Will Mondial rise from being called the "most affordable" Ferrari

I am a Mondial fan! I would say to the OP, buying any car simply because it may increase in value is usually a bad idea from the start.
The reality with the Mondial is that you can find a nice one for less than the price of a new Jeep, and they have great driver qualities. I am currently considering adding an 8 to the stable, but it won't be for the possibility of future profits, it will be for the low entry price, but high fun factor.
If you like them, you can't go wrong at the prices they are being offered at...if you don't actually like the car, no price is good, keep shopping.

 

Article just came out yesterday on Hagerty

"Under 30 grand exotics that are far from terrible"
https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/Articles/2016/11/18/30-grand-exotics

 

Articles like this might answer the OP's question better than our musings. There's a pretty trackable pattern to "undesirable" becoming "desirable". It usually goes -

"Bottom of the heap"/ "Not even a real Ferrari"
to
"Not bad for what it is"
to
"Huh, maybe pretty cool"
to
"These are actually great cars"
to
"They're asking how much for them?!?! That's ridiculous!!!"
to
"God, I wish I'd bought one 5 years ago! What an idiot I was!!!"

I've personally acted out that little dance with the 365GT 2+2, the Dino308 GT/4, and the Dino 246GT, and at the outer reaches of my pocketbook, the 365GTB/4 coupe.

 

Hagerty also says you can get a decent 308 GT for $25,000. Is that really true ?

https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/Articles/2013/02/27/Five-cars-you-never-knew-you-could-afford

 

The article is dated 2013 though!

 

I guess that would have been a good year to buy one...

 

So buy one of these first.
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this is a great post!!!

Completely agree, it was just a few years ago - that I would argue the majority of folks would classify *any Mondial* as your category 1: "Bottom of the heap"/ "Not even a real Ferrari"

I now see 3 main groups.

1) folks that still hold the first opinion - mostly uninformed people that read an article that told them to what to think, second group is folks that bought a stinker Mondial that was not maintained and gave up, finally folks that just don't like how they look..(I really only have respect for the 3rd group)

I think slowly people are moving to your group 2:
2) "Huh, maybe pretty cool" - I think this is where *most* people are now. There have been enough positive articles out in the last 3 years where people are starting to reconsider. Since there is only what -350 of these cars in existence in the United States, people really have no choice but be told what to think about the car...again, now that you are having positive article after positive article, people are starting to scratch their heads and say hmmmm...

Finally, people that actually know:
3) Owners: "These are actually great cars"

 

There is a quote I have enjoyed many years by now and it is on the acceptance of scientific ideas, and at the same time opinions on just about anything else.

"Professor J B S Haldane described the normal process of acceptance of a scientific idea, in four stages:
(i) this is worthless nonsense;
(ii) this is an interesting, but perverse, point of view;
(iii) this is true, but quite unimportant;
(iv) I always said so."

For Mondials; I absolutely hate them, to, I have always loved them. It is just a question of time, and our opinions will change.

/Peter

 

Here is the import totals in the US (thanks from Andrew in NZ)

Coupes

Mondial 8: 147
Mondial QV: 69
Mondial 3.2: 87
Mondial t: 43

Total: 346. I guesstimate 15% in parts bins? so probably less then 300 drivable

Cabriolets
Mondial 8: N/A
Mondial QV: 282
Mondial 3.2: 449
Mondial t: 379

Total: 1,110. Same 15% parted out - crashed etc...so probably less then 1000 drivable.

I would say probably around 1,250 still on the road in the whole United States.

just for fun - comparing to say the Delorean pictured above, there are about 7,000 in the US, so the Mondial is almost 6 times rarer for what it's worth.

 

Who cares. A little cheaper and I may buy another. One for even days, one for odd.

 

My first was a QV, my second Ferrari an F355 and now a 360. The F355 was the car I always wanted. Well I love the 360 more than I ever did the F355 and I would have a Mondial again (next to my 360) given the money and space. I don't want another F355.

Out of all three of them and my generation most would likely say the F355 because they look beautiful (I agree) but it's not my choice.

One other thing. I bought a Mondial for £15k in 2004 and sold for £9k in 2010. I spent £5k on maintenance over that period which is not bad but guess I would probably have lost the same amount on a new BMW (and that's as bad as it gets). This year that Mondial was up for sale with just 500 miles more than when I sold it. A collector or investor purchased it from the garage I sold it to and then sold at auction. £39k a trader had it advertised for and I know somebody offered him £31k but ended up with a 348. I know that trader whom had it advertised for £39k paid £26k at auction.

Point of it all is that it may well make money (my F355 doubled in value) or you might lose money. Don't buy one as an investment and in fact currently I would not buy any post 80's Ferrari other than maybe an F40 or 288 as an investment, in the UK at least.

I think here the GT4 and Mondial get on occasion a rough review because the looks are a little angular and quirky. That is changing though. You will now struggle to get a Mondial for less than £30k in good condition here in the UK

In the end buy the car you want and whilst there is a bit of mystique with 'Ferrari' don't buy one because of that

The Mondial in it's own right is a great car and mine did sound glorious.

 

I love the Mondial.
I love the purity.
I love the heritage.
I love the practicality.
I love the simple gauges.
I love the lines.
I love the backseat.
I love the flowing Italian leather.
I love the trunk.
I love the manual steering at speed.
I love the gated shifter.
I love the engine.
I love the handling.
I love the classic Ferrari tail lights.
I love the pop up headlights.
I love the fact it's a convertible Ferrari.
I even love the speed, which is fast enough for Saturdays and Sundays.
I love the sound, the wind, and the smile on my face. I love it all.
I love the incredible experiences that I've had because of my Mondial.
I love the incredible people I've met because of my Mondial.
And I couldn't care what anyone else thinks about this truly wonderful car.
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Awesome and I couldn't agree more.
But, I'll need to add one more:
I love the smell of it.

 

I think the issue will always be the cost of maintenance. The cars themselves are a great value, and provide their owners with the true "Ferrari experience". Then comes the maintenance cost...If you are a DIY kind of guy, then these can be considered the "most affordable Ferrari", but if you are at the mercy of a dealership, you might rethink your choice of ownership. Buyers will ask themselves, is a $30k car worth a $15k all-inclusive major service, or do I buy a 355 and pay the same $15k for said service.
The fact that these cars are considered the most affordable to some explains why there has been so much neglect over the years. Many of these cars have changed hands repeatedly and subsequently have a differed maintenance schedule. There goes your affordability if you want a reliable car...

 

I bougth my QV (dec 1982) in 2002 for 18.000 Euro. Spend about 10.000 Euro over those years (only parts - all maintenance I do myself).
If selling price is 30.000 Euro at least for the moment,gives same result leaving my money in the banc for all those years...but without having the fun driving it during 14 years.
Investment = NO
Pleasure = YES

Guido
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Why put energy in all those post to convince other people to also like our cars?
I don't care what anyone thinks, the lesser the values, the cheaper we can buy and drive them. Think again if they where as populair as all those Porsche 911's from the seventies en eighties, al lot of us couldn't afford his Mondial right now so.................. stop worring about where you are on the social (car) ladder and enjoy it as it is! The end!!

 

BEAT ME TO IT!! Plus I think the tail lights ARE the same parts on the 288GTO! I was looking at F-part websites and it said for Mondial 8 and 288GTO.

 

this is absolute truth right here...

 

I am about the farthest thing from a mechanic on planet Earth, and I use a (not cheap) independent Ferrari Service shop for all work on my car. I also try to give people interested in buying a Ferrari the straight story and even scare them a bit when talking maintenance costs, because I think it's better to go in expecting a huge bill and getting a pleasant surprise vs the other way around. But $15k for a major is over the top. My major, including parts and labour, was $6800. I know others who've paid about 2k less for the same work at different shops around the tri-state area.

Of course, if there are other issues to be addressed, the bill CAN go up quickly. But I've never heard of a $15k textbook major on a 308/328 engine car.

My 2c.

 

Yes! The smell! Oh God, the smell of Ferrari leather is like drugs. And it seems to last forever. i remember when I went to look at my car for the first time. I opened the door and got in wondering if the leather smell would have disappeared over time...it hadn't. Hubba hubba.

 

I am biased in that the price I mentioned is related to my personal experience with a Mondial t. Realistically, if the fuel pump rubber boots have not been replaced, the coolant and fuel lines, CV boots, and fuse box, you are on borrowed time. Adding those items to a major can easily bring you up in the $12-15k price range. If you own an 89 and the roller bearing has not been replaced, add another couple of thousand to the equation. If you have more than 20k miles on the original clutch, expect to replace that as well.
Additionally, many cars run to their owners satisfaction, albeit not to spec. Many cars run lean/rich as a matter of electrical current not being properly distributed from old, but still functional coils and/or the fusebox. Over time, valves burn, carbon builds, and well...that's a whole nother' story. Some shops never "fix" cars. They just service them with the anticipation of something inevitably breaking, thus keeping them in business.

 

Fair points. There is often a real difference between the stated cost of a major and the final bill, especially if you want to really sort a car out properly. Also, the 't' is a different can of worms. More expensive to service from the get-go. Lots of shops will do a major on the 8/QV/3.2 with the engine in the car. My shop drops the engine on my QV anyway, even though it can technically stay in place.