Does anybody know this Mondial? It's right in the neighborhood......
Does anybody know this Mondial? It's right in the neighborhood... http://www.cars.com/search/used/cc/standard/results/single/ld/detail.jhtml?paId=138146544&aff=national&src=&cid=null
Nope, don't know the car. I'm just replying so you get a reply. Don't want you to think that no one read your post.
I figured it was a long shot, but if someone had said, "Oh, yeah, that's my buddy Joe Schmoe's car; it is the finest Mondial ever to cross the Atlantic!" it would have been good to know. I'm gravitating more and more towards a Mondial as my target car. I recently got the Forza back issues with the Mondial and 308 buyers' guides, and they were very informative. A chief concern now, however, is that they said that the cabriolets leak rain where the roof meets the windshield, which is one of the most annoying characteristics of the Alfa Spider I currently drive--I was hoping to lose that with a move up-market! (Brief digression in defense of Alfa Spiders: I blame the problem with the Alfa on a cheap aftermarket top. But I hesitate to replace it if I am going to replace the entire car pretty soon. Generally, the Alfa has been great.) This Mondial looks good on paper and in the picture, and it's close to home, and it's been for sale for a while. I am not quite ready to buy a car yet, but soon, soon...I'm certainly keeping an eye on this one.
It's a 1983 car with 17k miles and the 15k mile service done (when?). If I'm not mistaken, the 30K mile service is the belt changing, engine dropping procedure that costs $5000-6000, right? If this Mondial is still wearing the same belts from 21 years ago, then it will need new belts, so you figure the price of $31,900 plus $5000 for service equals an asking price of nearly $37,000. I think I've seen Mondial 3.2s for about $36,000 with the 30k mile service done on ebay recently.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6212&item=2477852404&rd=1 Here's a 1986 3.2 black/black cabrio with belts replaced. $37,000 buy it now price!
That car in St. Louis looks nice, but I think I should be able to find a decent Mondial cab, that won't need new belts right away, for rather less than that. Maybe not a 3.2, but the extra performance is not a big deal for me. The belt issue had certainly occurred to me, and that would impact the price I would be willing to pay. There was a thread recently in general discussion about the pros and cons of buying a low mileage car that might be suffering from garage queen syndrome versus a higher mileage car that has been regularly exercised and serviced. The two lines of though were, the low-mileage car may need to be sorted, but once that's done, it's a low-mileage car, and will retain its value better. On the other hand, the high-mileage car, if it's been maintained, will have almost equal utility value but cost less. Personally I would be inclined to go with the latter. But, I certainly would not ignore a nice lower-mileage car as long as the price was not that much more---and, it would be worth some kind of premium to me to be able to buy a car locally, and not have to worry about long-distance PPI, flying somewhere to test out the car, shipping, etc. 17K is not many miles on a 1983 car, and that one may well have garage queen issues. If in fact the belts haven't been changed, that's a certainty. If those are the original belts, I'd almost be afraid to test-drive it with any enthusiasm. And, it's been for sale for at least a few months now, which may indicate some lurking red-flag issue. But, I don't know what the market for non-red older Ferraris is like around here nowadays, so I don't want to read too much into it. I haven't contacted the seller yet because I don't want to waste his time until I am ready to actually buy the car if it pans out. But if the car is still for sale then, he may well be ready to deal!
FML has 2 non red 3.2 Mondials www.berlinettamotorcars.com www.motorcargallery.com both in the low 40s, one claims "fully serviced"
the 3.2 is arguably much more car, and I personally think the interiors are much nicer in the 3.2's...
I saw a Black Mondial Cab.,with,I believe,Tan interior,For Sale at D&M Motorsports on North Av. in Glen Ellyn,IL. (About 20 miles or so West of the City). I did not stop to look at it,don't know the Year,price,or Coindition. But,it's there...
Chuck, I don't know this exact car, but I did have an 83' Mondial QV coupe, Black/Tan for a couple of years prior to buying my current 83' 308GTS QV. The car had 36K when I bought it, was well cared for and very complete. I even had the original window sticker. The car was in need of a 30k service when I bought it, which I did myself including the valve lash adjustment. I deducted the cost of this service from my offer when I purchased the car. If you interested in Mondial's I would highly suggest the coupe over a cab version unless you don't mind body flex. The cabs have leak problems for this reason. Black exterior in my opinion is an excellent color for the car. It tends to "wash out" the massive rubber baby bumpers on this model. Heres a few tips if you are in the market to purchase a Mondial QV: - Early Mondial's had very weak fuse boxs. Mine had an updated 348 fuse box, which solved many electrical issues. The fuse box had modern blade type fuses. - The coupe is equipped with a electric sunroof. Parts are scarce & expensive for the sunroof. Make sure it is in perfect working order. -The coupe is much more rigid than the cab. -The 30k can be done "engine in" on the coupe. "Engine out" on the cab due to the extra room dedicated to the folding top on the cab version. - Don't plan to take the whole family out for a spin in either version. The 2+2 seating in any Ferrari V-8 2+2 design is a joke unless you saw the legs off passengers. -Despite what the ad says for this Mondial QV, ABS brakes were not available until the late 80's. - $30k + is a very high asking price for a Mondial QV. - The Mondial 3.2 version is a more refined car. Larger engine, color matched bumpers, better electrics. -Wheels & Tires: 390MM Michelin TRX's unless you get a later Mondial with 16" wheels. TRX's are available but your stuck with 80's tire technology, and they are expensive. The only way around this is aftermarket 16" wheels & tires. Dave
Dave, thanks for all the info! Frank, thanks for the tip. I'm partial to the cabriolet because I love open-air driving, but I have not ruled out a coupe. The ability to change belts without removing the engine is huge---I had never heard that before. I'm not planning to take lots of passengers, but this will be my main car, and while I won't be driving it every day, I need a little more flexibility than a pure two-seater would provide. (I say this with some sadness, because the 308 is one of my favorite designs of all time.) There are enough situations where, in addition to an extra passenger, I might want to bring along something like a guitar, or a cooler, or a garment bag or a picnic basket... The back seat becomes significant. I am also looking forward to taking it on multiple-day road trips, and I think I'll need the extra luggage space. My 20-year high school reunion is coming up in September, and I would really like to roll up in an F-car. Hopefully I will be ramping up my official, real, serious shopping soon.
Good Luck! Yes,my intentions are to add a Nice Testarossa and a Mondial Cabriolet to my 308. I've owned 3 Corvettes at a time for many years,now,it's going to be all Ferrari's. For the price of a nice 355 Spider. I can get a nice Testarossa and a Mondial Cab. I like the extra room of the Mondial. My 308 is tight...but,I've owned 'Vettes for over 20 years,so,I am used to it. (A diet might help,too... ) But,I MUST have a 12 Cylinder Ferrari,also. And,Testarossa's are very reasonable right now. Plus,my Family misses the Chrysler Sebring Convertible that we owned for a few years. It would be really nice to have an open topped,4 seater that the 4 of us-my whole family-can enjoy together. So,one of these days I'll be adding one of the 2. As for which one first...?that depends on what comes up. Then,eventually,the other. Right now,I only have a 2 car garage. So,no hurry.But,when I move,(soon) will be looking for,no less than a 4 car garage...or,will have to have one built.
