Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Lets start a FERRARI thread....'75 308 GT4

[Paul (artvonne]

> I could ask a thousand questions, so let's start with comments from the
> F-List gallery..


 Lurk mode to off......

 First off, I aint that krowbar guy anymore. Second off, Hi everybody, 
LTNS.

 Okay, about that GT4 thing. There is a guy on here, we'll call him Tom. 
Anyway, a long time ago on beautiful road a long ways away, this Tom guy 
owned a Ferrari. I think he named it "Dino" after that Fred Flintstone show.

  Tom would wax poetically about his lil Dino, how he would sit in the car 
alone in his garage after a drive and smell the aromas. He would tell 
stories about the sounds, the feelings, and dangblastit the old jerk got me 
hooked. After decades of mild desire, between that Tom guy and some of these 
others, my brain turned rossa corsa. I too had to have one of those Dino 
things. Only mine HAD to be a GTB, mit carbs.

  And ten years later, I finally have one. Well, two actually, but thats 
another story. But Tom sold his. Yup, he up and sent his ol lil Dino off to 
the pound. See, its not so much about would this or that make a first 
Ferrari, I think the first question that needs asking is are you ready? Are 
YOU a Ferrari owner?

 Do you have kids and will they go to college? Can you afford a $30,000 
toy? I know its a dumb ol GT4, but its still going to cost as much to 
maintain as a GTB or a 328. There really aint no "cheap" Ferrari.

 So, I propose a list of considerations I think even ol Tom might agree 
with.

 How is your driving record, and is insurance affordable where you live? 
Can you really keep your foot out of it, or is the car gonna rack up a load 
of tickets for you and ruin your life? I swear sooner or later im gonna get 
nailed in that car, but so far so good. Anyway, might not hurt to look into 
insurance costs, a few have been horified to find what it would cost.

 Do you have enough extra disposable cash to buy $$$$$$ Ferrari parts?

 Can you purchase the car with cash, or will you finance it? How will this 
effect your future?

  Do you have adequate facilities, tooks, secure garage, safe neighborhood, 
etc.?

  Can you affiord to maintain it? Or, will you be attempting to service it 
yourself? Seems like many have been stung after getting into one and finding 
that extra $10K to actually enjoy it is just to much.

  Can you handle the stress? I mean, when you go anyplace, people are going 
to be looking at your car. Most are decent, some are a bit obsessive, and a 
few can be borderline dangerous. I am a bit more nervous and tend to stay 
out in the country and limit my exposure to some extent. I bought it for me 
and could care less about having a crowd gawk at me. But by God, im 
learning. And, can you handle the stress of just enjoying it? Timing belts 
that break and the stories of them can strike fear into our hearts. Those 
valves that suddenly drop off and mash your motor into junk, among other 
maladies, or just trying to work on it and running into some fiasco, the 
fear of it all can be daunting. But ya know? Once you find it, and are 
exposed, you find its not as deadly as you imagined. Stay the course and 
soon she runs again and all if forgiven. That is, if you can stand the 
stress! Wifey and the kids may not like a depressed dad out swearing at the 
car and throwing tools, lol. I was grounded from the garage several times 
over eposodes like that. Nice lil F car!

  I could never thank these guys enough for corrupting me. I cant afford 
the darn thing, not without getting up to my elbows filthy dirty in love 
working on it. Boy, when you work on one for a few months, or years in my 
case, and that day comes when she runs, and you back her out in the driveway 
for that first drive, knowing its YOU who put her back together... its is 
ALL worth it. When she is revving out in the top of third on a desolate 
road, singing her song, its all worth it. Just dont sell your soul to do it. 
In the end its still a car, not something to be worshipped. Dont sacrifice 
your life and family over the car. Just enjoy it all. Its just yours for a 
time and then you pass it along, hopefully better than you found it, and 
hopefully to someone who will do the same.

 In the end, listen to these guys. When you hear about buying the best car 
you can afford, they arent joking. You think you can save $10K buying that 
cheaper car, but most likely you could NEVER bring it up to that nicer cars 
standards for thee times that much money. Unless your a painter, no body 
shop, even the ones spraying Camaros, are going to paint a 308 for $2K. And 
you wouldnt like the job and it will take a year to get it back. No joke. To 
many stories on body work on these cars. Buy a pretty one. Engine. Buy a 
good one. No matter what, you start paying anyone to sort it out and it will 
be $6K so fast you wont know where the money went. Its really hard to 
realise it, but a dealer sold and serviced  car, that looks awesome, and 
runs like the wind, could be the cheapest Ferrari out there. Not that I did 
that, but maybe if I had it to do over.....Nah, id probably buy another dog. 
Someone has to save the darn things.

 Paul Colberg
 77 308 GTB 21181
 77 308 GTB 21645