Thinking of a 328 GTS - coming from a Porsche - Any Thoughts
Discussion
1st post on this one, so I'll keep it brief (hope you're all as friendly as the Porsche lot!)
Anyway, I've done my time with Porsche now, and am thinking of something that'll be less 'depreciating'.....
I am a previous owner of a 308 GTB Carb car - and it was excellent, I've also noticed that the prices of these cars seems to have stabilised over the last few years.
Am I correct in thinking this ? And, are there any other things I need to know about these cars - running costs etc.....
Thanks...
Anyway, I've done my time with Porsche now, and am thinking of something that'll be less 'depreciating'.....
I am a previous owner of a 308 GTB Carb car - and it was excellent, I've also noticed that the prices of these cars seems to have stabilised over the last few years.
Am I correct in thinking this ? And, are there any other things I need to know about these cars - running costs etc.....
Thanks...
Had my 86 GTS for a year now with nothing but a service and the addition of 0.5 L of oil despite a Le Mans trip and use all year. However a sports exhaust is a must otherwise it sounds like a Fiat. Cannot recommend a 328 enough, although that is tempting fate. I was originally looking for a 308 but this is a much more sorted car, the only snag is if you are on the tall side ( I'm 6' 1"
, it is difficult to get an ideal driving position.
, it is difficult to get an ideal driving position.I'm currently gleening as much informaton as I can about 328s having decided to aim for one in the next 18 months. Everyone that I have spoken to, with absolutely no exceptions, say that the 328 is very reliable and surprisingly cheap to run! I'm fortunate as I'm only 5' 6" so whenever I'm in one it feels like it was made specially for me!!
If that's your Porsche on your profile Mark then you are going to find the 328 jaw droppingly gorgeous but horribly slow in comparison.
Pat Heald joined us on the fairly spirited run down the M1 to Black Tie and Pie in his mint 328 GTS and he readily admitted that he couldn't stay anywhere close to my 3.2 Carrera above 130. Allowing for the fact that mine is a very sorted car, I still think yours will be a lot faster than mine so a hell of a lot faster than a 328. They are sublimely beautiful though
Pat Heald joined us on the fairly spirited run down the M1 to Black Tie and Pie in his mint 328 GTS and he readily admitted that he couldn't stay anywhere close to my 3.2 Carrera above 130. Allowing for the fact that mine is a very sorted car, I still think yours will be a lot faster than mine so a hell of a lot faster than a 328. They are sublimely beautiful though
I am 6'2 and it is too small to drive comfortably with the roof off and stored behind the seats.
They are now old cars and have been completely eclipsed by most modern sportscars in terms of grip and power.
But if you can live with the lack of performance, then they are great cars.
They sound crap with the standard exhaust. A decent stainless sports exhaust makes the world of difference. Mine is now a bit too loud, but sounds much nicer.
Servicing is cheap.
You can do the cambelts without taking the engine out. The belts only cost £12 each and the tensioner bearings are about £80 for a pair. I gave my tame mechanic the parts and he charged me £120 to fit them.
The filters, plugs, brakepads and fluids are no more challenging to replace than on a Capri.
Insurance is cheap and the cars are not depreciating, so if you can keep the mileage down then the residuals will be pretty good.
Finding a good one is hard work, as they can be rusty old things.
There are plenty about, but I inspected several complete dogs before I found mine. They all looked nice, but were scabby underneath, despite some having very low mileages.
They are now old cars and have been completely eclipsed by most modern sportscars in terms of grip and power.
But if you can live with the lack of performance, then they are great cars.
They sound crap with the standard exhaust. A decent stainless sports exhaust makes the world of difference. Mine is now a bit too loud, but sounds much nicer.
Servicing is cheap.
You can do the cambelts without taking the engine out. The belts only cost £12 each and the tensioner bearings are about £80 for a pair. I gave my tame mechanic the parts and he charged me £120 to fit them.
The filters, plugs, brakepads and fluids are no more challenging to replace than on a Capri.
Insurance is cheap and the cars are not depreciating, so if you can keep the mileage down then the residuals will be pretty good.
Finding a good one is hard work, as they can be rusty old things.
There are plenty about, but I inspected several complete dogs before I found mine. They all looked nice, but were scabby underneath, despite some having very low mileages.
Went out in my Dad's 308 GTS a few weeks ago for the first time in years, and I couldn't get over how slow it was.
Despite him owning a progression of faster Ferraris he's always kept and regularly used the 308. Not quite a 328 I know, but I think if you're not expecting the pace of your 996 they're great fun.
Plus, not throwing away a grand a month in depreciation is enjoyable in itself.
Despite him owning a progression of faster Ferraris he's always kept and regularly used the 308. Not quite a 328 I know, but I think if you're not expecting the pace of your 996 they're great fun.
Plus, not throwing away a grand a month in depreciation is enjoyable in itself.
burriana said:
If that's your Porsche on your profile Mark then you are going to find the 328 jaw droppingly gorgeous but horribly slow in comparison.
Pat Heald joined us on the fairly spirited run down the M1 to Black Tie and Pie in his mint 328 GTS and he readily admitted that he couldn't stay anywhere close to my 3.2 Carrera above 130. Allowing for the fact that mine is a very sorted car, I still think yours will be a lot faster than mine so a hell of a lot faster than a 328. They are sublimely beautiful though
Pat Heald joined us on the fairly spirited run down the M1 to Black Tie and Pie in his mint 328 GTS and he readily admitted that he couldn't stay anywhere close to my 3.2 Carrera above 130. Allowing for the fact that mine is a very sorted car, I still think yours will be a lot faster than mine so a hell of a lot faster than a 328. They are sublimely beautiful though
That amazes me, as my 328 is much quicker between 130-160 than my old 3.2 911, but slower to about 80!!!!!!!!!!!
POORCARDEALER said:
burriana said:
If that's your Porsche on your profile Mark then you are going to find the 328 jaw droppingly gorgeous but horribly slow in comparison.
Pat Heald joined us on the fairly spirited run down the M1 to Black Tie and Pie in his mint 328 GTS and he readily admitted that he couldn't stay anywhere close to my 3.2 Carrera above 130. Allowing for the fact that mine is a very sorted car, I still think yours will be a lot faster than mine so a hell of a lot faster than a 328. They are sublimely beautiful though
Pat Heald joined us on the fairly spirited run down the M1 to Black Tie and Pie in his mint 328 GTS and he readily admitted that he couldn't stay anywhere close to my 3.2 Carrera above 130. Allowing for the fact that mine is a very sorted car, I still think yours will be a lot faster than mine so a hell of a lot faster than a 328. They are sublimely beautiful though
That amazes me, as my 328 is much quicker between 130-160 than my old 3.2 911, but slower to about 80!!!!!!!!!!!
By "very well sorted" I mean it's putting out about 260-270bhp. Not your average 3.2 ... I must be mad to have sold it this morning
northo said:
I am a fan of the 328 - don't be fooled, they are as quick as a Porsche in a straight line,
Looks like the original poster has a 996 Carrera 4, and, much as I love 'em, there is no way an F328 will keep up in a straight line, sorry.
Ruby - I'm afraid I have no idea what or who tinkered with the engine on mine before I had it, all I can say is that they did a damned good job and I'm very grateful to them
burriana said:
northo said:
I am a fan of the 328 - don't be fooled, they are as quick as a Porsche in a straight line,
Looks like the original poster has a 996 Carrera 4, and, much as I love 'em, there is no way an F328 will keep up in a straight line, sorry.
Ruby - I'm afraid I have no idea what or who tinkered with the engine on mine before I had it, all I can say is that they did a damned good job and I'm very grateful to them
Mines a C2 actually. But, I'm gradually coming down (power wise) from a succession of Porsche - the pinnacle being the GT2, so as you can guess, outright performance is not that important.
I had a 308 for 6 years in the 90's, and loved it. I promised myself a 355 one day, but when that day came, I couldn't get on with the lack of low down torque - prefering the more tractable nature of the older engine.
It's a bit of a turnaround for me, as I've been looking at e-types (something to tinker with), but I was passing The Ferrari Centre the other day and decided to pop in. Parked next to a lovely 328 GTB, and thought that they stilled looked as fantastic as the day they came out - not something I think about the 355/360.....!
Al - I was actually thinking of taking a closer look at your 3.2 Carrera - it looks fabulous - it's a shame it's sold.
Like Jamie said - one of the main reasons for the switch is to avoid losing £10k a year for owning a modern Porsche + I remember when I came out of a 3.2 Carrera and into my 308 back in the 90's, and I was amazed at the change in attitude from other driver towards me.....(in a good way - of course....
Anyway - thanks for the comments guys - keep 'em coming......
POORCARDEALER said:
Agree totally about people loving the 328, I get posative comments wherever I go........BUT I cant a driving position I am really happy with, I am 6ft 1.
Shouldn't be a problem - I'm just under 6', and never had a problem in the 308 (b).
What happen to the roof in the GTS - is it easily stored etc....
Also, any advice on pre-ABS cars - I much prefer the wheels, but most of the cars up for sale are 88/89 models - did they produce alot more of the later car, and are they really any better (apart from abs obviously).
Pat - was reading an old thread of yours about fitting a sports exhaust.....
You mention a Clarke lift - can't find any info on the Machine mart pages - do yopu have any further info?
Looks a whole lot easier that digging out a pit in the new garage...!
Edited by mbutchers on Sunday 7th January 10:24
Edited by mbutchers on Sunday 7th January 11:42
mbutchers said:
Any advice on pre-ABS cars - I much prefer the wheels, but most of the cars up for sale are 88/89 models - did they produce alot more of the later car, and are they really any better (apart from abs obviously).
Pre-ABS cars are actually regarded to offer a much more enjoyable braking experience than the ABS model which was produced when ABS was still a relatively new concept and far from being resolved.
mbutchers said:
What happen to the roof in the GTS - is it easily stored etc....
It is stored behind the seats and fits low enough to afford visibility through the rear srceen. You can see the edge of the roof panel immediately behind the seats in this pic...
mbutchers said:
Pat - was reading an old thread of yours about fitting a sports exhaust.....
You mention a Clarke lift - can't find any info on the Machine mart pages - do yopu have any further info?
Looks a whole lot easier that digging out a pit in the new garage...!
You mention a Clarke lift - can't find any info on the Machine mart pages - do yopu have any further info?
Looks a whole lot easier that digging out a pit in the new garage...!
I noticed that Machine Mart seem to have stopped listing the mobile car lift.
But have a look at this....
I would buy one of these if I was looking now.
I don't know anything about the vendor, but the price is very attractive.
mbutchers said:
Any advice on pre-ABS cars - I much prefer the wheels....
I much prefer the concave wheels, too.
But when I was looking for my 328, the best car by a country mile just happened to be an ABS car, which is a shame, but beggars can't be choosers.
mbutchers said:
What happen to the roof in the GTS - is it easily stored etc....
As you now know, the roof can be stored behind the seats. But if you do this, then the seats have to be moved forward, which severely reduces cabin space.
I can't drive mine with the roof stored behind the seats, so the roof tends to stay at home.
I preferred the lines of the GTB, but just didn't fit in one, so I bought a GTS and drive it with the roof off.
And if you do buy a 328, you will be needing a decent exhaust. So this link might be useful...
Pat H said:
mbutchers said:
Any advice on pre-ABS cars - I much prefer the wheels....
I much prefer the concave wheels, too.
But when I was looking for my 328, the best car by a country mile just happened to be an ABS car, which is a shame, but beggars can't be choosers.
mbutchers said:
What happen to the roof in the GTS - is it easily stored etc....
As you now know, the roof can be stored behind the seats. But if you do this, then the seats have to be moved forward, which severely reduces cabin space.
I can't drive mine with the roof stored behind the seats, so the roof tends to stay at home.
I preferred the lines of the GTB, but just didn't fit in one, so I bought a GTS and drive it with the roof off.
And if you do buy a 328, you will be needing a decent exhaust. So this link might be useful...
IIRC, did I read that you purchased a very low miles car?
If so, how did you find it faired with the lack of use, and did it need much fettling to bring it up to scratch..?
mbutchers said:
IIRC, did I read that you purchased a very low miles car?
If so, how did you find it faired with the lack of use, and did it need much fettling to bring it up to scratch..?
If so, how did you find it faired with the lack of use, and did it need much fettling to bring it up to scratch..?
I took a gamble and bought a 1989 328GTS that had barely been used.
It was the ultimate garage queen and just the sort of car everyone says you shouldn't buy.
The history was a bit strange. It was originally bought as an investment and was not used at all for four years. The bloke I bought it from paid £52,000 for it in 1993, by which time it had only covered 110 miles.
By the time I bought it in December 2005 it was up to 2,400 miles. It had been MOT'd every year, but hadn't really been serviced much.
It hadn't had a cam belt change for several years, so when I bought it I trailered it home.
I had the cambelts and tensioner bearings changed, then replaced the plugs, filters, engine and transmission oil, brake and clutch fluid, pads and coolant myself.
I then just used it, expecting all sorts of problems to emerge.
The mileage now stands at an astronomical 4,600....
So what has gone wrong over the last £2,200 miles?
The air conditioning could do with recharging and I replaced the gas struts that support the bonnet and bootlid. I had to solder a bulb connector to restore the illumination in one of the electric window switches. Nowt else has needed doing and it still looks, drives and smells like a new car.
So what has it all cost?
I paid £37,000, which was top whack in December 2005.
I have spent a total of £618 on parts and servicing, but this included brakes and cambelts.
The only other cost has been £744+VAT for a stainless sports exhaust.
I paid a premium for a particularly good car, the logic being that it is probably cheaper to address mechanical issues that might arise from lack of use than it is to tackle bodywork and trim restoration on a car that has been well used.
It is a lovely old thing and generates loads of positive attention wherever it goes. It is a delight to drive and it looks and sounds brilliant.
I am really pleased with it.
But I have recently committed myself to a business venture which might leave me a bit short, so I might have to consider selling up...
Lets hope it doesn't come to that, because it is the best car I have ever owned.
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