Thinking of buying a Mondial
Discussion
I tracked that car down and it does indeed look less expensive than the limited number of others available, being a private sale.
Is it a bargain? Good question. If you take a look at this old PH thread you'll see just how much prices have risen.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=54...
Is it a bargain? Good question. If you take a look at this old PH thread you'll see just how much prices have risen.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=54...
I think the 1985 cars had the 3.2 litre quattrovalvole engine, which offered up 270bhp. 0-60 mph was around 6.5 seconds, not the 8.5 seconds suggested above. No ABS - that arrived in 1988. It should have a cambelt change every two years, but you don't need to remove the engine to do this. I had a 1987 car from 1992 to 2001, and it suited us very well. A lovely introduction to Ferrari ownership, and space in the back for our, at that time, small children. It was reliable. The only breakdown was due to the failure of an ignition coil pack, which took out a bank of 4 cylinders. It did happen on the Hanger Straight though...We probably did around 2,000 miles a year in it. The looks divide opinion, but I always thought it was a great looking car.
I think the previous version (the Mondial QV) had a 3.0 litre engine and a bit less power, so the first thing to check is which model it is, as 1985 could have been the crossover year.
I think the previous version (the Mondial QV) had a 3.0 litre engine and a bit less power, so the first thing to check is which model it is, as 1985 could have been the crossover year.
Let us all know what you think. If it is in Maidstone it would do no harm to drop into Kent High Performance Cars while you are there. They know their way around that era of Ferrari, and could give you good advice. If I was looking for another Mondial, then Nick Cartwright would also be on my list. They have 2 nice looking Mondial Ts for sale at the moment. But of course the price climbs a bit for these later cars.
!!LordOfTheManor said:
Yep ! it's a 2.9, but you make it sound reasonable for the classic car show days
and that's all I'm looking for really, I'm 6'3" will I fit ?
To keep the overall proportions reasonable with the 2+2 layout, the roof-line on the Mondial is quite high, so you shouldn't have any issues with headroom.and that's all I'm looking for really, I'm 6'3" will I fit ?
The Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS height (which is on the limit for people who are 6' 2"~6' 3" depending on leg to body ratio) is 1120 mm
The 3.0 Mondial height is 1250 mm.
So the Mondial has 130 mm/ 5.2 inches more headroom.
TBH, most people look like dwarf's in Mondial's, because of the height of the roof.
The 2+2 layout also makes it look like driver's are sitting too far forward in the car for most people.
m4tti said:
Electrics, parts availability, and are you handy with the tools
Parts availability is not that bad, thanks to companies such as Eurospares ( https://www.eurospares.co.uk/ ), Superformance ( https://www.superformance.co.uk/ ), and Maranello classic parts ( https://www.ferrariparts.co.uk/ ).Added to that, Ferrari electrics on this era of cars are far simpler than with more modern cars, so if you have a problem, it's not going to cost the Earth to fix.
Panamax said:
When's the next "engine out" service due?
The 3.0 litre (actually a 2.9 litre) and 3.2 litre cars do not need the engine's to be removed for servicing, not even for the cambelt service.The 3.0 / 3.2 Mondial's cambelt service will be much the same as the cost for a 308/328 GTB/GTS, which at Kent High Performance comes it at @ £650 + VAT (so @ £780 with VAT) : https://www.tfcgb.com/workshop/308-328-pricing/
The 3.4 Mondial T does require the engine to be dropped out, but as with the 348 cars, the engine sub-frame has been deliberately designed to make dropping the engine out as simple as possible.
Kent High Perfomance charge @ £1650 + VAT (so @ £2034) for a cambelt service on a 348/3.4 Mondial T : https://www.tfcgb.com/workshop/34834-mondial-prici...
Now plenty of people will be: "OM MY GOD IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD! - NEVER BUY A 348 OR 3.4 MONDIAL T!"
But lets look at this a bit more logically:
The cambelt service is needed every 3~5 years, depending on owner comfort on servicing.
If you have the cambelt service done every 3 years, that's £2034/1095 (the number of days in 3 years) = @ £1.86 per day to save for the service.
If you are happy to stretch the service to every 5 years, then that's £2034/1826 (the number of days in 5 years [including a leap year] ) = @ £1.12 per day to save for the service.
If you can't save £1.12~£1.86 per day - You most definitely should not be buying a Ferrari of any type!
johnnyreggae said:
Very low power (8.2 sec 0-60) & tyres at almost £ 400 each - belt service engine in every few years
This is generic nonsense that doesn't apply to all Mondial's 
The 2 valve Mondial 8 could only manage 0 to 60mph in @ 8.2 seconds.
The 4 valve 3.0 Mondial's hit 60 in around 6.4 seconds.
The 4 valve 3.2 Mondial's could hit 60 in around 6.3 seconds.
The 3.4 Mondial T could hit 60 mph in around 5.9 seconds.
Period correct TRX tyres are expensive, but it's easy enough to change the earlier Mondial's metric wheels to "standard" wheels, to fit more modern (and much better!) tyres than the TRX's.
In the case of the Mondial T - No change of wheels is is necessary - They come as standard with non-metric wheels/tyres.
With the exception of the original 2 valve per cylinder Mondial 8, the Mondial is a much better car than people give it credit for (and the Mondial 8 only fails performance wise - If you want a Ferrari to smoke around in, to go to the pub with the family, in something more interesting than a Ford Mondeo, a Mondial 8 would be an excellent choice)
If you want a Mondial, go and get one, and enjoy it - Don't let others put you off
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