Looking to get advice on a choice of 308 or 328 Ferrari
Discussion
I am waiting for a GT3RS on order and want to get a classic for the summer(308 or 328) in the interim but actually know very little about Ferraris of this age. I have spoken to a few dealers and some enthusiasts but have not got a whole lot of practical feedback. Can anyone enlighten me as to the which would be the better drive and which one would take the least caning in terms of depreciation over 10 months (ish)
IMHO as they are very similar to drive, the best car would be down to condition and personal preference 
The 308's for me have a purer look of the two, with the 308 QV's being the pick of the bunch for all round ease of ownership (not that the carb cars are hard to live with) whilst the 328’s had a little more power and updated interior, ABS (on later cars) and better rust proofing (308's were part galvanised from approx mid 83 and fully from 84, however they are now over 25 years old and built in Italy
)
If you have a search through the Ferrari section, you’ll find lots of posts on this subject, including posts from “callmedave” who purchased a 308 GTBi QV this time last year (with a little help from me) the thread includes his deliberation over the same question, lots of posts on what to look out for and last but not least his trip back to IIRC Poland in it.
The 308's for me have a purer look of the two, with the 308 QV's being the pick of the bunch for all round ease of ownership (not that the carb cars are hard to live with) whilst the 328’s had a little more power and updated interior, ABS (on later cars) and better rust proofing (308's were part galvanised from approx mid 83 and fully from 84, however they are now over 25 years old and built in Italy
)If you have a search through the Ferrari section, you’ll find lots of posts on this subject, including posts from “callmedave” who purchased a 308 GTBi QV this time last year (with a little help from me
) the thread includes his deliberation over the same question, lots of posts on what to look out for and last but not least his trip back to IIRC Poland in it.Neither should lose much in value over the summer, unless you buy from a dealer - you'll have to foot the margin which I would guess at £3-5k.
308's vary in value due to spec: carb, "i", QV etc so you need to know your stuff when looking, and don't pay top whack for a less desirable model ("i"). 308 is a bit more of a classic experience and possibly less likely to be reliable, over the timescale proposed I would have thought there isn't much in it though, you're buying a 20 - 30 year old Italian car, reliability isn't going to be guaranteed! Having said that I used my 308 daily and it was no trouble.
328 is a little more modern, and would probably make the most short-term sense - easier to find a good one I would have thought.
Much will depend on budget, and then personal preference I reckon.
308's vary in value due to spec: carb, "i", QV etc so you need to know your stuff when looking, and don't pay top whack for a less desirable model ("i"). 308 is a bit more of a classic experience and possibly less likely to be reliable, over the timescale proposed I would have thought there isn't much in it though, you're buying a 20 - 30 year old Italian car, reliability isn't going to be guaranteed! Having said that I used my 308 daily and it was no trouble.
328 is a little more modern, and would probably make the most short-term sense - easier to find a good one I would have thought.
Much will depend on budget, and then personal preference I reckon.
Have a look at my 308 buyers guide here :
http://www.fugazi.co.uk/308/buyersguide.htm
Neither a 308 nor 328 will lose more money than each other, unless (as mentioned) you factor in dealer markup (depending on where you buy)
The 308 is more "classic" ... the original shape (before they started bolting on crap (IMHO), lovely sound from the carbs (early models), bit more of a "real mans" car.
The 328 is more "modern" ... little bit faster, lighter clutch, steering etc.
Down to personal choice really, on your preferences and what you want out of the car ... both have advantages over each other, but they are fairly minor each way ... both lovely cars that you'd enjoy.
Any specific questions, lemme know I've had my 308 ten years now.
http://www.fugazi.co.uk/308/buyersguide.htm
Neither a 308 nor 328 will lose more money than each other, unless (as mentioned) you factor in dealer markup (depending on where you buy)
The 308 is more "classic" ... the original shape (before they started bolting on crap (IMHO
), lovely sound from the carbs (early models), bit more of a "real mans" car.The 328 is more "modern" ... little bit faster, lighter clutch, steering etc.
Down to personal choice really, on your preferences and what you want out of the car ... both have advantages over each other, but they are fairly minor each way ... both lovely cars that you'd enjoy.
Any specific questions, lemme know
I've had my 308 ten years now.
Tom Selleck is 6'4"......................they had to bolt his seat directly to the floor and keep the roof off!
You will be able to get in and you will be able to drive one, but I doubt you'd want to travel any distance with the roof on
ETA pics of Selleck in Robin Masters 308GTS & GTSi, note how high his head is and in the second pic, his shoulders relative to the window / seat back
You will be able to get in and you will be able to drive one, but I doubt you'd want to travel any distance with the roof on
ETA pics of Selleck in Robin Masters 308GTS & GTSi, note how high his head is and in the second pic, his shoulders relative to the window / seat back
Edited by AndrewW-G on Saturday 1st May 14:35
If you buy one from a dealer and sell it 10 months later then you will get your arse kicked.
These things don't depreciate at all, but you will be sticking another owner on the log book and racking up another few thousand miles, so it will inevitably end up a cheaper car than when you bought it. Your big cost is going to be the dealer's margin.
I would also consider how easy it is going to be to sell it privately at the end of the summer. Not many people are comfortable spending £25,000 on an old Italian supercar without the safety net of a dealer's warranty. I bought and sold privately and both ends of the ownership experience were a pleasure, but I think I was pretty lucky.
I had a 328GTS for a couple of years and stuck about 5000 miles on it. It cost very little to service and was totally reliable. Because the motor is transversely mounted, the cam belts are far easier than the later cars.
I am 6"2 and found that it was a tight fit with the lid on. Of course there is no problem with the lid removed, but you then have nowhere to store it. The lid is meant to sit behind the seats, but you need to pull the seats forward a couple of notches to get it to fit. If I did this, then I couldn't drive it at all. I just left the lid at home.
Performance of the 328GTS is pretty good, but the standard exhaust it very quiet.
I think that they are superb cars. I'd get a carbed 308 if I had another, as I didn't think that the 328 was snorty enough. It felt a bit too sanitised for me, but I do prefer noisy cars.
I looked at several before buying my 328. They all had similar mileages and were similarly priced, but their conditions varied wildly. I would suggest that you look at a few before taking the plunge.
These things don't depreciate at all, but you will be sticking another owner on the log book and racking up another few thousand miles, so it will inevitably end up a cheaper car than when you bought it. Your big cost is going to be the dealer's margin.
I would also consider how easy it is going to be to sell it privately at the end of the summer. Not many people are comfortable spending £25,000 on an old Italian supercar without the safety net of a dealer's warranty. I bought and sold privately and both ends of the ownership experience were a pleasure, but I think I was pretty lucky.
I had a 328GTS for a couple of years and stuck about 5000 miles on it. It cost very little to service and was totally reliable. Because the motor is transversely mounted, the cam belts are far easier than the later cars.
I am 6"2 and found that it was a tight fit with the lid on. Of course there is no problem with the lid removed, but you then have nowhere to store it. The lid is meant to sit behind the seats, but you need to pull the seats forward a couple of notches to get it to fit. If I did this, then I couldn't drive it at all. I just left the lid at home.
Performance of the 328GTS is pretty good, but the standard exhaust it very quiet.
I think that they are superb cars. I'd get a carbed 308 if I had another, as I didn't think that the 328 was snorty enough. It felt a bit too sanitised for me, but I do prefer noisy cars.
I looked at several before buying my 328. They all had similar mileages and were similarly priced, but their conditions varied wildly. I would suggest that you look at a few before taking the plunge.
I bought my 308 GTS at the end of last year, drove it for 4 whole days then took it off the road for a service.
No major headaches, apart from the car had seen very little use in the previous 12 months,resulting in all fuel and water pipes needing replacing.
Fast forward to 1st March this year, taxed car and used it as a daily driver for nearly a month, due to the lotus deciding to blow its oil cooler
.
Story so far
MPG 18ish over 1.5k miles
sound from the carbs is so addictive
problems.. small blow from manifold and heater fan has stopped working.
life is good.
No major headaches, apart from the car had seen very little use in the previous 12 months,resulting in all fuel and water pipes needing replacing.
Fast forward to 1st March this year, taxed car and used it as a daily driver for nearly a month, due to the lotus deciding to blow its oil cooler
.Story so far
MPG 18ish over 1.5k miles
sound from the carbs is so addictive
problems.. small blow from manifold and heater fan has stopped working.
life is good.
Check out www.clubscuderia.com
You'll get lots of practical advice from owners.
Whilst much depends on your particular dimensions, if you're 6'4" forget it. Beautiful as they are, you will not be comfy driving one. Anything over 6ft will be a squeeze IMO (probably anything over 5'10"!).
Have you considered a 355? Truly, truly epic cars. And taller drivers have tons of room.
You'll get lots of practical advice from owners.
Whilst much depends on your particular dimensions, if you're 6'4" forget it. Beautiful as they are, you will not be comfy driving one. Anything over 6ft will be a squeeze IMO (probably anything over 5'10"!).
Have you considered a 355? Truly, truly epic cars. And taller drivers have tons of room.
Roony said:
Agree with most of the above comments... Personal choice is the 328gts... (I have one)! and they are increasing in value as we speak!
Agreed also. A 328 is easier to live with, though I do like the purity of shape and interior of the 308 more. I've had mine 2.5 years now and its never let me down. If you want a nice one, Nick Cartwrights cars are spot on, but are a little more expensive. But you know they've been over it with a fine toothcomb before selling. 
Murph7355 said:
Check out www.clubscuderia.com
You'll get lots of practical advice from owners.
Whilst much depends on your particular dimensions, if you're 6'4" forget it. Beautiful as they are, you will not be comfy driving one. Anything over 6ft will be a squeeze IMO (probably anything over 5'10"!).
Have you considered a 355? Truly, truly epic cars. And taller drivers have tons of room.
Following this thread with interest, so I'm assuming from the comments head room is a bigger problem than legroom? You'll get lots of practical advice from owners.
Whilst much depends on your particular dimensions, if you're 6'4" forget it. Beautiful as they are, you will not be comfy driving one. Anything over 6ft will be a squeeze IMO (probably anything over 5'10"!).
Have you considered a 355? Truly, truly epic cars. And taller drivers have tons of room.
taznuv said:
Whilst much depends on your particular dimensions, if you're 6'4" forget it. Beautiful as they are, you will not be comfy driving one. Anything over 6ft will be a squeeze IMO (probably anything over 5'10"!).
Have you considered a 355? Truly, truly epic cars. And taller drivers have tons of room.
Following this thread with interest, so I'm assuming from the comments head room is a bigger problem than legroom? Have you considered a 355? Truly, truly epic cars. And taller drivers have tons of room.
The only real way to tell if you'd be comfortable in one, is to actualy sit behind the wheel of one
Edited by AndrewW-G on Saturday 8th May 11:39
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