We all have that dream car growing up, which often began as an image on our bedroom walls that was looked at every day before going to sleep and the first thing we saw when we woke up. Many of us had Lamborghini’s, others had American muscle, and some had Ferrari’s. This seller’s dream car since high school is this lovely low milage 1990 Ferrari 348 TB in Rosso Corsa with just 36K miles. The car is available in San Francisco, California on Craigslist here for $85,000. Thanks to Pat L. for this tip!
The 348 was a huge step forwards for Ferrari in 1989, replacing the aging 328, and really took the car and the brand to the next level. It also laid the path for the even more successful 355 which was based upon the same mechanicals. It was also the last Ferrari to be developed by Enzo Ferrari before his death and was delivered after he had died. Interesting there is another Enzo connection – when they developed the Ferrari Enzo, they used two 348 mules and shoehorned a V12 into it. Our car here doesn’t quite have the same illustrious history, but luckily it has been very well cared for but can be used as a driver’s car as the current owner does, meaning its paintwork has some mild imperfections and is no garage queen.
Ferrari Tax is what is referred to when buying Ferrari parts, given that simple components are 10x more expensive than the equivalent parts from almost any other manufacturer. This resulted in the owner’s last eye-watering bill of $11,000 for the 30k major service. With such an unstressed engine, it should have most of its original 296hp, and thankfully no more large engine jobs for a good amount of time – given that most service work on this engine means that it needs to come out every time. They fixed this with the later 360, but maintenance was not at the forefront of the engineers’ minds when they built this car.
The lucky new owner will be treated to a proper manual gearbox and a much more involved drive than its predecessors. The design is pure 80s with the Testarossa -style side profile and helps this 348 TB to remain popular to this day. The TB in the name stands for Trasversale Berlinetta, or Coupe to you and me, and could be yours to drive away today. So does this low-mileage Ferrari appeal to you and have potential as a future classic, or would you prefer a different Ferrari from this era?
Interesting Craigslist ad!
80k for a daily driver’s ferrari…this is a dangerous car, enough to inspire a midlife crisis in anyone of any age! Best wishes to the next owner but keep it as far away from me and my wallet as possible.
The belt service was done ten years ago.
It’s long overdue for another major.
Fantasy to believe that belts need to be completed every 5 years. The belts that Gates, etc. designed in 1990 are vastly different than the current day belt designs that last up to 25+ years. This is a very nice example that will continue to grow in value. As a Ferrari owner, they are a blast to drive, sound like no other with Tubi exhausts and with the gated manual…an excellent investment auto.
I dunno about Gates belts being all that and a bag of chips anymore. They certainly went downhill for the Subaru in recent years. YMMD
Yeah, good luck selling that Ferrari with 25 year old belts… it screams cheap-ass owner and deferred maintenance nightmare.
Also oil last changed 4,000 miles ago. Based on the fact that the current owner put 10,000 miles on in 8 years that means the oil is about 4 years old. Also the current owner did not pay that $11,000 service bill that was mentioned, that was done 2 years before he acquired the car. Nothing like a well maintained Ferrari.
If you cannot defrost the windows, then you cannot drive the car, The infamous electronic HVAC push button control panel has only recently been reverse engineered using chip-burning technology that has been abandoned for many years. Repairing rare electronic control modules is a challenge that only a few egghead nerds and retired Silicon Valley gurus will attempt to revisit. These components borderline on all economic pressures to restore. Supply, and demand are basis for high value components. Yes, we can do it. The price for these components is balanced by the resale value of the car, or there would be no value in pursuit of abandoned technologies.
Very nice car, probably will sell for $65-70k, it has more miles on the clock than most. I agree that although the belts only have 10k miles on them, they will need replacing. It looks as if the engine will need to come out soon. Very nice car though, clean design, tidy, smooth lines, typical 80s.
I will guess the girls do not come with the car.
I bought a 1991 348ts (the targa version of this car) in 2006 with 36k miles. I had maintenance records for the car, and there was zero evidence the belts had ever been changed. So they were 25 years and 36k miles old. I drove it carefully home and called my Ferrari mechanic for an appointment for the engine out service. Replaced the exhaust while they were in there. I enjoyed 2 years and 3k miles of happy, spirited motoring. Then I ran across a deal on a F355 …. Great cars!