[fastgtr]

now I have it listed.

[Sammy B]

Sounds like a really nice ride you have. Having just been in the market for a '67 Lemans, I really doubt that you could get what you want for your ride the way it sits now, but who knows? If you market the car right (you're post really caught my attention), you may have a chance. I'd love to see a couple photos of your interior if you have any handy. My Lemans is also my daily driver and, one of my goals with the car to to make it safer to drive. The lap belts and seats with no headrests aren't doing it for me -- goes double when my boy is in the car.

And... how do you figure that the having a dealer serviced Ferrari will save you money over fixing the Pontiac yourself???

[fastgtr]

I agree about getting my price. I know I will never recover all of it, just want to get the max value. I got the car in pristine shape from a little old lady-really-they pulled her license due to her vision, than refitted it the way I always wanted one of these cars to be rigged.

I will take a bunch of snaps of the car tomorrow so you can see it in it's current state. The new restraints are sitting on the floor. Havent installed them yet. I was planning on dropping it off for the last few little details at a hi end upholstery shop.

Here is how a dealer serviced ferrari will save me time and money

a) I wont have to work on the car. I am reallllllly enjoying this aspect of my new o6 GTO. Same sort of concept.

b) I have several of the best service providers for hi end ferrari here in the bay area you can find any where. They arent any more expensive than any of my gm dealers. Fact.

c) been really super sick for a really long time, and whenever I tackle a project it takes me a long time to complete. Wilwood upgarde took me 3 months and change. Not due to difficulty, just so damned sick. These muscle cars are damned expensive to have done right by someone else, just as a ferrari is. It is just easier at this stage to admit that I don't really enjoy the beating the skin off my knuckles for the occasional 4.2 second 0-60 blast. I enjoy the experience like no other, but love the idea of having the wife along for the rides up and down trhe coast. we have done them in both gto's, but isnt the same. I will email you some hi res pics. The work is top notch, I havent seen anything "better" though that is always subjective. I am also toying with the idea of a viper or maserati cambicorsa spyder. There are a number of ways I can go here. I saw a super nice low miles ferrari 348 spider, a 355, both amazing, both affordable.

[engineer]

part it, you will never get your money out whole.

[Sammy B]

Those Lotus Elise's are pretty cool too. And way cheap if you get a used one.

But, on the other hand...

I used to be pretty into off roading. I had a 95 Isuzu Rodeo that I put a TON of work into (yes, I did say Isuzu!). I nuked the entire front end and welded in a Dana 44 solid front axle from an old Wagoneer. I also fabbed up a front winch bumped, and rear bumper, blah, blah, blah.

Anyways, after I spent all this time and money on my off road masterpiece, I ended up selling it to some dude in Prescott, AZ. At the time I could have cared less, but after I saw him posting a few photos on an Isuzu forum of him wheeling MY ride, all I could think of was how much work I put into that car only to have it driven by someone else. Definately my loss and his gain (it really did kick ass on the trails).

Not to sound too obvious, but are you sure that you really want to sell the car that you've put so much work into. I'm sure that 99% of the folks on this forum have had at least one car that we 'should have hung onto'.

[YVEYANT]

I would put it on Ebay with a high reserve, one that you would be happy with once met before you go through the trouble of parting it out. $50 -$70 bucks for a Ebay ad seems like a small gamble compared to having to take it apart and deal with people who will be nickling and diming you to death for those parts.

[fastgtr]

I think you folks have hit it right on the head. i will ebay it with a high reserve, then if it doesnt sell or generate enough intereste affter a few months I will part it out. Yeah, I am sure. I have mulled it long and hard, and have let go of more valuable cars before. This is the best clone I have seen, and certainly the best GTO I have driven, but, I am not all that excited about the old goat and the routines required to keem em running. Though these things pound like crazy, they break just as often, and having to keep rebuilding it is no fun. I have it perfect now, so I will see what she will bring, and then make some decisions. I guess it's time ot get her up on the rack for some underneath pics too. Lots o great parts in this rig. Today it is raining here in san jose, so I am going to have to wait for the weather to change.

[leecorrell]

Would you be happy with mid 20's for it? You might be able to get that - I'm not sure what they bring in the real world. But, NADA high retail for a stock 326/at 2dr hdtp Lemans is listed as $26k for my area. It just takes the right buyer. If your Lemans is indistinguishable from a true GTO other than title, then a person looking for a GTO might find your car as an opportunity to get a "GTO" without the GTO price tag. I'm not sure you will find that buyer on ebay though. You can set a reserve at a live auction as well - if you find the right classic car auction it mey present the type of buyer you need.

[GTOGreg]

I think that is the right strategy you have, small investment to test the waters and then decision time for how much work it is to swap the parts versus the better return.

Where I would challenge your thinking is on the total cost of ownership on that Ferrari. On the older models the price of buy-in is relatively inexpensive (to the cost of a new one of course), but the maintenance is a killer. Sounds like you may know one of the techs and that is great if you can get the work done on the side. I have known people that have paid upwards of $3K a pop for regular, scheduled maintenance though, and God forbid something major happens with a major component. To be blunt with you, no one is going to have mercy on you when you own a Ferrari - you're expected to suck it up. How many high mileage Ferraris do you see also? Not many...it costs a fortune to put miles on them. Not that it's any different with a muscle car (esp a Poncho), but still you're not driving a low maintenance vehicle just because it is newer.

If you go forward with it, I hope your experience is different. BTW, where is it raining in San Jose, it is a chamber of commerce day just a tad north here in Fremont (almost north SJ/Milpitas)?

[GTOGreg]

Here is an article worth a read concerning maintenance on a second-hand 550 Maranello. Actually not as bad as I thought at $2.90 a mile to drive beyond acquisition, but something to consider nevertheless...basically you are just doubling your gas bill if you want to look at it that way (and again, figuring you won't have major damage).


http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/09/w...-a-late-model/

[fastgtr]

I am thinking 348 or 355 spyder. The miles are very low on most, and I know the pricetag is going to hurt on service when I have it done, but egads, each engine I have done ( 6 or7 in 15 years) has been a nearly $10K affair. 2 have been well over $13K in PARTS! I dont factor in the blown mills when I do costs or i would lose my mind. BUT...the blown mills are my fault too. I have no modulation when it comes to red line, and have tickled 7K with 455's one time too many with my ponchos, whereas a ferrari just starts to grin at that kind of abuse. It comes down to how I drive. I like winding my motors, and frankly 6 grand aint enough! At least not in my 3800 popund aerobrick. Not even with well over 600 pounds of torque. I guess its just trading one nightmare for another, but...the ferrarri is more welcome. At least it might be for a while, and if I long for another poncho, I can always start again! Not like I dont know the territory well by now. It's just too well tread upon. I am getting the same advise on my house too. Hang on, dont upgrade, are you sure, and both have me thinking I have it pretty good. But...the working on the old GTO thing is OLD! My last CARB tune up ( I paid a guy to dynotune it on a smog dyno to see how close my mix was) was well over 600 and we didnt get to the point of final happiness before dynotime availability was over. This was on a brand new 750DP. Just jet changes and retesting. Is it 100%? Nope. Close? VERY!. But...a good ferrari mechanic is actually easier to find here than a good retro pontiac shop that KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING, and just about the same hour per hour cost. Parts are just as horrific as Pontiacs.

And for you wise asses...LOL...nooo, I am not compensating for shortcomings in other areas. I'm happily married, have all the toys a guy can ask for ( I have 14 guitars!!!) and couldnt be more comfy in my own skin. A guy who is now a very close freind made the comment at work in front of a bunch of my freinds when I bought a new TA, " You must have a little dick" and I told him just as quick as he had said it... "your wife didnt think so last night and I'll bet you a hundred bucks right now, mine is bigger!" Everyone, man and woman alike was howling. I offered to whip it out right there for a hundred and prove it. I was off the clock so...he laughed red faced from the burn I just handed him and we became very close. I took him for a ride in the TA to mt ham and now he is a die hard pontiac guy. Wants a new 06 GTO too. Still wont break down and get it tho. I love my 06. BTW...took the old 67 out today and had a blast in it. It is still much quicker 0-60 than anything else i can afford! Handles flat and those new wilwoods are AWESOME!

[fastgtr]

okay. I just read the entire article as well as all the costs that the prior owners were willing to add to the car. I am not one of those imbeciles. I mean 127 for a license plate frame that costs maybe 5 bucks? I can get a nice ferrari knock off at the flea market, and save the real one for when it shows...NOT! After reading the entire bit I came away with the sobering cost factor of 1.96 per mile in things I would have had them do. I will still do a good bit of my own stuff, but hey the ferrari looks like it is as poorly built as a yugo! What the heck...new struts in just a few weeks and not covered by warranty? New corvette z07 in 09 looks like my next car. I will chew this over for a while and consider it. My zero to 60 may be the the deciding factor as I already own this black hole in the garage! LOL...hey greg, we oughta hook up sometime and compare notes. i am nearby in san jose so pm me...

[fastgtr]

slight precip, nothing heavy, just bad photos weather until about 2 hours ago.

[Blue1967GTO]

fastgtr, I was in a similar boat as you. My '67 GTO was finished and I was getting bored. So I bought a Ferrari, a 1988.5 328GTS with 27k miles. Except I also kept the GTO.

A 328 is a great first Ferrari. They are generally the most reliable, cheapest to maintain F car you can get. A handy owner can do the vast majority of repairs themselves. Dealers will rake you over the coals. An independent shop is usually a better bet. You can't compare the costs of maintaining a 12 cylinder like a 550 to the costs of a V8 like the 328.

348's are relatively unloved in the Ferrari world and have some issues that I didn't want to deal with. Nice 328's are now more expensive than 348's. A nice 348 spyder will set you back about 65k. 355's are great performing cars but have some serious issues that are extremely expensive to fix. A nice 355 spyder is over 90 grand. The cars you see for less money are cheap for a reason - they are crap and need 10's of thousands to bring them up to speed.

There are many things I can tell you if you are interested.

[fastgtr]

I am thinking between 50 and 60 grand as my budget by the time I sell off all my old GTO gear and pocket my share of the tax return and bonus money we have coming this year. I have a couple of engines at the moment as well as an RAV rotating assembly I auctioned off at ebay as well as quite a few itmes here left to sell off. RAV buyer still hasnt paid so I gotta wait and see. He may or may not pay. Unlike you, I am not so flush with cash that I can keep both GTO's and then get a Ferrari, as well as the wife's new vibe. She loves that thing btw. I DO have to sell my old gto to do it, and want to be sure it is a worthwhile move. Sounds like you have done it. What is the going rate for a decent 328?

I have also thought maybe i will buy a flood car and just rebuild it from the ground up to know how they are put together. Whats the best middle ground car that will hold value as well as be a reasonable ride to maintain? I GREATLY appreciate the input. I am more than a little handy. I have done my own ground up auto restorations since I was 14 1/2 and will be 48 in a few weeks so I gots me some wrenching time under my belt. LOL I have toyed with the idea of dropping a well built LS2 or LS6 into an old ferrari or e type jag with a painless harness and 6 speed if it can be done. Would have to be one heck of an engineering task, but hey, they are being shoehorned into all kinds of rigs now. I thought about stuffing one into my old gto, but then decided to go eheaded traditional pontiac with a hydraulic roller. Right choice. GOOD GOD it has torque! Had a bit of fun in it this morning while running errands. My new GTO is great fun, but no match in a dead straight run for the old gto. She runs mid to hi 11's on the g tech pretty regular! New GTO, best time is a 12.92@108 mph. 0-60 on that run was a blistering 4.7 seconds. The old GTO hits 0-60 in 4.2 to 4.4 every time. It hooks up and flat out goes! Maybe I am being hasty here...okay. you have both, which one is more fun to drive?

[Blue1967GTO]

50-60 grand will get you a very nice 328, an OK 348, or a junk 355.

DO NOT buy a tattered Ferrari. Parts costs are insane, and many parts (especially trim pieces) are no longer available. Reproduction parts are few and far between, unlike for our GTO's. Consider that only about 7000 328's were produced over 4 years and the repop market isn't very big. However the major parts are readily available.

A good running 328 hits 60 mph in about 5.5 seconds, the 1/4 at 14.0 and 100 mph. It only has ~270 hp and ~215 ft-lb but revs to 7800 rpm, good for 150+ mph top speed. Corners like a big go-kart. Also feels like you are going far faster than you are because your butt is only 4 inches off the ground. Also, the engine is right behind your head and sounds nothing like an American V8. The Ferrari V8 has a 180-degree crank like they use in F1 cars and it sounds like it!

I love my GTO but I think if I had to choose between the 2 I would pick the Ferrari. Every time I drive the 328 it's like a special occasion, and I end up grinning like an idiot every time I run up through the gears. Also the Ferrari makes a much bigger impact on the public. To many people the GTO is just an old car, no matter how well it's done. But the Ferrari is a Ferrari, and everyone knows that's something special.

[YVEYANT]

Photos??

[fastgtr]

pics in a few hours. The slight dewy precip I got yesterday morning was just enough to put a nice dusty yellow pollen sheen on the car this am!

[fastgtr]

scratch the 456 too. she is junque! value is sinking faster than congressional approval ratings!

[Sammy B]

Six or seven engines in fifteen years (well, guess that's seven or eight now)??? Are you beatin the crap out of this thing, or what? Mines had the same 326 in it for the last 40 years and 80k miles. I don't think it's even been rebuilt!

Thanks for posting the photos. Looks like a great ride.