Hi All- This is for a friend without Internet access. He has owned this '81 308 since '85 and dosen't know what the value or future value of this car may be. Basically, I'm looking for opinions on what to do with the car. To help determine whether his car is worth putting back together or not. He is being told it would be worth dumping and getting out of it. Here are some specifics. GIVEN- 1981 308 Ferrari.Owned. 49774 actual miles.Last started 5years ago. *All new cambelts *Air conditioner rebuilt *Suspension; disassembled/cleaned, replated where necessary,Koni shocks revalved-original,ball joints/tie rod ends all new/ steering column reconditioned. *Interior; all new Broadcloth-headliners/back deck.All new Conelly leather seats/trim panels etc. *Paint; car stripped to metal repainted stock red. *Wheels; all wheels repowder coated as stock & new center hubs, new tires. MISSING * Both passenger & driver side windows & electric motors * Horn & horn compressor * 4 wheel well skirts The car is at a Ferrari shop in Wisconsin. The price to return it to the owner is not less than $26K. The shop offers the client $15K to dump the car. Shop says car is not worth reassembling and best to part it out. I'm looking for opinions on this, what would you do? Thanks, Bob
It does not sound like too much needs to be done to it to have a usable 308. Does it run and drive yet? I think he should keep it.
A couple of questions first: 1. How far disassembled is the car? 2. 26K to return to owner? Is that what the shop is telling him it will cost to bring the car back up to good condition, or has the shop already done a lot of work on the car and run up a significant bill? 3. New cam belts? When were they put in? If they were new five years ago before the car sat idle, it will need another set now. 4. The other services you listed, did the ferrari shop do those currently, or were they done prior? Even in good shape, I doubt the car would bring more than $25,000. If the car needs quite a bit of work, your friend may well be better off letting the car go. However, I wouldn't let the shop have it. There are a lot of talented people out there who could do the work themselves. Try to find one of them and I bet your friend would get more than 15K for the car.
Thanks for the replies, in answer to some of the questions. 1. I believe some of the body trim & bumpers are the only other items which need to be reinstalled besides the complete interior(which is finished). The complete powertrain is within the car & wheels/Tires on it. The missing parts would be supplied by the shop & are included in the 26K to put it back together. 2. The 26K to my knowledge is to put pieces back together and make it all look right, a little paint on some areas I believe but it has a new paint job. This would include starting it up. The car has not been fired up in five years. 3. Yes, he does plan to put new cambelts in again. 4. The shop has not done any work whats-so-ever on the car yet. It was shipped to them last fall and now he needs to decide what to do early this week. He seems to be relatively convinced it is not worth the bother anymore. I believe he wants to take the 15K and be done with it. Anyone interested further can e-mail me & i'll give you his phone number. Thanks Bob synapsez51@yahoo.com
The car is worth putting back together, if you consider that its worth more in parts than whole. With so few 308s in excellent condition out there, one more makes the world that much of a better place. Its only money - and it sounds like he's spent alot already getting the car 9/10ths there. Might as well finish the job and put it back on the road.
