Starter Fezzer

[danielsonson]

Hi ALL

Any recomendations on a first time fezzer?

I am runnning an Esprit at the moment with another in the workshop, but it looks like a bonus is coming in the new year so starting to think about getting my first Rari!

I have always liked the 308 GTB's I dont really wanna spend more than 20k as the insurance is goign to be about 2-3k and I am budgeting a total annual servicing bill of 2k. is this realistic?

I have been known to defy logic, i.e. my daily driver is an Esprit and I have been known to use a barely road legal track Alfa (my fathers) to commute to London. It just kills me to drive Euro Boxes or Bavarian d*ck extensions.

So what do we think am I going to pull off my second childhood dream?

Cheers



>> Edited by danielsonson on Thursday 22 December 17:27

[POORCARDEALER]

I think your budget is about right, just make sure you buy a decent car in the first place, insure it on a classic policy shouldnt be more than £500 or so, I would have it inspected by somebody who knows the cars.

[Pat H]

danielsonson said:

Hi ALL Any recomendations on a first time fezzer? I am runnning an Esprit at the moment with another in the workshop, but it looks like a bonus is coming in the new year so starting to think about getting my first Rari! I have always liked the 308 GTB's I dont really wanna spend more than 20k as the insurance is goign to be about 2-3k and I am budgeting a total annual servicing bill of 2k. is this realistic? I have been known to defy logic, i.e. my daily driver is an Esprit and I have been known to use a barely road legal track Alfa (my fathers) to commute to London. It just kills me to drive Euro Boxes or Bavarian d*ck extensions. So what do we think am I going to pull off my second childhood dream? Cheers

I am also a (former) Esprit driving lawyer looking for his first Ferrari, though unlike you I choose to use an old Bavarian d*ick extension for work.

I am looking for a good 328GTS, cos I don't fit in a GTB.

I've looked at several over the last few months. They invariably look nice and spangly on top, but underneath is often a different story.

These old Ferraris are rusty buggers...

[danielsonson]

I just had a poke in the dark quote on a 328, the chap was very helpful and negotiated it down to £650 which is a lot less then I thought (im only 25).

Re: my fellow Eagle, Have you seen the 288 repro based on a 308 under the 308 section of PH classifieds? It is something very special and it looks like the price is less than the sum of the bits. I think I might have to check that one out in the new year.

Merry Xmas all!

DB

[danielsonson]

The Bavarian Joke wasn't meant to offend by the way SORRY, I once was caught driving around in a 328(BMW), worst bit is it had white leather! ahhhh

Pat H said:

danielsonson said: Hi ALL Any recomendations on a first time fezzer? I am runnning an Esprit at the moment with another in the workshop, but it looks like a bonus is coming in the new year so starting to think about getting my first Rari! I have always liked the 308 GTB's I dont really wanna spend more than 20k as the insurance is goign to be about 2-3k and I am budgeting a total annual servicing bill of 2k. is this realistic? I have been known to defy logic, i.e. my daily driver is an Esprit and I have been known to use a barely road legal track Alfa (my fathers) to commute to London. It just kills me to drive Euro Boxes or Bavarian d*ck extensions. So what do we think am I going to pull off my second childhood dream? Cheers I am also a (former) Esprit driving lawyer looking for his first Ferrari, though unlike you I choose to use an old Bavarian d*ick extension for work. I am looking for a good 328GTS, cos I don't fit in a GTB. I've looked at several over the last few months. They invariably look nice and spangly on top, but underneath is often a different story. These old Ferraris are rusty buggers...

>> Edited by danielsonson on Friday 23 December 09:43

[burriana]

You will not find a decent RHD 308 for £20k, more like £24k

911virgin.com has a very nice looking one in at the moment.

However, you may find a LHD at that money.

[t1grm]

If you can go to 22-23K then I would go for a 348. The 308 is becoming a classic car now (in the age sense as well as the style sense) with the associated maintenance problems and difficulty finding parts. The 348 is still a modern Ferrari and ironically will probably be more reliable and cost less to maintain than a 308.

[POORCARDEALER]

I know of a RHD 328 GTB that will be coming onto the market in January, Red, 50K miles circa, just had £4K spent on it, Sports exhaust, Belts, brakes all round etc etc, having nose cone painted due to chips at minute, will be £22.5K!

[ric p]

Done exactly that. Having had 4 TVRs and a Maserati Biturbo Spyder amongst others, I thought that it was time to try that which I had always criticized. Went looking for a 308GTS last autumn and ended up buying a blue 328GTS for pretty much the same price. I found the condition of the 308's were pretty poor, even the late QVs. Thus finally took Karl at Verdi's advice and looked at a 328, which is a much better car and I cannot recommend Verdi's sufficiently as they inspected and fettled the car for me. Driven it once since, home from London at night and it is now unfortunately confined to the garage until the salt has gone. OK the interior is not as nice as a 308 but it appears to be a better car all round.
Insurance, by the way, £365 for 3000 miles living in Somerset

[danhay]

I haven't had difficulty getting parts for my 1975 GT4. Ferrari UK manage Ferrari's parts system for older cars. There's a lot less to go wrong on the older cars, and the labour's not too bad because things are generally more accessible than the 348 series onwards. However, they do require more servicing due to carbs and points, and rust resistance is not a strong point.

A lot of people in the know reckon the 328 is the one to go because of the balance between simplicity and reliability. However you may struggle to get a good one on your budget...though if it's possible now's the time of year to do it!