This is shaping up to be a very decent deal for someone, as this 1994 Ferrari 348 Spider is offered for sale on eBay with no reserve. It has a few flaws – some outstanding issues, including the seller’s admission it needs an alternator he’s not going to fix before the sale – but that’s part of the appeal of this particular opportunity. You can get into one of the 90s great sports cars for less than usual because the seller has reached a point of not wanting to spend any more money. Is it risky or worth it?
The charms of the 348 reside in the fact that it’s the last of an old-school Ferrari. The build quality, the manual gearbox, the mid-engine V8 all point to an era of sports car building that seems like a lifetime ago when it comes to sports cars from Italy. While today’s supercars are judged by sub-3 second 0-60 times and how heavily automated they make the driving experience, road test editors at the time simply loved the simplicity of the soft top design, noting it still got pretty loud inside at 150 miles per hour.
What I miss the most about old-school sports cars is the cockpit. They used to be so delightfully driver-focused, with features we still look to modify in new cars. The three-spoke steering wheel and the gated shifter, along with the analog gauges and simple HVAC controls, are all aspects of car interiors that have given way to gigantic infotainment screens and high-end audio features. The 348 reminds us how good we used to have it and what we’ve lost in terms of progress. This 348, despite needing an alternator and new window switches, and having a wonky passenger door lock, still looks lovely inside.
The 348, despite being a convertible, was still pretty light compared to modern-day supercars, clocking in at 3,290 pounds. It made a healthy 310 horsepower, which is paltry by today’s standards but plenty lively in the early 90s. The seller notes there is some cosmetic damage to the lower lip of the front bumper in addition to the alternator and other electronic issues (which could all be related). With no mention of a belt service, this 348 has plenty of outstanding needs, but it’s priced right at the moment here on eBay.
Years ago i bought my first and last Ferrari, I sold it with my head still above water. I can not guess what parts and labor are these days. This should be a deal that can work on it all by themselves. Good luck to all.
Folks have found a qualified foreign car place is a lot cheaper than going to the franchise dealer.
I hate it when these cars are mistreated. How does a convertible top get a front bend that keeps it from securing when it needs to come up? And a host of other various and wide assortment of issues too numerous to mention but addressed on ebay. So far 81 bids from those undaunted in trying to be top dog. Good Luck.
Yeah, I can see the cost of all the repairs this car needs equaling or exceeding the purchase price. Kudos to the seller for being upfront.
Anyone considering buying a Ferrari online without a pre-purchase inspection needs their head examined, as well as the car! There are so many things that can go wrong with these that you’re just not going to catch via photos or somebody’s entirely biased description.
This is coming from someone that’s owned four Ferraris, the oldest a 1959, the newest a 1975 and every single one of them was personally inspected and test driven by myself beforehand!
Overall (and not knowing one thing about these cars), I’d say it looks amazing for its age. However, an amazing looking car that you can’t immediately insure and drive … instantly becomes not so amazing. Depending on the severity of the alternator issues, perhaps it could be driven. But, it wouldn’t be for long as alternator issues increasingly get worse to the point of leaving you operating on the battery alone.
Tru indeed that the alternator’s job is to send the proper amount of electrical energy to every single electronic component and/or system. I figured this out in an interesting way. Last summer I started having a/c issues with my 2010 a/compressor. I started working sporadically. Sometimes the compressor would engage and run for a while, then it would kick out and continuously surge back and forth trying to reengage. Seemed like it would have a better chance of working when the car and temperature were cooler. But that’s not necessarily when you need the a/c. In the heart of a NC high humidity summer is when you need it functioning properly.
I do as much of my own mechanic work as I can, but I am still learning when it comes to electrical issues and using certain pieces of equipment to help diagnose. I do however, always try to go to the easiest possible point of correction first. Then escalate up/out only if necessary. That said, I tried replacing the a/c relay. At first, it seemed like that solved the problem. Ran great for a while. Then it returned to the same “kicking out surging issues. Honestly, I wasn’t ever considering the alternator as the culprit. Probably because the car was starting and driving just fine w/o displaying any other performance issues. At that time, I didn’t have the money to have a shop (supposedly/hopefully) perform full diagnostics to uncover the root cause. I did contact a few mechanics and every one of them gave me his rock solid assurance (over the phone) of where the problem lies. One of them was so sure the wiring to the a/c relay was burnt up somewhere along the way. And the only way to fix it is to replace the entire fuse box. He responded “Those cars have the problem a lot. I’ve seen it many times.”
Now, from a common sense standpoint, if the a/c relay wiring was truly burned, then I shouldn’t be able to get any fire, any reaction at all with the compressor trying to engage. Not one of these mechanics referenced doing a full diagnostic test of various systems and components to help determine the root cause. And these things happen to people a lot. A mechanic that has become too/over confident in the reason/cause for any performance issue; to the point that he/she disregards the groundwork parameters of testing and more accurately diagnosing is an unfit mechanic. Unfortunately, a host of unsuspecting people are taking their vehicles to these types and paying for services they don’t need. That don’t solve/fix the issue.
Anyway, I had to include that example in order to illustrate how wrong that mechanic was with reckless abandon. Fast forward to about two months ago. My issues progressively got worse to where I started having issues starting the car. Honestly, I still didn’t think I had an alternator issue. I charged the battery but noticed that it took a long time (days) to reach a full charge. After almost being stranded with more severe driving issues, (and the battery icon illuminated in the dash) I then said perhaps it’s an alternator
issue.
After installing a different alternator (good used, but new eventually) I start the car and curiosity causes me to try the a/c. To my astonishment it works, and continues to work … no kicking out and constantly trying to reengage. Instantly it dawned on me that my a/c issues from the prior year must’ve been attributed to the beginning stages of a failing alternator. Wow!
So, all that said, it proves that a failing alternator can very well affect many different parts, pieces and systems. All in different ways and at different times. These things can also be extremely frustrating too. …because the operative word here is that it “can.” Doesn’t in any way mean that the alternator “has” to be the reason for any particular performance issue.
For a car of this Ferrari magnitude, I’d say it’s a extremely 50/50 proposition of alternator is the root cause for all other issues. Either way someone will definitely be spending quite a bit of money just to get everything up to par. The only/main person that could benefit from this deal is a true Ferrari mechanic or a real good friend of a Ferrari mechanic.
I’m sure the seller is getting a wild quote for the dealer on the alternator. The part alone is $1,200. Fun fact: you can get a better-quality unit from Pep Boys for $160 (out of an ’86 Chrystler Cordoba, if IRC, but check the FerrariChat list of suitable replacement parts). It’s an easy job, as the alternator resides on the bottom of the engine. You just have to swap the pullies.
Yep, and there are lots of DIY types on Ferrarichat that are wrenching on their own cars and offer advice, if you can wrench on your stuff, these are fixable, but still some parts are gonna be pricey …..
SOLD for $46,401.
Sold on Sun, Jun 9 at 2:57 PM.
US $46,401.00
87 bids
Located in: Tehachapi, California