Brian A – Four Years of 308 Ownership

March 4, 2017
I bought my 308 four years ago today, so it seems high time for me to introduce my car and myself.


>>> Getting to where I am <<<
This all started a few years ago when my daughter was soon graduating from high school. She had been using my E30 1991 BMW 318i sedan as her high school commuter car. She loved the thing; 5 speed manual transmission, 4 doors for friends, big trunk, good visibility, great for autocross which she loved. I loved it too; it was my track car; Dinan shocks and springs, Eibach adjustable swaybars, Sparco strut brace, Dinan chip... only 138 hp but just 2,600 lbs. It defined “toss-able”.

She was going to take it away to college.

I began wondering what I could replace it with. I had always wanted an E30 BMW M3. A bit heavier but more hp. That was my dream car until I looked at prices. Holy cow doo-doo! $25,000.

I asked myself what else I could buy for that money.

Then I asked myself what else I could buy for just a little bit more. A Ferrari? Seriously?

I spent the Saturday at the 2012 Monterey Motorsport Reunion at Laguna Seca pressing my nose against the driver’s windows of all the cars in the Ferrari Club of America Car Corral (now cancelled) learning the difference between the likes of a 308 and a 360. I was THAT clueless. I just fell in love with the mechanical switchgear of the 308. I read and researched a lot. My priority order became 308, Testarossa, 328 then 360. The latter was really far above my budget, but I was in dream phase so what the heck. The interiors of the Testarossa and 328 looked the same to me so of those two I preferred the one with the mighty V12. The Testarossa was also a big budget stretch and, practically speaking, wouldn’t comfortably fit through my 15-foot-wide two car garage door (the other side claimed by my wife’s Honda Pilot SUV). Really though, I was smitten by the 308. Refining my search more, I want nothing to do with cantankerous carburetors so limited my love to cars with fuel injection. And, I wanted a GTS; almost any color was fine; just give me those cool interior console switches.

By October 2012, I had begun to mobilize my search for a car. I sat in a 328 in a showroom to confirm I actually could fit inside. I started browsing newspaper ads and Craig’s List. I phoned a few advertisements. I was learning that you couldn’t just walk a line of 308s at a dealership and pick your favorite one; it might mean a national search. I was told it might take a couple of years to find a nice car. I loathe shopping for cars.

By January 2013, I had put out an advertisement about looking for a car. Although I already registered my Brian A screen name on FChat, my post count was not up to credible levels so didn’t mention anything here. In February, I phoned a few car finders. None answered their phones, so I left messages. Only one, Brandon Lawrence of Sportscar Italiano, called me back. It was a bit like a job interview; he quizzed me about how I was going to use the car, why I liked the 308, roughed me up about not knowing the difference between an ’83 and ’84 etc. In the end, we really hit it off; a nice guy. However, at the end of two or three phone calls he still said he knew of no 308s for sale, only a couple of 328s. Cold lead. I thought maybe it was just as well; I needed to build a garage expansion before I should buy another sports car. I was happy I was initiating the 308 buying process and I was bracing myself for the two years long search for the right car.

To my surprise, Brandon called me back a few weeks later saying he just heard of a 1983 GTS QV that would be coming up for sale by the estate of the first owner. A one owner car. The next day, we went out and looked at it. It was intact, passed California SMOG, shifted smooth; a/c blew cold, was professionally maintained, had records, took kits, etc. Brandon was dancing around me telling me that it was a beautiful car. Inside of me I reacted suspiciously, fearing used car salesman tactics. It was the first for-sale 308 I had come face-to-face with. That was alarming too; buying the first car I saw. I stewed and sweated. The technician said that it was a clean car; only issue being that the suspension was original and should be rebuilt. The leather on the seats too had an unattractive “patina”; like the first had owner worn shorts and used a greasy sunscreen. The leather was intact though.

I thought about the other cars across the country I had inquired about on the phone. This was a bird in the hand. I thought about how much I hated chasing cars.

I pulled out my checkbook and bought it.

Brandon knew the seller’s agent as they were both FCA concours judges. Brandon took custody of the Vehicle Title and the arrangement was that I would get the Title when my check cleared. I had valid vehicle insurance through my general policy but the car’s vehicle registration had expired. Brandon followed behind me to block the rear license plate from scrutiny of police cruisers. It is the only time I have driven an unregistered vehicle on public roads. I made it home without event.

A few days later, the check cleared, I picked up the Title and went straight to the DMV. The car officially became mine.

Four years later, I am so very happy I made that decision to buy that car.

There was a thread a few years back on FChat debating the merits of paying (then) a few dollars more for a car that had minimal miles on it. One point that was made was that with a “new” car, you get to put your own patina on it. That was a significant observation for me. I decided I was going to restore my car to “new” just so that I could begin the patina cycle again.

Aside from routine mechanical maintenance, I have spent the last 4 years doing a lot (hundreds of hours!) of cosmetic restoration on the car. It is remarkable how much work you can do on a car with “no issues.” There were just so many little things the prior owner had just gotten used to overlooking through the 30 years of his ownership. I have learned how to use an airbrush to touch up engine compartment scratches and how to use a random orbital polisher to remove “swirl marks” from the paint, I’ve removed the entire interior so that a professional could redye the leather, I’ve stripped out remnants of at least 3 stereo installations, I’ve bought replacement engine stickers and cleaned and polished just about everything top, bottom, back and front.

At 2016 Concorso Italiano, my car was the last 308 across the awards stage (“first place”) where I received 98 points. To both our surprise, Brandon was on stage helping with the award of trophies when I rolled up. I hadn’t seen him for a long while. He shook my hand and we both laughed out loud. It was an amazing moment.

Now it’s time to make the car mine. I am going to push in the bumpers soon and may replace the stock dryer hose intake pipe with an aluminum one. The suspension still needs restoration and I will consider lowering the car a little at that time.

Despite it already being four years of ownership, I still feel like the adventure has just begun with my little 308.


>>> Maintenance and Repairs <<<
Buying a “no issues” 308 is certainly not without its issues. I am now adamant that there is no such thing as a “no issues” 308.

Exactly one week after bringing the car home, I received my Welcome Wagon surprise. Out of the blue, my oil cooler started leaking in its front lower corner. I was so new to the car, I didn’t really know where to find parts, if leakage was a common problem, how to fix the problem, etc. A trial by fire. I drove the car a fair bit anyway, because it wasn’t really spraying oil, just dripping downward. The oil level didn’t drop much; I think I needed to top it up a couple of times.

Although I would have preferred my oil crisis to hit a few months after ownership rather than the first week, it was a good education for me. I started a thread on FChat and began asking dumb questions. I learned about Ricambi, TRutlands and FerrParts. Ultimately, I bought a used GT4 oil cooler from FerrParts for not much money, jacked the car up and installed it. Harmony in my universe was restored.

Next, after a month or two, the car wouldn’t start. I quickly figured out that the fuel pump wasn’t running. I checked the fuse and discovered that the wire had discolored from heat and the fuse holder and fuse were corroded. I twisted the fuse a few times to cut through the corrosion and, voila, the car ran again like a champ. I learned about, ordered and installed the Birdman fuse boxes. Problem fixed.

I actually had a period of operational calm after those two events. During this calm, I did routine preventative maintenance. I installed SRI fuel hoses, changed the timing belts, tires, air filter and fluids. Changing the timing belts was my first major work on the car. It felt like jumping in the ocean and swimming without really looking to see if you could make it back to shore. I managed to swim out and back. I felt very proud of myself after that one.

My big “indulgence” that I promised myself at the time I bought the car, was to restore the leather in the interior. I completely removed anything in the interior with tan colored leather on it and sent it out to Advance Interior Restoration Services for repair and redye. The owner, Tom Hatfield, replaced the leather on the left side driver’s seat bolster, carved new foam rubber for inside the bolster, patched a few scrapes and scars here-and-there and then redyed the whole lot using a custom mix dye which matched the color of a patch of leather hidden from sun and wear. I also removed the big stereo amps in the trunk, the subwoofer in the passenger’s foot well and a mile of audio wiring everywhere.

Other than that, it’s been pretty much routine maintenance stuff. Other biggies have been replacing ignition wires, rotors, caps and plugs, getting the A/C renovated (because it DID have a small R12 leak), and, just last month, replacing both catalytic converters because the car failed 2017 SMOG and the cats had blown all of their matrix out the tailpipe. Oh yeah, my throttle cable broke last year. And, now that I think about it, the front bank TDC sensor was a pain to replace, and, … well, you get the idea.

>>> The People <<<
The thing I didn’t foresee with 308 ownership was the number of people that it would introduce me to. I have made a tremendous number of acquaintances and friends thanks to my little red car. And it is a rolling carnival too; stopping for gasoline or groceries always causes a conversation.

I have been an active member of the BMW Car Club of American for many years and I have found a camaraderie through competition there. I enjoy seeing and talking to BMW owners at autocross, the Legends of the Autobahn concours or at the track. There is an edge though; always a “your car versus mine car” tone. It is barely perceptible, but the tone was there. My expectation for 308 ownership was that owners were going to be more aggressive and more aloof than the BMW crowd.

Then I met you all. The reality is that owners of 308s (and 328s) are exactly the opposite. The 3x8 attracts owners who really care about maintaining their cars well. It is probably because a premier marque such as Ferrari attracts the most hardcore of antique automobile aficionados. And the technology in a 3x8 is so old that we’ve all given up on being big dog race driver poseurs.

I am astonished at how many 308 owners are exactly like me in that they bought a 308 with the explicit intent to maintain it themselves as part of the car hobby. That is where the community comes in. Unlike many marques, certainly unlike BMW, there are no good Service Manuals available for troubleshooting problems with a Ferrari 308. We need each other to help figure things out and keep our cars running. Our situation bonds us together like a little tribe. I have enjoyed the camaraderie immensely.

So at exactly four years of ownership, my intent is the same as the first owner’s … someday my Estate will sell my 308; not me. Hopefully the third owner of my car will be as much as a 308 enthusiast as the first two owners had been. I will never know.

 

Thank you for all the responses. I am really enjoying reading them. They are helping make 4 years a celebration! Thank you again.

After I wrote my “essay” I had seriously second thoughts about posting it. It seemed too self-indulgent.

I originally wrote it in hopes that future 3x8 owners might find it useful to get insight into the ownership experience. I am honored that current owners like it too.

 

The photo was taken at one of the first Blackhawk Museum Cars and Coffee events in early 2013. At the time, the docents “curated” the parking of the relatively small number cars that showed up. They had the row coned off where they parked me and pulled a cone to get a row of “interesting” Ferraris. The 308 was new to me; I felt like a celebrity.

Now the Blackhawk Museum Cars and Coffee events attracts up to 800 cars. It has changed from great to awesome, but my “plain old” 308 is now lost in a sea of very cool cars.

I really like the photo and played with Photoshop to do the B&W thing. I hope to hang a large print in my garage expansion (if I ever get it finished) (work is in progress).

 

Hi Chaya,

The photo from August 20, 2016 is of me on the 2016 Concorso Italiano "stage" receiving my FCA Platinum Award. The photo was taken by either "BLACK HORSE"'s young son or by "Brian Harper". The fellow partially obscured by my plaque laughing away in the red shirt is Brandon.

I never considered myself a "concours" guy, and I surprised myself at how much getting a Platinum award meant to me when I received it. I guess it is because I had done (virtually) all of the work on the car myself and often felt I was beyond my depth.

Regarding your emissions sticker, I have one of your perfect (absolutely perfect) reproductions. They are awesome. Thank you for making those.