Jeff Ward

Wow, that was close! I almost left the ranks of happy 993 owners to buy a Ferrari 308 GTS QV. But thanks to Jordan's (Flat-6 Performance) post "New" for 1995 993 Review From The Archives, I got my thinking right again. I thought I was getting bored with my 993, but his post showed me I was wrong, and that I had come very close to making an expensive mistake.

For a month I've pondered selling or trading my low mileage 993 for an equally nice Ferrari 308. First of all, there are very few equally nice 308s out there. There are a whole bunch of Ferrari "fright pigs" (to quote Keith Martin of Sports Car Market) that are needing $5,000 to $10,000 major services. The nicest ones are more than I would get for my 993, and then I would be faced with a lifetime of high cost, hard to find maintenance, with scary ramifications if not done.

If 993 owners faced the maintenance hassles and expenses of these Ferraris, they'd be jumping off bridges everywhere. I love the look of a 308, but it's just not worth it- less power, more hassle, more expense. The 308 is likely to increase in value, but if you factor in the cost of ownership, that should pretty much cancel it out.

So Jordan, I owe you a big thanks for posting the video- it was therapuetic and saved me a fortune.

Jeff

Smiles

I think you sum it up well with this sentence.

My dad has owned a 308 for the past 23 years. All he has done is replace the shocks. He also is currently having it repainted.

Let me point out something that no one on Ferrarichat would believe: he hasn't replaced the original timing belts from 1981. He should, no doubt, but a lot of Ferrari owners get caught by fear of expensive engine rebuilds and spend too much on preventative maintenance.

Like any other car, buy one if it suits you. A 308 is a really great car to drive, with non-assisted steering rack and mid-engine. It's more fun, and feels even more special, than my 993 C4S. The GTS targa works great. But I wouldn't feel comfortable using a 308 as a daily driver, where I would (and often do) use my 993 as a DD.

And, also like any other car, buy the best one you can find. Get a PPI, and enjoy it!

Matt

Bill Verburg

My neighbor has 2, both speed yellow, 1 a 308 GTS the other a 355 ssomething or other, he washes them a lot.

JDHertz11

serval

Jeff, I can really sympathise. I also love the shape, maybe one of the last classic Ferrari but I took one look at the maintenance schedule, and I think Enzo expected me to rebuild the car every couple of years. And this is not counting unscheduled maintenance. One reason why Porsche won the most races out of any manufacturer is because they finish the race.

Stealth 993

Life it to short. If you find something you like, get it, & don't look back.

I see our local Ferrari club newsletter, & can't believe how cheap a lot of nice Ferraris are right now! I could sell my C4, pick up a 80's early 90's Ferrari, & maybe have some $$ left over.

I LOVE the looks, I LOVE the driving experience, could not cope with the maintaince. The down side, is I would also drive the Hell out of it. Honestly, the fit & finish on our 993's is far superior to most early model Ferraris.

Toga

LuftKuhler

I seriously looked at a 308 before I bought my car. Glad I didn't. Plus I would have trouble growing the requisite mustache

Helios59

I guess it's all relative as far as upkeep is concerned.

I started with a Honda, moved to a BMW, and now I'm preparing to pull the trigger on a Porsche (most likely a late 80s 3.2).

According to this progression, a Ferrari should come in about five years - providing I still have two nickels to rub together.

Analog Theory

LOL..Jeff - it's my pleasure! I actually found that video searching you tube for 993 material because I'm going through major withdrawl as my car is in for major surgery and it's 1 week (and counting). Any time I've been away from my car for this amount of time I realize I can never part with it.

Look forward to a post in the coming weeks detailing a new top end, bumperette delete with RSR ducting (amongst other tidbits) and most excitedely - a Rennsport ECU courtesy of Steve Weiner!! I can't stand the wait!

JDHertz11

I like the more modern 360's and F430's but there is still something associated with FERRARI ownership that I dislike. I'm a working stiff that would have to deal with the "Who the f$ck does he think he is" driving a FERRARI. Even if it was a 308/GT4 @ $20K the stigma is there and will not go away..... I'll keep driving my cars that are direct descendants of the Volkswagen Beetle and blend in to asphalt parking lots.....

matt777

I went in to pay for some gas yesterday and the guy behind the counter asked me if that was a newer Ferrari??? I got to say that I lusted after a 308 which was probably driven by watching Magnum PI back in the days. I ran into a guy at our DMV (equivalent) who had a red 308 and wore the Ferrari jacket, hat shoes and gloves who admitted that it was not very fast.

Ed Burdell

I want a Ferrari big time, but it needs to be an F430, which is far more reliable than the earlier cars, by all accounts. I don't wrench on them myself, so bulletproof is good.

Having said that, I can't afford one right now, and regardless, I will never, ever sell the 993. I want to respray it, put the ninemeister heads on it, change the windshield, and refurbish the wheels someday, but it's just too awesome a car to ever let it go.

grwoolf

Well said. I love the cars and the prices on some are very reasonable, but there is an strong image of extravagance that goes with a Ferrari. You can make the same argument with a 993 to some extent, but they are much more low key IMO. At some level, I want to say, "who cares, let people think what they want", but a Ferrari just demands too much attention for my tastes (and I probably couldn't afford the maintenance anyway).

Rinty

One of my neighbours has a 360, and he says the only thing he doesn't like about it is the crowd that it attracts, everywhere.

I have to think that 308 prices have dropped to a level where more folks are thinking about ownership. I haven't done any research on them, but my understanding is that they are one of the "affordable" Ferrari's, and are not seen by the Ferraristi as one of their more desirable models (i.e. the Ducati Paso of Ferraris). But I've always quite liked them.