Four days from now, you could be living the Ferrari dream, if you go high enough on this 1984 Ferrari 308 GTS. It’s listed on ebay, with a current bid price of about $40 grand, and no reserve. That means the last person standing wins, no question. Should you go for it, you’ll need to fly northwest to Tacoma, WA, to get in the seat and pilot this one towards its new home.
The miles look reasonable at just past 47,000. In the listing puffery, this 308 is said to be a “meticulously maintained beauty [that] will surely capture your heart.” Hopefully it doesn’t also capture your wallet, as maintenance costs on these are famously steep. The listing says that recent maintenance records are available and that the car has had “regular servicing and care,” but no specifics are offered. The engine is a 3.0-liter V8 backed up by a five-speed shift-it-yourself gearbox. You gotta ask: did the person now letting the car go just have enough Ferrari love, or was this one a true black sheep in the family?
This car is being sold by a business on behalf of the current owner, it seems, but various references to owner and owners don’t quite add up to a single line of succession, so you’ll want to ask some questions and look at the AutoCheck report to sort that out, though that might only deepen the mystery, as the car seems to have been in Idaho as well as California, and now it wears a Washington dealer tag. Two other funny things to a non-Ferrari brain: The car is called a “Quattro.” What does that mean in this context? Images of 1980s Audis run through your head. Of course that’s ridiculous. “Quattrovalvole” is the word they want—four valves per cylinder is the reference point. This model came out in 1982, after a launch of the original 308 GTB in 1975. And why is this listed as a “convertible”? Perhaps the auction site doesn’t have a category for “targa top.” (Further to that, given that the car is apparently a targa, why, given that there are pictures with all the doors and lids open, isn’t there one with that top removed? Ferrari people, we’re counting on you to help, if you can.)
To put a bow on it, this ad is written for dreamers, with lofty language about the experience you’ll have behind the wheel. That’s why you buy a Ferrari, or any similar car, and most likely, this is going to be how you enjoy this car. But a trained eye needs to look at a vehicle this high-strung as a way of helping to ward off a dream-killing mistake. Get an inspection, unless you’re good with the possibility of throwing cash into the wind as you prance away in your dream ride.
That console is..involved(?).
I’d need to be a Top Gun to pilot this.
(Unless, of course, half of it doesn’t work).
With 3 days left this could go for double the amount now, might be right for someone, but no more black or Ferrari’s for me.
Sold by a business, huh? Statistics show that an inordinate amount of Ferraris are listed as company cars. In other words, perks for executives at taxpayer expense. More fun then paying taxes. Why is the tax code so obviously corrupted? This has always irritated me. The car itself is beautiful, though.
Good point. I have a friend with lot of exotic cars, including 3 Ferraris. Every car, (he has well over a dozen) is registered to his company. I find the tax laws shameful.
in my experience people think business write-offs are better than income- of course you DO need to make the money first then write it off- at least in theory. pretty car though
Sounds like you should start a business
I agree Brian, I would like to see some maintenance records detailing all the specific services. There are no undercarriage photos and the single engine photo suggests to me that this car is due for its second “engine out” service with 47K miles on the clock……$10-15K. Beautiful car though, certainly worth buying a plane ticket to Tacoma for a closer look.
I gather routine maintenance on these such as timing belt changes did not require “engine out” service, which started with the 348 and Mondial T due to their change to a longitudinal engine orientation putting the nose of the engine right up against the rear bulkhead.
The 308/328/Mondial (non-T) had a transverse engine with the engine’s nose end accessible via a removable panel in the rear wheel well, making these the last Ferrari models practical for DIY routine maintenance.
check out Ferrarichat forums
these can be serviced by the regular guy, just don’t expect to get parts at pep boys etc.
If I could find one for around 30k [I know I am dreaming] I would get it as they are small, fun cars, not to mention drop dead gorgeous
I remember 20 years ago a little street side car lot popped up, guy had 911 and mercedes, and a silver 308. wanted 30k, it had 100k miles on it.
I had just bought a boat, so no new toys for me, and of course, now they are in the stratosphere, plus one not rode so hard and high miles is always better.
There are NO engine out services on the 308-328 series
FYI 308’s don’t require “engine out” service
Regarding the top, yes it’s a “targa” style removable panel in its original black vinyl. I don’t know why they don’t display any photos. It’s very easy to remove with two clasps in front, and two pegs in back (and extremely light, too). It will fit behind the seats, but I left my 348’s in the garage for the legroom.
Gosh, that is one beautiful car. I think if I’m spending my money, I’d buy a 328 GTB in the same color. The extra performance with the increased capacity is what makes me want it. The 308/328 looks best in either red or black, in my humble opinion and I’ll probably never get to own one, but a man can dream.
Sold $58,425.00 What A Deal!!
Well something is goofy here, it was a no reserve auction and now it is relisted with a reserve??
This time it went to $56,200.00 reserve not met.
Ended: Jun 07, 2023 , 12:59PM
Winning bid:US $58,425.00 [ 58 bids ]
resisted here
https://www.ebay.com/itm/204362413634
Ended: Jun 15, 2023 , 3:00PM
Current bid:US $56,200.00 [ 51 bids ]
reserve not met
and here
https://www.ebay.com/itm/204378366093
Time left: Time left: 8d 21h | 7/26, 6:01AM
buy it now Price:
US $89,000.00