http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6212&item=2494893302&rd=1 55k miles, no mention of major service, $33k. It seems very cheap. Even with the service you're under $40k. Comments?
European model, rather than US. Not a bad thing per se but you'll need to verify the paperwork is right. Red/cream&brown is a bit unusual color scheme but looks good. It's a very early car. There's some recalls for suspension work and oil cooler lines that should be done and should have paperwork. If they're not there, ask about them -- it gives you leverage. Actually, it seems like it might be a good deal. If you're serious about it, get Norwoods to do a PPI, and let the Texas crew know when it's there. You'll get lots of feedback!
Have a PPI done - If everything check out ok (Especially a compression test), it seems like a great car for that price!
You should be able to get a US car with recent service and that many miles for under 40K. There are lots of examples with say 30K miles and fresh service in the 40K range. I don't thing it's cheap. DAve
Euro car (which is a good thing IMO). The side marker lights are added in the beltline of the fenders. In the pictures i like it. Could be a good deal if the records and/or the PPI work out.
My experience on cars from Texas is that you need to do your homework, many titles and high mileage cars are washed in Texas. They are one of the few states that you can bring in an out of state title and they do no research on the exact mileage, nor do they care. Same holds true on salvage etc. I personally, will never buy a car from TX. imao
The VIN they give "ZFFWA20B0000599" doesn't seem to match up with what's on the car, and also CarFax says that it's invalid. They then provide it: ZFFWA20B000059935. You'll want to run this VIN with CarFax before going any further. They state, "there are no books, manuals, or service history." Strike 1. Not a deal breaker, but a problem. "You should know there is a tiny stress crack in the hood." Lots of 308s/328s have the little "some nutjob closed the hood without pushing the button," and it can be repaired. Now if there's a crack, that's a little more severe. And if there's a crack not related to the hood-closing nutjob referenced above, that's an even bigger issue. It seems at a glance to have at least basic EPA conversion stuff based on the decals. Engine seems clean. It has the jack kit, but can't tell if it has the tool roll. Looks like it has the targa top cover. And a CD changer and amp... Which can be a good thing if done right and you like music, but a bad thing if done by a nutjob. This is indeed a very early 328, and I've read the whole list of udpated that these cars got. There's a lot of them documented, including some interior changes somewhere in the 1987 timeframe. There are lots of little engine things that were enhanced as well. Not the end of the world, but there *is* a difference between a 1988 and a 1986 car, some you can see and some you can't. There's something weird with the seats. They look kinda waxy and liney, but who knows. The side view mirrors are euro-style (Different from US). The brown carpet is unique, but not unappealing. See the red light below the stereo? Could be part of alarm. Warning: nutjob potential. Full-size spare. Seems to be missing the "bolt" that holds it down? Certainly is a gorgeous car. But if it's true what they say, about no records and 55,000 miles, I'm a bit concerned! That's the biggest reason why it's not priced higher. There may be other issues... Run the carfax. --Mike
Also, even with DOT conversion etc., the Euro cars may not pass emissions in all states... Colorado, California, etc. And, not to sound snooty... But the place that the car's in doesn't exactly look like a Ferrari kinda place. But that doesn't mean it's not a great car.
Looks worth investigating. Definitely Euro as it has a silver fuel distributor head and NO frequency valve for closed loop operation. Has Euro headers and probable cat-less two inlet Euro muffler (US had single cat and single inlet muffler) as well - would be interesting to see if they did add a cat or just way leaned out the Kjet (not too difficult) to meet emissions. Also note no emissions control exhaust air injection as was on the American cars. The best thing to me about this car is that as a Euro, it has a higher compression ratio than US (9.7 vs 9.2), will be peppier and stands as well to be a good deal lighter. Certainly has potential, but may not pass emissions in all states. Would second the Norwood PPI suggestion.
If I was in the market for a 328, I'd look closely at this one. It looks like a nice clean example and the required stupid, US required add-on lights are tastefully done IMO. Plus- IT'S A EURO. If you've ever driven a euro 308 ar 328, I'd have a hard time understanding, why on Earth, you'd buy a US car when you could have a Euro version- much better in my opinion. I had a Euro 308. It was better. I drove Crawford White's Euro 328- wonderful car. This is a nice looking 328. Send it to Norwood's, let James have a look.
Is this Craig Dewey's car listed on FerrariAds.com from Panama City or just a huge coincidence? http://www.ferrariads.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi?search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=2186&query=retrieval Let's see. Two red 1986 328 GTS Euro cars. This one in Forth Worth with 53K miles and the Florida car with approx. 54K miles. Asking $33K vs. $34.5K. Both have cream leather seats and upgraded stereo systems. Craig says his stereo is Blaupunkt. I can't make out the stereo in the car on E-Bay but it looks like Pioneer. Does anyone know if Craig Dewey has sold his car yet? We either have two near identical cars with same mileage and same price range to compare, or we have the same car with service records and books probably in possession by the prior owner. It seems Craig kept good records and maintenance up to date, with belts changed in 2002. Vlad
Craigs car has russo carpets, and was never EPA'ed also someone on here put a deposit on it and should have taken delv. by now, see thread http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33840&highlight=wedding+day
Craig e-mailed me back that he did indeed sell his car. So this car in Fort Worth is not as good a deal on paper since you get no books, records, or service history for (at best) $1500 savings over Craig's car. I would use that as leverage with the dealer to get the price negotiated down as the two cars are otherwise near identical. Also date of last belt change 30K service needs to be disclosed. If unknown then the car needs it now and price should drop accordingly.
