New Owner's Diary: Part 3 | FerrariChat
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New Owner's Diary: Part 3

Discussion in '308/328' started by Bullfighter, Apr 14, 2006.

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  1. Bullfighter

    Bullfighter Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jan 26, 2005
    22,600
    Gates Mills, Ohio
    Full Name:
    Jon
    #1 Bullfighter, Apr 14, 2006
    Time for another unsolicited installment in the not-exceedingly interesting saga of the experienced newbie who got his first Ferrari, an '87 328 GTS, in Feb. Followers of the last overly long chapter, http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96426&highlight=diary, will recall that I was still in the throes of new Ferrari ecstasy. In order not to jeopardize my standing for the 2006 Most Mechanically Inept F-Chat'er Award, I overcame some minor electrical glitches (passenger window and courtesy light switch) with help from, and sought advice from, Gary Bobileff. If you routinely restore vintage Ferraris from boxes of parts, skip to the next post. If you're new to the Ferrari world and want to know how an ordinary liberal arts/marketing/owns-exactly-one-set-of-sockets and picks-up-his-shop-rag-from-the-cleaners-on-Thursday type of guy is getting by with his 328, read on.

    1. Ferrari meteorology: One thing undisclosed to me at the time of the sale was that buying one of these cars actually changes weather patterns. As a result, the drought ended and San Diego has begun to resemble Seattle now that I have realized my Ferrari dream. On the plus side, Magnum PI season 4 was released so when it's raining I can at least learn important driving skills.

    In between the rains and work-related travel, I've squeezed in several hundred miles of driving since February and can report that for all the crappy -- er, charming ergonomics of the 328 that I'm extremely comfortable and confident handling it on the road. It certainly doesn't hurt that everyone pays attention to you.

    2. DMV: California immediately sends you to the electric chair if you're late registering your car and paying our g-dawful use taxes and fees, so after the smog check was done (last chapter) I took the dreaded trip over to the DMV. Parking is always tight there, but I ended up finding an OK (wide) spot next to an old Mercedes 450 sedan with Nevada plates. I extract myself from the 328 and the old gentleman next to me asks "What year's your horse?" I tell him. "Mine's a 1978." Seems like everyone has a 3x8 yet the only one I ever see on the road is mine.

    The DMV inspection guy is 20-something and spends a lot of time looking for all the labels and build plates in on the car. To his credit he has a diagram so he find the VIN on the steering column instead of its usual spot on the dash. "Does the top come off on this?" "Yes." "And it stores in the trunk?" "No, behind the seats. Is this part of the inspection?" He grins. "No, when we get one of these I take my time." No plate frame came with the car, so $28 to Ferrari of Atlanta gets me one of their remaining OEM 328 frames. $28? Oh well, better than the crappy plastic chrome thing I picked up at FoSD.

    3. Battery: F-Chat'er Carl Rose kindly mails me his CD-ROM of 328 how-to materials - even though he doesn't know me from Adam - and all I can say is "Wow!" and thanks many times over. An email from the previous owner advises me, among other things, that the battery may be 7 years old, but who knows. I like to know. Armed with Carl's excellent document I jeopardize my Most Mechanically Inept candidacy by swapping out the incorrect Autozone battery wedged in there with the correct Interstate. Bobileff gave thumbs down to Optima and thumbs up on Interstate. Batteries, motor oil and belt change intervals are religious arguments, so this is for the record, not an endorsement.

    I feel a stupid rush of accomplishment. If you've never swapped a 328 battery before, it's located in the bowels of the car under the spare, and your hands have to be more or less skeletal to reach down and loosen the retaining plate. The good news is that in the course of doing the job you can scrape enough off the top of your hand to get it thin enough. The bad news is that right now guys like Vern and Rifledriver are laughing themselves off their chairs.

    4. Back home: Cold starts are inconsistent, sometimes like a new Toyota, sometimes like an old Ferrari (turns over, dies, turns over stumbles to life). The car wasn't happy sitting a week, even in a dry garage, while it rained outside and I was in NY. On startup, it sprays soot particles out of the tailipipes and onto the pavement. Dramatic, but wtf??? Too rich? Gary checks, says it's normal when San Diego goes from dry to humid - just droplets from inside the muffler. This isn't a Prius. One light oil drop under the rear of the car over the last 5 weeks - Gary sees slight wetness near a couple of oil pan bolts and says it's trivial. We'll reseal in July during an oil change. In the meantime I use most of a bottle of Griots adhesive remover and in a titanic one hour battle remove the North Carolina emissions sticker on the drivers's side of the windshield. Why didn't they just put a rivet through it? On any other car I would've been tempted to just replace the glass.

    5. Back on the road: The car runs flawlessly. Doesn't seem to be burning any oil - I check every 100 miles out of diligence and paranoia (well, hey, it's a Ferrari, something has to be wrong). On a long lunch run, I take 52 West, with the occasional car lingering to have a look, but a black 993 cab hits the gas and passes to the right. Feels great to open the car up in 5th. I duck around the van in the "fast" lane, pull up to the P-car and we set the pace till I have to exit for lunch. Call it a friendly, brisk, mildly competitive drive. Feels good, whatever it is.

    After 2 months, I'm a master at stowing the top under its cover - helps to let the sun warm it up, as posted on this site. Black side forward, straps up, taking care to let the straps rest on top of the rear shelf; then do the top snaps last and you're in business. It even looks good tautly stowed.

    The EPA exaggerated even the mediocre fuel economy ratings for this car, so it's back to Shell for the expensive flavor. A guy in his early 20's comes over and asks a lot of excited questions. I lift the rear deck and it's obvious he's a gearhead already. We talk about engine types, displacement, the model designation, the specs of the car, and so on. Really nice kid. People like this car. It doesn't put them off at all.

    On the way back I take the surface streets (freeway's a bit out of the way). Maybe everyone's in a good mood, but I have more people giving me a respectful amount of room to pass and no one cutting me off. The car's fine about town, gauges are all reading normal, although it's only 80 or so outside.

    6. Plans: Seeing as the engine hasn't blown up and my expenses haven't been bad (knock on unobtainium...), I'm planning a front bumper respray in May. Apart from the usual stone chips, it looks like the previous owner lightly bumped a pole and left a couple hairline cracks in the fiberglass. The body guy over at Bobileff's, who's restoring a Miura and a Bizzarini, has a look and says it's an easy repair. Now that I know it's there, it's going to bother me. Plus, a previous owner (RacerX on FChat) had already resprayed it, so any guilt about disturbing something original is moot.

    After two months of 328 ownership, I can report that I'm enjoying the car even more - you get past being struck dumb with awe and appreciate the ordinary and cool aspects of it. The shape doesn't get old. If you think the 328 is a sexy car while you're shopping, it just gets better and better in your garage. Dating should be like this. Black metallic is MUCH easier to keep clean than black. I'm loving the color.

    The car has "moods". I have to go out of my way to drive her during the work week, but it does seem to help. The warm-up process is a lot simpler than people make it out to be on this site. The oil temp gauge moves reasonably soon (note: in San Diego it doesn't get that cold outside) and 2nd gear is attainable almost immediately -- no forcing, no grinding, etc. I was scared off trying it when I got the car. Your 328 may differ, but after a couple of minutes of warming up and a brief roll in 1st the car is happy to slip into 2nd.

    Apart from the cold start inconsistency, which isn't anything strange for a 1987 car to develop, but which I'll be watching and posting about here, I'd say my first couple of months have been great. On the whole the fear factor has been lower than I expected and the fun is right up there where I hoped.
     
  2. mustardfj40

    mustardfj40 Formula 3

    Jun 17, 2004
    1,142
    Northen California
    Full Name:
    Ken
    #2 mustardfj40, Apr 14, 2006
    Good reading! I'm looking forward for the next installment...All Ferraris are beautiful but those 328s are one of the most beautiful Ferraris.
     
  3. John Harry

    John Harry Formula Junior

    Sep 8, 2005
    328
    Pittsburgh PA
    Full Name:
    John Harry
    #3 John Harry, Apr 14, 2006
    Great post. Keep 'em coming.
     
  4. BoulderFCar

    BoulderFCar F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 16, 2004
    13,196
    Asheville, NC/Ft Lauderdale
    Full Name:
    Tom
    #4 BoulderFCar, Apr 14, 2006
    Great post. I really like the 328's. It's amazing how well the styling has held up and the cars were pretty mechanically solid from the get go.

    I also think they are fun to drive because you can rev the engines and let them wind up. So many of the newer cars have so much power that it's pretty hard to unload them on public roads.
     
  5. J.P.Sarti

    J.P.Sarti Guest

    May 23, 2005
    2,426
    #5 J.P.Sarti, Apr 15, 2006
    Try a bottle of Techron in the tank for the cold start issue, I go to Shell as a last resort prefer Chevron, had some starting issues with my 328 that were from Sinclair fuel I bought after I first got it.
     
  6. JTR

    JTR Formula 3
    Owner

    Apr 26, 2005
    1,502
    in a house
    Full Name:
    John
    #6 JTR, Apr 15, 2006
    Great post, Jon. And happy to hear the car and you are getting along!
    Maybe you can hook up with Peter (Ferraripete) and I for a weekend morning drive next month?
    Your gorgeous black car would make a nice exclamation point between our plain jane red boxers!
    John
     
  7. Bullfighter

    Bullfighter Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jan 26, 2005
    22,600
    Gates Mills, Ohio
    Full Name:
    Jon
    #7 Bullfighter, Apr 15, 2006
    Will do. Dirty injectors were my first thought.

    Sounds great - after the streets dry up a bit. (A "plain jane" Boxer!!? lol)
     
  8. johng

    johng Formula 3

    Oct 23, 2004
    2,298
    northern va
    Full Name:
    john g
    #8 johng, Apr 15, 2006
    it was the same thing for me when i changed the battery in my 308! :)

    john
     
  9. J.P.Sarti

    J.P.Sarti Guest

    May 23, 2005
    2,426
    #9 J.P.Sarti, Apr 15, 2006
    The batterys are a pain to change and a back breaker as you can't put your hand on the fender for support as you will dent it, also need a strap on them to pull out with holding it underneath in case the strap breaks resulting in a falling battery on the fender.
     
  10. surfermark

    surfermark Formula Junior

    May 19, 2004
    318
    Mill Valley, CA
    Full Name:
    Mark
    #10 surfermark, Apr 15, 2006
    As a newbie owner of a 1989 328 GTB for a month now I enjoy reading Bullfighter’s commentary as I like to compare it to my own. So far I have had extremely good experiences, except for the tight fit, but that is my own fault as I did not drive the 328 GTB before I bought it and I am 6’ 3” tall. So that is in no way an issue with the Ferrari itself. So to preface my comments I will start off by saying my 89 GTB has been in a time capsule for the last 15 years and has 4,300 miles on it. The car is in truly remarkable condition. Brand new inside and out, no rock chips anywhere on the car, no wear on the seats, carpet looks brand new as does every bit of the interior and engine compartment. The former owner bought it in late 1989 with 4K miles on it and as an investment. So he never drove it for 15 years…he did do oil changes periodically though.

    1. For a car that has been sitting 15 years the engine is in remarkable condition. Starts right up cold with the first turn of the key (I do live in California, so my cold is different than an East Coast kind of cold). Idles perfectly and sounds fantastic. Gears are no issue either. Even when cold the 328 shifts easily into second gear. I love the gated shifter as well…..very natural feeling when you drive.

    2. Upon getting the 328 I decided to do a calculated experiment with it. With 15 year old belts on her I started her right up and drove her a few miles to the local California Emissions station to get her past SMOG. Past with flying colors. Of course I posted on fChat and got lambasted for starting a 328 up on 15 year old belts. Gave me a new found confidence in belts for the 328! In my opinion 328s are not as tender as folks make them out to be.

    3. DMV. On the 15 year old belts I drove it up to DMV which is 5 minutes up the road as well. Parking was no issue. As soon as I pulled up a small crowd had gathered and wanted to look at her. The DMV guy took his time and said “ah what a beautiful car and only 4K miles”…..Next question was “has this 328 been in a time capsule?” he opens the engine compartment……4 more people gather round and want to look at the engine. The DMV guy calls over another DMV guy….”hey you have to see this Ferrari”….now about 8 people and 2 DMV people are standing around the car….20 minutes later I am done and scoot off home…..belts are fine and we make it home.

    The most challenging part of DMV was the title. The previous owner never registered the car as he never drove it since it was an investment. Two additional weeks and 3 Fed-X deliveries later and multiple efforts in chasing down paper work that is 15 years old I finally get the 328 registered in California. This has been by far the most challenging part of owning the 328 to date!

    4. I test all electricals, fans, air conditioner…..all works 100%.....no slow windows, no switches need to be cleaned…she operates at 100% electrically. I did notice the hood and trunk springs needed replacing as both the hood and trunk did not stay open when lifted up……so I ordered those parts and did the replacement….I also ordered a custom Noah car cover and new set of floor mats to protect the original carpet which is in perfect condition. These are the only things I needed to do.

    5. Friday I took the 328 in for its major service. I drove the car to the shop again on 15 year old belts…..no issues. The service will take about a week. No expense is being spared on this as this will make the 328 ready to be driven for some time to come. The service is being done at Valtellina-automobili in Sausalito which work on a lot of high end Ferraris around this area. The Master mechanic just loved the 328 and said he had never seen a 328 GTS or GTB this nice….he spent a good 10 minutes just looking at every inch of her….he was amazed at the condition….he also loved the rear spoiler delete on the 328…..really makes the GTB have fantastic lines with no rear spoiler he said….. I am exploring having the seat lowered while in the shop to see if the 328 can accommodate my 6’ 3” frame…. Hope it will as in my short drives it has been a blast to drive

    So this is my experience to date…..I am now expecting a bunch of you to say I am crazy to have drive the 328 on three short trips on 15 year old belts…so go ahead and rant away! I must say though I do have a new found confidence with regards to belts on the 328…..and yes of course they are being changed during the service….
     
  11. Vlad328

    Vlad328 Formula Junior

    Mar 16, 2004
    279
    New Orleans, LA
    Full Name:
    Vladimir Zuzukin
    #11 Vlad328, Apr 15, 2006
    I don't think anyone will rant. If anything, many of us appreciate that someone has the balls to push the envelope. On that note, how about a thread about Ferrari belts that have actually broken, causing prohibitive damage to the engine and wallet, and the interval service mileage and other relevant circumstances.
     
  12. surfermark

    surfermark Formula Junior

    May 19, 2004
    318
    Mill Valley, CA
    Full Name:
    Mark
    #12 surfermark, Apr 16, 2006
    Well the risk I did take was calculated. I am not an engineer by trade, but did spend about 5 years of my life many moons ago as a materials research chemist…..this was long before I got an MBA and a Masters Degree in Economics…..So I considered older belts could have two scenarios. This first scenario was a 15 year old car could have “wear and tear” + “time” on the belts….which would worry me and I would not have done the test. My 328 only had 4,300 verifiable miles on her….not 7-10K miles on the belts. The second scenario being minimal “wear and tear” + “Time” on the belts, thus with wear and tear minimal, time was the only factor I really considered…..thus I thought materially the belts should be pretty sound still.

    My thought process was that in scenario #1 where a belt is driven and experiences a good length of time, then integrity of the belt decreases much faster than scenario #2 where a belt just sits for a length of time. Sure the integrity of the belt changes in scenario #2, but I was not really worried at all during the three short drives I did on the 328. The drive to DMV was actually on the freeway as well for 3 miles!

    I am sure many of you will think I am just nuts, crazy, bonkers or most likely stupid for taking any chance even starting such a pristine 328 much less driving her before I got the Major Service done, since she has been sitting the last 15 year…..although the previous owner did do oil changes and ran her “idle” to clear gas lines etc periodically. I had full confidence in the 328 and knew it would be just fine. Sure the belts could have broken…..but you know what they did not. I really do have a lot of confidence in the 328 now that she has performed so well…..I did the test since I was curious....in the name of science......since I knew deep down she would be just fine.....I had a really strong feeling she would be just fine....call it second nature if you like......When I get her back from the major service she will be ready for some real driving!
     
  13. branko

    branko F1 Rookie
    Owner

    Mar 17, 2003
    3,710
    Birmingham, Alabama
    Full Name:
    Branko Medenica
    #13 branko, Apr 16, 2006
    Bullfighter,
    Your new ownership posts have been great. Keep this up and you'll have enough material for a book.
     
  14. surfermark

    surfermark Formula Junior

    May 19, 2004
    318
    Mill Valley, CA
    Full Name:
    Mark
    #14 surfermark, Apr 16, 2006
    I agree, Bullfighter's diary is very good reading.
     
  15. doug328

    doug328 Formula 3

    Mar 11, 2004
    1,599
    The Space Coast, FL
    Full Name:
    Doug B
    #15 doug328, Apr 17, 2006
    Great post, enjoy reading others peoples experiences with their cars. Have had mine for 6 months now and it's been great. Had a major done two months ago, so should be good to go for a few years. Plan to replace all the rubber fuel lines next winter, and do the radiator ones the following year. Had a small oil leak in the top of the "V" was the base plate gasket for the oil filter. The oil leaked down the ends of the engine and made it look like the bottom pan was leaking, since being fixed, the whole engine is leak free/dry with no spots on the floor. 4,000 miles in those 6 months and can't wait for the next mile.
     
  16. Young

    Young Formula Junior

    Aug 24, 2005
    508
    Home Town Buffet
    Full Name:
    R U Mr Pininfarina?
    #16 Young, Apr 18, 2006
    Great reading indeed!!!
     
  17. flyingboa

    flyingboa Formula 3

    Nov 27, 2003
    1,564
    Italy
    Full Name:
    Eugenio Dalla Rosa
    #17 flyingboa, Apr 18, 2006
    I bought my 1986 328 in 2003. It then was a 17 year old car with 12000 miles and original belt. I drove it to my mehcanic (20 miles) and then did the major. No issues on the timing belts (original). They looked like new.
    Ciao
    Eugenio
     

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