Augustine - take us through all your 328's

After the sale of #78115 in June of '07, I decided to take a break from 328's for a while. Being obsessed with these cars as I am, this break lasted roughly two months. I was still working at the BMW dealership at the time and I had a particularly good sales month that July. What better way was there to spend the money that was burning a hole in my pocket than buying another Ferrari?? I was still working with a considerably smaller budget than just a few years earlier, so pristine low-mileage cars were simply out of the question. If I was going to find a car that would scratch my 328 itch, I knew I would have to compromise somewhere. That "compromise" turned out to be practically in my own backyard.

In August of '07 I was surfing eBay one day at work when I spotted a Black '87 GTS in the 328 listings. This particular car had 74k miles, which was much more than any of my previous cars had. It also had another distinguishing feature that I knew would turn off a majority of the buyers out there: black wheels. In this case, the factory alloys had been professionally painted in a glossy black, and the work was actually very well done. I wasn't convinced that I liked the look but I knew that this would be a major turn off to most of my competition (remember, it was being auctioned), and I knew that I could always have the wheels redone later if I didn't like them. The best part about this car was that it was owned by a private individual that lived only 15 minutes away from my house. I made contact with the owner and he agreed to let me come and see the car before I placed a bid on it.

The car happened to be owned by a gentleman that worked at the same mortgage company as my wife, although they did not know each other. He lived in a sleepy little town on the Jersey side of the Delaware River north of Philadelphia called Riverton. I made my way up there one day and was pleasantly surprised with what I saw. Here was a car that, despite its higher mileage, black wheels and vinyl SF shields (a pet peeve of mine on any 80's Ferrari), was actually in really good condition. With the exception of a few scratches the paint was very glossy and the interior was completely original and wore it's 74k miles remarkably well. Everything worked, including the AC, and most importantly it drove well and had an impressive stack of receipts from day 1 when it was sold by Ferrari of San Francisco. It turns out that the owner had not had the car very long. He was just a regular guy like me that had always lusted after a Ferrari 328 and just needed to get it out of his system. Now that he was a new father he decided to move the car along again. I made an attempt to buy the car on the spot but he refused me, citing that he had activity on the car and didn't want to be unfair to all of his prospective buyers, which I respected.

A few days later I was the top bidder, and I made arrangements to pick up the car. It's amazing that even though this was my sixth 328 GTS, I was still just as excited to get it as I had been with all of my previous cars, barring possibly the first one which bordered on euphoria. I remember bringing #70731 home and pulling into the garage for the first time. I snapped a few cell phone pics to send to my extremely understanding and supportive wife Josie, and she responded back with "Are you excited?" Of course I was. This was still my dream car, and whether it was my sixth or my twenty-sixth, I will always be thrilled any time a new one comes home with me.

I drove this car through the Fall and racked up the miles. Although I always drove my previous cars through Winter, I decided that this time I was going to use the cold months as an opportunity to get some projects done on the car. I raised the car up on jack stands in my garage and got busy right away. First and foremost on my list was to have the wheels stripped and resprayed in silver again. For this I chose to go with a professional and delivered them to a shop to have the wheels done and to have brand new rubber put on them. Since the wheels were going to be away for a month or so, I got busy on a few other items on my list. The car was due for some fluid changes, and I was determined to learn how to do them myself. I searched F-chat for how-to lessons and found a great deal of help. I did my first solo Ferrari engine oil change on this car, as well as my first gear oil flush. I was saving much-needed money, but these services proved therapeutic for me as well, and I really enjoyed the interaction with my car. A few weeks later the wheels and tires were done and I promptly installed them on the car. What a difference this made! The car was really starting to look the way I wanted it to, and I was enjoying the process to boot.

I continued to drive and enjoy the car throughout the Spring and Summer, and by the end of August something amazing happened. I actually renewed the registration on the car! This was the first time that I had owned a 328 for more than a year, and that in itself was a funny sensation. By this time I was working once again for my old friend Tim Holt, and occasionally I would take the 328 on my hour long commute to West Chester. One such day I had the car at work when we had a visitor at the shop who wasn't just there to see air-cooled Porsches. He initially contacted Tim to look at a low-mile '85 308 QV that Tim had bought from a local collector. This car was a little more than the guy was looking to spend, but Tim had an idea. He popped into my office and asked me if I would consider selling my car. I hadn't really been looking to sell it, but I grew up in the car business with the mentality that everything is for sale. I told him that if I was to get a certain figure for it, I would cut the car loose. Less than an hour later Tim struck a deal with the guy, and in a flash #70731 was no longer mine. I didn't realize it at the time, but it would be almost three years until I would be able to get another 328 again. Had I known, I probably wouldn't have sold her. That being said, the car was sold to a very enthusiastic new owner who still owns the car today. I do not recall the gentleman's name, but I believe he is a fellow F-chatter, and I know he is very active with the crew that gets together for the West Chester, PA Cars & Coffee every Saturday morning. You can see the car there quite often, and I enjoy looking at the photos of her that are posted here on F-chat on a frequent basis. I hope that the current owner gets loads more miles and enjoyment out of her!
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Sometimes happiness is having a car you can drive without guilt or worry. A local guy who was a long time 308 owner once told me the best thing that ever happened was wrecking the car. After it was fixed he drove it more and enjoyed it more than when he was constantly worried about preserving it.

I stopped at Tim Holt's place I think in 1998 while I was on a business trip to check out a 348 he had. I didn't buy the car but Tim seemed like a real car guy to me.

Dave

 

Another great story, thanks for posting.

She looks a million times better with the silver wheels.
I don't get the black wheel thing at all.
My daughter has a Subaru WRX and wants black wheels....... I shudder every time she mentions it.

Cheers,

Bob.

 

It works with certain cars - this one, not so much.

Erik

 

Hi Dave. Yeah, Tim is a great no-nonsense guy, and he knows his cars. His personal Ferrari is a cool one too. It is a 1978 308 GTS in Fly Yellow with less than 10k miles on it that was bought new by Mario Andretti!

 

Hi Augustine, great thread !
I'm the current owner of 70731 and doubt I'll ever sell it. Started with 79 K, now with 90,056 miles on it and still running strong. Had to replace the water pump, thats the only mechanical failure I experienced. But there is a little more to my story.
Shortly after I took ownership (a matter of weeks) a guy in an SUV backed into it and damaged the front fender. Initially I was pissed, as it turned out, I feel it was a blessing in disguise. At the time the owner of "Karosserie" Dick Von Medicus was involved with operations and after meeting and discussing my situation the panick was eased. With coach builder Richard Mullin behind the tools, the car received a proper restoration of the entire front end. Including the ever present hood kink. I'll continue to improve 70731 as time and money permits.
I hope to drive this car for a long time, truly one of my prized possessions.

 

Jay, it's great to hear from you! I'm glad to hear that you love the car. It sounds like she is in good hands. We should organize some sort of Philly-area 308-328 gathering one of these days. I haven't been on a ride with other owners in a long time!

 

Count me in, as long as I can have two warm(ish) weekends first to tend to a couple of "get ready for spring" items on the 308!

 

Sounds like a plan !

 

Agreed. I've had more long term enjoyment when I wasn't worried about miles, wear/tear.

Amen!

 

70731 looks really nice even with all those miles. Black + Tan = Fantastic combination, but them I'm significantly biased . Keep driving and enjoying...

 

I'm enjoying living vicariously through this thread - I've wanted a 328 since I first became aware of them.

Budget only allows for a 911 at this point, so that's where I'm at, which is not a bad thing...I also still regularly check Tim's inventory, looks like he gets some really great cars.

Audi

 

Bought a 98 911 from Tim Holt one year prior to trading it for 70731 never looked back.

 

Interesting thread, and very interesting insight into the mind of a car lover. I bought and sold a bunch of cars, including some Ferraris, over the years, and have some good stories to go with them, but none quite like yours.

BTW, where did you get the black wheels redone and painted silver?? Looks like they did a great job. My 328 wheels could use a good refinishing. Was it a shop here in NJ??

Thanks.

 

Your shared posts resonate with so many of us. I recently took purchase of a 04 Masr Coupe. Love it, but I want the Ferrari name/culture. More than half the fun is the journey and search of her.

Looking forward to the last story and thank you for taking the time.

 

This is going to sound funny but I don't know exactly who did my wheels. My uncle Tony has a body shop at the PA/DE border and he had a connection who he trusted them to. Apparently it was another shop that was owned by a fellow Ferrari owner and he knew the work would be good. I never asked which shop it was though. I could find out but it wasn't in NJ.

 

This final part of my 328 story begins in Sept 2008. The week that I sold #70731 was the beginning of some turbulent times, both for me and the country as a whole. It just happened to be the week of the Lehman Brothers collapse, and the beginning of the financial downslide that kicked off our latest recession. Considering that I was hardly rolling in cash, this sale was probably a blessing in disguise. It was still difficult to go out to an empty garage where so many wonderful cars had filled the space during the preceding years.

For the next few years I bounced from one car biz job to the next. I worked on and off for Tim, and was a used car manager at both a Mazda dealership in West Chester, PA, and a Ford Lincoln Mercury store outside of Atlantic City. Salaries were shrinking and I didn't even think about owning a Ferrari for quite a while because of the financial state I was in. My past 328 ownerships seemed so distant, almost like they were a beautiful, vivid but cruel dream.

In the Fall of 2010 things got better though. After being unemployed for a few months I had a phone call one day from the used car director of a large dealer group in the Philly area that I had worked for in the past. He said that the used car manager of one of their Honda stores was leaving and they needed a replacement quickly. He knew my credentials and asked if I wanted a shot at the job. At this time I was quickly running out of money and I had a wife and house to support. I jumped at the opportunity and that is how I got my current position as used car manager of Piazza Honda Drexel Hill. Within two weeks of starting my new job I got some more good news. My wife Josie was pregnant with our first child! This turn of fortunes was a real blessing, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Things were really looking up!

By May of 2011 I was doing well again. My new position was great and I was happy that I was no longer financially stressed. One day while I was chatting with my friend Pat Oliveto (general manager of Piazza Mazda in West Chester), he mentioned to me that he had begun searching for his dream car, a Ferrari 328! He wanted me to help him through the process because he knew I had been down that road and back quite a few times. Of course I was delighted to lend a hand and figured it would be a good opportunity to interact with my favorite cars once again.

Well, anybody that knows me knows that it is dangerous for me to get 328's on the brain because I tend to work myself into a frenzy. While perusing the web for a red/tan concave wheel GTS for Pat, I stumbled upon an eBAY auction for a car listed by fellow F-chatter Drew Stoddard. It was a late 1988 328 GTS in black with cream leather and black carpets. Those of you who know Drew know that he is crazy like me with these cars. He had bought the 328 a month earlier to keep his white GTS company, and then decided that he wanted to buy a 430 Spider all of the sudden. He planned on trading both cars in but decided to put them on eBay when the trade figures weren't good enough.

It had been close to three years since I had a 328, and to be honest I was feeling a little gun shy. Should I really be considering getting another one? We had a baby on the way and everyone I knew would think I was insane. I thought long and hard about it, and in my time-honored Ferrarista fashion I managed to justify to myself why I couldn't afford NOT to have one! I arranged my financing, and struck a deal with Drew on the phone while eating breakfast one May morning in NYC. Josie and I were in Manhattan for her birthday, and the fact that I had bought a Ferrari on HER time cost me! I think I spent twice as much on her that day as I would have had to originally.

Two weeks later, at the beginning of June, I was on a plane bound for South Florida. I flew into West Palm Beach and got a cab to Drew's place. To say that this ride was filled with sweet anticipation is an understatement! We introduced ourselves (Drew's a great guy) and took care of the deal. I got to see his new 430 Spider, which was parked next to my new car in the garage. It was striking to see how small the 328 looked compared to the newer car. I attached my temporary plate to the back of the car, said farewell to Drew, and I was off into the stifling heat and humidity of a South Florida afternoon. I was tempted to turn south and pay my college friends in Miami a visit but Josie implored me to head home. She was 7 month pregnant at this point, and home alone, so I didn't dare defy her or I'd deal with her Scotch-Irish fury later! Sorry honey.

I filled the gas tank and made the turn onto I-95 North. Only 1100 miles to go! This was the beginning of an epic trek back to New Jersey. Most people have the good sense to stop and rest during this trip, even when driving a comfortable, modern car in the company of other people. I think I have proven beyond the shadow of a doubt during this thread that I am far from sensible, and I chose to drive straight home in a 23 year old Italian car all in one shot. I only stopped for gas, food, and restroom breaks. I took some photos to document my trip, like when I passed through Daytona and Jacksonville, as well as my pit stop in the middle of the night at South of the Border in South Carolina. I cruised through Richmond, Washington DC, and Baltimore under the cover of darkness, and crossed over the Delaware Memorial Bridge just as the rising sun was lighting up the South Jersey sky. I made it home in roughly 17 hours, and the car never missed a beat. It started every time and not once did it give me any reason to worry. Who said old Ferraris are unreliable?? As soon as I got in the house I went right to bed. This nap was going to be different than any other that I had taken during the last few years though, because when I woke back up there would be a Ferrari in the driveway once again. It was sugary sweet.

I spent the Summer getting acquainted with my new 328, and it felt great to be back behind the wheel again. The car was far from perfect, but as a driver it ranked up there with the best that I've had. Plus, the little scars on the car add character and have given me plenty of little projects to work on over time. Josie enjoys driving her from time to time too, and I included a photo of her at the wheel while 7 months pregnant. I can't wait to show my son how badass his mom is! Speaking of my son, Gabriel was born on August 19th of that year and he has added a wonderful new dimension to our lives. I was keen to get him interested in cars, and Ferraris in particular, right away. You'll notice a photo of him laying on the driver's seat of the 328 at three days old. As you can see from the photos he has become fond of the car during his year and a half of life so far, and whenever he sees the Cavallino Rampante, he immediately exclaims "horsey!"

I have now owned this 328 longer than any other one before it, and with a little luck, I will own it for a long time to come. The car just feels like that comfortable old pair of jeans that you just can't part with. They may have a few holes but they fit just right. Although I think my 328 journey is far from over, I have a special connection to this car because it marked my return to the fray after some tough times. It is also the car that I had when my son was born, and if his young enthusiasm is any indication, he may just be a Ferrari enthusiast like me one day. I think it would be so cool to be able to show people, years from now, pictures of himself as an infant in his very own classic Ferrari!
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Great finish to the story, so far. Keep writing those chapters. And enjoy sharing them with your beautiful wife and son!!!!

p.s. If you can get the name of the guy who did your wheel, it would be much appreciated. PM me with the info, if possible.

 

That was a fun ride, good job Augustine.

 

You've single handedly made the decision for me to purchase a 328 in the next 36 mos.

I am beginning a lot like you started out and would love to hear from Josie..

 

Looks great in black!

 

Wonderful storytelling. I really enjoyed the journey. Thank you for sharing.

 

Wow! What a great story of your wonderful cars. I think you have found a new calling as an author. Lol. I doubt that I'm alone in thinking that. You have a wonderful way of drawing your readers in and I thank you for sharing your journey with us. Enjoy that beautiful 328 and I think this one should stay in your family to be passed down to your son one day. It looks like he may have inherited your Ferrari fever.

 

Augustine and Robb,

Thanks for creating a great thread! I really enjoyed the read, especially the Times Square adventure which brought back a lot of memories!

I hope the story continues along an enjoyable path for you.

Best Wishes,

Art S.