In your opinion, For a home garage enthusiast whom seeks equal pleasure of tinkering and reward of driving Which configuration of the 308 lineage is the most dependable and simple to repair as possible and why?
I think there's only three motors to chose from. 2V carbed, 2V injected, and 4V injected. I think the injected cars are easier to keep in tune and running. I don't think the number of valves maters much until you have to replace them. Oh, I suppose there's also points ignition and electronic ignition. So I think there's also three of those: Dual distributor, single distributor, and electronic that's also dual distributor. I vote the latter. And then there's smog with various number of air pumps, catalytic converts, EGR, etc. If you have to pass smog the 84-85 wins here, I think. If not, well it doesn't matter. You can pull it off and put it in a box in the attic if it's problematic. Other than that everything is pretty similar. The GT4 has a little tiny bit more engine room and I think it's easier to work on the motor with the lid in place than the GTS/B, but not enough that it would sway me from one to the other. TLDR: 84-85 QV EDIT: Wait, does the "308 lineage" include the 328? Because I think that would change my answer.
Owning a carb car and QV cars has actually caused this question. The variants between US and Euro with mechanical carbs vs Bosch injected differences or lambda vs non, emissions equipped or not, all has been a mixed bag so far. I have much to learn and Still have not owned a GT4, 328, dry sump or vetro etc.
I have a 1978 308 GTS… Jan 6, 2022 California smog check done yesterday and passed easily for a carbed 308. Only changed one jet: idle mixture jet from 55 to 65. All other jets per owner’s manual. Idle jet at 55 is too small for todays gasoline. Idle set to 1000 rpm. Smog technician said my having the rear distributor triggering the rear and forward banks, so that the same advance curve is used for both banks made it very easy to get it to pass. Good for another 2 years.
I have had no problem working on my '81 308, and have found these videos to be very insightful. https://www.youtube.com/@LouTrottier/videos
I would go for an injected 308 and preferably the QV of course. Just as reliable as a 328, but still with the cool switches and gauges of the earlier cars.
Ultimately a euro ( no smog gear ) 2V .Carbs once set are Uber reliable they are not a differentiator against . .Arguably the more simple more basic the easier for a DIY er .The less electrotwackery, the simpler switches etc the more Fiat , Alfa , Lancia cross parts sharing = easier to source parts . The more analog, less reliant on electrotwackery surly the better ? A garden 2 T bush whacker Vs a space shuttle , its a no brainier . This is a different question to which is a better driver which inevitably boils down to Hp increase and finer luxury touches like more effective semi climate control HVAC , ABS and more engine electrotwackery with sensors to aid starting and power delivery. All of the above = more to go wrong = more head aches from a DIY er in his garage at home with a I pad in his hand trying to figure out why his ABS light is illuminated or HVAC steams up the screen etc or worse the engine is dead .
Agree . He’s not asking which is more reliable or better or more efficient etc . Read the Q ? There’s more to go wrong and increased difficulty home tinkering with those “ cool switches “ and EFI . An early pre 80 s heater valve is just a flap and lever connected by a kids bicycle brake cable that can be adjusted at either end with a flat screwdriver .
There is a difference between "easiest to wrench" and "requiring the least wrenching." Which is more important is a personal decision. IMO, easiest wrenching would be a carbed 308 because everything about it is very basic and relatively simple mechanically. OTOH, based on all the various posts for the 14 years I have been on this site, the 328 is the most reliable/requires the least wrenching.
The fuel injected 308s use the Bosch K-Jetronic system which, until the 1984 model, was solely hydraulic and vacuum controlled. Most people consider it “set and forget.” Starting with the 1984 model, an oxygen sensor, electronic processing board and frequency valve were added to maintain lambda through a broader range of throttle settings. Eventually the 308 line changed from points-and-condenser to “electronic” spark boxes but even those required an analog vacuum input. Many people agree that spark boxes are more reliable than the points-and-condenser system. The 328s have improvements in bearing sizes and other important design elements but, after 30 years, the 328 has just as many things that can fail as a 308. Electric hvac switches, instead of the 308’s mechanical, is an example.
FWIW- In the "what's the most difficult item to repair" thread all the items listed were common to the full range of 308/328 models. https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/what-is-the-most-difficult-maintenance-item-on-a-308.669675/
"after 30 years, the 328 has just as many things that can fail as a 308." That is correct, there are more items that COULD fail but it's important to separate routine maintenance items with items you have to repair/replace on any vehicle because they are 30+ years old. If you start with an "as new" car, the 328 has less NEED for repair as can be seen simply by looking at the posts on this site over the last 20 years and/or posts by folks who made a living working on these cars.
