[DeTomaso] No 308GTBi in the garage

[Joel Montero]

Paul, 

Your instincts were probably correct on this one, particularly as it
relates to ebay.  My experience with ebay is that one generally ends up
paying more for less.  I won't say how it is that I know that but let's
just agree that experience is a tough teacher.  However, I guess I want
to supply the counterpoint on the list regarding the function,
reliability and maintenance of Ferraris.  I've owned two.  The first was
almost exactly the car that you described (308GTB) and the second a 328
of the same configuration.  While the 328 was the superior car the 308
was very fun to drive and also very reliable.  They are exotics but they
are still simply machines.  With reasonable maintenance and some
attention to detail they can be, at least in my experience, pretty
serviceable.  Parts are expensive but good Ferrari mechanics are not as
hard to find as one might think.  Much work can be done by the owner if
you are so inclined.  If you are still interested at some point in
owning a vintage Ferrari here are a couple of tips that were given to me
when I was in the market.  

Sometimes higher mileage Ferraris are a better value and are more
reliable than let's say a 1980's vintage with 15,000 miles.  In this
market, low mileage in not necessarily a good thing.  

Spending time with the car before you buy is essential.  Investing a
little in a qualified mechanic to give you their opinion on the front
end of the transaction is priceless.  

Cars without complete service records dating back to day one should be
avoided. Ownership records are also important as in how many previous
owners, who were they and where were they from?   

Almost every Ferrari has a well documented weak point or poorly
engineered system somewhere or another.  Forza magazine writes a lot
about the older cars and is a pretty good source of information although
it always has pretty much a positive Ferrari slant.  As mentioned
earlier, the Ferrari Market Newsletter is also a very good source of
information.  

At the end of the day, it is just another car.  Contrary to popular
belief, Ferrari engineering is not always state of the art....but then
we drive Panteras!  The two cars with which I am familiar were very fun
to drive and very satisfying to own.  Perhaps I was just lucky or maybe
my expectations were different, I'm not sure.  

Joel


-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com]
On Behalf Of P. Rimov
Sent: Sunday, April 20, 2008 5:53 PM
To: DeTomaso at realbig.com
Subject: [DeTomaso] No 308GTBi in the garage

Evening;

 Instincts overrode impulse. I passed on getting in on the bidding on
the GTBi on Ebay. I was not comfortable in buying a F-car sight unseen
even though it looked like a nice well kept car. Sure would have looked
nice next to our Pcar. Should have bought the black 512bbi boxer Cathy
and I looked at a couple of years ago for 60k as they are now again in
the 150k plus range. Oh well, I guess I will have to just be content to
have a bad boys car.


Paul 
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