Questions about buying a 308

Last week there were 79 threads about this - now there are 80

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116084

Your friend is the 'search' function

 

Ah ha! We are prepared for this question though! May I humbly suggest that you read the 308 primer on my website. It will get you started.

www.birdmanferrari.com

After that, do a search on this site for specific questions you have, and you will find a wealth of information.

Birdman

 

The Birdman knows all! Follow his sage advice. And if you and your dad buy a 308, immediately, if not sooner, order a Birdman fuseblock upgrade, if the PO didn't already have the good sense to do it himself.

 

Follow the birdman.... 123 ducks can't be wrong!

(Sorry, but the theme here is afterall, a re-post. right?)
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Oh boy you guys, to quote Verell:

"I'm gonna need a bigger hat."

Flattered,

Birdman

 

by the glass euro car on e-bay right now. Just get a PPI and if it passes, take it. It's the most desired of all the 308 models because, it's glass and a Euro dry sump which has more power and no emmisions crap most US cars have on them.

 

Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI) - do NOT buy any car without one from an independant mechanic.

1976-79 - carbureted cars
1980-82 - Fuel invjection, 2V cars (the least desireable of the bunch)
83-85 - FI, 4V ("Quatrovalvole") cars - probably the most desireable, in terms of power and reliability, other than the earliest fiberglass 76's (and those are sought after for a completely different reason).

If your dad is interested in purchasing one of these beauties, get him on here. One needs to REALLY do a lot of research before making a purchase like this if they don't want it to be a headache. There are a lot of cars for sale out there - the trick is picking the good ones from the bad. You'll never be able to do that without an education on the topic.

Best Regards -

Aaron

 

i joined up tonight. i just read some of birdman's primer and it's totally excellent. he disarms some of the fear of entering into this entire exotic car realm. i'm seriously considering buying a 308, nearly cannot believe i'm even thinking about it in this way. but i am.

i know the cars are now 20+ years old, but they don't look necessarily dated. with some cosmetics and stuff, they appear timeless in visual impact. i've considered the porsche caymann and the infiniti G35c 6MT. and, as impractical as it is, the 308 has blinded me to anything else. perhaps to a fault.

i don't commute every day, as i largely work from home. and i'd like to drive the 308 regularly. i'm just afraid that this is just a big mistake fueled by my ego and kid-in-a-candy-store excitement. i am ever aware of maintenance costs of parts and the temperamental nature of hi-performance cars.

so i dunno. i'd love to have one and show it off to drive to job sites and meetings. it would just stun some of the people who are used to seeing me driving up in my old nissan maxima (which is modified). i own several cars, among which is an R32 GTR. so i am aware of tuning culture and what is involved.

anyway, this is a cool site.

 

welcome. i am on my 4th 308, and i drive mine several times a week when the weather permits. i dont drive it to work, ( only live 2 miles from work)
but i do use my fun cars year round during the week. my best advice is to drive several cars. GTBs drive differently ( better!) than the GTS. 76-77 GTBs drive differently from the 78-79 cars, and the QV feels like a whole different 308! the early cars have more power. i dislike the fuel injection on the QV.

i have had many cars, i had 2 Lambos, i have a 911 Carrera now. the 308 is old, slow and the carb cars "smell" . but dammit thats what i love about them. if you want to go "fast" buy a motorcycle, these cars will never be as fast as the 930's and lambos of the same time period. HOWEVER, the early carb 308s are pure fun that you dont have to flog to have a huge smile on your face. they are not hard to work on, and many of us here (ME!) have found the cross reference for the parts.



happy hunting, and WELCOME.

THECARREAPER

 

Keep it simple; focus on 1984-85 models. The carbs are cooler and sound better but are a tiny bit more complicated so put the 76-79 models next. The last year group should be 80-83.
Start with that. When you narrow it down a bit where you are check back with us again with what you have found.

 

will do. i am in los angeles so it is weather permitting a lot here. i have several cars, all japanese tuner imports. this will be my foray into another area entirely. i feel with the support of the community that i may actually like the choice to go ferrari.

as with any classic old car, it's going to have parts worn out like bushings and gaskets. and i'm getting the idea already to replace the fuse box with birdman's. and change all the suspension bushings. and be very diligent about regular service to avoid catastrophic repair issues later.

it seems if i keep this in mind, and follow through, i should be able to enjoy the car and drive it fairly regularly. i'm leaning, per the general word, to the later model QV. and i know each person has their biases and likes. it seems safer and generally all around better to get a later QV.

thanks for the warm welcoming, by the way, to all.

 

One last word about the QV's. There is not that big a difference between the three model years, so there is no reason to absolutely avoid one particular year over another - with one exception; wheel size. In 83 Ferrari used a metric wheel and you really don't want that. Tire choices are really limited now. Not all 83's left the factory that way and many have been converted to 16's by previous owners now so you'll need to look for that. Otherwise just buy the best QV you can find.

 

It is probable that the state government will continue to require smog checks, (is it every year or other year), so, be advised that the early carbed cars can be expensive to get passed. The 76 and 77 usa cars had the HEAVY, notorious, HEAVY thermal reactor, (no cats) and a bit more power than the 78-80 carbed cars, which did have cats. The early injected cars suffered most from the smog regs and are down on power. If you are going to have to suffer continual smog checks, the QV might be the best way to go.
hth,
chris

 

What is wrong with my '83 QV? It has the all important seatbelt light.

 

Darn, and I have to look down, to check......actually I think #22641 has a roundrel in the dash...

 

Your not going to believe it - I have that light now.


your car is now safe around me when your back is turned!

 

Cool.

It's supposed to be back from the 30k service in two weeks, up for a drive?

 

Love to!
lets get Branko etc. and pick a pretty Sunday soon

 

Sounds like a plan. I'm in Japan the end of September and Thailand the first week in October, it may have to wait until after I get back.