Ferrari 348 Questions

[JPPILOT]

Chaps, am off to view a couple of 348's this weekend and have identified one in particular that looks like a very nice car. Chatting to the owner last night has left me with a couple of things I need some advice on.

This chaps car is a 92 with less than 30k miles and a cracking history, its also his second 348 and about his 5th Ferrari so he seems to really know his stuff. A couple of the other car's I'll be looking at are however 91's but again with low miles and good history.

One of the things the chap warned me about on the 91 cars is that the gearbox is very weak and prone to breaking at huge expense ? Is this really the case ? I've trawled this forum looking for info on that but cant find much on that? Also, with his car he was honest enough to tell me that the windows are a little slow to raise and sometimes need a helping hand but that most 348's do this, again is this normal ?

Also are the servicing intervals different on the 91 cars than the 92's ??

Any advice would be most appreciated! I'm pretty sure the chap is 100% genuine and was extremely helpful but just wanted to check with you lot first!

Cheers....Des

[burriana]

Not heard about the earlier model gearboxes being weak. They all have a second gear that is a bit notchy for the first 5 mins until the gear oil is warmed up a bit but it's not that bad really.

Again, I have not heard of the window issue, mine was fine. Older Porsches maybe, TVRs, definitely

[chrisx666]

Hi Des.

The changes made to the 348 during production were gradual and are difficult to quantify by year alone. For example, some changes to Euro LHD cars in early 92' did not appear on RHD or USA cars until later in the year.

IMO a very basic rule of thumb would be:

Mk1 (up to and into 92'). Dual plate clutch. Battery in back of car. AC Delco alternator.
Mk2 (92/93). Single plate clutch. Battery behind LH front wheel. NipponDenso alternator. Rear suspension mounting points revised.
Mk3 GTB/GTS/Spider. As above + larger plenums and single box exhaust (+20hp).

I am not aware of any changes to the gearbox during production other than the final drive ratio on the latest cars. They can be awkward to get into 2nd untilwarmed up a bit - better if a top quality synth oil (with no or very little LSD additive) is used.

The slow windows are a very common problem and not a concern compared with other things. The main cause is the multipole door connectors. The connectors are not up to the job and get corroded along with damage where the wire flexes. A permanent solution is to wire them through, though just cleaning the pins may help. You can also add a couple of ground switching relays inside the door which helps. My windows work fine with both of these mods done.

Chris.

[burriana]

Morning Chris


What I was going to add, if you can stretch the budget just a couple of grand then the higher powered and better handling GTB/GTS is def worth going for ... a bit like this

[JPPILOT]

Thanks chaps, so a late 91 is potentially not so much of an issue, having to put a new gearbox in really isint something I'd fancy having to shell out for if I could avoid it!!

Any changes in the servicing ? I'm sure I read that the 90/91's have the cambelts done every 2 years whereas the 92s onwards are every 3 years ?

Also, with regards to the TS, does the roof tend to leak at all or are they pretty good ?

Cheers

Des

[neil-f]

My 348 had an invoice for gearbox repair/rebuild over £15k(Graypaul) in the folder when i bought it.
Windows slowish but did not need to be assisted by hand.
Yes the roof also leaked. The seals are a fortune from Ferrari so make sure they are in good order.

[judas]

As far as gearbox issues go, I think the problem is the main pinion nut can come loose and if it eventually comes off and gets caught up in the works that's when you're in for sized bills.

Slow windows are a commom problem but can be easily sorted.

This page should answer just about every question you could have about 348s

[chrisx666]

burriana said:

Morning Chris


What I was going to add, if you can stretch the budget just a couple of grand then the higher powered and better handling GTB/GTS is def worth going for ... a bit like this

Afternoon Al. Yep, that GTB looks well nice..not many TB/GTB about.


TS/TB. I bought a tb because of experiences I have had with targa tops in the past (non-Ferrari I must add). Again it depends on what you are after - a stiff feeling chassis and dry Levi's are more important to me than open-top motoring. Personally I would (and did) pay a little extra for a 'battery in front' car, all other things being equal. The last-of-the-line cars with the high plenums a little more again.

[burriana]

Great sound clips there Pete ... but who wrote that copy ... "A quick flick of the wrist" ... you bet

[JPPILOT]

Hmmm, nice GTB but by the looks of things its going to need the Cambelts done again in 8 months which wont be cheap !

Thanks for all your help chaps, I've just secured a lock-up 2mins away to park it in (dont want to leave on drive) so all I've got to do is pick a car this weekend!

The next hardest choice I've got however is colour, Red or Black...any views? (I'm sure there will be!)

Cheers

Des

[chrisx666]

JPPILOT said:

Hmmm, nice GTB but by the looks of things its going to need the Cambelts done again in 8 months which wont be cheap !

Thanks for all your help chaps, I've just secured a lock-up 2mins away to park it in (dont want to leave on drive) so all I've got to do is pick a car this weekend!

The next hardest choice I've got however is colour, Red or Black...any views? (I'm sure there will be!)

Cheers

Des

I would happily have one in red, black or yellow. I don't think any other colour suits the 348. Just my opinion. Red seems to be the easiest to sell on, so in theory a non-red car should be priced a bit lower (again, all else being equal..).

[burriana]

Go for Black Des .... er, leaving any good red ones for me to choose from

However, if you're going for the Targa, then please feel free to pick any colour you like

[MitchT]

Useful site for 348 stuff... www.the348.com

[JPPILOT]

Have to say actually chaps that this one is currently fave....

www.pistonheads.com/sales/163010.htm

Off to view tomorrow so if its as good as it looks and sounds (the chap even gave me the number for his mechanic whos known the car for years) then I could be in for a fun drive home....

Cheers

Des

[burriana]

Looks nice, if a tad on the expensive side.

Make sure that you have it checked over by a competent mechanic unless you know the history of the car and people have recommended it.

Good luck

[JPPILOT]

You can bet I wont be paying that price for a start!, yes it'll still be pricy but I'm confident its a cracker. As everyone keeps telling me, tis better to spend more on a goodun to start with.

The chap had just spent £5k making it mechanically perfect for the next few years with the intention of keeping it until he got offered his mates 355 (whos buying a 360).

Fingers crossed it meets up to my rather high expectations !

Cheers

Des

[Grand Fromage]

JPPILOT said:

You can bet I wont be paying that price for a start!, yes it'll still be pricy but I'm confident its a cracker. As everyone keeps telling me, tis better to spend more on a goodun to start with.

The chap had just spent £5k making it mechanically perfect for the next few years with the intention of keeping it until he got offered his mates 355 (whos buying a 360).

Fingers crossed it meets up to my rather high expectations !

Cheers

Des

That's the 70,000th reply!

[burriana]

eh

[Lagerlout]

Is that the black and grey car that Verdi had for sale a while back with an unusually high number of owners?

[JPPILOT]

Its black with crema interior.....as for owners its had about 6 or 7....most of whom have hardly used it from the history...

Any reason ?