Help - thinking of buying a 328

On Fri, 10 Jun 2005 11:29:13 GMT, "Iain Miller" <donot.RemoveThis@spam.me> wrote:
 >"F2005..." <Ron.Dennis.RemoveThis@LyingCheatingSwine.com> wrote in message
 >news:901ia1htptn580ccgjgq801ajvk0uar8bt@4ax.com...
  >> On Wed, 08 Jun 2005 23:53:04 GMT, "Iain Miller" <donot.RemoveThis@spam.me> wrote:
   >>>> Iirc, their engines are rather fragile,
   >>>I thought 348 engines were pretty OK - its the 355s with the 5 valves &
   >>>the
   >>>exhaust headers made out of steel that's too thin that seem to have more
   >>>problems.
  >>
  >> Don't the 348 have cat related fire problems?
 >
 >Not that I've heard.

I could easily be wrong, I'm still working from memory (Random Recall
mode).

 >The current spate of 355 fuel system fires seems to be
 >more of a concern right now.

Please expound...

   >>>>the suspension tuning brittle
   >>>
   >>>Not heard this one at all
  >>
  >> ...Squirrely handling when you need it most.
 >
 >Only at speeds ya shouldn't be doing ona public road - and if you are going
 >to track it then it can be sorted.

A performance car shouldn't turn on you when you need the performance,
the basis of my lifelong dislike of Porchs.

   >>>...and the interiors are delicate?
   >>>
   >>>Nor this
  >>
  >> Someone else mentioned cheap controls, I've always thought there was
  >> way too much styrene in it for a Ferrari.
 >
 >It is what it is - you either like it ....or not I suppose.

A contemporaneous Honda uses infinitely better plastics.

Some said at the time that Ferrari would have been happy to flog the
348 unmodified but the NSX forced the re-design to the 355.

   >>>> As I understand it there's no choice between a 348 and a 355: The 355
   >>>> is still the apotheosis of the Ferrari V-8 in many opinions and for
   >>>> very good reasons.
   >>>
   >>>Upto a point. As they ar e getting older more & more of them are suffering
   >>>header failure & valve problems. Was down at QV the other day & Mike was
   >>>just loading 4 or 5 sets of 355 headers into his van to take them off for
   >>>rebuilding. They rebuild them with heavier guage pipes.
  >>
  >> Hardly in the league with the TRs portliness and pig's-ass ugliness.
 >
 >yeah - but that has 12 cylinders & for some that makes all the difference.

I'd rather have a 412.

   >>>> Lately there's a gun metal gray 308 on a lot on my way to work each
   >>>> morning: It's quite inspiring. They are so beautiful.
   >>>
   >>>Does ya good.
  >>
  >> It just sits there, with it's leather shrinking in the sun...
  >> Sits a bit nose high as well, I wonder what that's about.
 >
 >Dead body in the trunk?

It is Valhalla, NY... I have a decent Dino story about the place that
will have to wait till tomorrow.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help - thinking of buying a 328 

 > I could easily be wrong, I'm still working from memory (Random Recall
 > mode).
 >
  >>The current spate of 355 fuel system fires seems to be
  >>more of a concern right now.
 >
 > Please expound...

See <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55058" target="_blank">http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55058</a>
and <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32986" target="_blank">http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32986</a>

9 or 10 cars have gone up in the last year or so it seems.

   >>> ...Squirrely handling when you need it most.
  >>
  >>Only at speeds ya shouldn't be doing ona public road - and if you are
  >>going
  >>to track it then it can be sorted.
 >
 > A performance car shouldn't turn on you when you need the performance,
 > the basis of my lifelong dislike of Porchs.

I've driven a 993 and a 996 & they are a lot lot easier to catch if/when the
back goes than my 328 is. Still wouldn't have one though....well, maybe a
993....

   >>>>...and the interiors are delicate?
   >>>>
   >>>>Nor this
   >>>
   >>> Someone else mentioned cheap controls, I've always thought there was
   >>> way too much styrene in it for a Ferrari.
  >>
  >>It is what it is - you either like it ....or not I suppose.
 >
   >>> Hardly in the league with the TRs portliness and pig's-ass ugliness.
  >>
  >>yeah - but that has 12 cylinders & for some that makes all the difference.
 >
 > I'd rather have a 412.

Only if it came from Arizona - horrendous rust-buckets.

I.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help - thinking of buying a 328 

Iain Miller wrote:
  > Mikal? MIKAL?? has anyone seen Mikal?

Jesus H. Christ, Iain! Why try and COAX that prick in here? He's hard
enough to exterminate as it is!

MC

--
It's a place where you will learn
To face your fears, retrace the years
And ride the whims of your mind
Commanding in another world
Suddenly, you hear and see
This magic new dimension<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help - thinking of buying a 328 

F2005... wrote:
 > It is Valhalla, NY... I have a decent Dino story about the place that
 > will have to wait till tomorrow.

Is that like New York's answer to the Pine Barrens?

MC


--
It's a place where you will learn
To face your fears, retrace the years
And ride the whims of your mind
Commanding in another world
Suddenly, you hear and see
This magic new dimension<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help - thinking of buying a 328 

On Fri, 10 Jun 2005 12:06:43 GMT, "Iain Miller" <donot RemoveThis @spam.me> wrote:
  >> I could easily be wrong, I'm still working from memory (Random Recall
  >> mode).
  >>
   >>>The current spate of 355 fuel system fires seems to be
   >>>more of a concern right now.
  >>
  >> Please expound...
 >
<font color=purple> >See <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55058</font" target="_blank">http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55058</font</a>>

Perhaps the most insipid thread I've ever read on usenet...

<font color=purple> >and <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32986</font" target="_blank">http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32986</font</a>>

....And then I read this one. ..."sent" of [fuel] ... "bond fire" ...
people who don't know which end of screwdriver does the work
pontificating on repair procedures...

I have no use for Ferrari Chat: Far too dominated by illiterates,
baboons, liars and poseurs.

 >9 or 10 cars have gone up in the last year or so it seems.
 >
   >>>> ...Squirrely handling when you need it most.
   >>>
   >>>Only at speeds ya shouldn't be doing ona public road - and if you are
   >>>going
   >>>to track it then it can be sorted.
  >>
  >> A performance car shouldn't turn on you when you need the performance,
  >> the basis of my lifelong dislike of Porchs.
 >
 >I've driven a 993 and a 996 & they are a lot lot easier to catch if/when the
 >back goes than my 328 is. Still wouldn't have one though....well, maybe a
 >993....

"Ass-engined, NAZI, slot cars". - P.J. O'Rourke

   >>>>>...and the interiors are delicate?
   >>>>>
   >>>>>Nor this
   >>>>
   >>>> Someone else mentioned cheap controls, I've always thought there was
   >>>> way too much styrene in it for a Ferrari.
   >>>
   >>>It is what it is - you either like it ....or not I suppose.
  >>
   >>>> Hardly in the league with the TRs portliness and pig's-ass ugliness.
   >>>
   >>>yeah - but that has 12 cylinders & for some that makes all the difference.
  >>
  >> I'd rather have a 412.
 >
 >Only if it came from Arizona - horrendous rust-buckets.

I see a few around here fairly regularly, quite lovely.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help - thinking of buying a 328 

On Fri, 10 Jun 2005 09:12:27 -0700, The Dream
<iwalkthe@thinlineforyou> wrote:
 >F2005... wrote:
  >> It is Valhalla, NY... I have a decent Dino story about the place that
  >> will have to wait till tomorrow.
 >
 >Is that like New York's answer to the Pine Barrens?

Formerly a nice blue collar suburb, now being McMansioned to death.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help - thinking of buying a 328 

F2005... wrote:
 > On Fri, 10 Jun 2005 09:12:27 -0700, The Dream
 > <iwalkthe@thinlineforyou> wrote:
 >
  >>F2005... wrote:
  >>
   >>>It is Valhalla, NY... I have a decent Dino story about the place that
   >>>will have to wait till tomorrow.
  >>
  >>Is that like New York's answer to the Pine Barrens?
 >
 >
 > Formerly a nice blue collar suburb, now being McMansioned to death.
I haven't seen anyplace yet that isn't, except for the horror-show
ghetto that I myself lived in the last 12 years.

--
It's a place where you will learn
To face your fears, retrace the years
And ride the whims of your mind
Commanding in another world
Suddenly, you hear and see
This magic new dimension<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help - thinking of buying a 328 

   >>>>The current spate of 355 fuel system fires seems to be
   >>>>more of a concern right now.
   >>>
   >>> Please expound...
  >>
<font color=green>  >>See <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55058</font" target="_blank">http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55058</font</a>>
 >
 > Perhaps the most insipid thread I've ever read on usenet...

Whatever, it happened - if it was your pride & joy you'd probbaly be pretty
gutted too - then again, maybe you wouldn't - but you should be.

<font color=green>  >>and <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32986</font" target="_blank">http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32986</font</a>>
 >
 > ...And then I read this one. ..."sent" of [fuel] ... "bond fire" ...
 > people who don't know which end of screwdriver does the work
 > pontificating on repair procedures...

Not everybody can spell - it doesn't make them bad people. A useful pool of
knowledge has come out of what seems to be an emerging trend. No doubt a few
people have had their cars checkked and made safe as a result.

 > I have no use for Ferrari Chat: Far too dominated by illiterates,
 > baboons, liars and poseurs.

Unsurprisingly enough it probably has no use for you either. Personally I've
found it very useful & picked up some useful technical information. Today I
drove 100 miles in convoy with about a dozen F-chatters to the Auto-Italia
meeting. A good day out, a good good run up the motorway (which did my car
no end of good) and met some very good & likeable people. No baboons, liars
or poseurs, just people who've worked hard to acquire their toys & now enjoy
them - you should try it, it'd good for you.

  >>I've driven a 993 and a 996 & they are a lot lot easier to catch if/when
  >>the
  >>back goes than my 328 is. Still wouldn't have one though....well, maybe a
  >>993....
 >
 > "Ass-engined, NAZI, slot cars". - P.J. O'Rourke

Very, very good driver's cars. Have you driven one? Very predicatable
handling, very useable and quite quick enough.

    >>> I'd rather have a 412.
  >>
  >>Only if it came from Arizona - horrendous rust-buckets.
 >
 > I see a few around here fairly regularly, quite lovely.

Maybe on the surface. personally I think they are boxy & pretty ugly - but
each to their own.

I.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help - thinking of buying a 328 

"Iain Miller" <donot RemoveThis @spam.me> wrote

  >> I have no use for Ferrari Chat: Far too dominated by illiterates,
  >> baboons, liars and poseurs.
 >
 > Unsurprisingly enough it probably has no use for you either.

Good call.

-Paul
(Dates for a luncheon? or whatever?)<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help - thinking of buying a 328 

"Iain Miller" <donot.RemoveThis@spam.me> wrote in message

 > Not everybody can spell - it doesn't make them bad people. A useful pool
of
 > knowledge has come out of what seems to be an emerging trend. No doubt a
few
 > people have had their cars checkked and made safe as a result.


A friend of mine can't spell for crap, partly due to being taught
via the "sight reading" method in poor appalachian schools. Still,
he's built his own practice from scratch to the point that he has
about nine cars, including a 993 Carrera 4 that is a great car...

I know, many on here dislike the Porch, but I still respect 'em.

I really enjoyed the beat-to-hell 924S SE I drove this weekend.

Plus a russian friend once described the 993 thusly, which made
me chuckle:


"Look at from behind, is like woman in number one best position!"


Crass, but funny.

 >Unsurprisingly enough it probably has no use for you either. Personally
I've
 >found it very useful & picked up some useful technical information. Today I
 >drove 100 miles in convoy with about a dozen F-chatters to the Auto-Italia
 >meeting. A good day out, a good good run up the motorway (which did my car
 >no end of good) and met some very good & likeable people.


Good for you! Sounds like a cool trip.


   > >>> I'd rather have a 412.
   > >>
   > >>Only if it came from Arizona - horrendous rust-buckets.
  > >
  > > I see a few around here fairly regularly, quite lovely.
 >
 > Maybe on the surface. personally I think they are boxy & pretty ugly - but
 > each to their own.


I kinda like the 412, but then I kinda like the 308GT4 too. Boxy, Bertone
style
stuff has a place in my heart even if there isn't much grace to it.


I wouldn't want to maintain a 412 though, just looking at the Bosch
injection
(double the usual amount too) and seeing how they wired them makes me
nervous. I foresee a lot of quality time spent with a multimeter when things
are going bad intermittently.



-Matt- "..."<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help - thinking of buying a 328 

 > Perhaps the most insipid thread I've ever read on usenet...

......and as an afterthought.

F-chat is not usenet, its a privately owned, run and moderated web forum
which, as far as I am aware is run on a non-profit basis & is funded by
sponsorship from interested companies who supply parts to the Ferrari
community. Such companies clearly believe that its a well run and useful
forum - indeed many of them (including the Ferrari UK parts people who hold
all the stock of parts for older cars) often make useful contributions and
provide helpful advise.

When you've contributed something even 1% as useful to the Ferrari owners
community do come back & let us know.

Other than that, if you don't like it, I suggest you don't go there.

I.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help - thinking of buying a 328 

 > A friend of mine can't spell for crap, partly due to being taught
 > via the "sight reading" method in poor appalachian schools. Still,
 > he's built his own practice from scratch to the point that he has
 > about nine cars, including a 993 Carrera 4 that is a great car...

Zigackly (said Obelix)

 > I know, many on here dislike the Porch, but I still respect 'em.

Likewise

 > I really enjoyed the beat-to-hell 924S SE I drove this weekend.

Good for you

 > Plus a russian friend once described the 993 thusly, which made
 > me chuckle:
 >
 > "Look at from behind, is like woman in number one best position!"
 > Crass, but funny.

Indeed

  >>Unsurprisingly enough it probably has no use for you either. Personally
 > I've found it very useful & picked up some useful technical information.
 > Today I
  >>drove 100 miles in convoy with about a dozen F-chatters to the Auto-Italia
  >>meeting. A good day out, a good good run up the motorway (which did my car
  >>no end of good) and met some very good & likeable people.
 >
 > Good for you! Sounds like a cool trip.

It was - apart from the bit where the Policeman shot out of the motorway
service station (rest area) and pulled the Black 360 at the head of the
line - booked him for doing 90 & I'd be surprised if he was. Claimed they
had had "lots of phone calls" complaining about Ferraris weaving in & out of
traffic.

Nothing to do with us, we were just heading up the road in a fairly orderly
queue - mind you, a line of a dozen or so Ferraris with assorted Tubis &
Capristos does make a phenominal racket (!) I was following a 355 Spyder
with Tubi & no cats on it & I could barely hear my car - and I had the roof
off. I expect we might have frightened a few grannies! There was a 430 in
the line as well which I followed for a while - makes an awesome noise.
Kudos for best noise was a toss up between the 355 Spyder & a wicked looking
black 355 challenge (and maybe a Maranello).

Oh, and my car needs a new rad cap - it tossed a gallon of coolant out the
overflow on the way up. Just as well I had a gallon can of water in the
trunk with me - ho hum! Fortunately there was still another 4 gallons or so
still in the system.

Oddly enough it didn't really lose any on the way home - until I got home &
stopped when it tossed half a pint or so- but then that was a more "even
tempered/paced" trip without any stops or queuing. I think that when the
thing gets really warm the cap just isn't holding the pressure anymore.

    >> >>> I'd rather have a 412.
   >> >>
 > I kinda like the 412, but then I kinda like the 308GT4 too. Boxy, Bertone
 > style stuff has a place in my heart even if there isn't much grace to it.

I like the GT4 - but not the 412 - too much of a barge & always reminds me
of a Lagonda. I saw a couple today - one was an Automatic - something
inherently wrong about that! On the more positive side, a very clean 288 GTO
was there - which is not something you'll see on your way to work every day.

 > I wouldn't want to maintain a 412 though, just looking at the Bosch
 > injection (double the usual amount too) and seeing how they wired them
 > makes me
 > nervous. I foresee a lot of quality time spent with a multimeter when
 > things
 > are going bad intermittently.

Well quite... (!) 4 out of 5 of them that you see here are rotting pretty
badly as well - they seem to suffer far worse than other Ferraris from
either before or after.

I.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help - thinking of buying a 328 

 > I know, many on here dislike the Porch

That is probably because:

A) They've never owned or driven one, and/or.

B) Their typical view of them is from behind, or from the pits while nursing
a broken car.

Both the F and P cars are generally great cars.

<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Help - thinking of buying a 328