Confessions of a GARAGE QUEEN

You seem relatively mild-mannered - after buying a car at 'fair market value', then having to dump a cool $11,000 into the car just to get it to run right.....

Myself, I'd be on a watertower in Dallas with a sniper rifle....

 

Thanks very much for sharing - a gread education to a newbie like me looking to buy. Obviously the cash needs to be in the bank and ready to go after acquisition.

Thanks again for sharing the details - a great read, and a happy ending.

 

Thanks for sharing that great story. I too, bought a "garage queen" back in the fall of 1999. From a friend, a 78 308 GTS with 15k miles. He bought it 12 years prior with 7k miles, and did nothing but change fluids, spark plugs, new tires and batteries (lot's of batteries).

After a PPI, I had the carbs rebuilt, oil changed, and new plugs installed. My mechanic recommended I drive it for 700 miles, (easy, those are 21 yo belts!), took me about four weeks, then he did a complete major service, changed all coolant hoses and fuel hoses, and installed a Crane Cams, electronic ignition. I dropped about 4k on the car, and started driving it ALL the time. I was putting around 10k miles a year on it. Great car, great fun.

After 15k miles came up, I had the minor service performed, along with some dyno time and rejetted the carbs a bit richer, ran even stronger. Got rid of the car after an accident and got a 328. I hear some guy bought the car at an auction, and restored it to very nice condition (accident was all cosmetic, not mechanical, but expensive enough that the insurance company totalled it).

 

Thanks for taking the time to write that! One of the best posts I've read on an auto forum - and I've read thousands!

I agree on the garage queen thing. I actually bought a supposed low mile 308QV from the original owner. I put it up on jackstands and started going through the car, and the amount of work it needed (rubber parts, bushings, lines, etc.) was significant. I was a little bummed.

Further research indicated that the car wasn't as represented (among other things, the miles weren't correct) and the owner agreed to take the car back.

I think the BEST car to buy is one like yours - one that WAS a garage queen for years and years, but then has been driven regularly for the past couple years!

Anyways, my Ferrari dreams are over for now. I'm going to buy an apartment complex instead.

 

Just logged on to this post...glad to see you still have your smile on after over $11,000 in 'surprise' repair bills....enjoy the drive.