What? When? Where? For my 308 | FerrariChat
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What? When? Where? For my 308

Discussion in '308/328' started by Jamie66, Sep 2, 2005.

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  1. Jamie66

    Jamie66 Rookie

    Aug 9, 2005
    12
    Memphis, TN
    Full Name:
    James Cohen
    #1 Jamie66, Sep 2, 2005
    On impulse I purchased a 1981 308gtbi last week. No PPI. A few handwritten work orders. I know I should have been more careful and patient with the purchase but I just had to have it.
    Now that I have the car I need to know what to have done to it, when I need to do it and where do I get it done.
    The car shows 40,100 miles. It is a Euro (from what I am told by the previous owner). It looks good in and out. Runs great. AC is cold. Tires have good traction but have cracks on the sidewalls. I live in Memphis where there are no Ferrari dealers or Ferrari certified mechanics.
    I want to make the car as safe and reliable as possible, but I dont want to fix things that do not need to be fixed.
    Do I put it on a truck and send it to Ferrari of Atlanta and just tell them to do what needs to be done?
     
  2. JTR

    JTR Formula 3
    Owner

    Apr 26, 2005
    1,502
    in a house
    Full Name:
    John
    #2 JTR, Sep 2, 2005
    Hmmm, Bold move to say the least!
    And congratulations on your new car.
    First thing I would do is call the previous owner, and ask what service had been done on the car recently, and go from there.
     
  3. nathandarby67

    nathandarby67 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Feb 1, 2005
    8,349
    Mississippi
    Full Name:
    Nathan
    #3 nathandarby67, Sep 2, 2005
    I believe Ferrari South in Jackson, MS still does service work. Try looking them up and giving them a call....its a lot closer than Atlanta. I am sure there is some reputable service location in the Memphis area for Ferraris, though. Is there anyone on the board from that area??
     
  4. Ken

    Ken F1 World Champ

    Oct 19, 2001
    16,078
    Arlington Heights IL
    Full Name:
    Kenneth
    #4 Ken, Sep 2, 2005
    Usually a mistake to buy an old exotic without a mechanic lined up. You can get the rundown of what to do by looking in the archives (belts, tensioner bearings, water pump minimum unless just done) and look for a local guy in the yellow pages who works on exotics.

    I'm sure people own 308's in Memphis; find out who they go to.

    Ken
     
  5. scorpion

    scorpion Formula Junior

    Jan 19, 2004
    469
    Kentucky
    #5 scorpion, Sep 2, 2005
    I wouldn't ship it to the dealer with an open ended order to "do what needs to be done". Like noted before, try to get as much info from the previous owner as possible. Obvious things like cracked sidewalls make me think the car probably hasn't been driven too much lately. Things like this need to be taken care of asap - I would suspect if the tires are bad the belts probably are too. Give the car a complete visual inspection noting the condition of saftey related items - brake lines etc. Take care of the tires, change the belts and tensioners and change the fluids (don't forget the brake fluid) and you ought to be pretty much ready to go as far as safety and avoiding a catastrophic failure should the belts fail. Meanwhile try to find a good mechanic for things that come up in the future. Assuming your car is really a 40,000 mile car you shouldn't have too much to wory about. A 3x8 is a very basic car, the big difference between this car and anything else is the cost of parts and labor if you can't do the work yourself.
     
  6. BigAl

    BigAl F1 Veteran

    Mar 17, 2002
    6,146
    TX
    Full Name:
    GSgt Hartman
    #6 BigAl, Sep 2, 2005
    man, no PPI? I wish you the best.
     
  7. Mike C

    Mike C F1 Veteran
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Aug 3, 2002
    6,081
    Southeast USA
    Full Name:
    Mike Charness
    #7 Mike C, Sep 2, 2005
    I know some Memphis folks have sent/taken their cars to the mechanic I use here in Huntsville AL.... if you're interested, PM me. Others have shipped their cars to Ferrari of Houston.
     
  8. Doug

    Doug Formula 3

    Nov 13, 2003
    1,473
    Louisville KY
    Full Name:
    Doug
    #8 Doug, Sep 2, 2005
    Find some other local owners of older Ferrari, Maserati or Alfa. I'll bet there is a good mechanic locally that has worked on this stuff. Ferrari dealers are $$$ and the mechanics are generally geared toward newer cars. The newest 308 is 20 years old and there is probably a small shop that has been wrenching on them for years.
     
  9. Jamie66

    Jamie66 Rookie

    Aug 9, 2005
    12
    Memphis, TN
    Full Name:
    James Cohen
    #9 Jamie66, Sep 2, 2005
    Thanks for the replies. I spoke with a local Ferrari owner today and he gave me the number for a Porsche mechanic who does basic Ferrari work (oil change, plugs...) on the side. He also indicated that a majority of Ferrari owners in Memphis bypass the dealer in Atlanta and send their cars to the dealer in Greensboro, NC for any major work.
    The prior owner had the car 4 years and put on about 2500 miles. He only did a couple of oil changes (no other work).
    Someone on the board suggested I should have all the belts and hoses replaced. Is that a major service (30K) or a minor service (15k)?
    I am replacing the tires ASAP. Has anyone had any problems with tirerack.com for Euro Fcar tires?
     
  10. nathandarby67

    nathandarby67 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Feb 1, 2005
    8,349
    Mississippi
    Full Name:
    Nathan
    #10 nathandarby67, Sep 2, 2005
    If the Porche mechanic happens to be named Pat something-or-other (can't remember his last name) he is among the best of the best, and will do great work on your car.
     

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