[alfa] Re: Ferrari 1976 308 GT 4

["Anthony Sarkis" <anthony.sarkis@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Didn't want to get involved in this dicussion as the last alfa I had was a
nearly a year ago. There
seems to be a lot of miss-information bandied around, and well I own one so
here goes.

I have owned many alfas in the past and the last one I sold was an Alfa 90.
There is no way on this planet that a standard Montreal, GTV6 or any other
alfa is going to beat a Euro GT4.
Period. Especially on the twisties, never mind a 400m drag.

And here is the key. they all have to be standard. Start modifying any of
the above, and it's a different
arguement.

Ok, you don't have to take the engine out for the following: cam belts,
water pump, valve adjustment, or
any other nonesence. doing the cam belts on these cars is like doing one on
a Fiat or a V6 alfa (except for the hydraulic de-tensioner bit).
Yes the clutch is heavy, the steering is heavy depending on how it's setup
with respect to castor angle. All inputs
lighten up once you are moving (except for the clutch), and the whole car
comes alive when you are on the track

the car is easy to work on for the DIYers out there ( I am one of those).
But I agree on the advice to buy the best example you can afford. Don't get
fixer uppers. you will regret it.

One final note, yes I really enjoyed my Alfas of the past, but after this
Ferrari, I would never consider one again.
But really, my car is not a daily, so you have to weigh up what you really
want from the car, and how you want to use it. And I still my Fiat 124 sport
after all is said and done. Not a total Ferrari snob :)

If anyone has any questions about this, I will be happy to share any
experiences I have.
here is a link to the car http://www.iosystems.com.au/car/

Regards, Ants.


> Date: Thu, 20 May 2004 15:29:55 -0700
> From: George Graves <gmgraves@domain.elided>
> Subject: [alfa] Re: Ferrari  1976 308 GT 4
>
> It's true. Many Seventies vintage Ferraris are trucks. Fast trucks, fun
> trucks, but trucks nonetheless. I too was about to purchase a 308GT4
> and likely would have lived with the heavy controls. After all, the car
> was meant to be driven fast, not slow. The 308GT4 is one of the best
> handling cars Ferrari ever built. It is light, small, real tossable -
> sort of like a 2 + 2 Fiat X1/9 with balls. What put me off was the
> maintenance costs. New cam belts every 15,000 miles at a cost of about
> $3000 to change them (engine has to come out) is oft-putting in the
> extreme. My GTV-6 is faster (0-60 in about 6.0 seconds - of course,
> it's not stock) and the engine sounds better and I only have to replace
> the belt every 30,000 miles and when changing both belt and water pump
> at 30,000 miles, the total cost is only in the neighborhood of about
> $400. The 308 GT4 water pump alone costs $800 to buy and you still have
> to take the engine out of the car to put it in! Of course an Alfa is
> not a Ferrari, but I think overall, that my GTV-6 is certanly as well
> designed and as well made as Ferraris of the same era, but I HAVE had
> to resign myself to not owning a prancing horse. Also most 308 GT4s
> that I have run across are victims of their own affordability. Because
> this model is one of the "unloved" Ferraris at the moment, one can get
> into them very cheaply (you can spend more for a perfect Alfa GTV and
> certainly for a decent GTA.). This tempts those without the means  to
> try to fulfill a lifelong dream and buy one. Once they do, and realize
> what upkeep is on these cars, the whole enterprise becomes an exercise
> in deferred maintenance. Often these cars need everything when changing
> hands (which they seem to do often), and the bill for everything ain't
> pretty.
>
> If you truly must have a 308 (either a 4-seater or a two) or a 328, for
> that matter, make sure that when you buy the car, you have a spare
> $20,000 AT LEAST to pour into it right away. If it doesn't eat all that
> $20K, consider yourself lucky, put the excess in the bank under the
> car's own account and add to it when you can. You will need at least
> $7000 every year for as long as you own the car to do right by it. A
> harsh reality, but reality nonetheless. Ferraris are built for the
> rich, the rich don't care that much about $6000 service bills.
>
> George Graves
> '86 GTV-6 3.0 'S'
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