looking for a 328gts or 308qv

hi everyone, i'm a recent subscriber to the forum, beginning the search for my first ferrari. i've had the pleasure of meeting several of the folks here, all of whom have been very generous with their time and knowledge.

looking for a non-abs 328 gts, or possibly a 308qv. doesn't need to be a concours quality car, but i certainly don't want a basket case either. i expect to put on 5-6k miles/year (including a few days at the track) so low mileage is a lot less important than a solid history and proper maintenance.

i'm keeping my eyes open in all the usual places but if anyone knows of a car for sale (particularly a private seller that might otherwise go unnoticed) that fits my general criteria i'd love to know about it. the closer to the triangle the better, but i'm willing to travel a bit if the right one comes along. thanks!

 

www.bobileff.com

Gary does the work on my 328 and has two red ones listed. Proper mileage - not garage furniture, but not old and tired. I'll be there on Tuesday if you want me to have a look.

If you have the budget for the 328, I'd go that way.

 

san diego is a little far away at this (early) stage of my search but both of those 328s look very nice and fit my criteria perfectly, if they were on this side of the mississippi i'd be a helluva lot more interested. $50k+ might be on the high side of what i'm comfortable with but i'm thinking more about the TCO over three years and 15k miles (acquisition + operating costs - resale). appreciate the link!

 

San Diego? Shouldn't be too much of a problem; here's my story:

I found my car on eBay, and it was in Sacramento. Not a hard situation to deal with: I called the owner, consummated the sale (to be finalized after inspection) and sent a money order as a (refundable) down payment.

I got a decent 14-day airfare to Sacramento, flew out on a Saturday morning, where he picked me up (in a Testarossa!) and took me to his house. I gave the 328 a fairly-thorough once-over (though a full PPI would have been better), we took it for a test drive, and I was satisfied. I had arranged financing with Capital One in advance and had a blank check from them. We went to a UPS store, had everything notarized and faxed, and the car was mine. We went back to his house, where he grilled some steaks for dinner; I went to bed early (staying on Eastern time) and the next morning he drove me back to the airport in the TR.

I had arranged to have the car shipped two days later, and within two weeks it was sitting in my garage in Georgia. I had to wait a week for the insurance to be approved, got the car emissions-tested and registered, and that was that.

 

i stumbled across this during a recent search:

http://www.autobarnclassiccars.com/vehicles/details.aspx?Item=51

not much info in the description, but looks decent enough in the pics and the mileage is agreeable (assuming it's accurate, is the odometer mileage frequently "bypassed" on 328s?) is anyone familair with this place or know how they acquire the vehicles they sell?

 

Ditto. I live in San Diego, bought mine from Sport Auto in NC, had it trucked.

When it comes to the older cars, you usually have to expand your search range.

 

328s don't have power steering, T-tops or a tilt wheel (unless you have a wrench...) Interior looks rough.

It looks like a used car lot with zero knowledge of Ferraris. Good luck.

 

I bought my car in Dallas, TX and drive it back to Charleston, SC......1,200 miles in two days. I wouldn't limit your search to just the east coast - if you're serious about finding the right car for YOU, you will have to look Nationally. Getting the car back to NC is just a matter of simple logistics....that's an afterthought. You might want to focus instead on service history, condition, and price.

 

I was searching nationwide but found my car about 20 miles from home for a great price from a private owner. The car has been a real pleasure to won and drive with very few issues (basically a few electrical upgrades and some a/c work). A plane ticket is a cheap price to pay to insure you are not buying a car that has been beat. Lots of cars look great in photos, few look great up close in person.
BT

 

Update: they both just sold.

 

Try www.auto-corsa.com
Saw a nice one there.

 

Just call the guys at Sportauto ( www.sportauto.cc ) and discuss your wants and wishes. They have more cars then you think and if they don't have one they usually know someone who "might" sell. Plus they are as local as you can get.

Many people have purchased cars that never were offered to the open market. You just have to know where they are.

Give them a call - I am not associated, just know that they have helped many others in your position in the past.

Good luck on your search. Look forward to meeting you at a future event.

David C.

 

i guess they *were* good cars

 

their site must be down, all i'm getting is a page that says "Thank you for visiting"

 

This is where I just bought a 1983 308GTS. Give them a look, excellent to deal with.

http://www.forzamotorsports.com/

 

you're probably the tenth person i've heard from who has spoken highly of sport auto. i've already been in contact with steve b. and have a standing appointment the next time i'm in greensboro. might try to make it over there in the next couple of days, beautiful weather for a little road trip!

i've also located a 308qv not too far away, it has 90k+ on the clock but a redone interior and fresh major maintenance. might be a promising candidate as well, and i won't have to worry about big time depreciation from racking up too many miles.

thanks to the others who have responded, it certainly is nice to have found a fourm full of friendly and helpful individuals. i've never purchased a car sight unseen, with a little luck i won't have to but it's reassuring to hear stories of successful transactions.

 

excellent, i've had their site bookmarked for a few weeks but it's nice to hear from someone who has done business with them. looks like they have a nice 328gts, unfortunately black is the one color i just don't care for either inside or out.

i assume you got the red one they list as being sold, looks like a *fabulous* car. congratulations!

 

Good thinking!

Can't wait for you to pull the trigger!

-Peter

 

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don't get me wrong - color is fourth or fifth on my checklist when evaluating a car (behind things like condition, maintenance, documentation, and mileage). but i've always been partial to red or silver cars - must be my buckeye heritage.

 

Yep, that black is not a great color on a Ferrari at all!
Jon, when you gettin' that thing re-sprayed?

 

I know this car. Believe it or not, this car it tight as a tick. You will be pleasantly surprised. I'm just not crazy about the wheels.

 

Soon. Tired of all the neighborhood kids making fun of me.

 

yes, the owner mentioned that you were familiar with it. that's a definite plus! but i agree that not having the stock qv wheels somewhat spoils the overall aesthetic.

 

Stock QV wheels are easy enough to find. If Tom thinks the car is a good car, that's the hard part.

-Peter
www.peterkrause.net