I owned an 88 328 and an 88 911 cab. the only thing the 328 did was sound better to me. the 911 did everything else better with 50% less moving parts. Seems like every time I drove the 328 something was always different. it also felt "delicate" but may be it was just my imagination.... going to buy a newer ferrari (90's) see if that makes a difference.
Dave K., I drove a 40 year old V-12 ferrari 1800 miles in a week last October. About 6-800 miles was in rainy miserable weather. Nothing broke. If you get an older ferrari, it may take patience and the assistance of the right machanic to bring it back to reliability but, once there, I have found them to be very solid cars. Regards, Art S.
Art, I couldn't agree more. More people out there in wonderland need to drive these things. I firmly believe the problems guys have with these cars are related to them sitting and that includes the electrical problems. Too many people think Ferraris are delicate cars, the only ones that are are the ones not maintained properly or not driven. I said in another post here that I have taken many 1000+ mile trips over the last 20 years in my cars and have not had any problems. I do carry tools and fluids just incase but, I do that with all my cars. Regards, Vern
I drove my 355 270 miles to the track, and drove it over 100 miles on the track, then drove it home. I have put over 3000 miles on it since I bought it in February. I try never to let it go a week without being driven. And if I start it up, I run it until it is good and warm. Will it depreciate as I add on the miles? Yup. Do I care? Nope.
J. I'm glad to hear you are using your car - I hope it gives a grin from ear to ear like mine gives me. regarding depreciation: The beauty of the really old ones is that the milage is not very relevant to the price, it's more like an airplane - hours of use since last overhaul Regards, Art S.
Vern, There is a guy in vintage that has 160K on a 330GTC (I'm pretty sure that it is unrebuilt!). My neighbor used his 365 California (one of 14 ever made) as a daily driver for 15 years, including putting snow tires on the Borranis in the winter (he decided it was not such a good idea when he was offered $1M for it in the late '80s. A few years ago, he gave it to his son who has since sold it. If you use a Ferrari regularly, maintain it appropriately and quickly fix things that break, it will last forever. Regards, Art S PS, Sorry to add all this vintage stuff here.
Copied from highest milage thread in general section: 1967 GTC - a bit tired but still great to drive. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's my GTC - right around 160,000 miles. I don't drive it as much as I used to because of the congestion and drivers in my area - way too many accidents. When I lived in upstate NY, I drove it 5 to 10 thousand miles per year. I will be moving to rural South Carolina soon and it will be an everyday driver again - 12 months per year. When I hit 250,000 miles, I will rebuild the engine - MAYBE!!! Bob Z. Attached Images Image Unavailable, Please Login
I will be moving to rural South Carolina soon and it will be an everyday driver again - 12 months per year. Some advice about "rural South Carolina" drivers....you are safer in Manhattan at 8:30AM than at any time on the roads here....Look at accident stats for South Carolina, do not ask me why but 95% drive speed limit or under & every day when the sun is out/no rain there will be accidents all over....They just do not pay attention here. I lived in CT & in FL nowhere near the police presence (radar) or accidents as here... Chris
Chris, I copied Bob Z.'s post to this tread. You may want to post your remarks in the general section where high milage cars are being discussed. Regards, Art S.
John, I'm not sure. I haven't spoken to him recently, once mine comes back from the shop, i'll take him for a spin and discuss Ferraris with him. I think it was for sale in FL fairly recently - red exterior, ivory interior. Regards, Art S.
I agree totally. I was having problems with rear lights blowing and the A/C unit, but more the more I drove it the less problems I've had. After 5,800 miles in one year... all the electrics are working 100%.
You know, one of the hardest decisions I ever made was to buy my 348. I actually did linger for long hours, and spent a few sleepless nights. When it actually came to the point of laying the cash down the first time, I walked away, honestly. Thought about it a day or two, and went back & bought it. In my opinion, many dreamers really have no business buying one of these cars. This is the honest truth no B.S. , in my opinion. These cars do, infact require an uncommon attention to detail, and will not be as refined as you will expect it to be. The most inexpensive part of ownership is actually buying the car. It just goes up from there. You have to maintain these cars! You cant just drive them and put them away for years to come, and if you ignore it you engine repair could easily exceed 20K. No kidding. You shouldnt ever cut corners on engine and power train maintenance. You can let some of the small cosmetic things go, but the majors will kill your wallet if your on a tight budjet. One of the other posters said, maintain it, like it is a small airplane. Very well written words. I actually own a late model helicopter. My Ferrari checkup cost 2900.00, my helicopter annual cost me 2400.00. You be the judge. So if you cant afford the maintenance, youre not really a canidate buy one of these cars. In my opinion. Oh and one last thing, the parts people have a field day $$$$. Now if you have always had a genuine love of these case its an asset in every way. If you can afford the maintenance and parts, thats a plus also. I can also say that you will probably never see another one parked on the other side of an intersection. I wont say never, But it is highly unlikely. I if you are a individual, and dont want to be one of the sheeple, and want to make sure everyone knows your not, then this is your type of car. Everyone that buys one of these has a responsibility to the brotherhood. You do have to keep it clean, make sure it doesnt ever, even on your worst days, look like a P.O.S. You have a responsibility to us to stay the hell off the side of the road. If you cant live up, in my opinion, you shouldnt step up. There are lots of really nice idiot proof sports cars out there. Porches, Hondas, Dodges, Fords, and Chevys. But they will never be a Ferrari. Good luck with your decision. Best Regards Indy
First is is a recep, and I never cut corners on any maintenance. It is a Hughes 300, and I honestly think it was 2400 and change. Have a good laugh. Best Regards Indy
Very well said. Ferrari has built their cars to require relatively high levels of maintenance. That is a fact that everyone should be aware of. If one cannot handle this, you should really buy something else.
