what is the most reliable model?

Please search for most other questions and as far as the most reliable model, most say the 328.

 

I had a 308 which most say you can work on yourself. I am not mechanicly inclined. The older the car the more little things you will have to do with it. I have a great local shop in my town and they had the benefit of doing the work. Not a horribly expensive one to fix either. I am sure the 328 is the same. I was told with my 308, 68K miles that I should expect 2K per year in maintenance. I spent 3K in the year and a half I owned it. Look at the parts sites in the top left ad section and you can see what costs are. I just purchased a 355 that had the full service just done to the tune of 10K, I am told I have a good couple of years before any maintenance will be due.

 

The only problem with a car like the 328 is its age; I've been replacing a lot of worn-out 18/19-year-old parts. I wouldn't call this a reliability issue, since any car this age will need such parts replaced. Otherwise the car has been quite reliable.

 

Q: "What is the most reliable model?"

A: The one with a factory warranty and pickup/dropoff service.

 

Q: "What is the best model?"

A: " The next one I build ", Enzo

Q: "What is the most reliable model?"

A: " The next one I build ", Enzo

 

Exactly! You want reliable buy as above.

For the kind of power and torque you're accustomed to I'd suggest looking at a 12cyl car ie. a Tr/512 or 550.

 

a 993 tt w/ only a little work will hand your mustang its' azz w/ little drama.
along w/ my ferraris, i have a 500 hp 930 turbo that is anything but "just a porsche"

the 355 is the car for you. fast, pretty, and managable.

good luck and welcome to our fun site!

 

328 IMO.

 

Anything is cheaper than a mistress. I've read other threads before about the carbed 308's, esp. 1976-1977 GTB's before catalytic converters, as being great cars for those that like to learn from their cars and do their own work like tweeking the Webers. These are higher maintenance cars than the 328 and even 10 years older. But sound great because of the carbs. Parts are available. You get the classic Ferrari style. Power is close to 308QV. And $25-$30K gets you a fine example with all maintenance up to date.

 

With your background and mechanical knowledge, get a 512TR.

 

I'll put my bid in for the 308 (including GT4) series. Very few electronics, especially in the early ones, easy access (right and/or left tire and well(s) removed and you're in business), and the more you drive 'em, the better they are. Do a search for 308 owners' mileages and you'll see the toughness of the 308.

BTW, you just can't go wrong with the looks. JMO, Dane

 

You're in it. There's some serious knowledge to be gained around here. Dane

 

My 328- 13,000 miles in 1 year, I wrench it mostly myself, and have spent less than 3k in parts and labor. (And most of that was due to my own stupidity.) Currently I have 33K on it- going up at about 1k per month. I have no idea which Ferrari is the most reliable, but I do know that I spent less maintaining my 328 for the past year than I spent maintaining my wife's Saab convertible for 6 months!! It isn't the fastest car I have owned, not by a long shot, but it is the most fun, and it rewards driver skill (Both good and bad.) better than anything else I have driven.

Cheers,
dce

 

Speaking with first hand experience there is littel to worry about with a 308 QV. Mine is an 84 with 93,939 miles. I have just about beat it to death too and it still runs like a Honda Accord.

 

see the "original Ferrari v8" for a good books with massive detail on the 3 series up to the 355.

As for the realiability: the 360 is the most reliable, but the jury hasn't been out on the 430, they are too new.


Art

 

Well, Well....we have offered this guy very little help....other than buy one with a warranty. There was one 328 owner that actually DRIVES his car and does his own work...and note his is reliable. I personally can't believe that you would own Fcars and NOT do some of your own work. Most of my Fcar friends barely know where the gas goes, its really pathetic. As far as reliability goes, I've had a bunch, driven them all regularly and done most of my own service work. While they aren't that difficult to work on, you just have to be precise as a mistake can be expensive. Here's what I've had:

308QV.......owned 5 years/very reliable/easy to work on
348ts........owned 15 years/very reliable/easy to work on except for major but it is possible to do your own/major cost me ~$1200 in parts
TR............had 10 years/same as 348...minor electrical problems
Mondialt cab....owned 5 years/same as 348....0 trouble
F40..........owned 4 years/same as 348...0 trouble

My Ferraris have been very reliable, I think the secret is to do your own work and USE them. Not driving your Ferrari is like dating a supermodel and not sleeping with her....your just saving her for the next guy!

Ciao.........Dino

 

With the exception of valve adj. (twice) and belt changes (twice too) I do ALL the work on my car including the brake and electrical upgrades. In fact I work on all my cars.

 

Out of the six Ferraris I have owned,(328GTS,400GT,TR,330GTC,348 Spider & BB512i) my 1986 TR was the most reliable and I drove it 30k+ miles in 3 years.It never left me stranded and other than a major service, oil changes, new tires and a clutch slave cylinder cost me very little to operate.

 

All I can say is that the Mondial is a lot easier to work on than I expected. I had a Fiat X1/9 which was a pain to work on. I expected an 8-cylinder mid-engined Italian to be even worse, but an owner showed me how easy access is to most important parts on the engine. Nearly all repairs can be done engine-in. I was quite impressed.