Mondial: Top 10 All-Time Worst Value Cars

Found this on 'net this morning. Surprised to see a Ferrari there...

http://autos.aol.com/gallery/all-time-worst-value-cars

more details here:

http://www.askmen.com/top_10/cars/all-time-worst-value-cars_5.html

 

OK sure - and my little book of "The 100 worst cars of all time" included the Bugatti Royalle - because it was too big, too expensive, and did not meet sales expectations.

 

Lists like this just have to include a Ferrari to make people look. Practically every time something like this is posted, the first sentence in the article is something like, "If you thought all Ferraris were great, here's one that's not." What's so annoying is that the Mondial may not be great relative to other Ferraris, but it's still a great car relative to other cars, especially today at its current price levels.

 

How many 25 year old cars are worth between 30 to 50% of MSRP!?

 

What a bunch of crap. If my car is so ugly, you would think people would stop surrounding it in parking lots whenever I go to get gas, or would stop approaching me when I am out to admire the car. Just last week, I walked outside to find a woman, walking in circles around my car, while her children sat waiting for her to return...and I live in a pretty nice neighborhood, so its not like people have never seen an exotic car before.

While I will admit the Mondial is the least photogenic of all Ferraris, it is a Ferrari through and through. Like many of us, I was born a Ferrari fanatic, and could have bought from a nice selection of other models. However, when it came time to put my money down, I sought out a fine Mondial 3.2 Cab, and I have loved every minute of it. If you want a mid engine Italian exotic and want four seats...it is one stop shopping. I am continually impressed by what a fantastic job they did packaging 4 seats into a mid engine car without making it look funky. But hey, I appreciate all the negative press, because it allowed me to get one heck of a deal on my car!


I think the gap between journalists and reality grows deeper every day.

 

Next up, that same author will write his new article entitled: Diamonds, Top 10 Worst Values of All Rocks

 

Diamonds are a horrible value, just think of all of the granite you could have bought with that money.

 

What a stupid article. Regardless about whichever car. I like the Mondi cabs and at the end of the day some folks like it, some don't. What's the point? :headscratch:

 

The Mondial was the first Ferrari that I wanted to buy. My wife and Brad Goldstone talked me out of buying one, and I ended up with a 348TS for my first car. I went through the line of modern V8s, ending up with a 430. THEN I got my Mondial Cab, which I will probably still own long after the 430 is gone. I like the way they look, and frankly, for a semi-classic, they are a great value, except for the engine out service.

Art

 

Ok, Come on guys. We love our Mondial but you have to admit the Mondial 8 came up short. I mean if it was a Cab you could at least put the top down and cruise.

Now give this list ( http://www.carspecsdirectory.com/Eagle_Ferrari.htm ) to your 5th grader and ask which one doesn't fit.


Dave

 

Why do people keep on abotu such things?

As a carguy, buy the car you can afford and love at the same time....and then who the hell cares what anyone else thinks?

I think 1960's Mustangs are awesome too, 1969 Camaro SS........it isn't about the car or the money...it's about what you like.

 

As Bob Knight has so eloquently said, 'most people learn to write in the 1st or 2nd grade and then move on to bigger and better things'

 

When I was a kid I thought the Mondial was the best looking Ferrari. I still think its a very attractive car. ive never driven one so have no opinion on how it drives though...

 

Exactly. Whoever was writing it had to come up with a Ferrari to criticize. To be fair, the Mondial 8 wouldn't make anyone's Ferrari 'grand triumphs' list either.

 

Same here, my Mondial was 100% Ferrari and people's reactions proved it.
Now, was it a great performer? In many ways no, but "ugly" is just BS.

 

The Mondial reminds me of the Chysler/Maserati of the the 80's. Certainily not Ferrari DNA

 

The 308GT4 was a much better looking 2+2 that the rather homely Mondial...

 

People who don't know better tend to "typecast" all Ferrari road cars as supposing to be low-slung, ultra-exotic machines like the 308 and Testarossa. These are the same people who always come up saying the Mondial and 400(i) are ugly. What these people don't realize is that Ferrari intentionally makes other kinds of cars besides "race car for the road" cars, i.e. Grand Touring cars. The 400i is a very elegant alternative to an XJS, Aston Martin, or Jarama. The Mondial is a smaller grand touring car, and in a class of its own, being mid-engined. An exotic, mid-engined 2+2 GT! A great alternative to a 911! The Mondial is a beautiful car it is own right -- compare it to any other 2+2 from the early 1980s . . . what compares? The worst thing about the Mondial is the 308 GTB/S. People think all Ferraris are or should be swoopy two-seaters, so they always dislike any Ferrari you can sit upright in (or that appears that way). And of course, the opinion-leading geriatric crowd longs for bulbous curves and round headlights, so they will berate almost any car with angular lines and pop-up headlamps. . .

 

The amount of things wrong with this statement are staggering.

Are you honestly incapable of recognizing the Ferrari DNA in a Mondial--, if so, then perhaps you should stay away from the marque all together. You don't have to like the mondial, you can think it is uglier than Dogsh&t,---heck you can buy your own and burn it to the ground out of disgust for all I care, but, at least keep it straight.

 

Before we get too upset about the article, he is talking about the value of the car in 1982 ($142K in today's dollars) versus it's current value (in the $20K's). That means it retains about 17% of its value if purchased today. It sounds like it's specifically a measure of valuation, versus an indictment on design (although he does infer that the design is the reason for the low valuation)

For the guy claiming the Mondial is like Chrysler's TC from the 80's: drive one before making that statement. The TC was an unrefined piece of garbage with a Maserati name slapped on it. Of the cars I've owned (Benz E-class, Audi S4, Audi A6 2.7t, Nissan 300zx) none come close to the overall excellence of my 't'. Make no mistake, it's a 'family' car for me (meaning I can enjoy a Ferrari with my wife and kids), but it's handling is awesome (due to the long wheelbase) and the 3.4 engine gives enough pop to make it a fun ride in the twisties. I can flat-out guarantee you that a TC would come nowhere near this car in any subjective or objective measure.

 

Ferrari DNA in the Mondial? Of course not!

Let's see . . .

Pininfarina design? Nope.

Stylish leather and wool interior? Nope.

Ferrari ergonomics? No, not at all -- very Japanese, especially the seating position and stereo.

How about styling cues -- intakes, tail lights? No, not Ferrari-like at all!

I know, let's look under the hood -- yes, open that front compartment, yes, . . . . .

... okay, open the rear (very un-Ferrari-like engine location!) -- Does that look like a Ferrari engine? No, not at all! You'd never find something like that in any real Ferrari, like the venerable 308!

Yes, people, it's conclusive: The Mondial indeed has no obvious Ferrari DNA! It may as well be a LeBaron in drag!

 

Exactly!
What really offended me about his post was his comparison to a Chrysler of all things. My car has Camaro written all over it. I mean, look at the pushrod V-8, must I go on?

 

Guys....all you have to do is go to SpecialKs profile and check out his cars.....all then will become obvious to you.

 

Well, kind of. Ferrari has cast itself as a maker of exotic sports cars. The Enzo, F40, 288 GTO, 250 GTO, 308, Testarossa and others really predominate in the public perception of the marque. A conservative car wearing the same badge is going to meet with some skepticism. The 612 and 456 are fine cars, but don't expect them to lead the future value parade. (And don't expect a Porsche Cayenne to hold value anything near what a 911 Turbo will...)

On the value side, it's also true that the service costs of the Mondial 8 as a percentage of the car's value are the sort of thing only a hardcore devotee could stomach. Frankly it's a lot with any Ferrari relative to normal cars, but with a $15K Mondial 8 you've got to be thinking that $5K major service bill is pretty onerous.

Finally, this an AOL 'Value' feature on used cars, probably about the furthest thing from a car enthusiasts publication. Keep that in mind. Different priorities.

 

Good points. However, if I could disagree on one minor point--I consider the Mondial an exotic sports car in the GT tradition. Some 4 seater Ferraris, which were once viewed unfavorably (365), have recently come back into favor, so I remain optimistic about the Mondial. In person it is also stunning, even by Ferrari standards. True, it may never have the appeal of say a 308 or TR, but it is an exotic mid-engined sports car, not some watered down cross pollinated hybrid. Furthermore, as the newer Ferraris get bigger, heavier, and more civilized, I believe there will be a reexamination of the Ferraris built while Enzo was still alive, among those the Mondial stands alone in the 4 seat mid-engine category, and has proven to be quite reliable. As I said previously, I didn't buy a Mondial because it was all I could afford, I bought one because I WANTED one...I am sure I am not alone.