Should I?

cars out of long term storage will always seem to have some gremlins. Just a question of how many and how big they are. As far as the money every car is worth exactly what someone else will pay for it. Good luck. A mondial is a cool little car

 

Go for it.

 

If you can turn a wrench and do some of your own maintenance, yes get it. I would imagine it would be difficult to find a mechanic familiar with Ferrari’s near you but it would benefit you greatly to have it checked over before you buy it. At least make sure the engine and transmission are good.

My uncle lives right near the Slovenian border in Velden Austria. My wife and I drove to Bled last time we were there. Beautiful country.

 

Just change the brake hoses, to make sure it is safe to stop, and at the least the fuel hose that connects the two fuel tanks, so you don't go on fire (I would change all fuel hoses). Some new tires would also make sense, for safety, the metric tires are expensive but available. Get a new battery. Put in new spark plugs.

Other things like coolant hoses will affect reliability rather than safety and can be dealt with over time. Some seals (shift shaft, cams, differential come to mind) will probably be hardened and you will likely have some oil weepage. Distributor caps, wires, water pumps and probably setting the valve clearances will be required in the fullness of time. Clutch might well have life left, depends how it was driven.

It does take lots of love and labour to sort the details. Depends how fussy you are. At the age of the car, this car or any that age, you really have to accept a rolling restoration idea if you want the car to be reliable and usable over the longer term.

If small failures and flaws will bother you, and you can't do many of the things yourself, it can get very expensive very quickly. But such is the case with any other old car. As long as you have some funds beyond the purchase price for the safety items, and some contingency for surprises, it could be lots of fun.

 

As a "non-wrenching" owner of an 85QV, I cant add any value to the suggestions about what to watch out for, already made. And in reality, I have had to pay a mechanic for many of those things to be done for both safety reasons and for wear and replacement issues that for over the 4 years+ of my ownership and 25,000 kilometers of driving, now about equals the original price I paid for the car. But that does include replacing the fuse panel and a cracked windscreen. I also opted to replace the metric tires with replacement rims from Superformance and a set of Michelins. The cost for that was equal to replacing the TRXs, but from now on, it will be far less as I do drive my Mondi a lot. I also think it gives far better driving comfort and all weather safety...my opinion. Oh, and do install the separate starter relay, it is a very inexpensive fix to insure your Mondi will start every time rather than being a surprise in waiting.

The real point I want to make is that there has never been a day when I ever regretted buying the car. I love the subtlety of the period design, the wonderful handling on the hilly roads in my region, the joy of hearing the engine behind, and in reality, the space and practicality of it having a larger cabin even if you do not need the rear seats. I have taken at least one week-long, several thousand kilometer trip a year. It is a true grand tourer. I never get tired or stiff from sitting in the car. It is as practical and easy to drive in the towns as on the road. Most importantly, the smiles per miles value is off the chart!

The cost of Mondis has stabilized and perhaps even dipped a bit recently after, finally, a run up the last few years. But this one seems still on the low end of current prices. With any older classic you have to pay to play. So while the cost of the "buy in" is an initial decision,I think the real choice is about the value you will find in long term ownership.

 

Depends if you can readily give the utility of one of your current cars for a less reliability for a toy. It could take some time to sort out all the gremlins in the Mondial before you felt comfortable with its reliability. If that is not an issue for you than owning a Ferrari is certainly worth it. If you need the practicality then perhaps best to wait until you can accommodate a less realizable toy.

 

^This pretty much sums it all up.

David, I wouldn't go into this expecting to make money. The cars are at a point now where its unlikely that they're going to appreciate significantly in the near future. There are just too many headwinds against that happening at the moment. However, at $26K euro, the potential downside impact is minimal - especially when you consider what a modern sportscar would lose in depreciation over a 3-5 year period. The cars really are a joy to drive and well worth it to me.

2cam

 

David,
Thats a good looking car ! You want regret it at that price....

https://www.automobile.fr/Voiture/x/vhc:car,cnt:,pgn:0,pgs:0,srt:,sro:,dmg:/pg:vipcar/272020675.html

Guido

 

Another yellow one? Yes go for it!

 

Looks like a great car for the money. Mine had a bunch of issues when I bought it, but I am a mechanic and I was able to do all the work myself. They're suprising easier to work on than you might think. Go for it, and enjoy it. I've worked on and driven many cars, but there isnt anything quite like a Mondial.

 

It's a really nice car and for it's current price in the current market. If you want one.. buy it for this price!

However if I may.. The running costs are not realistic for this type of car. Have at least 3 to 4K ready. A good fuse box (not original) will cost you 700 euro. There will be many more things to do on this car along the way when it sat for 20 years. Front and rear wheel bearings grease do not stay good. If you were to drive, if harm has not been done already, will wear out the bearings fast! Old grease is not grease anymore if you know what I mean. A front wheel bearing if worn out will cost you. This is just an example.

A USA car will have the same if not taken care of.

I would pay 30 for this Mondial you will have some cash to make it good! and when you buy! immediately replace all rubber fuel hoses. They are ticking time bombs.

Do you know the VIN of this Mondial by any chance? Perhaps I can track down some history or pics since I know a lot of Mondial owners in NL

 

I would pay 30 for this Mondial you will have some cash to make it good! and when you buy! immediately replace all rubber fuel hoses. They are ticking time bombs.
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If you would pay 30 for this Mondial if that were the asking price you will have some cash now with 26K to make it good! and when you buy! immediately replace all rubber fuel hoses. They are ticking time bombs.

 

Hi David

I've sent you a PM as I'm selling my fully restored 1985 Ferrari Mondial QV Swiss EURO spec with Full Service History, based in the UK and there's lots of history with it too..
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Cheers
Mike

 

^Winner, Winner! This looks beautiful!

2cam