308 GTS vs. GTSi

I am no expert but I think there is a lot of nostalgia today for carb cars.

Also, the GTSi may have hit the nadir of the performance curve since it came at a time of tightening emission controls in the US and the manufacturers had not yet mastered how to maximize performance given the new constraints. GTSi owners will probably tell us there is a lot more power to be pulled out of the stock motor with some minor modifications to the emission control systems and exhaust.

You came to the right place and should get some answers here.

 

I owned a GTSi for many years and switched to a GTS a few years ago. I prefer the carburettor car, not so much for the power improvement (which is a marginal difference across all models) but for the vintage mechanism and wonderful induction sound those Webers make. I have no problems cold starting the car in any season, (maybe because I have a heated garage). This is sometimes given as an advantage for injection.

Either way, choose the best maintained car you can find.

 

If I were in the market I would look really hard at the 82 GTB for sale in the classified section. $46k with service just done. Good price. Come to think of it, maybe I can fit it in my garage next to my 89 GTS.

 

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Carbs!
I used to own a QV and TR. I am an electronics / process instrumentation instructor. I prefer the less components to fail due to electronics and / or Fuel injection components. Never got stranded by points or carbs. I do not use Pertronix or Crane optical. Stranded by both, never go back.
Very easy to work on.
I also love the induction sound.
My 1978 308 GTS.

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People love their carbs but I have never heard anyone saying they like points ignition. Can you still buy paper matchbooks?

 

As a matter of fact, I used a couple of matches from papermatchbooks this weekend to test the thermocouple from a 355 spider to ensure it was working at higher temperatures. No butane lighter at my friend's house.
I keep it simple.

 

A man after my own heart... after years of pain, trouble and expense with a k-jetronic Corrado as a student when it came to choose a 308, it had to have Webers! (Illogical I know)

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When I got serious and really started looking I had pondered the same questions but when shopping for a used 308 at any time there aren't exactly an ocean of them to choose from. I also wanted to find one locally, didn't want to jet all over the country in my search so I pretty much came to the conclusion that I didn't care if it was carbureted or injected although the 2 valved injected with an 85 mph speedometer was my last choice. I also didn't care what color it was. The first one I got serious about was a black '78 but it had issues so I moved on and settled on a red '83 QV GTS. As noted earlier, the whole performance spectrum between them all is not enormous, you can have a satisfying experience with any one of them so it really comes down to condition and price and maybe location for convenience sakes.

 

I have never had a bit of trouble from a K-Jetronic car's injection system in my life. Not one.

And I have had a minimum of 3 in my driveway everyday since 31 July 1985. In fact it was the only thing we drove for a 10 year stretch once.



But carbs are cool on a 308.

 

K jet is the simplest fuel injection system known to man and make a carburetor, any carburetor look like alien technology incomprehensible to human life. It made the Ferrari automobile the most trouble free they had ever been and made considering it as daily transportation a reality.

Carbs are a romantic gesture belonging in a museum. I was always very good with multiple carbed engines but still, I have no desire to stay in the dark ages.

 

The QVs were the most reliable cars. Easy to maintain and the electronics are simple. I know a lot of people lean towards carbureted cars but I don't need the stuck floats, leaking needle valves, balancing act, etc that goes with them.

 

“I know a lot of people lean towards carbureted cars but I don't need the stuck floats, leaking needle valves, balancing act, etc that goes with them.[/QUOTE]

In the nearly 16 years I’ve owned my ‘78 308 GTS, I’ve never had a stuck float, leaking needle valve, issues balancing the carbs, or etc. My experience has been set it, drive it and forget it. I would not trade the visceral sensory benefits and vintage connection of the Webers for an injected car, but that’s just me. The power windows, air bags, AC, nav, ABS, etc on modern cars work better, too, but that’s not what I need for a weekend drive. My daily driver with the family on board? Yes, absolutely.

 

84 85 QV are the best of 308 most power but still very under powered any 308 is most beautiful