Best Ferrari for the DIY-er

Mondial 3.2

Galvanised body so less rot prone (they all rust, at least with a galv bosy you've got a chance!)
Reliable motor and box at the end of its development cycle (made from 74 - 89)
Easy access for most jobs, powertrain drops out as one unit if you need the motor out.
Parts cost is reasonable.
Fantastic value compared to 2 seat equivilant

 

A quick (or not so quick) read of some of John Corbani's "Dino Saga" threads should pretty well answer your question. There aren't very many Ferraris that I would be interested in actually OWNING. The Dino 246 is one of the few and fairly high up the list.

 

most anything built before 1990.

As far as I am concerned, if you need a laptop to fix it, it ceases to be a DIY.

 

I would think that the Mondial T would be the easiest. Ferrari thoughtfully put an access panel to the engine behind the rear seats in the Mondial, so you can reach the front of the engine without taking the engine out by simply opening that panel.

Likewise, you can reach the sides of the engine by removing a rear wheel (and internal mud blocks), etc.

You can change your base air/fuel mixture via two screws on the MAFs on any of the 348 and Mondial T models. You can change your fuel mapping by swapping out two chips, too.

Of course, to reduce maintenance of Ferraris, you'll want as few power accessories as possible. You don't want power steering if you have the option of manual steering. You don't want power seats. You don't want power tops. You don't want power shocks. You don't want power windows. You don't want power locks, etc...though often you won't have the option of "not" having them.

Ferraris were essentially hand-built through the 355. Hand built cars have the distinct maintenance advantage of typically being easy to unbolt, unscrew, fix, re-bolt, re-screw-in, etc.

However, once you get as modern as a 355, you start getting into many power accessories (read: problematic for Italians), and if you get an F1 transmission then you will need a Ferrari-specific computer tool (e.g. SD-2) to set your initial position for your clutch after you've installed a new plate, etc.

As you get more modern in the above range of cars, you start to get built in diagnostics in say the Mondial T, 348, and 355.

The 348, for instance, has built in diagnostics that tell you which ABS sensor has died (e.g. right front wheel speed sensor), that your brake pads need to be replaced, what motor or temp sensor in your A/C needs replacing, engine sensors such as RPM, O2, cat temp, et al needs replacing, etc.

The Mondial T has most of that, too. That simplifies maintenance because you know what to replace per the various computer codes, and you *don't* need a computer to display those codes...they show up on your dash in the form of a flashing light.

This is *not* true for the F1-equipped 355's, however, as you need a tool such as an SD-2 to learn the specific transmission errors.

So with the Mondial T you've got the access panel and the on-board computer codes to make your life a bit easier.

 

I believe they started making the Mondials in 1980. My vote for the easiest to work on is the 308 Dino GT/4. A much simpler/primitive car than the mondial.

Cheers!

DT

 

Correct however Ferrari made the 308/328 powertrain from 74 to 89