level of involvement

I like to think that a car owned by an fchatter is a much more special car than one that is just owned and maintained. I think that we are constantly making sure our cars are in peak condition and are very conscious regarding their future needs and preventative/betterment maintenance.

Personally, I am with you regarding maintenance. I would not be able to sleep at night unless I knew the person working on the car is just as fanatic and careful as I am with the car. Highly original 308s are not going to be around forever. You can restore a car a million times, but it will be original only once.

 

On a side note..........theres the Ferrari owners club and then there is the Ferrari leasing club.

 

I find that the more maintenance I do myself, the more I "Bond" with the car. It becomes a personal relationship. Every car has it's own personality to enjoy and appreciate.

 

In my opinion, it really comes down to saleability. If you don't intend to sell your car for a long time, doing your own maintenance is fine (and, in my opinion, preferred.) I like knowing every nut and bolt on the car and being able to fix anything without reservation.

BUT... if you purchased (or leased) with the intention to sell in a year or two down the line, having documented maintenance history from a recognized repair facility is worth several thousand dollars in the sale price. The next buyer will want to see service records just as we did when we purchased our cars.

For me personally, I'm going to pay someone (Eugenio) to go through the car the first time. This gives me 1) confidence that the car is operating well and everything has checked out 2) time to learn about the car and how to maintain it, 3) confidence that the timing belt isn't going to snap before I learn how to change it myself, and 4) a chance to build rapport with a Ferrari Specialist who can fix anything I screw up or overlook by trying to maintain it myself.

Bob

 

You have hit at some points relating to me: I am NOT a great 'motor head' nor have the time or space to work on such [equipment neither, like a lift would be necessary IMO]

I am a bit slower on the cars workings in that it's no Model T, albeit, it has engine etc., but I am not like some of the more experienced persons here. BUT, I don't like to be discounted, and I know that's not what you are saying, about my passion or love for the vehicle. What I can't do my self, is expressed in my passion for fixing it, even with my check book, but seeing the car where they are supposed to be. ALSO, I do admire those that modify their original F-cars, but I plan to keep them stock as much 'as possible' for the original experience. THAT takes a bit of dedication and money and time and effort too, so, I feel I have as much into my passion as those that mod or enhance cars.
having said that, I DID put bastardized Yoshi shields on the Mondial...but I do love them. I guess your original statement 3[0-2]8 [not 348, 355, 360 etc.] owners, unless racing, do make mods and understand their car a bit more.

 

I choose to do as much as I possibly can. Since I don't need to have the car available for transportation, I can start something and not feel I have to finish asap. Gives me a chance to try some things that I wouldn't normally try. I use this site to gain as much info as possible as well. Am I going to do my next major, no. My skills are somewhat limited and there are many unknowns right now. Will I do a major ever on this car? Maybe, with the appropriate amount of knowledge. I still feel inspections yearly are important with a qualified mechanics, as they will far be the best compared to me to spot problems. With regards to leaving it at a shop, I do everything to prevent that like taking my wheels and tires in seperately without the car for a tire change.

Jeff

 

There are a few of us owner/gearheads out there, not a majority by any means.
I do 100% of the work on any car, truck, bike, boat, house, anything mechanical that I own. I even "get" to maintain my daughter/SIL's vehicles. To them maintainence means putting gas in the tank. Oil light on, brakes worn to the metal, no tranny fluid, door hinge broken with door scraping the ground, wipers w/o rubber scrapping the glass. They keep me busy. Son is a semi skilled gearhead so it's basically just rework there.
Anyway, mechanical stuff is my interest and I couldn't bring myself to pay someone to do what I enjoy doing myself. I love exploring the intricacies of any machine.
There are a lot of owners who just are not interested is that part of the hobby, others feel it's beyond the realm of anyone not factory trained. As for me I have found Ferraris to be pretty basic cars. Ferraris do tend to attract people whose interest is being seen in one more than anything else.

 

"SILS"?

 

Son-in-Law's, I would guess.

 

Thanks, never seen that abbrev. and couldn't figure it out.