There's a 1983 mondial on ebay(sorry don't know how to put link) in very rough shape. Could be my chance to get a Ferrari. I understand it needs alot, but what's it worth as-is. I've worked/restored other cars. Thanks for any help, Anthony
Unless you owned a leather shop or had some good connections you couldn't really restore the car and ever be right side up, financially. The best one could do is rip out the rear seats entirely (is that even possible with a Mondial?) and replace the front seats with cheap aftermarkets. (Sparco clones, for example.) The dash and door would need to be recovered with vinyl or something like that to keep costs down. I would get the top down and never put it up -- if there is anything wrong with it, it won't make financial sense to fix it. Mechanically, expect a $7000 hit (at least) almost immediately for service, unless you can do some of the work yourself. For reference, I just bought a "cheap" Mondial and received quotes from $5000 to $7000 or so for service. This was to have virtually EVERYTHING gone through, with all hoses replaced, etc. These quotes were not surprises, as I had budgeted almost $10k on top of the car purchase for service, various repairs, etc. (And, FYI, that's not to get my car to show quality, by any means.) So, what is the car worth? Less than $15k -- closer to $10k. (It should be lower, but there does seem to be something of a floor to Ferraris.) Good luck! --Jeremy
It's probably a nice project - for the right person. A "checkbook restorer" is most definitely NOT the right person. But for someone who wants to have a project and is looking forward to doing a lot of work themselves, and learning a lot in the process, it may be a good deal, IMO. For ex., if I bought that car, I think I'd have a lot of fun with it doing a budget restore and making it a nice driver. I'd take 6 weeks and drop the engine and trans out, do a complete service, refinish the engine bay, replace all the hoses, etc., make it all spotless and get it mechanically fit. I'd drive it for a while, then probably focus on the interior. Strip it out, and get all the leather redone by one of the many reasonable upholstery shops in my area. I'd redo the interior pieces that I could redo myself (panels, etc.) and pay to get the rest done. I'd get a carpet kit from World Upholstery and install myself. I'd do all the bodywork and prep it - maybe do the final paint myself, or roll it into a shop I sometimes use and pay them $500 to shoot it (once a car is fully prep'd, it's only a half day of shop time to spray the paint). Then I'd colorsand and polish it out myself. It would then be a great daily driver that I would have no fear of driving or parking anywhere. That would be a lot of fun. For an '83, though, I don't think I'd go over $12K for a project like that, on an '83. My biggest concerns would of course be the health of the transmission and engine. A dead or dying trans or engine would kill it. There are of course other risks of hitting an expensive problem that will be expensive even if you DIY'd to a reasonable level. But everything has some risk. For anyone who just wants to have a nice Mondial, without doing work themselves, however, that car is a money pit/disaster. Even at $12K, if you hand that thing in for service, paint, interior, etc. you'll be at $30K in no time.
Finally did You buy it ? I think it could be a good idea to buy an old tired mondial and totally restore it. It makes the model alive and it is passionated for someone who has time, talent and place. I dont have a big garage so I dont go into that things. But if I had I would buy an old 1974 autobianchi elegant and restore it completly. And after that maybe an Alpine A310 V6, and upgrade the motor to 3.6L 280HP.
