Q: Would anyone in the Bay Area, California be willing to let me check out your 308 GT4?

I'm seriously considering purchasing a GT4 as my next project car (wife says it will keep me sane) and a 308 GT4 ticks all the right boxes for me. It did occur to me last night though that since this isn't like a Mustang, 911, typical 308 GTS/GTB/whatever, or even a Delorean, I've never actually seen on in real life nor sat in one. Furthermore, with only a few thousand out there, I can't exactly nip over to a dealership to check out one on their lot.

Before I spend a lot more cycles working out the logistics of inspecting, buying, shipping one of these cars across the country, and getting it through California emissions certification, I think it would be prudent to actually lay eyes on one and see if this is something I would actually want to own long-term.

I know we are in a pandemic so what I'm asking may be slightly awkward. Since anyone who buys a GT4 is very likely an enthusiast (if you just wanted a 240HP car you could easily buy a Camry -- the car for people who don't like cars -- or if you wanted to go faster with no soul you'd just buy a Tesla), I'm hoping that someone in the Bay Area would be willing to let me come over to their house to check out one of these cars in running condition OR if you would prefer not to disclose your home, I'm happy to meet you out somewhere.

- I'm fully vaccinated and happy to take precautions (masks on, etc). I'll bring my vaccination cert if that puts you at ease. I work from home so my exposure window is quite small (my kid goes to elementary school but gets tested every 2 weeks, my wife goes to work but her office is 100% vaccinated and gets tested weekly).

- I live in the Glen Park neighborhood of San Francisco but am open to meeting you anywhere in the Bay Area that's convenient on the weekends. If weekends are an issue, I'm sure we can find time for us to meet midweek as long as my kid is in school and/or my wife is off work and can look after him (he's still too young to just be left at home with food and a nintendo switch).

- I'm happy to share my home address (I own it) and my linkedin profile in advance so you can understand I'm (less likely) to be a crazy. I'm just an nerd who licenses semiconductor IP for a day job and wants another project where my hands can get dirty since nothing I do for my day job is physical.

- Finally, I'm happy to bring you your choice of tasty beverage (say a bottle of wine or beer) as a thank you for your time (<1 hr). Just let me know what you like. I'm pretty sure it will be obvious (to me) fairly quickly if this is something I will want to pursue but I'm also more than happy to be regaled with your stories of acquisition and ownership (if you choose to share them). The more I learn about these cars, the better equipped I'll be before blowing 40-70K on a toy.

Thanks in advance,
-Gunn (yes, that's really my first name; my dad moved to the Texas in the late 60s and when I was born, well, he has a sense of humor)

 

Update: There's a new GT4 that just got listed on BaT and I'm planning to meet the seller already. I'm sure I'll understand fairly quickly if this is the right car for me.
-g

 

Thanks. I'm excited about seeing this GT4 but the Mondial is also on my radar. Depending on how my visit goes, I'll know whether I will need to dig into my pocketbook for this car, look for another GT4 which suits me better, or perhaps post a similar thread to this one asking to see someone's Mondial Coupe face-to-face.

I live in SF, have never enjoyed convertibles, and its kinda silly given the weather to have one here. A cursory look online shows a) very few GT4s on the market at any point in time vs slightly more Mondials and b) 75% of all Mondials I see seem to be cabriolets vs coupes.

 

Yup, I'm aware of the differences in engine and their relative desirability. If I desire to go the Mondial route vs the GT4, I'll certainly open up a thread and dig deeper.

 

Thanks for the offer, Rocco. I appreciate it.

 

Jonathan, the current seller, of the hazelnut GT4 on BaT, met me this weekend and I got to check out my first GT4
1) Its a cool car - but unfortunately, its not the car for me.
2) Jonathan's specific car is pretty unique -- but I suspect that there are people who would value his car FAR more than I do (and they well should -- its in impressive condition for its age). I'm looking for a car with a spottier history for something to tinker with. His car is NOT a project.

Things I Liked about the GT4 (for others who might be considering this car but havne't experienced one firsthand)

• Others have commented on the car being relatively roomy but I wasn't expecting this much room. While I'm 5' 10" and 150LB and pretty much everything in the world (in the US at least) is built for someone of my completely avg size ("everything fits"), I noticed that there is plenty of room for larger folks than me.
• I was surprised by the build quality; its the little things you notice like how the headliner is stitched leather. A lot of effort went into this car originally
• Seating position and view of the road was better than I expected. I liked the view of the road and the fact that you can comfortably see the nose of the car; it might sound blasphemous but it reminded me a bit of by first car (and 87 honda accord with its slanted nose). According to Jonathan, the 308 seating position is a little different from the GT -- the magnum PI car seating is a little lower and the instrument cluster is mounted a little higher.
• I was also pleasantly surprised at the performance. 240HP is nothing special in a world where Camrys have more HP but the car does have enough performance that you aren't scared to merge on the hwy; you just do it. Perfect for the role I would want to have the car for (something to work on and drive around on weekends vs a track car).

Biggest Issue

• The back seat has enough space for my son but only has lap belts. I believe its certainly possible for me to fabricate and mount brackets to install a 3 point seatbelt (or more likely even if its overkill and/or its a little gaudy) mount a 5 point harness for my son to use. I'm pretty confident mount point can be found thats not too invasive BUT it doesn't make sense to do so if a Mondial (which I would value equally) seems to come with 3point belts in the rear stock OR I just convince my wife to forgo the rear seat requirement.

Anyway, I plan to open a similar thread on the Mondial subforum as I'd like to see one on person.
Thanks again for your help and offers.
-g