Among the vehicles you expect to see on Facebook, a barn find Ferrari is not one of them. It’s amazing how much a social media site has disrupted the automotive classifieds landscape; to this day, the death of craigslist remains one of the more baffling missteps in the history of e-commerce. I know, I know – there are still plenty of good vehicles on craigslist, but I find the bulk of the inventory now resides on Marketplace. Regardless, a Ferrari 328 in this sort of condition would be a shock to see on either page, but you’ll find this 1996 model listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $74,000 firm.
Now, my first reaction was that this looked a little too – I don’t know, perfect? The Ferrari sits on flat tires, yes, but it doesn’t seem to have the kind of filth that would be associated with barn storage for 20 years, as the listing claims. I tried to zoom in on the plate, as it appears to either be a temporary tag or perhaps a dealer plastic insert. Regardless, there are some pockets of dirt and the car cover is in tatters, but all of that can be manufactured if someone is desperate enough to cause a stir. Additionally, this looks like the backdrop of someone who trades in old C10 pickups and the occasional Harley; dropping a Ferrari 328 GTS into this setting seems awfully random.
But then, my faith was slightly restored because I wanted to call foul on the front passenger wheel; it clearly wasn’t chrome and it just looked off – perhaps the wonders of AI? But as you scroll through the listing, you’ll see that it’s clear the spare tire was swapped on to either get the car rolling, or perhaps it’s been sitting way for years – the tire was quite flat. In the shop photos post-extraction, it now rides on the original chrome wheel on the front right side, and it looks correct. The antenna is still bent as it was in the barn photos. The paint certainly cleaned up well, but it’s nothing like the interior.
The cabin was truly a shock, as I thought for sure it would be covered in dirt and evidence of rodents. Perhaps it was, and if there was a mice infestation, you’d not want to share that photo for fear of ruining the experience for anyone weighing a barn find Ferrari purchase. Like all neglected Ferraris, it will require an engine-out belt service, along with a full cooling system refresh and I’m guessing a lot more. Budget $20,000, conservatively, and likely more to get the Ferrari back on the road. Hearing that 3.2L V8 and its 270 horses come back to life? Completely worth it, I suspect.
What a classic barn find! And if the odo is true, one could speculate that because factory spec said the timing belt service was up coming it wasn’t on the front burner of the owner-remembering that this was parked about the time The Great Recession was spiraling up..
Pure speculation on my part on all that but regardless whoever buys this and restores it will have a good looking low mileage example of a classic V8 Ferrari at a decent price provided it’s as advertised on this Facebook Marketplace by a car dealership..
What a classic find Jeff!
Jeff the write up says it’s a 1996, obviously a typo.
As for how a car of this calibre ends up like this is a mystery to me. Even much lesser cars.
A car was (is) a major milestone purchase in my household and we were taught to respect and take care of it from childhood. Where as many family cars would have scratched interiors, ripped and yogurt stained seats, carpets etc. my dad’s cars were immaculate – with 5 kids!
At 10 years old many cars today look well used with cheap plastics, my pop’s 10 year old ‘80 Plymouth looked literally like it was a few months old, hardly any wear. And it was black!!!
It’s a 86 now. I sell on CL and FB, all items no vehicles and do 10 times better on FB, but i am in the Los Angeles area.
The belt service does not require motor out on this unit. Done through the right rear wheel house.
Yup, engine-out belt service started with the successor model to this, the 348 and its Mondial T sibling.
According to a Google search this cars msrp was about $70k when new. Add says they put a new battery in to test if the engine was free translation they tried to start it on 20+ year old fuel. The $74K ask is firm per the add but I also believe cash standing in front of the car can move a lot of firm prices. I think I will send a link to Tyler Boogie from Hoovies garage on YouTube, or Dennis Collins in Texas.
I seem to be one of the few people WITHOUT Facebook, it is rather annoying that there are so many ads for cars/parts on there. The few times I have found something there I had to have someone else inquire about it. They should have a guest feature.
Now just add another $25K plus to get it roadworthy again? A dream car for most people.
I used to want one.
Sure, it has the right badge on the front, if that’s why you are buying it. But for low-balling your way into the local F club, you also must endure the hushed “Oh, that poor lad” comments at the shows.
A 308 is not a good look when cubic dollars on display is what that world has become. It’s no longer a bunch of crusty old SCCA dirt bags anymore, fawning over a beat up barn find from the 1960s and offering to help. Half of the attendees have no clue what SWB means, nor do they care. It’s all become punk techies with cash to burn.
Plus, you get to put you’re Ferrari mechanic on speed dial for car that will never, ever top $100k, in any condition, no matter what you spend to put it and keep it on the road.
The 3.2L V8 and its 270 swampy horses is hardly a selling point. Many cars easily outran these, including a lot of cheap ‘mercian iron. A WRX Sti is 325 hp and a whole lot more fun.
Bluesman,
The way the government keeps printing money it won’t take long for that car to go over 100k. I remember when a million dollars was a lot of money.
A million is only a lot when you owe it. When you have it you realize you have a nice piece of change but that’s it.
Located in Raleigh, NC
It would be the “smiles per gallon” for me….got to be a blast to drive, if I “could” afford it, I like to think that I could keep it going.
I’m not much of a car show guy anyway, but as a weekend car I wouldn’t give a damn what anyone thought, cause it would be for me
These cars gained fame because it was like the Ferrari used by Tom Selleck in the tv show Magnum P.I. Every young guy in the world wanted one and in the 80’s and with a $70K price tag then was like $300k now only the spoiled rich kids got one while all the rest dreamed of what it would be like to own one. Now all the ones that dreamed of having one are in their 60’s and a lot of them are financially well enough to buy this car, restore it, and still afford to get it out on the open road and enjoy it, so I think the seller might get the FIRM price they’re asking for it only because of the fact of when you say ” FERRARI” most people under 65 picture a Red mid 80’s 308 or 328 like this one but they can now afford to actually own one.
You make some good points regarding the attraction of this car for some people.
This car is what a lot of uninformed people consider to be a Ferrari, only because of the TV exposure and they sold a lot of them. This and the Mondial are the current “low cost” entry points into the club, if that’s where your heads at. Beyond that, it’s not a very remarkable car.
$70k can buy a whole lot of iron (and plastic) that is just way more interesting than these things, and that will get far more attention and probably be more fun. They’re just not Ferraris.
Since the car has spent long time close to concrete /dirt floor ….check for underneath rust on sheet metal. And RAT chewed electrical wires. Defiantly a car to look at with a professional in person before buying a red pig in a poke.
This is the kind of car you take a good mechanic with you
to look at it.Emotion takes over – “IT”S RED!”.
When we were on the island of Hawaii,I saw a 328 coming
the other way.I thought to myself “What a waste”,as the speed limit
was something like 45MPH,& I noticed a fair amount of unmarked
police cars.
Back then,
cops bought their own cars,& had a small light they put on top of them.
Not a bad buy at all in today’s marketplace. Yes, they are a “real” Ferrari in every sense of the word. Remarkably though, they are relatively easy to maintain and additionally are reliable, rugged, and capable of reaching relatively high mileage figures before needing major repairs. There are plenty of parts around also. A cursory look will reveal that these extremely low mileage ones (308-348) are definitely going to be (and are) significantly topping the six figure mark. By the way, John is correct in saying that the dreaded timing belts can be changed without pulling the engine and would be considered cheap insurance for high dollar repairs. Good luck and, as with anything , use common sense.
I 100% agree. I do not patronize FB either, used to but got rid of it. It would be good for FB to allow non “members” to access. A lot of businesses use FB instead of having their own website, which is unfortunate as I cannot deal with them. I know I could set up a dummy account, but it ‘s not that important to me.