328 GTS : Buying Advice & Owner Experience - all advice, and stories gladly welcome!

[BenjaminBraddock]

Hello Gentlemen

I am now hoping to enjoy every car-mad guy's dream to buy a Ferrari...!

So would like to tap into your knowledge please to get as much advice as I can.

I am on the hunt for a V8 Sports model. So having gone through the process of deciding which model best suits my situation and needs, having considered in great depth the 308, 328, 348, 355 and 360 - I have settled on the 328 GTS...!

I've got a couple of pals who own 355 x2, 512TR and 612 Scaglietti, so have got some useful tips from them, but none have owned 328 models.

So there you go - please do share all your worldly 328 experiences, what to look for, servicing & maintenance pluses and negatives, weak points, pros, cons, idiosyncrasies, how great the owning and driving experience is, etc..

Looking forward to reading all about it!

Cheers guys

[Triggerfish]

I had one in the garage for ten years. Iconically pretty. Other than servicing, it cost me nothing to maintain. However, in the end I enjoyed looking at it more than driving it.

[F355GTS]

Had 2, my first and I think 8th. Loved them both, space is a bit limited and driving position a bit gorilla but so beautiful and incredibly reliable.

weaknesses are air con is not terribly effective and freezes your left knee, some parts are now NLA, mirror switch, heater controls, front fog/ indicator assemblies

you'll not regret it 👍👍

[jos]

308 & 328 are wonderful cars - very easy to live with - good background here : https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/th...-guide.175886/ - we seem to have lost most of our old 308/328 threads but here's one https://www.clubscuderia.co.uk/forum...8-buyers-guide

[BenjaminBraddock]

I had one in the garage for ten years. Iconically pretty. Other than servicing, it cost me nothing to maintain. However, in the end I enjoyed looking at it more than driving it.

Thank you Andrew - why did you end up not enjoying driving your 328 very much though?

[BenjaminBraddock]

Had 2, my first and I think 8th. Loved them both, space is a bit limited and driving position a bit gorilla but so beautiful and incredibly reliable.

weaknesses are air con is not terribly effective and freezes your left knee, some parts are now NLA, mirror switch, heater controls, front fog/ indicator assemblies

you'll not regret it 👍👍

Thank you Mark - sounds like some smaller parts maybe tricky to source, but overall you've just underlined why I think this will be a good choice for me being that it's reliable and you say I will not regret it.

[BenjaminBraddock]

308 & 328 are wonderful cars - very easy to live with - good background here : https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/th...-guide.175886/ - we seem to have lost most of our old 308/328 threads but here's one https://www.clubscuderia.co.uk/forum...8-buyers-guide

Excellent, thank you Jos, lots of valuable info in both threads which I will enjoy reading.

I understand/imagine the driving experience as being low slung, semi kart-like (but not quite Lotus Elise though), intoxicating with sound of the V8 just behind your head and great feel and road holding with slightly heavier steering than modern cars - how would you comment and add to these driving experiences?

[phillg]

Hi
I had a 1989 gts Rosso and crema for quite a few years.
I never had many bills except one which was to replace lots of rubber bits on the engine that had dried out due to lack of use.
I sold it as I had out grown it. ( I got fat ).
Having no power steering made it hard to do tight turns at slow speed,
Once on the move it was great.
wish I'd been in a position to keep it as it was so pretty.
Unlike other Ferrari's I've had ,people admired it rather than make rude gestures at me.
It suits people with long arms and short legs , and the pedals are offset but you get used to that as well.
Good luck finding the right one

[francisn]

I have a 308GT4 rather than a GTB/GTS but the experience will not be that much different.

As all have said, very easy to live with and a great driving fun experience. Yes heavy steering at low speed and the lock is abysmal so you'll need to do a number of manoeuvres if in a tight space, but great feedback once you get going. Performance is very good for a 35 - 40 year old car and certainly as quick as you can go on most roads.

You need to get used to the driving position but it's fine once you learn it.

My A/C is now, after some remedials, really efficient, but yes, I still get a frozen knee!

Mechanically these cars are pretty bullet proof if used regularly. Rust is always the enemy so be aware of what you are buying.

[Triggerfish]

Thank you Andrew - why did you end up not enjoying driving your 328 very much though?

I think I just found it a little limiting. I only tended to use it to go out for a blast. I certainly wouldn't have ventured too far for a weekend away with the wife! I do have a soft spot for the 308/328. I still think its a classic beauty, but you can't get past the fact its now old and not exactly quick. I traded it 13 years ago for a 575m and immediately drove that to Monaco, the following year Prague, and last year Croatia....yes I still have it, and it's still a joy to drive, even though I have since bought a 458.

I guess if I was looking for a classic Ferrari, I'd be looking for a 355...manual of course! But my service bills would also be much higher that a 328.

One thing I would say, is if you've never had a Ferrari, the 328 is a great way to start, so easy to own. Get to know your local independent specialist and they'll no doubt look after you. Don't buy a rough one, it will cost more to sort than a well looked after example. One of the leading 328 specialists is Adam Ayre at A E Performance, in Knutsford.

BTW, I see James May is selling his rather nice 308 via Kent High Performance...