Which is the most reliable Ferrari ever built?

You should start by reading the 3x8 section - this has been discussed MANY MANY MANY times.

But short answer: 3x8

 

Within any model you can have a good car. Obviously some models were better than others. If you're looking that's why it's important to do the work up front to determine if you're buying one of those "good cars."

 

This is the inevitable end for 99.99999% of car models ever produced.

At some point just about any car will cost more to repair it than it is worth.

 

I had to do some final assembly work when this one arrived, but it has been 100% reliable ever since.

>8^)
ER
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"Which is the most reliable Ferrari ever built?"

The one that is driven.

Often.

 

Another thing is that you don't hear stories about the millions of inexpensive repairs that are performed all the time. Only the big ones. Who wants to read boring stories about a clutch replacement that cost only $500 or whatnot. Those don't get any attention from the non-owners and don't feed the mythology.

 

Modern Ferraris. if driven regularly, are perfectly reliable like any other modern car. Problems arise with cars that are driven a few miles every other weekend, and fluids never get up to temperature, causing premature breakdown of components.

 

Actually the garage queen that is NEVER DRIVEN is the most reliable. Never driven... never unreliable...

 

Considering the original question I would say something like a 250 GTO could be repaired or even re-created from scratch for but a small fraction of what it cost to purchase.

 

That's actually a dang good point! As a PERCENTAGE of cost... no doubt.

Probably the REAL answer is "the most well maintained Ferrari is the most reliable" regardless
of model, year, or whatever.

Jedi

 

^^^ I, too, have thought about the irony that the more a car is worth, the less risk in putting it on a track. If you completely wad a GTO what could it possibly cost to put right? A million dollars? Peanuts to the owner.

 

Well, it depends on what you do with it and what the previous owner has done.

The 308 with FI is pretty good but it does have some rather obvious weak points (switches, guages, window regulators). It's not uncommon for a water pump to go in 30K miles. I would not call that "reliable" when you talk about a similar car of that era. AC and cooling are also somewhat less reliable than a typical 80's car.

How many turn indicator stalks have been replaced because the owners got into the car the wrong way and hit it with their knees? Anyone who's had it done knows it's not cheap to replace. Does that make it "unreliable"? It didn't wear out but it surely isn't the most robust design.

Also, you have to factor in that these cars are now 25 to 30 years old. Time is always a factor -- materials corrode, rubber dries out, fluids react with water and oxygen, etc.

The real answer is, none. It's just that some are cheaper to repair and maintain than others. On that point, the 308/328's are pretty hard to beat for bang for the buck. They are simpler and have fewer electrical gizmo's to fail. The engines are built proof as long as you take care of them.

But, a well maintained car of one type is usually much more reliable than a poorly maintained one of another. I'm sure a lot of owners who thought they were buying a creampuff and found out differently later would agree.

 

+1

 

I think Jedi's best short answer can actually be slightly better defined by replacing the "x" with a "2". The 328 by most reports seems to be rock solid. They fixed almost all the little gremlins on the 308 cars and seem to have gotten it VERY right with the 328.

 

I have had a 308, 2 Mondials, 348, TR and an F40, and they were all bullet proof.

 

After having owned several ferraris from the 80s to the latest, I have to say that the most reliable has been my f430, it has never visit the shop for a breakdown; only the manifolds and exhaust were replaced.

 

For pre-1995 Ferraris, the 328 is the most reliable, although its reliability now is mostly a product of how well it has been maintained over the last 20 years.

For post-1995 Ferraris, I'm hopeful that the F430 will turn out to be as reliable as the 328. It seems like an improved car throughout, although IMHO it is too soon to draw any confident conclusions. Modern cars are hugely complicated (Ferrari or otherwise), and they will all be disposable over the long term.

For classic Ferraris, I love the Daytona, and it's obviously a "forever" kind of car. But in general cars from the 1960s and 1970s weren't as reliable. I would speculate that Porsche's continual development of the 911 (into something basically bulletproof by 1984) put some pressure on Ferrari to "clean up their act", which led to the 328 and Testarossa.

 

I think it's obviously different though, between driving a car regularly, (such as a few hundred miles/ week) and driving a car daily. If you drive a Ferrari regularly, you will probably have a reliable car.

But, if you drive a car too often, won't the components start to break prematurely? Such as steering components, fuel delivery, etc...

 

My 308 GTB purchased in 77 and owned till 84 was never in the shop other than plugs and oil. Didn't believe in those days of belt changes every 4-5 yrs or other mantainence issues we see today. . Belts in those days was supposed to replace maintainence not make maintainance.The car was built to compete with the 911 and did for the most part. Drove it approx. 6 thousand miles per year . Had been in many a downpore and if anything would fault the windshield wipers and defrost keeping up with the Fl. Monsoon. It was a marked improvent over the 246. My 246 gt was very dependable for the most part other than the Dinoplex which went out , but once replaced with transiter ignition was fine. Air conditioner didn't work well , but once you found out what to expect no prob., The side window gismose always fell off and had to be reglued to the sidewindow vents. Some second gear synco problems and radiator problems Carbs more prob. with synco than 308, but what a sound! Rust was another problem with the Dino even if you were meticulous. Had the nose done twice in 12 yrs of ownership and 50 some thousand miles. BBi 84 was painless as engineer who set my car up did an excellant job. Owned my Boxer from 84 till 88 and no issues what so ever. 88 Testa- Problems ( hated this car- from breaks to what ever- Turned off on Ferrari till purchased my 2003 360. Maintainence was a far different story in the 70's and even the 80's as there were not many dealers at all. Secondary dealers such as FAF in Tucker Georgia made up survival paks that kept you onthe road. Never forget first time saw Chressman's in Lauderdale-- Hole in the wall with a service bay that looked like Luigi parked the garbage truck there at night. Service however was impeckable. Ferrari ownership was a far different than what it is now. Street cars to the old man was a necessary evil as racing was his fortay, unlike Fiat/Ferrari today. Though I didn't own 275GTB/4 or Daytona drove many of them at Daytona and Sebring in the 70's. Once drove Pete Coltrin's 250 GTO at Miami car show.
Docf

 

You're correct on both points. It's a delicate balance between driving enough in my 328 GTS to keep her in tip-top
shape (and of course having regular maintenance done) and driving heavily into the 'wear zone'. But ALL cars
are subject to these issues, not just exotics.

Jedi

 

If you let a car sit for 10 years without turning the key, sure you'll have problems. And if you put 10,000 miles a year on it then it will wear out.

But you can also look at various models and recognize which parts/systems are likely to fail prematurely due to bad design. The obvious examples were original 355 valve guides and headers, which were doomed from day one due to poor design. 355 Spider power tops - super complicated, likely to fail. F1 gearboxes - complicated, likely to fail. Early 360 varietors, same deal. 348 alternators (undersized) and gearboxes, ditto. 308 fuse blocks, ignition systems, windows etc. Testarossa differentials. Etc.

 

clearly it seems the California is the most reliable.. with word on the street is the maintenance is now on par with a standard 911.. which is very good..

The 360 and forward I think are all essentially bulletproof cars.. with no more problems than you can normally expect for an exotic.. which is just wonderful (obviously)