Porsche Defector!!

Hi peoples,

I am just in the process of looking for a 348 to buy for myself. I dont know too much about them but the important thing is that they are in my price range. (I aspire to a F355 - maybe when I have sold the wife!)

Any buying tips/348 info would be cool no matter how unimportant you think they are. This would be my first Ferrari and wish to ensure I dont get a an MR2 in disguise!

Thanks

James

 

Firstly, Welcome.

If you enjoy your 968 you're going to love a Ferrari. At least as much driver involvement, and the sound is so much better.

P.S. Count the number of cylinder heads. If it's got less than 2 it's an MR2.

 

Welcome to Fchat James.

Doubtless the 348 posse will be on here soon with some info. Where in Kent are you based?

 

Hi Dan and Stig,

Thanks for the responses. The 968 is a great under-rated car, slightly underpowered but a fantastic well balanced road hugger that is great around the town or for squeeling the tyres on a track day. However, it wasnt without its quirky problems as I guess the 348 has. I used the 968 forum loads and got invaluable info from the boys and girls on there and so far the ferrari community is just as welcoming!

Im based in Tunbridge Wells and am quite surprised as there are not many prancing horses round here and if there are, they are just used rarely and locked away for the rest of the year. I sort of intend to try to use mine daily but Im sure the mileage issue will force me into the wifes volvo whilst she is not looking for that trip to halfords!

A few immediate questions come to mind if anyone can shed some light on these???

I have seen 348's vary from £21k to £40k admittedly left hookers, yellows and higher milers at the £21k end, spyders and low milers at the £40k end. What should I look to pay as a guide for an average mileage targa in great condition and fsh and is there an official price guide for these cars? My top wack budget is £30k.

I have noticed that the cam belts seem to have been changed on a fairly regular basis on the 348. Some cars are averaging every 10k miles. Is this personal preference or is there a recommended limit?

What sort of standard servicing costs does a specialist charge and what is the service interval?

Are yellows, blacks, silvers and blues known to be any less desirable than the reds?

Are there any serious design flaws that generally need to be rectified in the cars early stages? For instance, the Porsche 968 had a pinion gear in the box that was redeveloped as the earlier one used to break and cause untold problems. If the car hadnt had the pinion change then no one would touch it.

What is the diference between the TB TS and GTS?

Any preferred insurance companies? Im 33 with an excellent record. initial quotes are coming in at approx' £1.5k I have Adrian Flux in mind in Norfolk but havent approached them as yet.

and finally.....does anyone fancy a nice Porsche 968?? ;-)

If any answers to the above are just referrals to certain websites then I would be extremely grateful.

Thanks

james

 

Hi James,
Welcome from a fairly new member myself.
I dont currently own a Ferrari, but have driven the 348 and found it to be a most characterful car. I loved the dog leg box and although the F355 had all the refinements and feel of a much more advanced car, i prefered the 348 for its driving position and all around feel.
Good luck with your search

Paul

 

Firstly James welcome to Fchat - nice to see another southerner - this will no doubt bring comments from a certain steve f, but ignore him his bark is worse than his bite

Is the 968 a CS - if so please let me have a few more details as I have been toying with the idea of one as a track day car - I mean car for the missus

Cheers Kevan
See you down the road - with huge grins on both our faces

 

Don't worry James - it's only the 355 that has an MR2 imitation kit. As far as I know the 348 has no obvious copiers.

I'll just go and find the thread a few weeks ago about someone in your position that we gave a lot of the similar info that you are looking for...

here it is:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52734&page=5


For £30k you should get a nice RHD TB or TS (coupe or Targa) with 25-35k miles on... or an absolute mint LHD. You may even find a LHD GTS or GTB. These had better handling thanks to wider track at the back (spacers can be put on the older models easily enough though), and you got an extra 20bhp up from 300 to 320. Or you could go for a nice LHD TB or TS for mid £20k and save the money for servicing, tyres... TUBI!!!! (which YOU WILL end up getting )

RHD GTSs are like gold dust, only about 10 in the country. This is mainly due to the fact that the GTs and Spiders were the development test bed for the upcoming 355, hence did not have a very long production run.

348 engine is well tried and tested with no known major faults - but service history either by main dealer or recognised independent is everything. Without it, walk away (it may be fine, but you have to sell it again one day).

I have done 10k miles in mine in the last 9 months, including hammering it around the Alps in it's first fortnight, and it has been superb. The 6000 mile service was £600 at main dealer, only a bit of haggling needed, and it required nothing but a new set of tyres.

Colour is purely subjective. More people want red, but they look stunning in yellow. No real difference in price, just easier to sell when the time comes.

I would recommend black leather, as when it is worn it is dead easy to colour in the cracks with shoe polish!

Insurance - I only had one years no claims (Co cars), am 42 and live in a fairly quiet area... £660 for me and wife, unlimited mileage, business use if ever wanted... with Liverpool Victoria. They don't do track days though if you needed that.

Cam belts are every 30k miles or 3 years but people tend to change them more often if they are driven a lot purely for piece of mind.

You will not notice as many Ferraris as you do Ferraris, there are a hell of a lot less of them... which helps make them that bit more special.

Good luck.

 

Hi James, welcome to FChat from a 348 owner.

I'm relatively new to ownership too, but I'll give you what information I can.

Post (late) 1992 cars are better - benefits include relocated battery (to front compartment), improved engine management, colour coded sills and hardtop and some handling improvements. These later cars are externally identifiable by silver prancing horse badges, instead of black (providing they haven't been changed).

Even better is the GTS model, which moved the game forward even further - these include wider rear track and more powerful 320bhp engine from Spider model.

Many things will affect value, always go for the best car you can - don't think it will be cheaper to buy a sub-standard car and bring it up to scratch - it won't.

Look for missing bits (things like hardtop bag and toolkit) as these can be expensive to replace (although will be handy negotiating tools in reducing the price if they are not present.

Look for receipts for a recent cambelt change, and a recent receipt showing a clutch replacement is always nice too. Cambelt chnage with service will cost you circa £1.5k, so if it hasn't been done, factor that into haggling. Belts should be done every 3 years, and I would change regardless of miles.

Clutch will cost approx £700 if nothing else goes wrong (unf for me, my release bearing went and clutch came in at £1400 in the end).

In terms of servicing costs, many specialists offer fixed priced menu's. For example, minor service approx £600, Major service £850, Major with belts £1500.

Insurance shoud be much lower than £1500. I am not yet 30, have zero no-claims (due to company car) yet I am paying sub £1k with Tesco. You should speak to some of the specialist companies (search on here for insurance) and you willget down to the £500-600 mark, no problems.

As for your budget, I'm not great with values, but £30k will definitely buy you a post 92 UK car with good mileage and decent SH (essential for resale). If you can find a car with Tubi exhaust (or similar) that is a big bonus. Its a very popular mod, and if its already been done will save you near-£2k

I'm sure others will chip in with more info (and correct my mistakes!)

Good luck in your search!

 

Oh, and when test driving, make sure (as always) you see/hear it from cold.

Look for good oil pressure on start up.
Make sure that the fans cycle in and out correctly when up to normal operating temperature
Do not be concerned about stiff g/box (especially second) when cold - however it should be very slick once up to NOT

 

There are quite a lot of us in Kent. In fact, next thursday is the monthly FOC meet at a pub near Brands Hatch if you would like to come down, and meet a bunch of us.

If you are interested I'll PM you details......

 

James,

Just a couple of tips from my own recent 348 spider purchase.

1) Don’t expect German levels of build quality, these cars are built by the same group who build Fiats, Lancias and Alfas. Fit and finish can be poor and bits of trim regularly become unstuck and fall off, although build quality did improve through the life of the 348. The best thing is to consider the old saying that ‘You buy the engine and Enzo gives you the car for free’ and you will not be disappointed.

2) The advise I was given was to go for as late a production car as possible, as stated in pervious posts there where a number of major updates made through the life of the car which significantly improve reliability and performance of the car.

3) Don’t immediately discount a LHD car, I was concerned that it would be an issue when I purchased mine but do not find it any problem at all when driving the car. Unfortunately due to the small numbers of RHD cars produced these cars fetch a premium in the UK market. The 348 was designed as a LHD car and I have read that some drivers believe the pedal positions are compromised in RHD cars although I have not driven a RHD car myself.

4) You can download a short buyer’s guide through the Ferrari owners club, it costs about £8.00 but is a good start for basic specifications and advice. Go to http://www.sportscarguides.com/ferrari/

5) I get my insurance through AON, they seem to be around the best value this year (3000 miles limted, £570.00)

Finally if you can get yourself up to the Stanford Hall on 12th June there will be lots of 348’s and owners who will be happy to chat and show you their cars. From experience purchasing /driving / owning a 348 can be an extremely stressful experience involving large quantities of cash for parts and servicing, so if you want an easy life forget it. However it is all worth while because nothing comes close to the ‘overall package’ you get from driving your own Ferrari on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Good luck

Julian

 

I haven't had any quality or loose trim issues on mine... in fact the stereo guy said it was the nicest put together car he had ever worked on.

The pedal offset does seem a bit strange when you first drive a RHD but I got used to this by the time I had driven it back from Wales and don't give it a second thought now. However, LHD would not put me off in the least.

As has been said earlier, make sure the car is cold when youy first see/hear it start up, and then, very importantly, if you do get someone to take you for test ride, see how they drive it from cold. Anything over 3000 revs before the OIL temp gauge has started to move means it won't have been driven very sympathetically... once the oil's warm though, let it rip!

 

Thanks for the advice guys- keep it coming. My initial interest in some 348's has now faded where as others are looking more positive. I have seen two that sort of meet criteria. One is a 92 model in RHD and black, £29K with 28k on the clock. However I did notice the pedal displacement and have had a left hooker before so Im not worried about LHD. This one is on the autotrader currently.

The other is also on the trader but there are some lovely pics on ebay. Starting price of £25k with 34k on the clock. Early 90 model so not too enthused by that. Any comments on these two? I was tempted by the Yellow LHD at Avuss but after reading other threads, I understand this one needs some work.

Stig, would love to meet at brands next week. PM me with some details.


Thanks
James

 

also BTW, if the engine didnt sound like it did then I wouldnt be that tempted. I am buying an engine! The cars just holds it upright on the driveway. My Porsche is a 93 model so I am used to the odd tinker and rattle from time to time.

James

 

James,

There seems to be quite a few nice cars out there on Ebay / Autotrader so if you can live with the Bank Holiday traffic I would fuel up the Volvo, take the wife and go and have a look what’s out there in the market.

As this is your first Ferrari, IMHO it would be best to go for a nice dealer car as opposed to private sale. It will cost a bit more, but should give you greater piece of mind and more ‘comeback’ if the worst happens. Do some searches on this site and you will soon learn who are the best dealers and who to avoid. Remember that you not be buying a cosseted Ferrari, but a 15 year old second hand car!

Good Luck

Julian

 

Following excellent advice from the forum I shall be off the see the 348 that is currently on Ebay with Queens Park Garage. I have had extensive details from them and everything that was a concern has proved Ok with extensive history and apparently in mint condition. New clutch and belts with no miles on them! 1 previous owner, def worth a good look albeit a left hooker 90 model likely to go for £26k? Sounds about right to me.

Watch this space! I just need to convince her that a day trip to Bournemouth is a great idea! "BTW honey, whilst were down here, there is a great little ferrari that we could have a look at" Wish me luck.

James

 

Well I have done the deed and purchased a 348ts LHD. Mint condition except for a couple of tiny tiny marks. Lots of history, tracker, clifford cat 1, and not modded in any way. I previous lady owner and 54000 km on the clock (34k miles) Could still be on ebay under queens park garage.

I currently cant sleep, eat or drink at the moment! Picking the car up on Friday as an internal climate control unit needs replacement and the car is having a new cam belt fitted as part of the deal. (last one changed 3k miles ago)

Still has the tool kit with a couple of pieces missing and the roof bag. I met her cold, ran her for 10 minutes then opened her up on the bypass, crawled her through the town to see the effect on the guages and couldnt knock her.

Two questions so far:-

Chioce of oil? I am assuming fully synthetic

Fuel? is optimax going to cause any problems?

Thanks is extreme excitement!!

James

 

Congrats James and a belated welcome to Fchat from me Look fwd to seeing some pics.

 

Hi James

Welcome to the ferrari family. Congratulations on the car. I am sure you are going to have one hell of a summer! Regarding the petrol, I use optimax on my Testarossa and dont worry about the oil as the Ferrari garage you take your car to will know which oil to use.

Regards
Kam

 

Wahey! Nice one!

Shame you wont have it to bring down the pub on Thursday.....