Ferrari 328 Buyer's Guide

We have had a lot of interest and questions in regard to purchasing a?used Ferrari 328?and I thought it would be helpful to outline a few of the key things I consider when I am looking at this particular model. There are three key things I look at when I am purchasing a 328, first, determine the value, next, establish the pedigree, and last, analyze previous?Ferrari service. Let us outline how we determine the value of Ferrari’s 328.

First, it is important to have a little bit of background on this model. The Ferrari 328 is the successor to the 308 and was produced from 1986 to 1989.?The car is said to be more user-friendly, a little more drivable, and technologically advanced than the 308.?The Ferrari 328, also like the 308, came in two different model variations, the GTS and the GTB; the GTS is the Targa roof and the GTB is the hardtop roof. Ferrari produced about 7,000 328s over that three-year time period, and they made five GTSs for every GTB made.?This obviously makes the GTB much rarer, and in a lot of cases, it will make it more valuable, which is going to be very important to know if you are buying a used 328. The car was produced very similarly from 1986 to 1989, except in late 1988 Ferrari started adding ABS brakes, and in doing this they had to make changes to the wheels.?This change is where the concave and convex wheels came into play.?Therefore, 328s that were manufactured in the mid to late 1988 to 1989 are all equipped with ABS.?Now that you have a little bit of background, let’s talk about what you need to look for when selecting your 328.

As we mentioned, there are three things to look at when buying a 328 and we are going to look at the first one, entry price, in more detail.?First, you have to know how much you should pay for this Ferrari and in order to do so, you need to first determine what it is you are getting.?Will you be purchasing a GTS or GTB model??Will you be buying an early 1987 or late 1989 with the ABS??How many miles are acceptable to you??What condition 328 are you looking for, is a scratch okay, or does it need to be show-worthy??And finally, how will all of these things factor into the cost of the car?

First, let’s consider the different options the Ferrari 328 has and how they will affect the cost of the car. As mentioned, there were much fewer GTBs produced so this model will bring a premium as compared to the GTS. Some people prefer the earlier cars over the ABS so sometimes the premiums will help offset the newer car vs. being an older car.

Second, and one of the most important things to look at when evaluating the 328 is to look at the condition of the car, especially the interior. A great example is the first 328 that we bought.?It was a 1989 that was supposed to have 15,000 miles on it and when it came in, the interior looked like someone had been living in it.?The entire car had been painted by, well who knows. It was clearly not completed by a professional.?As you can imagine this greatly affected the value of the car, and this was a very costly lesson for us.

The second factor to examine is the Ferrari’s pedigree and how this will also play greatly into the cost of the Ferrari. Pedigree is probably the most common thing overlooked during purchasing.?People are very quick to look at the options and often know to review the previous Ferrari service, but ask yourself, how does the previous life affect the cost. How many owners has the 328 had??How did they care for the car??Was it garaged its whole life? Was it in bad climates? These are all very important questions that you need to look at.?You may find a car that has had 5 previous owners, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.?You just need to make sure you have a clear understanding of where the car was, and how it was maintained with each owner, and really just do your due diligence. Whether a car is kept in a garage is a pretty obvious factor, but maybe not always top of mind when purchasing.?Also, be sure to get clarification as to how the car was stored, was it a carport or an actual garage, etc. We once bought a car that was stored in a barn and some type of animal had gotten in and eaten at the wiring. Everyone also has different levels of how they care for their cars so it is important to find out as much as you can.

The last item to discuss in regard to pedigree is the climate the Ferrari lived in.?There are pros and cons to each weather extreme so it is important to know what to look for. Cold, snowy weather can cause horrible rust situations and so if you know the Ferrari you are looking at is or has been in the northern climates check the car for rust.?Rust can be one of the worst issues to deal with so it is critical you know if the 328 has rust before the purchase.?On the opposite end are the Ferraris in extremely hot climates.?The biggest issue these Ferraris will encounter is leather shrinkage and sticky buttons.?Ferraris are notorious for the leather shrinking and deteriorating on the dash and console in hot temperatures. We see this quite a bit, especially with the older Ferraris so be sure to examine the interior for this.?While every Ferrari enthusiast is probably familiar with the sticky button issue and knows that this will happen over time regardless of where the car is stored, hot climates will speed this process.

You may also find out that the Ferrari you are looking at has been stored in a climate-controlled garage, so it does not matter if it was in an extreme climate.?The owner may also seldom drive the car, or only drive it under good weather conditions, keeping the Ferrari in prime condition. I point this out primarily so that you do not rule out any cars that are in any particular area where the weather may not be ideal, and truth be told, we see more people taking good care of their 328s than not.

Finally, considering Pedigree is a critical part of the purchasing decision and should not be overlooked. There is, however, one more area you really need to examine before you select your 328.The final major consideration that you need to review is the service history.

The first 328 we purchased came with extensive service history, but the service was performed by a shop that was not sophisticated enough to work on a car of this caliber and it ended up being a disaster.?In the end, we determined I would have been better off paying 2- 3 times as much for the car and getting one with good service records.?This is why I always say, “there is nothing more expensive than a cheap Ferrari.”

Now, let’s look at the 328 service in a bit more detail so you will know what to look for.?There is good news with servicing the 328; this Ferrari’s major service is more affordable than some of the other models because to do the timing belt service a technician does not have to drop the engine, which will save you some time.?However, there are certain things a technician may miss by doing the timing belt this way so the technician who is working on the 328 must be well-versed on it.?As I say a lot, it is not the services that have been done, but who does the service that is really important. For example, you may be fine doing service through the wheel well, but other times you may have cam seal issues, sometimes you do need to get the entire motor out and check the status of all the belts and hoses to see everything going on so you can determine all that needs to be done.?A technician well-versed on the 328 will know when to look at these specific items.

In summary, great service records are very important and can really affect the value of a Ferrari on the purchase side.?I also think it is important to stress how critical it is who does the service by mentioning that I pay more for a car whose Ferrari service was performed by a reputable service center that specialized in these types of Ferraris.?I also hope this article helps in detailing some of the differences in the 328 model vs some of the other Ferrari models so that you will be able to read through and understand the service records better.

As always, if you have any questions about a 328 you are possibly investing it, we recommend reaching out to a service center you trust.?