Which is the better investment: 308 or 328?

"Max speed was noted as 265 km/h for the GTB, against 258 for the GTSs.
Remember also that a "B" is slightly lighter than a "S" (about 15 kilos for identical cars)"

Coupes are always lighter than convertibles/t-tops, whatever, no matter who makes them. The weight would affected the acceleration times but would have little/no affect on ultimate top speed. Unless they had to shut down due to limited length, where the acceleration could affect the top speed achieved before being forced to shut down, there must be some additional drag generated by the GTS top as opposed to the GTB…which makes sense since there are no seams in a GTB roofline.

 

Being that it is at this point in life a "Vintage" car with the performance potential on a modern scale not too far off that of a Birkenstock wearing hippies hybrid it becomes difficult to consider the car anything more than a PCH cruiser. That strongly suggests to me that those of us with GTS's chose well.

 

I'm not entirely certain as to what the age ranges are of everyone involved in this thread but feel as though I should speak up for the up and coming younger investors of the future. I've seen a few remarks claiming that younger generations won't be interested in these vehicle like others that grew up with them and I happen to strongly disagree. Now, I'm not super young but I'm in my younger 30s and happen to own two 308s and one 328 and before I get into the details of which vehicles are best of the 3x8 range I'd like to first focus on the younger generation of collectors first. I come from the "internet generation" and have been one of those Internet startup guys that lives in the digital world and I'll tell you that the majority of us have no interest in a car jam packed with digital devices that tell us what to do, where to go, and help apply the brakes or do the parking for us. We've lived with the internet as an extension of ourselves for 90% of our lives and are tired of it. These days you see all this hipster marketing going on targeting young men on "how to be a man" and get back to old school shaving, camping, waking up with bacon, and getting back to the basics. Same goes with cars and the full majority of my friends and younger are learning or are genuinely thirsty to learn to turn a wrench themselves. This age of digital has left us guys with nothing left to create physically that we can actually hold in our hands or witness instantaneous results from. We build apps & spend most our time behind computers so we're all wanting to get into something physical, non-digital, and enjoyable but that also attracts women and to attract women you have to separate yourself from the rest of the bunch and as always cars are still one of the single best outlets for us. We want to feel alive and experience something dangerous and there's nothing dangerous or adventurous with any of these new cars. Also, we're now fully into the analog era of vehicles so there's finally a finite amount of cars that are truly non-digital. At the same time though & with a limited market for these true sports cars there's not many options for us that aren't over $200k - $400k like the Dinos so younger audiences will gobble up the 308s and 328s much like I've been doing. Our generations tend to start out with 4x4s in the beginning though which I think has helped drive the market for FJs through the roof but as we make more money and get older we will spend more for the sports cars. Also, younger generations aren't getting married as early in life and tend to hold out till their late 20s to 30s before settling down so many of them have more spending money that most would think. I personally started out with vintage land rovers from the 50s-the very last old school wing tipped model before the defender 90 was produced. Now, I have 4 friends driving them and private equity guys younger than me that find me at parties and try to buy mine off of me for $30k right there on the spot. Yes, there are more 355s and 360s coming onto the market but they still have digital components and that's the turn off. The younger guys love the idea of no power steering, no ABS brakes, and just the sound of the engine and the fact that it's not a complete engine out product requiring a computer to test for faults.

I could go on and on about this but from what I've seen and the number of guys my age or younger that want to get into these cars I think they're only going up BUT you have to get clean models with certain features honestly otherwise they just aren't as appealing to the layman.

I started with a 1988 328GTS with low mileage cause it had power and didn't involve ABS yet many seem to think the 89 models are the last and best but in my opinion and like has been pointed out parts needed in the future need to be considered. I love the car and in fact redid the entire interior and now it's almost too nice to enjoy so then purchased a 1985 308GTS QV with great sounding exhaust and a painted top to fill the desire and lust many of us prefer when eyeing a GTB version. After the 1985, I went after a 1979 Yellow 308 cause I wanted something from the carb years. On top of all that I now have around 10 vintage land rovers, Alfa GTVs, 930 Porsches, and have a waiting list of friends who want me to help put them in similar vehicles or sell them one of mine.

So I believe the market is there in the future and do think these ferraris will appreciate in value but you must drive what you love at the end of the day and not view them purely as investments. Now, are the ferraris sky rocketing like the Porsche 930 Turbos? No, but I think in about 5 years we will have a different view on the 3x8 models and until the 328s regularly start breaking the $100k price point we won't see any quick jumps from the 308s. Right now these cars are still in the middle-income man's investment range and that income bracket more than any lives in fear of what's to come of the economy so prices are a bit in the limbo stage at the moment until collectors with deeper pockets run out of other options to trade and purchase and really start paying up for the 328s. My outlook here may be incorrect but I stand firm that younger generations will always have an appetite for these cars as they're truly drivable, sporty, and original. While I appreciate the power of the 328 I honestly prefer the interior old school sportyness of the 308's and toggle switches. Same goes for Series 1 Jaguar XKE coupes and their interiors.

 

WOW! Knightmare terrific post! Very well written, entertaining and informative thanks!

 

Thanks! Apologies for the lengthy read however.

 

Let me quickly say that whenever one buys a car they are investing their money...poorly or wisely.

The 308 and 328 are not the worst way to invest money in a car. But yes, b or s....get the one you like

 

"These days you see all this hipster marketing going on targeting young men on "how to be a man" and get back to old school shaving, camping, waking up with bacon, and getting back to the basics. "

LOL…I guess that's why vinyl is growing in popularity.

OTOH, I have two early 20's nieces and they have nothing but contempt for my 328 as a gas guzzler and the perfect example of what's wrong with "old people."

FWIW, both of them consider anyone in their 30's or beyond to be hopelessly out of date. I'm so old that I'm almost (but not quite) cool by their standards simply for having lived so long!

Bicycles or a Prius is their idea of responsible commuting! Driving a car just to drive a car is criminal.

 

I bought a Euro 308 QV GTB after a couple of years of searching. To me, of all the 308, 328 etc... it's the most beautiful, sounds great, runs great and is fun to work on. That's all that matters to me. I'd love to have a 328. They are great cars but I like the more vintage lines of the 308 vs the more rounded plastic looking 328. I also prefer the vintage switches and look of the 308 interior. To me, the 308 is the last of the vintage Enzo Ferrari's. I'd love to have a 328 but the 308QV just feels like an old classic Ferrari. I don't want an anymore "refined" version... The 308 and the 328 are two very different cars to me. 308 = vintage. 328 = refined and more modern. That being said, there will always be guys who like the 308 more, and also guys who prefer 328s.
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Thank you for writing such a detailed and thoughtful post. It is really insightful.

I am headed out to an autocross bright and early tomorrow morning and picking up a summer-hire car guy from my office to let him ride along: age 20, seems to be gaga for everything mechanical. He has a Subaru which he wrenches himself and is customizing. My younger daughter has a pretty good mechanical understanding of her/my 1991 BMW 318i too. Her interest in how it works is just like mine was so long ago. In other words; I agree with you.

I sometimes wonder if there is a basic human need to interact with mechanical objects. Perhaps it is to assert control over them through knowledge of their mechanisms, but that need seems to be there for one reason or another.

 

Perhaps if brutal acceleration is the only indicator of performance(I have a 510 ci Corvette, Hemi Super Stocker, etc for that purpose).
However, I've found that a 308 GTB when equipped with modern rubber, proper brake fluid/pads and fresh shocks is still a rather capable cornering device. And it certainly has no difficulty dispatching a dumb Prius(obviously the Birkenstock hippy pod reference as those of us with Volts chose far better when it came time for a hybrid )

 

Interesting post by "Knightmare"; I would say that over here, you can still find some people in their thirties with an interest for our cars, but less, much less than before.
Most persons in their twenties-thirties are just like Mike's nieces, be them either guys or women. It must be said that the general feeling about "sports cars" is not very favourable; generally speaking, we are seen as a dangerous threat to environment, advocates of machism and speed, etc...Even if the ones that frown upon us in theory usually mellow when they see the cars first hand.
But there are still people in their thirties buying 3x8; probably not enough to sustain the prices of these cars as an investment, but I don't care.

Rgds

 

Figures given in Dirk Michael Konradt's book ("Autos, die Geschichte machten, die Ferrari 308 und 328"), and from period articles by automobile magazines, not from the factory, are:

Carbed GTB, US market version: 1411 kgs (Car and Driver, March 1977) with tanks full
Carbed GTS, US market version: 1492 kgs (Car and Driver, June 1978) full tanks

(Carbed Euro GTB, steel, 1320 kgs full tanks, 1978
Carbed Euro GTS, steel of course, 1380 kgs, full tanks, Auto Motor und Sport, sept 1978)

Quattrovalvoles:
American version:
GTB: 1474 kgs, full tanks, Road and Track, 1984
GTS: 1506 kgs, full tanks, Car and Driver, Aug 1983

(Euro GTB: 1323 kgs, full tanks, Auto Motor und Sport, Oct. 1983
Euro GTS: 1340 kgs, full tanks, Mot. Sept 1984)

Of course, this must be considered taken difference of the scales used, etc...

Rgds

 

I bought at 27. I think the issue here with the cars is, because they are perceived as exotic, and expensive, most people my age don't want to pick up a project 308. Resale values don't really justify paying someone else to restore the car, and restoring one yourself can be a daunting task as compared to say, a Triumph TR6, or a 1982 Harley Davidson. I began my Italian car journey with a Maserati Biturbo, so I think the 308 is just tits! Its honestly not much more maintenance than my old Yamaha R1 (if everything was done on schedule). Granted, I have twice the cylinders, so things will cost a little more, but its not unaffordable like some people make it out to be.

 

All of you are forgetting the wife factor in all of this.

Even if many want/dream the car and have finances close to it - the wife factor will kill at least 50% of those buyers.

Ferrari needed to stop at 3,000 cars a year and raise the price and make premium cars after the 348 debacle against the nsx. There should have never have been a 355,360,430 for other car companies like Nissan and corvette to eat its lunch.

 

She's a keeper like my wife, those are becoming rare from what I am seeing

 

"Will the Magnum Vice generation spur 308/328/TR demand coming decades like baby boomers fueled the muscle cars?"

It is entirely possible, I guess. Your comparison with the muscle cars is a good one. Back in the day (I was there), they were just another car; people bought the newest model because it had more HP than last years model, trading in the previous one. You also immediately modified them. I didn't know ANYBODY that bought a muscle car that didn't very quickly: change manifolds/carbs and add headers at a minimum. For example, I drove a new Road Runner home 37 miles from the dealer and immediately made those changes plus changed the cam and replaced the stock pistons with higher compression versions. There was no such thing as a "stock" muscle car for more than a month or two.

Now, buyers want "original" cars and it cracks me up because NONE of us would have done anything but laugh at a stock version. Well, OK, nobody laughed at a "stock" '68 Hemi Barracuda or Dart but that was a factory production drag racer, not a street-able car and they only made 50 of each. There are now, of course, many more than that.

IMO, in the USA, Magnum/Vice generation will never have the same level of impact that the muscle car era did on boomers. For one reason, there was a lot more exposure to M cars to everyone. They were in newspaper/magazine/TV ads so everybody was aware of them. Plus, and more important, you saw them everyday on the road. Sure, most of the muscle cars you saw were the more common, "standard" models from the factories, not the highest performance versions that were available. But the reality is that the boomer generation grew up with almost constant exposure to those cars in REAL LIFE as opposed to a fictional TV show. So I think the M cars have far greater appeal. Based on the prices they now command I sure wish I had kept the five I owned at various times…

 

Good observations about that generation and their outlook on life.

A Ferrari can be a good place to park money but they are rarely ever good investments.

As far as values, think of it this way. What other classic cars can be bought for $45,000? What do Porsche 914's go for these days? Can a decent 911 from say 1977-1988 be purchased for $45,000?

Before anyone scoffs at $60,000 308 or 328, take a look around at the classic car market.

-F

 

I thought 911's from that period have shot up, bumping up to six figures.

-F

 

And that's a key point. Masses.

iirc For every ten 911 made, there's roughly one 308 across the decade's production.

 

Probably less, Paul; I wouldn't be surprised if it is 1 to 20.
But even if I have a lot of interest and respect for Porsche in Endurance racing (ah, the 917...) I must admit I have zero interest in their road cars.

Rgds