Looking for some owner feedback...

Hi Jess and first of all, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Ferrarichat!

The Mondial was also my first Ferrari. It is a terrific gateway to the Ferrari ownership experience, precisely because it’s affordable, reliable, family-friendly and fun. I think it’s perfect for the use you’re planning to give the car.

I had a 1988 3.2 convertible, bought with 44.000km. Performed all yearly scheduled maintenance in a timely fashion at an independent Ferrari specialist. Never had an issue whatsoever: just gas, tires, fluids and filters.

Controls are typical of the 1980s: heavy and not precise by modern standards. Brakes also don’t have the modern bite and power we’re now accustomed to, namely when cold. All of little importance, once the Mondial in my very humble opinion, is made to enjoy at “civil” and law-abiding speed, it’s a dignified grand tourer and not a supersports car you’d take to the racetrack.

Engine power engine is quite enough, engine sound is very nice and nostalgic. I predict you’ll have plenty of fun with your family.

If considering a convertible, beware of the roof cloth condition and condition of the mechanism. The roof may not get cleanly down and that’s a big pain in the neck to tune. Also, cloth may tear/shrink over the years, meaning you may need a new soft cloth roof, at a hefty price tag.

Have you found a car that you fancy yet?

Kindest regards,

Nuno.

 

Jess,

One more point, if I may: it’s old and italian. It will overheat at one point. Always ask for fans and coolant to be checked/topped up at your yearly maintenance.

Also: when you try to restart the engine after it has reached its designed operating temperature, expect some difficulty to start, as if you had a battery dying on you. This however is normal: if you pump the accelerator pedal while turning the key in its last position, it should start everytime.

AC can be asthmatic over time, but not a source of discomfort. Again: my humble two cents based on my biased and personal opinion after owning one.

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

Are you a masochist? A SIII QP?!?!



I jest.

But seriously, good on you for the early diligence. As with anything "antique" checks and balances of service, receipts, and a proper PPI will likely put you in a car that is fun and can be worry free if all the issues are at least known...Enjoy.

Ps. HESCO in Birmingham is a great service place for FCars

 

Jess,

I can only imagine the peace and tranquility of living in a 6,500 soul town in Alabama. That sounds like quality of life to me, and a great place to raise a family.

Plus: the 1970 Stingray for me personally, in terms of design, is one of the most beautiful cars ever made by Man, alongside the Jaguar E-Type and the original Mustang fastback.

Indeed the drawback is how far away you are from major service suppliers. To try and better answer your question:

One of the reasons why the Mondial is so popular is due not only to its reliability, durability and sturdiness, but also that in terms of engine/electronic complexity, it is pretty straightforward. No complicated gizmos, electronic control units, etc. In most cases, the most advanced thing is the ABS sensor and the only digital bit of the whole car is the clock. It has no significant added difficulty just because it has a Ferrari badge.

Most owners I know/knew worked themselves on the car. In terms of regular maintenance, changing fluids and filters should be no more difficult than any other car of the same period, italian or not, supercar or common daily driver. I think it’s perfectly within reach for a mechanically savvy person which, I’m sad to say, isn’t and has never been my case.

However, you will need to perform an engine out maintenance from time to time, due to the life expectancy of the rubber timing belt and tensioners. That is a serious intervention, and time consuming. I seem to recall Ferrari recommending a change every 3 years or 30.000km (whichever occurs first), but over time that has been deemed far too zealous and aimed to increase revenue from dealers. Most owners perform that profound maintenance once every 5, 6 or 7 years.

In terms of how friendly these cars are in terms of DIY, it’s generally accepted by the community that the best all-rounder all things considered, is the 3.2.

Mondials share engine layout and other stuff with the 308, 328 and 348. Some parts from later BMW and Fiat cars can also be fitted, namely brake pads and key locks. Finding parts isn’t a hassle fortunately.

May I ask which Mondial are you considering? Do you have a favorite already? The 8 (1980-1982), the 3.0 Quattrovalvole (1982-1985), the 3.2 (1985-1988) or the T (1988-1993)?

Kind regards,

Nuno.

 

Welcome Jess!

Your situation sounds very similar to my own - multiple car owner, kids, and a long-term lover of the Mondial styling (in Coupe form especially!). I began looking for a Mondial in 2014 and found the "right" car about a year ago. I love it! After reading and doing a bit of research, I narrowed my search to a 3.2 Coupe. They seemed to have the greatest degree of reliability, development, and ability to service the cars yourself. Plus, they still had that cool, Enzo-era 80s feel to them without the degree of refinement that you find in the Mondial t. However, narrowing the scope of my search to a 3.2 Coupe definitely extended the length of the search as there were less than 100 of them formally brought into the U.S. over their 3 year run - there just weren't that many to choose from. I came VERY close to buying a couple of other Mondials (3.2 Cab, Mondial t Coupe, and Mondial t Cab), but am glad that I stayed the course and held out for the 3.2.

As for potential issues, the cars actually have fewer documented issues than many more modern European performance cars. Electrical problems seem to be the biggest recurring theme. However, an upgraded fusebox usually addresses most of those issues. Everything else tends to be age-related maintenance and repairs that you'll have on any other car. Fortunately, many parts are easy to find and can be cross-shopped with others used on a variety of other cars. If you're accustomed to working on Jaguars, I think the Mondial would be easy in comparison. OK - one of the items that you asked about - A/C. Ummm, yeah. It's about as effective as most European sports cars of the era. There are things that can be done to improve its performance, but it will never be the equivalent of a modern Japanese or American vehicle. However, the A/C on my car worked quite well until it encountered an issue while being serviced by a local Ferrari tech.

So, to summarize, I say - go for it! The Mondials are cool cars at a surprisingly reasonable price.

Good luck in the search!

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Hi Jess, a very hearty and warm welcome to you. THANK YOU for your excellent post and detailed background. It really helps us get a feel for what you're looking for.

I am biased of course, but let me say your profile sounds to me like a perfect Mondial steward.

To your first question, overheating - this is one of the things I hear very little about in regards to the Mondial. Mine overheated once when the fan fuse blew, but a 25 cent remedy was all it took to get it back on the road. That said, if temperature is a concern, making sure your radiator is in good shape and all the hoses and lines are replaced would be first order of business.

Again, welcome!

 

I’ll admit I never ever liked Mondials and I’ve been a Ferrari nut since I was a little kid. I was looking for another Porsche 964 but the market has become so absurd on those cars. I became really turned off looking at those cars so many of which were pure junk but their owners thought they were made out of gold. I started looking at 308 gt4’s which I think are beautiful but they seem pretty antiquated even by my standards. So a week into looking at GT4s I discovered the Mondial T coupe and was floored! There was only one for sale at the time and a very high price relatively speaking. But I flew up and looked at it and bought it on the spot. It came out of a major service the day I picked it up and today...next to my old 964 turbo it is the coolest car I have ever owned. I truly thinks it’s gorgeous and I love driving it. Personally I don’t really view it as a sports car because I’m just happy cruising in it and listening to the tubi exhaust. Everywhere I go it turns heads and gets comments which is kinda fun. Having said all that it’s a 30 year old Italian car and it won’t be cheap to own. In the year I’ve had it I had to replace the fuse box, put a tubi exhaust on and now the air conditioning is acting up but no different than any other 30 year old car you would buy. It seems pretty solid overall. The air conditioning is actually pretty cold but there isn’t enough flow to match a modern car. It’s a little better than adequate I would say. Don’t know how it would be for a back seat passenger. I don’t think I could put my kids in the back till they are older because my interior is in such great shape I don’t think I could handle the damage little kids would do to it.
I can do most maintenance on my cars so I’m not really concerned too much with maintenance costs. Just make darn sure you get a really thorough pre-purchase inspection before you buy.

 

Hi Jess,

I sounds like you have a good background in wrenching, much of the things that go wrong are readily owner doable propositions (8,qv,3.2) relative to your comfort level. The "t" variant requires an engine out for major service which is a much more involved task.

I would not worry about miles at all, the biggest thing I would look for is a Mondial that was owned and maintained well. Many of the Mondials I see for sale were in 'storage' for quite some time. I can guarantee they will have problems. A well loved driver is the ticket. Ironically, the higher mileage (but maintained) car being cheaper to buy, and cheaper to drive right off the bat then a garage queen.

 

I've heard your story so often from other Mondial owners. A well sorted one is really one of the exotic world's best kept secrets. Funny enough, there was a article recently on Jalopnik about the Mondial. On the comments section, many folks said to buy the 456 instead. I can say (owning both) the Mondial is still my favorite, and is much more a "Ferrari" then the 456 which seems to have much more esteem from the "Fast and Furious" crowd. My neighbor who is a Porsche enthusiast drove both back to back. He whole heartedly agreed with me after the session. Also from a public response, the Mondial gets a lot more attention then the understated 456.

I've only received thumbs up, smiles, and good vibes. A vintage Ferrari often removes that "more then you can afford pal" stigma, one of the big pluses!

 

Jess,

Thank you for being a gentleman.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic of the utmost relevance, not only in terms of literature, but also culturally, socially, morally and historically. To live in such a place must be idyllic.

All this talk has actually made me regret selling my Mondial a bit. Truth be told I rarely drove it and I was happy with the terms under which I sold it, but still... Most things that matter in life aren’t measured in numbers, but in memories and thrills. It was my very first Ferrari and for that alone, it has a very special place in my heart.

I would like to add the following, if I may:

- The Mondial spreads joy among those you pass by. I got a lot of thumbs up, burst of genuine happiness from children, and a lot of nice people coming to talk to me for nothing more than a nice conversation and a couple of pictures. I can assure you none of this happens when I take my 458 out of the garage. All I get are ill-conceived invitations for a race on public roads.

- I’m sure you’ll have wonderful drives across Alabama and beyond, with your loving family and you’ll be able to get great photographs. Your son will remember your Mondial with great affection, just like you remember your father’s cars. Cars are a very nice way for memorable father/son moments.

- Check for rust and/or rubber seals around the windscreen. Over time, water may puddle and accumulate there.

- Check wheel arches. Sometimes if a car has been hit in an accident, that concealed area may tell a tale of if and how the repair work was performed.

- I had the original rims and the infamous Michelin TRX tires. They can be hard to find and expensive to find. If you can, find a Mondial with modern wheels, measured in inches.

- If you’re allowed to test-drive the car, check if going from 1st into 2nd (dogleg gearbox) is smooth and effortless. If not, at the very least you’ll be in need of a gearbox oil change (I recommend Redline).

- Ask the seller for the original tool kit. It’s definitely a plus.

- The more maintenance history you can uncover, the better. A PPI (Pre-Purchase Inspection) in my very humble opinion, is always advisable.

This is all I can’t think of off the top of my head, although I’m pretty sure I’m forgetting something... It’s late night over here in Europe, and I’m not as sharp as I was a couple of hours ago! I’m sure you’re more than familiar with these recommendations, so please accept my sincere apologies if I was completely and hopelessly redundant.

Anyway: the Ferrarichat community is here to help you the best way it can. I hope you find your Mondial very soon and be very happy. If we didn’t have the whole of the Atlantic ocean between us, it would be a privilege and an honour to invite you to a cup of coffee and talk about all things Mondial.

Kindest regards and have a wonderful weekend,

Nuno.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login Jess, some nice cars you have there.
Bought my first Mondial coupe weeks after my first was born. Like many here, wanted to share my passion with my kids. The drone of the exhaust helps them fall asleep too!
Have an 88 3.2 coupe. The AC compressor is a York unit. Fully capable of cooling the interior. The issues are the duct work, and blower motor are less than optimum. Here in CT its fine. there are numerous threads on this. Many speak of switching to a Sanden compressor....again its what happens after the compressor that seems to be an issue.
The 3 or 5 yr belt replacement is just propaganda imo. Sure things break.....but numerous stories abound of 10, 15 yr and longer belt changes. When you do yours. Make sure to use Hill engineering bearings, and check the date code on the belt.
What other cars insist on this regimen of 3 to 5 yrs!? I just did my third change, had to change out leaking cam seals and valve gaskets anyways. 17 years an owner.

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I drive a triple black 87 3.2 Cabriolet around here in Florida, so I can appreciate your A/C concerns. For the driver and passenger, I think the system is more than adequate for comfort, but it won't freeze you out. I have never carried rear seat passengers, so no idea there.
If the car hasn't already been converted to R134, I wouldn't do so. My car was in dire need of some good old R12 when I bought it, and a simple recharge has gotten me through the summer just fine so far. The stuff is still available on places like ebay for not-totally crazy money. It just cools better, IMHO.
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Following this thread. In a similar situation, ownership requirements, interests, etc. Mondial is the "right" Ferrari for me. Looking at a two year horizon for purchase.

This is a great group for support, learning, DIY ideas, etc. Very welcoming members, and full of knowledge.

Good luck with your search!

 

Jess,

If you are ever in the Atlanta area and would like to see and drive a very well maintained and sorted out '89 Mondial t coupe let me know.

Best,
Cody

 

ATL rise up! lol

 

By the way JessN16, the two door Jag in your photo has always been my favorite model. I knew a guy who had a Chevy V8 in one, I guess due to reliability and DIY potential. I think both the hardtop and convertible look sooo good!