Ebay: yellow GTSi question????

There is no mention of and services performed. When was the 30K major done, clutch service, maintenance records? The mirrors look to be add-ons.

Have you checked the VIN against a decoder to make sure it's valid?

There are no pictures of the engine, interior, front bonnet, etc. I would surely request those before submitting a winning bid.

Is there someone near that dealership that could do a PPI or inspection for you? There are plenty of F-Chatters in Toronto that could help.

 

the quick and simple answer is.....nobody's bidding on it as there's no information on the listing as to it's condition or history......obviously the seller doesnt really want to sell it!

 

Zero feedback seller that registered four days ago.

Zero service history given.

No engine or interior shots.

3 day auction doesn't give any time for checking the car out first.

The starting price seems to be at the upper end for a 2v injected car with 96,000 miles. It would have to be perfect.

Is it my imagination or is that a HUGE gap between the front wheels and the fender lip?

 

Don't know how it effected the Canadian cars, but 1980 was the first year of the fuel injection which just KILLED the power of the 308 in the U.S. They are by far the "worst" of the 308's – and some would argue that there's nothing worse than a sports car that looks better than it drives.

My suggestion is to get a carb car (75-79) or a QV ('83-85) or spring for a 328 (85-89).

It is common knowledge that the 80-82 are simply the slowest 308's.

Of course, this is all relative. If you are less interested in high/high performance and want what is still an awesome car by ANY other standard, get an 80-82.

All the caveats about this particular car will be discussed in typical F-Chat eloquence in other posts (why no info, high milage, unknown bidder, no bids, etc.). Looks like the car is in a shop (but unfortunately,perhaps a Corvette-only shop?). Get the shop's name – or the shop that has worked on the car – and ask them about the car; sometimes you actually get an honest (100% disclosure) answer, if they have no more ties to the seller/owner.

 

Keith,

Forza Motorsports in CT has a nice '78 yellow GTS and Peter Sweeney (owner) is VERY reputable - might want to check that one out - it looks nice....

www.forzamotorsports.com

Anthony

 

Injected cars have gauges on the console, carbs dont. 80 came injected or carbed. You get what you pay for with a ferrari, pay as much a you can afford to get the best example and it will cost you less in the end.

 

Hi Keith,

Good carbed cars are running around that price right now (maybe a little bit lower: lower-mid 30s). I have seen increases in the asking prices of early carbed cars over the past 6 months. It is very difficult to find an unmolested early, carbed car thus the price - much easier to find a nice QV. Carbed cars will keep increasing. Bill Pollard of Sport Auto is located right next to Forza Motor Sports - he will give you the best PPI you can get - esp. on 308s. IMO early carbed cars are the 308 to buy as far as character, power, sound and looks.....

Good Luck,

Anthony

 

Just the mirors alone are enough to make me run away.

 

I haven't looked at the car on ebay but you will be way better off staying away from a car that has no history. Service history and a good PPI are way more inportant than if it's a carb, a 2v or 4v. Also, don't put too much weight in the old 2v 308s are slow crap. All 308s are slow. When I was looking for my 308 I looked at a number of 308s and they all were well balanced fun cars to drive - just not terrably fast. Carb 308's take the most service, 4v's are the quickest and because of FI (along with the 2v's) are the easiest to live with day to day and 2v's are the least expensive. Just shop around.

 

ALL 308's look better than they drive. Even the 328's have a hard time staying with a new Mazda today.

(and no one loves 308's more than me)

 

Good advice posted here already. You really can't go by photos when looking at a 26-year old Ferrari. You're better off paying a bit more for a known car from a reputable seller. If you can stretch a bit, Sport Auto has an '81 (black/tan) in very nice shape, with 10K miles, for the low $30K range I believe. Those are also very saleable colors.

The cars tended to get more reliable as Ferrari kept improving them (328 is usually considered the most dependable and fastest), but the early carb'ed 308s sound best. They require somewhat more attention to keep in proper tune.

The '80-'82 cars are always going to be known as the slow ones - most people want a QV (84-85 are rustrpoofed) or the rawness of the carb'ed cars.

 

....and if the carbs have been rebuilt properly, tuned properly and are not allowed to gum up, they stay in tune for a long time......

 

I share your frustration with looking for a properly sorted and documented car.

I joined this website specifically to get the ins and outs and buy an F-car this year. I have come to the conclusion that E-bay is worthless - as soon as you want to know the information that Fchat has so graciously provided me the sellers almost without exception back off - they understand you know what to look for and are looking for a less informed buyer (patsy).

I ended up walking into another Pcar, an '02 996TT with a CPO. Good dealer experience, a fair price, a warranty and they addressed the items of concern before I took it home. Basically I bought it in one day because I was frustrated and wanted a summer sports car and I got tired of dealing with the BS.

Yes, I will buy one eventually (next year?) but the way to do it is determine what you want and let the guys on here help you look for one at a reputable dealer.

Thats what I'm going to do...

 

I share your frustration with looking for a properly sorted and documented car.

I joined this website specifically to get the ins and outs and buy an F-car this year. I have come to the conclusion that E-bay is worthless - as soon as you want to know the information that Fchat has so graciously provided me the sellers almost without exception back off - they understand you know what to look for and are looking for a less informed buyer (patsy).

I ended up walking into another Pcar, an '02 996TT with a CPO. Good dealer experience, a fair price, a warranty and they addressed the items of concern before I took it home. Basically I bought it in one day because I was frustrated and wanted a summer sports car and I got tired of dealing with the BS.

Yes, I will buy one eventually (next year?) but the way to do it is determine what you want and let the guys on here help you look for one at a reputable dealer.

Thats what I'm going to do...