatively trouble free. That being said, I still spent about $5k getting everything (except the drivers seat bolster wear mark) up to my standards. That included getting the front and rear bumper repainted, new A/C compressor, interior sticky cleam up, and some electrical work (new fuse block, reqire the through door wiring, and self-resetting breaker replacing the a/c blower realy circuit. I am glad I bought a 348, they are very rarely seen in South Florida, and it is plenty fast for me.
BT

 

You have a PM.

 

Upon further scratching of the brain...I got several PMs of this nature that scared me off of this car.

 

Go with a 328!

 

The first car is at Foreign Cars Italia. I will only say that a relative of mine bought a car from them sight unseen a few years ago. Without going into too much detail, It did not arrive near in the condition that he thought he thought it would. They went back and forth but in the end they took the car back. I guess you could say that the problem was mutually resolved.

 

When I see the term "services up to date" I figure a major is due soon. You notice neither seller mentions when the belt was last changed.

Dave

 

The first car, at Foreign Cars Italia, I know. I have seen the car as recently as Friday morning. I have no affiliation with the owner (a local person here in NC) or with FCI in this regard.

PM me, I'd be happy to share what I know about it.


Best,
Daniel

 

If I remember correctly, I think the first car you list has been for sale for about 16 months. It was on collectorcartraderonline.com while I was looking before I bought my car 14 months ago. I recall seeing an ad for a car almost identical with approximately the same mileage also in Arizona. That said, the car looks exceptionally clean in the photos, but the price in the Buy It Now seems a little high for a 48k mile car. It probably would not have any issues since it has been used some and would likely be a fun car that you could probably get for around $45k.
BT

 

You'll probably get a lot of advice about going with the 328. But it's a matter of choice and condition.

The key to reliability is maintenance. Not daily maintenance so much as the quality of the regular services. I've used Italian cars (Fiat, Alfa, even my Ferrari) as daily drivers without trouble, by not skimping on the scheduled services. That makes the "majors" a bit more major, but it reduces the troubles you'll have between times.

So whichever version you go for, make sure you have a good shop for the regular services (even if it's none too close). (When I bought my Alfa, the dealer was a weekend trip from where I lived.)

If you like the 348, then find a good 348. You're the one that will be living with it. When I bought my 328, the general opinion was that the 308 was better looking. But I preferred the 328's interior, which is the part *I'd* be looking at most of the time.