308/328 Owners.

Hi,

I was planning to purchase a new C6 corvette but I recently
encountered a pretty nice 87' 328 Ferrari. Its just had its 30,000
mile tune-up at some considerable cost. I realize as far as
performance goes its nothing spectacular, but surely its one of the
prettiest cars ever created including other more expensive Ferraris.

I was curious, what sort of maintence costs does the typical 328 owner
experience? I plan on putting about 3000 km or so on it during the
summer. From what I've read its an typical interference engine and as
such needs regular timing belt changes and valve adjustments. Anything
else?


Thanks

Chris

> I was planning to purchase a new C6 corvette but I recently
> encountered a pretty nice 87' 328 Ferrari. Its just had its 30,000
> mile tune-up at some considerable cost. I realize as far as
> performance goes its nothing spectacular, but surely its one of the
> prettiest cars ever created including other more expensive Ferraris.
>
> I was curious, what sort of maintence costs does the typical 328 owner
> experience? I plan on putting about 3000 km or so on it during the
> summer. From what I've read its an typical interference engine and as
> such needs regular timing belt changes and valve adjustments. Anything
> else?

Servicing costs in the USA are MUCH higher than in Europe.

In the US, belts (and more importantly , bearings) should be changed at 3
years.

Valves only need adjusting at 18,000 miles according to the book but don;t
move around too much - the valve seats are pretty hard. Its not a huge job

Rust is your biggest enemy - so keep it away from salty roads & in a dry
garage.

328s are very simple cars - there really isn't much to go wrong. The
injection either works or it doesn't (its Bosck K-Jet as used on many Mercs
so is pretty reliable).

As Paul said, the youngest 328 is now 18 yrs old & so inevitably things like
hoses & *possibly* bushes might need attention.

If you really want a 328 I'd look for an 88.5 / 89 car. The 89s have ABS but
both have a major suspension upgrade over the earlier cars. You can tell an
ABS car by its wheels - convex instead of concave.

For some reason some 328 parts are expensive - even in comparison to similar
parts on 308s. Brake disk (rotors), rotor arms, ignition lead sets,
distributor caps to name a few

Above all you are better off buying a car that sees regular use rather than
a garage queen - its likely to give you fewer problems. Don't be afraid of
higher mileage cars either, there are 60,80 & 100k+ cars out there now still
working well. Just get it properly inspected & use your head when you buy.

I.