You guys are over the top. :-] Thanks! Life can get too serious.
I prefer to laugh, especially at myself.
A day or so back we had a thread about dementia. Therefore,
I confess: I like the X-1/9, A.K.A. poor man's Ferrari, and the
Dino 308GT4, A.K.A., working man's Ferrari. But then again,
I liked the TR7 too! Yikes! :-o
A few years ago I bought a cosmetically rough but mechanically
superb Ferrari 308GTB. A friend owned it and although it was
his daily-driver, it was also his track car. He took excellent care of
the car. It's just that the original paint was trashed and the leather
was a little tired. The '79 is the last year-model that is carbureted
and it runs fantastic. Over the years I have restored it to better-than-
new condition and I still own it. The big secret is that any Joe (or
Joeena) with a job can buy (and maintain) one. Dependable examples,
if not 100 point cars, are available in the States for under $30k. Of
course that's not chicken feed but take a look around at the Japanese
luxury cars and the plethora of SUVs clogging our streets and one
will spend notably more than $30k to join their club. Of course, the
day AFTER you buy a 308 Ferrari it is still worth $30k. :-]
One point must be considered. Like our LBCs, Ferraris must be
maintained. And we must differentiate between 'maintenance' and
'repair'. Too often we use 'maintenance' when we mean repair. Yes,
a Ferrari is expensive to repair. (Bought any Honda parts lately?!
Those too will set you back.) But maintenance is no different from
our LBCs. We keep the oil fresh, watch the other fluids, change
hoses and belts when they show wear, and so on. The trick is to
realize that many of the more mundane parts are straight out of the
Alfa, Lancia and Fiat parts bins and available, if not in a yellow box,
for a fraction of the Maranello cost.
Since I have owned my 308, the only mechanical repair I have
done is to change the A/C over to R134a and clean up the mess
from a blown oil filter. 100psi and a dry sump flow rate like Hoover
Dam's turbines will put A LOT of Mobil1 in the engine compartment!
Yet, that was a UFI filter failure, not a Ferrari failure.
> ...Ran like a charm but doors started rusting out in their lower
> corners (from the inside/out, yet) about 1 year down the road
> from "new".....
Yep. Shades of Chevy Vega! I found some rust on the 308
when we media blasted it. Many people baby their 308s so they
don't see as much rainy weather. I enjoy the Midget in the spring
and fall when open motoring is at its best. The 308 is best in early
and mid-summer when the sub-standard Italian A/C can still keep
up. The late summer is just ugly in Tulsa any way you look at it.
We hibernate. Of course, the Land Rover does winter just fine. :-]
Okay, I have written too much. Happy Motoring!
best regards,
rick
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