1984 Ferrari 308 GTSi: Staying Home

That is a sad picture, it is like the pretty girl at the dance that nobody can get up the nerve to ask to dance. But then again she is probably high maintenance too :)

I'm hoping you accidentally typed a zero when you wrote "250 miles" because that is absolutely crazy. It's practically the other side of the state.

It's ok girl. We'll wait until it's sunny and then go blasting down some mountain roads later, ok?

"I'm hoping you accidentally typed a zero when you wrote "250 miles" because that is absolutely crazy. It's practically the other side of the state."
 
Nope, not a typo. We exiled Brent to Fresno back in 2005 when he proclaimed his adoration for Pontiac ribbed body cladding, saying "the Grand Am was to automotive design what the Mona Lisa was to whatever art movement it belonged to."

250 miles? Isnt that like a 4 hour commute each way??

Well, he is an editor, so maybe he works from home a lot? 250 miles is insane in SoCal; it used to take me almost an hour to get home on the 405 over an 8-9 mile stretch.

Some clarification: I work from home with 2 to 4 days a month going towards time at our Santa Monica office. -Brent

So you took the daily driver instead of the fun car because conditions were bad.
 
Why are you badmouthing the fun car as a result?
 
Let's see... miles driven in blog car to generate blog entry: 0

Brent, you need to take the 308 for an enjoyable 1 hour drive so that you have some perspective. It's certainly not the car you want to be in while in a terrible traffic jam like you experienced but on a beautiful day on an open, twisty road you won't be able to beat the 308. Trust me, I know!
 
Paul

"So you took the daily driver instead of the fun car because conditions were bad.
  
Why are you badmouthing the fun car as a result?
  
Let's see... miles driven in blog car to generate blog entry: 0"
 
I don't think he needs to drive anything to generate a blog post, thats silly to say. He's also not badmouthing the Ferrari, juts commenting that its not practical for the weather.

dougtheeng,
 
I was referring to his comment, that he expected it to catch fire like the car he saw burning on side of the road, without ever experiencing the car as badmouthing.
 
Also, if he generates a blog post without driving it, how is he different from the rest of us in the peanut gallery?

By the way, the have been a few 308s that have caught fire over the years, the cause is the fuel filler neck, feeding the fuel tank, cracking from age - if you are concerned about fire, replace this and you will be good to go for another 20+ years.

"250 miles? Isnt that like a 4 hour commute each way??"
 
not with the way Edmunds editors drive. It would be more like 2 1/2 hours.

"Others on staff have been bugging me to drive it." (?!)
 
('Please, PLEASE, please drive the Ferrari. Pretty please...')
 
At least we got another Tom Selleck joke. And we're all glad you narrowly escaped a hypothetical engine fire without injury.
 
Here's an idea:
 
Please please PLEASE sell the Ferrari to an actual car enthusiast. And hang on to the Ford Focus.

I decided to register simply to be able to comment on this fiasco of an article. How does a magazine that passes itself off as being about enthusiast cars, choose to drive a Ford Focus over a Ferrari? How does an editor at a car enthusiast magazine get around never driving a Ferrari thats been at thier disposal for many months? What kind of car enthusists would neglect any automobile, much less a Ferrari, and publish an article admitting as much?
 
  It should come as no surprise that this article has been derided at length on various Ferrari related websites. Additionally, All of your issues with the car could simply and easily have been resolved through a simple inquiry online. Most 8th graders know enough to look up things on the internet today, one would assume editors of a magazine would know that much. Yet only one among you seems to know enough about automobiles and have enough passion to try repairing some of the cars minor problems himself, and has found the car fun and entertaining. The rest of you really shouldnt be allowed anywhere near an automobile, let alone allowed to report on one.
   
    I dont care if its a John Deere, a Rolls Royce, or a Cessna 150, every machine on earth needs at least some maintainance and repairs to work properly. Yet you take on an old unmaintained and obviously neglected car, a Ferrari no less, and wonder why its not working well? And you keep driving it? What a joke.
 
  Please, sell the Ferrari or give it to your one editor who seems to like the car, and spend your time commenting on pickup trucks, SUV's, and Hybrids, which seem to be more to your keeping, and leave the Ferraris for the people who will treat them as God and Enzo intended. You people should be ashamed of yourselves. Seriously.
   
  P. Colberg~

Last time I checked, the Ferrari is a car, not a shrine. If it was a shrine, they would put it on a pedestal, freeze dry it, put a glass dome over it, then oogle it.
 
Unfortunately, it's not a shrine. It's a car. It's meant to be driven. I think Enzo would be proud to see his cars DRIVEN and not collecting dust in some guy's GARAGE.

"We exiled Brent to Fresno back in 2005 when he proclaimed his adoration for Pontiac ribbed body cladding"
 
Classic. I think C&D put it best when they said that the Grand Am was "ribbed for no one's pleasure."

I think the premise of the Ferrari test is exactly right: given that a Ferrari (of sufficient age) is within the same price range as "ordinary" cars, is it a realistic alternative for those of us who would love to be able to drive one but can't afford a $30k "toy"?
  
The answer, of course, is that it's compromised in a number of ways. The same would be true of a $25k Porsche 911, or for that matter a comparably priced used Corvette, though the compromises would be different.
  
Most Ferrari owners don't live in a commuting world like the rest of us, or if they do, they have something "sensible" (read Mercedes, BMW, Lexus) in which to do the daily drudgework, saving the Ferrari for its intended purpose--pleasure driving.
  
Those of us with more limited means often find the Ferrari too compromised to serve as a primary car, and would probably gravitate toward a slightly more "sensible" choice (like the long-term M3). We'd lose some exclusivity and style, as well as the romance of the soundtrack, but we'd probably gain in reliability and cost of ownership, without degenerating into Camryland.
 
It's all about finding the right balance. I find the Edmunds test highly worthwhile in that regard.

Agreed with Mr. Colberg. You people are a joke! Stick to reviewing the appliances that you know and love and yes, for the love of God.....sell the Ferrari to someone who deserves to own it and will actually appreciate it rather than b*tch incessantly about the expense of maintaining it and give us a rest from the...."oh my Lord, I might break a nail driving this thing!" BS.
 
The only value I hold in Edmunds' reports is the humor/ridiculousness of the "reporting".
 
When my teenage daughter is in need of a car, I'll make sure I consult with you guys. You're obviously the kings of throwaway cars. If I want to replace my 911 with a 308, I think I'll ask the guys over at Car and Driver or R&T....I imagine they might actually have a clue.

February 25, 2008: The day I learned that Ferrari fanboys are even bigger dorks than video game console fanboys.

This is such a wasted opportunity for the Ferrari. A 250 mile drive in rain and traffic would have answered a lot of questions for both those in the pro and con Ferrari camps.
Instead, you took the Focus. I dunno man, I guess I just expected more from a "Senior Automotive Editor".

Interesting observation:
 
Positive post on Ferrari blog = minimal comments, even cool posts with videos get only a small response.
 
Negative post on Ferrari blog = lots of comments and debate, both in agreement with the post and against.
 
Also, although I realize I'm biased, it has been a long time since we have had a substantive negative post - they seem to be based on 0 - 15 miles of driving by people who have a negative attitude about either this particular car or about old cars in general. These posts are about as valuable as the color commentary in the comment section (in fact the color commentary tends to be better).

Another observation:
 
If you cut through the BS, here is what I have learned from this blog: Buying a cheaper old Ferrari requires taking care of differed maintenance (there is almost always a reason that a particular car is cheaper than the going rate). I also learned that the small stuff can easily be fixed by a back yard mechanic (or an Edmunds editor). I also learned that this car appeals to a certain type of enthusiast (not someone who wants the best stats or 'that new car smell' but someone who appreciates a spirited drive on twisty back roads. This is very clear from the recent positive and negative posts.
 
However, thus far we have not gained an intimate look at ownership because this car is part of the Edmunds fleet. I still think it would be a good idea to have one writer use the car exclusively and daily (or at least very regularly), this would produce some useful insight. If Edmunds considers assigning the car to someone in this mannar, please have it be one of the enthusiasts.

I really agree with aps2 and his idea for having one editor daily drive to see how it is. All we have been getting are bits and pieces mostly just of how fun it is to drive through the twisties and on spirited drives. Theres nothing wrong with those posts, but what we really need is to see how it is in normal life.

I don't think anyone with the handle "misterfusion" oughtta be calling any Ferrari fans dorks...
 
;)

"Where we're going...we don't need roads."

This is really getting heavy.

I'm kinda shocked that this wasn't commented about, but everyone has been ripping on Brent for not going out in the rain with the Ferrari.
 
He did give a good reason for his choice of the Focus over the 308.
 
1. He's never driven the Ferrari before.
2. It was going to rain.
 
Would you go into a rainstorm with an expensive car that you are unfamiliar with? I wouldn't. Could have he taken the 308? Sure.
 
But he chose the safe way; saving the 308 for some other time when the environment is more suitable for acquainting yourself the 308's character.