Jay, glad we could briefly chat in private and resolve. Seems like we're both reasonable and good guys, who somehow got off on the wrong foot. Cheers and best regards!
Yah, and if you can't be good, then you gotta be lucky. Sounds like a little of both. Slow? How about driving pleasure? I know this is totally subjective but this was made to make you happy. Being a little slower probably keeps me from going overboard most of the time but driving with "zest". I don't think that is what the cops call it, but it's not racing either. Everyday enthusiasm. That is what I get every time I get in. 14K? Either more than maintenance was done or a little more than BS. That's rich even for a dealer. But the car sounds like a solid investment in happiness. Enjoy!
never called. been fighting a terrible sinus infection ( drug resistant), and i am back to work. id love the GT4, but i need the black Trans Am or the 911 Targa to go as i am out of parking again. as much fun as i am having with the 911 slopenose convertible, i am seriously rethinking my stance on open top cars now!
i was a coupe guy forever. then a few years ago i drove a miata. a convertible has become the choice car for all good weather driving.
Short story: I went to my local Harbor Freight looking for a thin-wall socket 20mm (13/16) to fit down (you know where) the risers for the plugs that are smaller than the top (Italian engineers must hate Italian mechanics), mic-ed the opening so I could make sure it was right fit and found nothing. Two older guys (even older than me) who I walked in with at the same time asked what I was looking for. Explaining my dilemma, he said he thought he had something that would work. Tired of looking, I followed him and his buddy to a typical ranch style (this is not a perv story) where he opens the garage to a full shop. He digs in his toolbox and pulls out an old Craftsman socket turned down smaller on the business end. I told him the small end was great but it still wouldn't fit down the hole; the other half was too big. He takes the socket over to his "Brown and Sharp" lathe, turns down the rest of the socket and, of course, tells me not to forget where to bring it back to. NEVER underestimate the abilities of a person you don't know. Or even one you do. Especially in this arena. Had a thread I started recently on caps and rotors recently because of price. McCann had Marelli distributor caps for $128. No one could come close. No more looking. I don't know about Chrysler caps but most people won't degrade or destroy their own "Labor of love" unnecessarily (even if it does work). AW International had the rotors for $115. Best yet I've seen. ONLY the net has made this possible. I would have given up ages ago before finding these places. David at AW asked how I found him. I said I "Googled" him. He said "You gotta love that Google". If I would have said that to a guy three years ago, he would have bloodied my nose. Our market and lives are changing and it's forums just like this that is doing it. Some will fight it and some will love it. Shop owners think it is destroying their business while others enlarge theirs with it. Our only limitations are usually space to store all out goodies any more. I see a few people saying it can't be so. It'll never happen. It's a brave new world out there. Especially for Ferraris and Ferrari owners. $20,000 Ferrari 308's in good shape? Enjoy what you can when you can. Alright, not so short story.
Check out this incredibly informative ad http://www.escamillachevrolet.com/VehicleDetails/595758863 From this is it is difficult to determine what it is. Wrong year, VIN does register for any manufacturer (kit car?), no picture. But it certainly under $20k.
If there were such a thing as a "2003 Ferrari 308" it would certainly cost a LOT more than $15,000. (Maybe I should offer him fifteen thousand imaginary dollars for his imaginary car. I've always wanted to buy a fake Ferrari with counterfeit money. )
I am not sure if I am following correctly but you can buy a sparkplugsocket at Sears that will fit. Helmut
Just saw this thread... In November 2007 I bought this 308 on ebay for $20.5k. (Wow didn't realize I've had her going on 2.5 years already!) Still going strong. Had her major service last year, only issue that came up was the steering rack which was replaced. Took her out for the first drive of the season last weekend and everything worked great. Of course the gas station stop immediately got the folks over gawking. Gotta love that it cost me less than my FJ Cruiser (well, after the major service it's closer to equal to the cost of my FJ!). My post on 11/5/07 after I bought it on ebay: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=173502 My post on 11/13/07 after it arrived at my door: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=174431 By no means is it a show car. By no means is it pristine or perfect. But it's just what I was looking for... a nice driver that I don't have to fret about, but still looks and drives pretty great. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Just stumbled across this thread as well. Ebay can be a great place to pick up cars for a good price if you are 1) patient and 2) willing to take some risk. Its not a 308, but I bought my 1981 Mondial euro-market car for $14.5K in 2006. Had a half-ass service done (just belts, tensioner bearings, a few odds and ends...didn't address a few slowly leaking gaskets) about 9 months prior to my buying it. Has a great interior, paint is so-so, a few paint bubbles and small door dings, but runs and drives perfectly, every switch, button, and light works, and sounds wonderful. Also bought a one year-old (at the time) loaded 2007 FJ Cruiser 4WD with a Warn winch bumper and rock sliders for $17000. It was in immaculate condition and still looked new. What these two auctions had in common was that they were poorly put together and therefore attracted few bidders. They had just a few low resolution pictures and minimal text details. Both sellers responded to requests for more information and pictures when emailed, but a lot of times if it is not right out there on the auction page, folks will just skip over it and look at the next car down. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Mirrors the story of my 308GTB purchased on eBay in 2001 almost exactly. In my case, the only issue was some "play" in the differential. I've put a lot of time and some $ into fixing her up, but she's been a fantastic car. I have always maintained that if you shop carefully eBay is as good a venue as any to buy a Ferrari. Congratulations! Your 308 looks fantastic! Enjoy her for many years to come.