annual maintenance

It's really a difficult question as the cars are now over 30 years old. I would say it depends on what has been done regarding the suspension, engine seals, bearings, hoses and other items which are time sensitive. If the car is in excellent running condition and has not been through a bunch of crumby owners, it should not require much if you want to drive it regularly.

I will say in my 16 years of owning a 308QV, it has been a very reliable car. I'm the 3rd owner and it's got 73K on it. I've only put 25K on it mainly because it shared my time with two others fighting for my attention.

I did things to it the first year I owned it to make it drive like new (full major, clutch and full suspension rebuild). And have continued to do things which did not necessarily have to be done, but did them so they were done, allowing me almost no problems.

I do the work myself where ever possible. Its therapeutic and maddening at the same time, but that's caused by Italian creative engineering.

Don't forget one thing, parts for Ferraris are silly and you have to kind of roll with the punches on certain things. But, changing fluids (brake, oil, trans and coolant) is not hard and is the easiest way to keep your car from a silly unwanted issue.

So my conclusion, a solid car is worth its weight in gold with regard to Ferrari ownership. Start with one or get one there and you will probably not understand why people think they are temperamental.

 

The question you are asking is difficult to answer because of the wide spectrum of conditions, usage and goals. Any car can be kept roadworthy yet allowed to deteriorate over time with the ultimate goal of eventually dumping it for a newer model. 308's in general have been cared for to varying degrees but most of them have certain areas that have been "deferred" I don't want to say overlooked or neglected but they are at an age now where things like suspension bushings, shocks, steering racks and such could possibly need attention. But this is true of all cars and it's just a matter of how pristine you want to keep it. You can certainly still drive it as such and the expense just to keep it as a driver that is deteriorating through normal wear and tear is probably not much different from anything else out there outside of the fact it's not a high production car like a Ford or a Porsche so the parts situation is a bit different. So it depends on what sort of balance you want to strike. People like me who are second or third owners might be spending more as they try to catch up on all of the deferred stuff and bring the car back to tip top shape whereas there are probably people out there who are just letting things go.

 

Once a Ferrari is properly sorted, however, the annual maintenance is minimal and similar to most other cars from the same time period. The owners manual outlines the required maintenance broken down by mileage. Certain items simply require that you perform a check while other maintenance items require replacement such as belts, filters or spark plugs. In my experience, the Ferrari dealers aren't a good option for maintenance as most don't have the required knowledge to address issues that go beyond regular maintenance. I have removed my Ferrari from two different dealers over the years because they either couldn't get the car running properly, couldn't find the required parts or wanted to charge an exuberant amount of money. You will need to find a reputable independent service shop that specializes in Ferrari or at least in classic automobiles to address service areas beyond your DIY comfort level. You will be able to find plenty of options here. A simple search will generate plenty of prior threads on the topic in your geography.

 

No car dealer (regardless of brand) can properly attend to a 30+ year-old car. They do not have the parts or the expertise (or any interest) in doing so. The computers systems that they all use nowadays to diagnose issues are of no help and there is not likely going to be an "old guy" on the payroll who "used to" work on the cars.

IMO, the best option is, as others have said, to do your own maintenance OR go to a recommended shop that specializes in such work, . None of it is technically difficult though it can be rather fiddly as far as access, especially without certain types of tools - ratchet wenches with flexible heads come to mind! As far as required work - the only thing my '80 328 has REQUIRED annually beyond what our Hyundai Santa Fe requires is...well...nothing. The 328 is as reliable as any car I have ever owned. Routine maintenance is not noticeably different than any other car with the exception of the Ferrari-recommended cam belt changes at 3 year intervals (or whatever interval YOU are comfortable with).

FWIW...don't ASSUME a "good shop" is good. When I first purchased my 328, I took it to a well known shop for a fluid change because we were in a new location and none of my tools were there. The radiator hose clamp that they forgot to re-tighten let go on the 30 mile drive back home. They fooled me the 2nd time when I took the car in for AC work and they overcharged the system causing the compressor to lock up. In both cases they corrected their work at no additional charge but they never fooled me again...

 

Once everything is sorted and up to date (belts and related hardware, brake pads, hoses, valve adjustment, stuff like that), all you need on an annual basis are fluids (engine oil, trans oil, coolant, brake fluid).

-F

 

The biggest factor in maintenance is who does the work. A great shop - and they ARE out there - will keep a smile on your face, and you'll love your mechanic. A hack mechanic will kill your joy and empty your wallet faster than a lap at LeMans. If you choose to have your car worked on by a pro, ask around here for references. Not everyone on F-chat does their own work, and they'll tell you who you can trust with your car and your funds.

If you have more time than money - and some skill - you can save a lot doing it yourself. I'm talking literally thousands of dollars over time.

Assuming nothing breaks, here's some basic costs that you will have in the first 6 months. Some things, such as the engine oil, I do 2x a year. You don't need to replace plugs or coolant every year, but it's possible your "new" car will be due for such things.

You'll need basic tools, such as metric wrench set, sockets/ratchet, screwdrivers, and so on. You'll need more as time goes by... when you get tired of turning a nut 1/16th at the time, you'll buy a ratcheting set of wrenches. One day you'll need a rubber mallet. You'll need a good jack, and jack stands. Obviously tools are a one-time cost, but easy to forget the budget when you start shopping. It all adds up eventually. So.

- Oil change: Oil, $75. Filter, $15. Crush washer, .22
- Gear oil change: Oil, $77. Crush washer, .22
- Coolant replacement: Coolant, $27
- 8 Sparkplugs: $54
- Torque wrench (required): $85
Total: $333

Every 3 years, you'll need to change the belts. On a "new" car that is due for this, this is a "day one" thing you need to do.

- 2 Belts: $32
- 2 Bearing: $155
- Accessory belts: $78
- Various tools: $50
Total: $315

So you'll see that we're around $650 for the first week of ownership just replacing belts, plugs, and fluids on a car that hasn't had them done for 2-4 years. Time to do this: honestly, the first time will be measured more in "days" than "hours".

As others have mentioned, there are so many other components that will demand attention at some point. Brakes, tires, hoses, etc. This is no different than any other old car, but the factor of "sourcing of parts" becomes the issue. The 308 has a LOT of coolant hoses, for example, because the radiator is in the front and engine in the back. So instead of 2-3 hoses, there's ... around 11. Some are far easier to change than others, and NAPA may not have that required 40mm hose. Sometimes a repair goes from "shouldn't take more than a couple hours" to "I'll finish some time next month" because you're waiting on a part to arrive.

You need to be smart shopping for parts, and do your research. Replacing a CV joint using a Ferrari Parts source is $890. Buying the identical part used on a Porsche is $67. This thread is invaluable for parts.

Finally, this is a car that often requires you to fix something BEFORE it goes bad. So you have to pay attention the mechanicals. Learn what to look for, how things should sound, how they should feel. If you don't replace the fuel hoses until they've popped, it's might be too late... because now your car is on fire. When you hear something squealing in the engine bay, don't think "Oh, probably just old car." No - stop driving it and find out what's squealing. Get it fixed.

At time, these cars can be maddening. But I think it's because it's such a dream car for us, and it wasn't cheap... so when we have to tear into it, and leave it on jacks for a couple weeks, or write a big check - it can kill that limitless enthusiasm you felt the first time you drove it. But the once an issue is resolved, the enthusiasm comes right back. I've spent more time and money than I wanted to so far, but I don't regret buying a Ferrari.

 

In my experience it seems as if those that extol the expense or difficulty maintaining these cars are those that have never actual owned one.
I have owned a multitude of Porsches over the years.
They have ALL been MORE expensive to service and maintain than my 308.
Only a couple of them were AS reliable as the 308. But none more reliable than the 308.
My annual service this past fall for the 308 was just $450.
Besides gas, that's all I spent this year and I put 2,000 miles on it.

 

I have Porsche, still do own 2. I disagree. My Porsches are very reliable even the uber high strung GT3. The wife's 997 is a daily driver and runs without fail. The 997 does require on the dot maintenance if you want to keep it long term and without failure.

My 328 does not get daily use and has been pretty trouble free until this year where it has stranded me twice. One for the heater hose and the other for the fuel pump issue. Both can be avoided with extreme long term maintenance in mind, but that is almost always deferred.

 

I can't comment on owning multiple examples of both cars but I have owned one Porsche - a 911 bought new in 1999, and one Ferrari - my '89 328 bought with 24k miles on it in 2008. The new Porsche engine had to have it's rear main seal replaced during the first year, again during the 2nd year and, the third time, they replaced the engine. They covered it all under warranty but the car had to go in 3 times for the same problem. There were several other niggling issues that the dealer resolved while it was under warranty. I then had to have the transmission rebuilt at my cost due to sudden shifting problems at 53k miles since the car was 3k miles out of warranty. So really, it was more trouble than any other car I have owned. Perhaps new 328's required warranty repair in a similar manner back in the day but, of course, I have no idea about that. But a tranny going out at 53k miles on a street car makes the tranny seem a bit, well, 'under-engineered."

To be fair, I thought the Porsche was a very capable car as far as driving/handling but for some reason, I never really ended up "bonding" with it as much as I expected to and I sold it just after I had the tranny rebuilt.

 

My wife bonded really well with that 997 and she is not going to give that up. I guess that is a mistake I will have to live with.