[DeTomaso] No 308GTBi in the garage

Tue Apr 22 21:50:51 EDT 2008

And of course, Lets not forget our Space City Member who purchased a 
Mangusta sight unseen, a car he wasmechanically unfamiliar with, on E-Bay. 
He got a terrific example at an excellent price!

JT
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Will Kooiman" <wkooiman at earthlink.net>
To: "'Joel Montero'" <jmontero at fcmat.org>; "'P. Rimov'" <rimov at charter.net>; 
<DeTomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 10:52 PM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] No 308GTBi in the garage

> I've had mostly good experiences buying and selling on ebay.  Set your
> expectations, reserve prices, and max bids accordingly.
>
> We bought my wife's 2000 Boxster S on ebay for $49,300 in 2001.  The 
> sticker
> that came with the car said $73,000.  It had less than 4,000 miles on the
> odometer and was showroom clean.
>
> I bought a 1997 Mustang Cobra for $13,000.  The dealer's trade-in was 
> around
> $17,000 at the time.  The only surprise was that it needed new brake 
> rotors.
> I think I spent $200 on brake parts.
>
> Of course, the point is well taken about buying an exotic car site unseen
> over ebay - especially a car that can have lots of hidden expenses.  It 
> was
> pretty cool for the guy to let your friend inspect the car before 
> purchase.
>
> I've always wanted a 308 too.  Maybe one day, but I'm having too much fun
> with the Pantera right now.
>
> Will.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] 
> On
> Behalf Of Joel Montero
> Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 4:56 PM
> To: P. Rimov; DeTomaso at realbig.com
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] No 308GTBi in the garage
>
> 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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