944 vs. 308

The 944 Turbo is a heck of a car. Porches certainly perform well but a decent 944 Turbo is going to be in very rough shape for $7K. I'll just assume the 308 is a Ferrari which is a work of automotive art and while older Ferrari's are not as fast or as responsive as many newer Porsche's I'd still prefer to own one if I could justify the expense of owning and maintaining one as they just have the look I love in a high end car. The Porsche will be a better car overall but a used 308 in very good condition is $30-$40K. The 944 Turbo is going to be about $15K for a decent one. The 944T looks like many other cars of that period and it has a solid classic look but the Ferrari will turn heads while the 944T is barely noticed. It's not always about performance and the Ferrari if maintaned properly $1,000 oil changes etc... will always hold it's value. The 944T will blow away a 1929 Dusenburg but I'd still rather drive the Dusenburg as they also are a work of art. If I want performance then that is another matter but after drivng a

308 GTS they feel and sound like nothing else. It's a damn shame that maintainance on them is enough to buy another car on an almost yearly basis.

That's a both a bit unfair, and a bit inaccurate. First off, a decent 944 Turbo will run you more than $7000. I'd personally plan on spending about double that. Second, the 944 Turbo will have about 10 years more development than the 308, since the 308 started in the mid-70s and the 944 Turbo in the late 80s. A more accurate comparison would be the later 328QV, and from there, things get a bit closer performance-wise, as that model has 260bhp compared to the Turbo's 250bhp. Third, while the Ferrari is more costly to maintain, I've seen nothing to indicate they're unreliable. The 8-cylinder cars often have the misfortune of being owned by people not able to maintain them, who then blame mechanical failures on the car rather than themselves. And finally, the Ferrari will only cost its running costs to own overall; take care of it and you'll see no depreciation, something that can't be said for the 944 Turbo. From a financial standpoint - if the choice is between stretching to get a poor example of a 308/328 which will receive the bare minimum of care, and getting a clean well-cared for 944 Turbo with the 400hp Powerhaus kit and having plenty of money left over to keep it nice, get the Turbo. Getting a Ferrari you can't care for properly does neither you nor the car a bit of good. My two cents,b Emanuel

on an almost yearly

You should check into that a bit more - maintenance on 308/328s is nowhere near as bad as many believe. Don't know about elsewhere in the world but here in the UK they are very cheap to insure as well. If you take the combined total of insurance & maintenance these things work out very well indeed.....maybe you do give a bit more money to the guy with the spanners than the insurance guy but I see no issue with doing that!

Properly maintained 308's & 328s are also fairly bomb proof - they are fairly simple cars in their construction & the engines & transmissions are very strong indeed.

I.

The part of the USA that I live in it's very expensive to insure a

308/328 and most companies won't touch it. I know this because I called around about 2 years back when I was looking at a fairly decent 308 but it was an early model and those need to have updates and IIRC they had not been done. We have a Ferrari dealership about an hour away and it's laughable what they charge to work on them. Independants for Porsche are around but I don't know any that are really qualified on a Ferrari although they are out there. It is an expensive car to purchase and maintain. But then again it is a Ferrari and that goes with the territory.

I've also heard that a fire suppression system is a wise adition as they tended to catch on fire and that is from the Ferrari people. Things can and do go wrong and on a Ferrari nothing is inexpensive. They are beautiful cars but anyone at least in the USA that thinks they are cheap to maintain has not owned one. I have driven one and it's thrill but like any older car you have to count the cost of maintainance. Many people don't which is why they run like crap and then you have to spend a fortune to fix it.

Not here - I'm about to renew my insurance on my 328 & the premium is less than for my 5 yr old VW Passat & also less than for my Wife's 8 yr old Audi A4 1.4

We have good independents here - the hourly rate is about 2/3rd of main dealer Audi/VW/Ford/GM rates. Main dealer Ferrari rates are higher but with the independants we have its not necessary to use them - especially for

308/328s. They do a lot of cambelt changes on 355 & 360s as well.

News to me....

That's no different from any performance car.....some of the parts I've needed have proved to be remarkably inexpensive - some of them are also a rip-off but then there seems to be little rhyme or reason behind the pricing of Ferrari parts generally! They can be found to use identical parts on different cars that have completely different part numbers and wildly different prices! Alll the more reason to use a good independant who understands (as much as anyone can!) how the system works. As an example, not so long ago they were selling individual driveshafts for Mondials for far more money than a whole stub axle assembly (which included the driveshaft!)

As with anything but my experience over 4 years is that it is entirely do-able and I doubt much more in terms of running costs than an awful lot of other cars. Of course it depends on how you use the thing & I don't do that many miles (shut up Duffin!) but I know people who do & the costs still don't run out of hand.

spend a fortune to fix it.

Yep, that does happen - accepted wisdom is to plan to spend a fair chunk of change to bring a car up to standard when you buy it. Then again, I was lucky & didn't have to because the guy that had mine before me only had it 6 months & did 800 miles. He bought it from a main dealer who had done a huge service on it (I've got their internal parts invoice) before they sold it. I probably paid a little more for the car but it was the right car so it was worth it.

I.

You can get special insurance if you are only going to drive it 2K miles a year. But many companies won't touch it and teh ondes that do chare a lot. It depends on what State you live in and a host of other factors.

Again there very well may be some out there but I have not found them. I did speak with a Porsche guy who also worked on Ferrari's and he said the Ferrari was significantly more to work on and parts were more which has been borne out by things I've heard from other Ferrari owners in the past. I'm certain there are good independants out there if I were to really look hard for them.

Read up some more then because it has happened quite a bit. I think it has to do with the way the fuel lines are routed.

Well that's just it when you buy a Ferrari it's not like buying a Honda civic. It's expensive when you compare it to many new cars. My point is that if you have teh money to own and maintain one, it's worth it.

Well I used to be in the Ferrari group where this is being crossposted to and I've also heard the nightmare stories about expense in there in the past.

Yep better to pay a bit more for it up front and done right that to have to futz around with it and spend a fortune doing it.

...and the replacement door mirror switch I had to get for my 328 was about $45 - it just took a little while (ahem, 5 months!) to get a hold of the thing!

You know it makes sense!

I like the 328 over the 308 - its kinda more "finished" but there are bits of the 308 that are more accentuated & nicer....the front spoiler being one - unfortunately it can cause a few headaches because it is so low to the ground. I don't like the back end of the 308 anything like as much - it really does look like its got some bits missing to me! The 308's switchgear layout looks like someone took a handful of parts & just threw them in & fitted them where they landed!

Nice to see someone else who "gets it" - you can stay (!)

Of all the good and bad things I've ever heard about Ferrari no one ever said they were inexpensive to repair. But 5 months not that's a long wait for a part!

That is why there are so many older ones to choose from. Some people like the Mondials. I prefer the 308's lines I think they got it just right the 328 has that spolier that looks stuck on and far too much ribbing for my taste I line clean smooth likes. But neither one looks like a Pontiac Aztek. Both the 308 and the 328 have their own merits.

Why thank you. :)))

This is not an accurate statement. Insurance costs are based on the car; the driver's driving record, and the driver's credit report. Period. I worked for an insurance company, I know. Any exotic car right now manufactured before 1979 qualifies for an extremely agressive discount rate due to the car being categorized as a collectible. For a '79 or earlier 308, the cost will be about $450 per year, full coverage. For a pre-85 308 (or vette, or lambo or many others), the cars still qualify for a discount as they are considered a classic - full year cost, full coverage, maybe $700. As long as you have a garage, you can get insurance from half a dozen companies.

A 308 shouldn't cost more than maybe $500 per years to maintain, and then for years 3, 4 OR 5, when you have the major service done, maybe $3,500.

Agree!

No. They don't "tend to catch fire", unless not maintained properly. Most worked cars near me - Mustangs, Vettes, even Hondas, all have extinguishers bolted to their roll bars or in front of their seats. Not sure if it is a decorative thing, or the owner being prudent. Whatever it is, the same prevention should be used for Ferraris, but in no way do they go up in smole like the mid-70's Pinto.

Phil

I see two issues with fire on the 308. Both deal with the condition of the plumbing. The coolant system, a portion of which sits right over the muffler, and the fuel lines which also lie in front of the muffler on the fire wall.

But the risk is more associated with maintenance, or lack thereof. When the major is done, or even sooner, replace any worn or britle hoses, and inspect the fuel lines. Should be part of a 6 month self-inspection checklist everyone performs on any car they like to keep. What car doesn't have a fuel line near a hot part like a header or manifold?

Phil

New Jersey?

Yeah, I do some service myself.

I agree with you, my figure doesn't include if something breaks, obviously, that is not considered preventive maintenance or regular service. If the water pump or something else goes, the annual maintenance is going to be higher.

I think keeping an extinguisher in any car that you want to keep, is an ounce of prevention worth doing. I also think that neither a Ferrari or any other car is more of less prone to fire, I think any car not serviced or inspected has the same chances of going up in flames. You probably heard about this happening to Ferrari's for a couple of reasons....first, if a Volvo or Porsche or Honda burns up no one is going to give a crap. Second, I think people are envious and like to gloat when someone's Ferrari burns up. And third, and most importantly, because of the infrequency some people drive their Ferrari's, they are not aware of dry rot or other degradation that can occur to the coolant or fuel lines, and therefore, when they take it out to a show, or a drive, something breaks open and starts a fire.

Phil

I have my 944 Turbo for sale at $5000.00 its a tight car, but needs paint

Taxachusetts

That lowrs yearly maintainace costs immensely. Not possible for me.

Big expense if something breaks on a Ferrrari. No one has yet claimed differently.

Well according to the guy posting it was his car and he had an extinguisher. But this must have been 5 years ago so I cvan't recall al the details. Maybe Google would have it it was in the Ferrari newsgroup. He was far from happy that it happened.