zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
A Ferrari 308GTS for $13,500, Some Assembly Required
A Ferrari 308GTS for $13,500, Some Assembly Required-March 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:15

On the TV show Sweat Equity, Amy Matthews makes DIY home improvement look easy, and looks pretty good herself. Today's Ferrari needs some DIY to increase its equity, but will its price make you sweat?

Yesterday's didn't even break a sweat in wrapping up its commanding 77% Nice Price win. That sweet Mopar from the past would let you grab a handful of vintage American V8, drop the top and forget all about the terrorists and the Twitterers, for a little while at least. Not only that, but the drop top Dodge harkened back to a simpler era when you could fix a car with nothing more than a hammer and the right Beach Boys song playing on the radio.

Long before touch-tone phones replaced rotary dials, Dodge gave us pushbuttons for our trannys.…

Today's car will take a little more than that.

Usually when you put a number like $13,500 up against a Ferrari, even the V8 engined 308, it's more likely to be a maintenance cost rather than the bill of sale. But that's not the case here, and in fact this , maybe not as pretty as the GTB, but surely a whole lot more toplessy. So, it's so cheap, there's got to be a catch, right? Does that Kia money buy you a Ferrari that is presently on fire? Or maybe it's been buried on a crazy cannibalistic hermit's property and what you're buying is the map? Well, at that price, it must have been used in some sort of south of the border donkey diddle show, and now has the unmistakable and irremovable odor of sweet donkey love permeating every nook and Italianate cranny.

Or, maybe a previous owner didn't follow the 5-years or 15,000 miles rule of Ferrari ownership and bent the valves when the cam belt took one to the teeth. That seems to be the case here where the seemingly limbo-winning price is due to the fact that the car is, putting it in the seller's own words, in 1,000,000 pieces. That's a bit of hyperbole as a 308, even in GTS form with its removable roof, doesn't have anywhere near that many parts.

Regardless of how many boxes it'll take to get this Prancing Horse home to your stable, it's a pretty safe bet you're not driving it there. The 308 motor is an interference design, and belt failure can turn the car's achingly beautiful Pininfarina design from kinetic art to a stationary display faster than you can say quello succhia. The claim is made in the ad that 18 valves were eventually determined to have been Tyson'd by the pistons, which is odd as the 1980 308 sported only two valves per cylinder. Perhaps a couple of them were bent twice, just for good measure? The seller says the heads have been repaired with new valves installed, and that the bottom end doesn't seem to have suffered any damage by the unfortunate meeting. Those heads, however remain unmarried to that untouched bottom end. Not a good sign.

The rest of the ad is equally lacking in reassurance, informing that the car at one time was involved in a rear-end collision, which, while repaired satisfactorily, resulted in the loss of the trunk well. Despite those detriments, he does say that the paint is AWESOME, and if you can't believe an all-caps AWESOME, what can you believe? Bumpers, grilles, and a seat rail join the engine on the list of parts that come with the car in boxes and that need to be rejoined with it before your Magnum fantasies can start kicking in. The interior is described as being 99% complete, aside from the driver's seat rail and a steering wheel that he says looks old enough to have once carded Larry King. Additionally, he claims the now-hardened leather of the interior could stand some astroglide leather cleaner to bring it back to its original baby's butt-like texture. While you're in there giving the cow hides a rub down, you could check out what the odometer reads, as the seller sure isn't letting on, and it's unreadable in the ad's Mr. Blurry's Photography shot.

So, by undertaking a little sweat equity you could potentially get your own black stallion to ride. Not only that, but the DIY tale you could tell would make for an interesting in with Amy Matthews should you ever meet her at a bar, or at your arraignment for stalking her. And of course, at this car's price, you'd have plenty left over for bail.

But is that $13,500 too much for a Ferrari whose equity comes in multiple boxes? Or, is that price low enough that you wouldn't sweat it?

You decide!

or go if the ad disappears.

Help me out with NPOCP. Click to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
Honda Finally Caved, Will Offer 7 Year Loans
Honda Finally Caved, Will Offer 7 Year Loans
Cars are getting more and more expensive, especially with EVs on the horizon. As of January of this year, the was heading towards $50,000. But automakers and their respective finance companies want you to know they’re here for you. They’re going to do whatever they can to make sure...
Mar 31, 2026
Buying From Carvana Can Be Awful If You Don't Inspect The Car Properly
Buying From Carvana Can Be Awful If You Don't Inspect The Car Properly
Carvana and its competitors may be seen by some as being better than going into a dealership. With its technology allowing an easy purchasing process, conversation-starting car vending machines, and home delivery it’s all appealing. Our own Mercedes Streeter showed exactly that. But according to one Carvana customer I...
Mar 31, 2026
What Do You Want To Know About The BMW M440i Gran Coupe?
What Do You Want To Know About The BMW M440i Gran Coupe?
This weekend, I spent a little over 250 miles behind the wheel of a 2022 BMW M440i Gran Coupe xDrive — and in exchange for BMW graciously lending me the car, I must write a review on it. Before I do that, though, I want to know what you...
Mar 31, 2026
At $8,950, Is This 1995 GMC Sierra 3500 Good Enough For Government Work?
At $8,950, Is This 1995 GMC Sierra 3500 Good Enough For Government Work?
As a former government truck, today’s GMC is set up to be pretty no-nonsense. Let’s see if there are any shenanigans to be found with its price. While BMW has applied the venerable M badge across almost its entire lineup, even going so far as to extend the performance...
Mar 31, 2026
2022 Subaru WRX Sales Have Dropped 90 Percent This Year
2022 Subaru WRX Sales Have Dropped 90 Percent This Year
When the latest generation of Subaru WRX debuted, reception was... mixed. Some hated the black plastic that wrapped around the bottom of its body, while others promised that . But a new car is always, at the end of the day, judged by its sales — a front on...
Mar 31, 2026
The Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae Demands Your Undivided Attention
The Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae Demands Your Undivided Attention
Piloting the last production V12 to ever grace a production Lamborghini through the automaker’s hometown of Sant’Agata Bolognese was a remarkable moment — one heavy with history and responsibility. (Lamborghini flew me to Bologna, Italy, put me up in a hotel, fed me amazing food and let me loose...
Mar 31, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved