The Ottawa Thread!

I am seriously considering acquiring in the not too distant future an f-car. I think I have pretty much decided that my first f-car will be either a 348 Spider or if the budget permits a 355 Spider. In the past I have owned a 1980 Mazda RX7, a 1981 Porsche 911 Targa, and more recently a 2002 M Roadster. The Roadster is a fine performance car, very nice to look at IMO, but its not a Ferrari, and it certainly doesn’t have the exhaust tone of a Ferrari.

I would really appreciate your input to the following questions:
• Is there a garage/mechanic that provides maintenance on these cars in the Ottawa area?
• How much should I budget each year for maintenance?
• What is the cost of a major tune up on these cars? I have seen estimates ranging from $6K all the way to $12K.
• When checking out cars prior to purchase, what are the things I should look out for? In other words, what are the common gotchyas with these cars?
• What are the desirable upgrades for these cars?
• With the current favourable $US to $CDN exchange, is it worthwhile bringing a car up from the US or is the pain involved in importing the car not worth the hastle?
• Which is the best buyer’s guide I should get my hands on?
Any and all info will be greatly appreciated!

 

Don't buy a 348, it's a dog.

400 gts

 

I have not driven a 348...however, based on the specifications I have read, I expect its performance is similar to the M Roadster. That is plenty for me!

 

Looks a heck of a lot better then a 400GTS

 

There is a HUGE difference in both cars. Both are awesome cars in very different ways.

 

Folks...any input to the questions I posted a couple of days ago. Most important to questions I have is...which mechanic/garage provides good service on f-cars in the Ottawa area??????

Again..all input will be greatly appreciated!!!

 

Before I bought mine I called the service dept at Mark Motors to see if they regularly service Ferraris and they said that they do... don't know how good they are tho! Also I saw posted here that Xclusive Auto and Elite Auto also service exotics as well... again, no info on how good they are. I plan on doing 99% of the work myself so I consider them only backups.

I also joined the local FCA Ottawa chapter and I'm told most of the guys in there are mechanically inclined so there is a wealth of info through them.

HTH
JQP

 

Silver F430 in the Market last night.....

 

Time to get my hands dirty... Oct 13th, I will be tearing the 348 apart.

Engine out
Interior out
front/rear bumpers off
front/rear bonnet off
gas tank/rads out

Getting all of my procedures ready... feeling a little anxiety... hoping not to have any spare parts once I've put the car back together

JQP

 

ToddB:

At least the 400 has a great V12. On the serious side, the 348 is well known to be a poor Ferrari. Even the current CEO of Ferrari admitted to this when he took the job a few years ago.

400 gts

 

But the 348 at least looks like a Ferrari... I don't have to explain to people that it's a Ferrari... unlike the 400, I'm sure you have to explain to people that it's not a Peugeot or a Fiat...

 

Took about 3 hours and 20 minutes... but it's done!

Lost about 30 minutes trying to get the damn A/C Compressor out... everything else went very smoothly...

I will start tearing the engine/gearbox/rear suspension apart once hunting season ends...
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Dan, I love these kinda pics! It's the most exciting thing to happen in the Canadian section in a while! How about a dedicated thread to document your hard work? Keep the pics coming!

I can see a few oil sweats. It's gonna need a nice detailling. In good time I imagine

 

while its out wash that thing, its pretty dirty!

 

There is alot of things to do before the cleaning

 

Not at all. It is a head turner because it looks unusual, and with the V12 blasting, it is great. If you go to YOUTUBE, and search for FERRARI 1980 400I CONVERTIBLE, you will see and hear it. I sold it, and someone in Texas will turbo charge the engine. Quite a hot rod.

400 gts

 

Sure thing... once I get busy taking things apart I will create a new thread to show the progress... since this is the first time I do this, I'm taking lots of pics so that I know how things were routed/connected/placed etc. There is also the bodywork/paint that will progress over the winter so I will take pics there too.

DF

 

A few pics from the FCA Ottawa Chapter BBQ. Always a pleasure to meet you folks and to put a face to an f-chat user.

Pity that there weren't more members in attendance. And double-pity that I was the only Quebec Chapter member there.
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Hello everyone. Just is just my second post since joining FerrariChat in September. Although I do not have a Ferrari I am enthusiastic about F-cars. Last spring I joined the FCA Ottawa chapter. If you visit the following link you will find quite a few of the several thousand photos I have taken on behalf of FCA Ottawa Ferrari Festival since 2005.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrefoto/sets/72157600737675565/

Enjoy!

Andre

 

André...enfin t'as découvert F-chat.

Bienvenue!

 

Salut Bernie,

Ça faisait plusieurs mois que je visitais le site surtout lorsque notre ami travaillait à rebâtir sa 348. J'ai pris le plongeon et j'ai décider d'adhérer. Notre réunion annuel est pour le 23 novembre et ça sera bon de revoir la gang!

Andre

 

His Name is Dr. Jay, He drives the 360 and his daughter now has the 355 ( Lydia) they are very nice people.
No longer living in orleans....moved to Toronto..But they do participate to the Ferrari Festival In June, during the Italian Week In little Italy Ottawa..
I am a member of the FCA and own a 360 spider titanium with bordeaux interior
quote by Domenic

for the record with have quite a number of cars in the club and best of all a great group of F owners and non owners that help
to make the festival a great success, and what a nice bunch of people.....

 

Hey guys, sorry to be a complete and utter noob, and bring back an old thread.

My name is Steve, and I'm posting because I've noticed a few things here and there and around, where I live.

1. "Koenig" - I saw you yesterday, just off Forest Valley, at the bus stop. I was in a black t-shirt and white shirts, and you drove by quite slow. I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't viewing a real Koenig Testarossa, but I must say, yours is excellently put together. You must live right near me! I'm on 1520 Forest Valley Dr, with a blue Corvette!

2. There's a young fellow, with a 360 Modena coupe. He looks to be of middle eastern descent, and he always cuts in and out of traffic on the 417. Has anyone noticed this guy? He also comes to M&M's once in awhile, and stands around his car, usually in a tight t-shirt and jeans. He almost cut me off once, on the highway, and it really infuriated me, because you would think someone who owns such a high caliber automobile would take a little more care in driving it.

3. I saw an F40 cruise down Rideau street downtown about 5 days ago. First time I've had the opportunity to see one here in Ottawa. I was quite surprised!

I mainly just joined to see some cool cars, and expand my knowledge, so again, I apologize for bringing up an old thread!

Regards,
Steve.

 

I'm looking for someone in the Montreal/Ottawa/Toronto region that can refurbish a brake caliper for my 81 Mondial (Euro). It's the old "ATE" brake system, used up to Chassis #43011. Thanks for any potential leads!