Flying Finn

Since MikeW's 993 vs. Viper post got so good response, I'd like to ask you guy similar thing: I've been thinking of buying 993 but had also thoughts about Viper (let's not talk about that now) and Ferrari 328i GTS. I'm leaning towards Porsche, since I love them (I already have older 911 which is not for sale) but...

I just looked one 328, it was -87 with about 30k miles on it. Prices are quite same as -95-96 993 Porsches. Does anyone have any experience on 328's? Or opinions, I'd apprecitiate any advice from you guys.

Thanks!

Jim Sullivan

I think it's got the same elements as the Viper and Lotus discussions. Porsches, whether we like to admit it or not, lack the general public "wow factor" of the other cars, plain and simple. We think of these cars as limited production, which they are, but they've been turning that same shape out for many, many years, and folks get used to seeing 911's.

Last year I drove to a DE at Mosport, CAN, and following my buddy's black 1991 Lotus, I was absolutely amazed as we slowly rolled through a customs area with lots of people walking by us - my Black C2S was invisible and everyone's eyes were glued on the Lotus.

So, if you want performance, reliability, reasonable and available parts and service.. I think Porsche is a no-brainer. If you want to make a statement, you go with something more exotic.

SeanD

I tend to disagree with the idea the Porsches are invisible to the public.

I owned a 1992 silver BMW 850i six speed and had people ask me about the car all the time.

I too, thought when going to a 993 that some of the "wow" factor would be lost.. which incidently, was what I was searching for.

Wrong! Just two days ago I was driving on a pretty standard road here in town going to 95 for a quick romp in the 993 and this guy in a mini van was driving right next to me keeping my pace. At the next stop light he stopped short of the other cars (about two car length spaces in front of him) and just kept staring at the car. Finally I looked over and he gave me the "roll down your window twirl".

"That has got to be the most awesome car on the planet". "Really, it's just an amazing car" "How much did you pay for it" ... etc. etc.

I've been driving along and had:

Thumbs up, waves, head swivels that would break necks, and the oddest one, a woman who was waiting outside a local sea food store and said: "I just wanted to meet the person that drove this car".

So, after owning the car for two months, I'd say that the whole "folks get used to seeing 911's" idea is not exactly correct.

Then again, I live in Mel-boring Beach. If I had a Viper/Lotus/Ferrari.. now that what be quite something around here!

Can't wait to get my window tint on August 15th so I can concentrate on why I BUY SPORTS CARS: Driving them.

Randall G.

Well, don't have any experience with Ferraris in general or the 328i GTS specifically.

However ... Road & Track ran a "Used Car Classic" article on the 1975-1985 308 GTB & GTS, March of 1997. Some "Typical Repair Prices":

Renew clutch = $1200
Rebuild gearbox = $7000
Replace catalytic converter = $1900
Rebuild engine = $12000-$15000
15,000 mile service = $2000-$3000
30,000 mile service = $3,000-$5,000 (!!)

(Prices include parts & labor at $80/hour)

Hope this helps.

Turbo Ron

I have a 911sc. I to am thinking of a change, in about a year. I am the person that post 993 vs. Lotus. I to am thinging of a 328. I have driven 308 ferrari, and have been not impressed. Pretty to look at. Not much fun to drive. The v8 does sound great. My friend has a 328. I have not driven his, all though, no power steering. Every thing I have read, is it is not as quick as a 993, and does not have great handling. Much less to maintain than the 348. Timing built change you do not have to pull the engine as you do with the Lotus v8 and the 348. I live in the LA area where you see porsches all the time. Vipers are to macho looking. I think for the money Lotus has better handling and is much faster than the 328, and has power steering. Build quality and reliably is probably better with the 328 than the Lotus, and less depreation. The porsche is much better built. What a delemmi.

Turbo Ron

Excuse all my errors in spelling and grammer. I did not proof read first.

SeanD

Ron: FYI You can click on the "Edit Post" icon and go back into the message to fix dem typos. I do it about 4-5 times for each of my posts ... DOH!

Good luck with whichever you choose. I would love to get your feedback on either the Lotus or the Ferrari.

My take in LA is: It's the only place you can be walking in the city, bump into a punker with green hair, trip over a bum, and catch your fall on a Ferrari.

Flying Finn

Those Ferrari maintenance prices... huh.

I'd not take Lotus, it looks nice nut what I've heard it's not so 'sports' car after all.

Ferrari 328, I believe Porsche is better (better hadling, quicker, better (cheaper) to service, it's just, you know, Ferrari, what else one can say?

When thinking of these cars (Porsche, Viper, 328) I'm leaning towards Porsche, we'll see what happens

To SeanD, I usually have to edit my post 4 times too

Turbo Ron

An interesting site to go to is, www.supercars.net. Their you can find 0 to 60mph times. 0-100mph times of past and present supercars. Included are ferrari, porsche, and lotus, and hundreds more. This may help make some desisions.

Flying Finn

Thanks Ron, it's a good reference site for future use too!

Jim Sullivan

Sean, I'm sure you suspect that I didn't mean Porsches were invisible... far from it! But they are not as exotic and rare as the others mentioned.

I have a friend (lots of car friends, huh? ) who has a 911 that he races. He recently sold his beautiful 355 and ordered a 996TT, so I asked him why. He said, besides the minor inconvenience of flatbedding his car 250 miles to the nearest Ferrari dealer for routine service intervals, he never could shake the ownership impression that Ferrari was taking advantage. I asked for an example - one day his daughter was helping him rinse the car. The spray caught the wiper and broke a flimsy plastic tab that retains the wipers.. bill - $450!

SeanD

Yikes! $450 for a wiper blade.. ouch!

Yeah, I see your point.. sometimes I see a Ferrari (or other exotics) and think WOW! at first then switch right too.. man that guy pays A LOT to keep that baby on the road.. no wonder most are never driven often!

Flying Finn

This one's for the flames!

Yellow

If the 328 is anything like a 308 in terms of performance, I'd stick on a 911 of any flavor. Although my case may not exactly be representative of a 328 vs 993, the lineage may prove useful.

I had the chance while I was in college to swap my heavily modded '78 911 turbo for a '79 308 (non QV), and lived with it for about 3 days. Here's what I can pull out of my hazy memory about the 308:

1. Looks fast. This thing was fairly sluggish, even compared to my other '88 911. I think the Daytona cams might have been the culprit, but even at high revs, it lacked punch.

2. Ooohhh, that Ferrari sound. Sure makes me forgive the lower than expected engine performance.

3. Trunk space (I know, it's a given)....hey, this WAS going to be my only car, and I'm the kind of person that would rather make a few extra trips and shy away from borrowing another. The only decent storage was next to the engine. So I guess it's heated storage.

4. Paint quality. Noticed discoloration on the engine lid. I think poor heat insulation might have been the culprit.

5. Things don't close right. Compared to an older Porsche, the hood, door, and other latches in general don't seem to mate very well, or require extra effort to close/open. I was bugged by these details.

6. Claustrophobic interior. I'm a little under 6 ft, 175 lbs, and the surrounding panels just felt a little too close for comfort.

7. Turns heads. That was nice then, it still would be cool now.

8. Didn't feel very driveable. I guess not until the 355 came along can they be used as daily drivers, or even close.

I probably missed some other points, but you get the general idea

JBH

Have you ever noticed that nearly every Ferrari for sale has very low miles? Anything above 35,000 is absolutely unheard of. Check eBay or internet classifieds for Ferrari and Porsche and look at the difference in mileage.

There is a reason for this - they are temperamental, difficult to maintain, and worse to keep tuned for optimum performance. It's always something. Take it from someone who owned one.

On the other hand, owning a Porsche has many advantages, many which were already listed. A few that were not:
PCA is the second largest car club in the world (I think Model A is #1)

There are numerous aftermarket suppliers (try price shopping for a Ferrari water pump)

There is a huge resource base for technical information (witness this Web Board for example)

The owners actually know something about the cars they drive

No gold chains are required to own one

Just my perspective...