Talking about money. It’s all a bit unseemly isn’t it? A bit gauche, darling. We don’t discuss such things. Just not done, especially if you’re British. The only money-related thing we’re happy to talk about is property prices – our obsession with the cost of bricks and mortar is rivalled only by our preoccupation with the weather. Unless, like me, you don’t own a property, in which case such conversations are going to drive you into a murderous rage or send you into a corner to quietly sob at the injustice of it all. You’d have to pull the fingernails out of British person to find out what they earn, which is probably why salaries are so low here. We’re so repressed sometimes when a little more openness might benefit everyone.
In that vein, then for your amusement and to the horror of my credit card balance, I am going to walk you through exactly what it has cost me to run a classic Ferrari for the last three and half years. There are a lot of misconceptions about what it really costs to own and maintain one of these glorious cars. Depending on your relationship with money this article will either reinforce or dispel them. Owning an old Ferrari could be considered the final boss of classic car ownership: you survive or you get financially creamed.
I want to say up front, and for the record, I am not of means. I like to say if I were rich I wouldn’t be working here, but as David pointed out to me of course I would because I love it and nowhere else will have me. I hate it when he’s right. A while back, I came into a small amount of money and rather than sticking in the bank for a paltry return, decided a better idea would be to buy a car I could use and have fun with. Something to get me out of the house at the weekend. I didn’t specifically set out to buy a Ferrari, but classic car values being what they are in the UK it represented fantastic value for money. Walking car designer cliché that I am, I thought about a 911, but the Singer Tax has pushed values of anything air cooled into orbit, even the cabriolets, which I would have been happy with because I’m a terrible show off. I also considered a DeLorean, but they come up for sale about as often as Jason gets Cold Start done on time and would have been over my budget. A car designer friend of mine sold his a few years back for £48k before emigrating to Japan. Bloody eighties nostalgia ruining everything.
A Red Letter Day
Back to the red cars. I’ve always loved the 348, probably because it was the one that was always popping up in car magazines when I started buying them. The 348 being a bit unloved and undervalued suited me right down to the ground. The trouble is everyone else has cottoned on to their (relatively) analog charms and they’re no longer the bargains they used to be. I would later realize I had inadvertently dodged a massive prancing horse kick to the wallet by not being able to afford one. But the red seed had been planted in my brain and it wasn’t leaving anytime soon. So I started looking at Mondials. This was back in the dying months of 2021.
The looking part didn’t take long as there were only three available at the time. I plumped for the middle option, a one-owner totally original car that had been parked in a barn for a few years. I viewed the car at a dealer in December 2021, and a full recommissioning, including the all important cambelt change was included in the purchase price. And so in early January 2022 I had my very own 1983 Ferrari Mondial QV parked outside my house next to my 2011 Range Rover Sport. Why own one unreliable, badly built, breakdown-prone car when you can have two?
Let’s stick a rusty screwdriver through that myth first. Older Ferraris are not underbuilt cars constructed from week-old pasta sauce and communion wafers. Being built from steel and with some aluminum panels, the Mondial weighs just over 3000lbs (1400kgs) so for a smallish car it’s an absolute unit. The engine and gearbox have been in service since the 308 GT4 in 1974 and as was pointed out to me by an auto journo friend, developed by serious helmsmen ragging the things around the Fiorano test track for months on end. Being a QV as opposed to a later T model, the most complicated part of my Mondial is the original dealer fit Pioneer KE-4300 stereo, which doesn’t even have a digital display. It does have electronic ignition but the fuel injection system is the boat anchor simple Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical setup. It’s got an advanced mechanical specification (limited slip diff, vented discs all round) for the time, but the Mondial is not a car stuffed with mysterious black box modules that expensively fail as soon as they meet the damp British climate. It doesn’t even have power steering or ABS. It’s held together with nuts, bolts and screws in the usual old car way – there’s no fragile plastic trim clips holding the interior together. Given enough beer and a free afternoon you can easily figure out how it comes apart.
Breaking down the expenses individually wouldn’t make for a particularly engrossing read, so I’m going to walk you through what I spent as I spent it throughout my Italian romance so far. This will help me keep it all straight in my head and hopefully be a more compelling story. At the end, we’ll come to some conclusions and add it all up. Sound good? Oh and one more thing – I’m going to keep the costs in Pounds Sterling and then convert it to freedom pounds at the end, because to paraphrase a great woman I write for The Autopian boo boo and I don’t have that kind of time. Also it reduces the opportunity for me to make a mistake in one of the conversions and upset David.
Teething Problems In 2022
I didn’t know what I was going to use the car for when I first got it. It was January and too early in the year for any car events to be happening. Because I was itching to drive it the first thing I did was get groceries for the week, something the Mondial was unsurprisingly adept at because it has a full size, regularly shaped trunk. Parallel parking when I got home I noticed a few tell tale spots of coolant in the road. I wasn’t unduly worried but a couple more local drives resulted in the right hand side intake doing a good impression of a kettle at full boil. Checking the coolant tank the level was fine – I guess it doesn’t take much to make a lot of steam. But now I had spent a bit of time with the car a few other small problems made an appearance. The fuel gauge was a bit reluctant to give an accurate indication of the tank’s contents, sound was only coming out of one door speaker, some of the segments of the digital clock didn’t work, and while the engine sounded terrific the exhaust note didn’t give me the feeling of winding out a 126C2 along the Coventry bypass.
I figured the fuel gauge sender unit was a bit sticky from sitting idle for a decade and that a couple of tanks of super unleaded would free it up. I rang the dealer who sold me the car and he agreed this seemed a prudent course of action, although he was at pains to point out the reserve light, which comes on when there’s 15 liters (about 4 US gallons) left in the tank did work. Reserve light or no light, a couple of tanks of gas later the fuel gauge still didn’t work properly.
So we have a small coolant leak, superb mono sound, and an inoperative fuel gauge. The exhaust note wasn’t exactly a reliability issue, but being a showoff that’s what I dealt with first. Ryan Edwards Exhaust Fabrication at Bicester Heritage knocked up a custom system for me at £960. The Mondial now sounded amazing, but this highlighted another problem – a misfire. Upon double-checking the paperwork I got with the car, when it was recommissioned at Ferrari specialists QV London they replaced THREE HT leads? Who the bloody hell only replaces three ignition leads on an eight cylinder car? I suspected the dealer who sold me the car was being cheap to keep his profit margin fat. Further evidence to support this theory would be uncovered in the future.
It was time to put in a call to Migliore cars (who have been the Mondial’s custodians throughout) in Bromsgrove about a 45-minute drive away. The fuel tank sender units are no longer available – they would attempt a repair or adapt a different unit to fit – but the tank would need to be dropped. Like all small specialist operations they are insanely busy so sorting that, plus tracing the coolant leak, checking the car over and fitting a new set of leads took two months. That final bill came to £1300, including £322 for the leads. At least they were red.
While the car was away, I investigated fixing the digital clock. My naïve assumption was it was shared with some Fiat or other as the Mondial was the first Ferrari built with significant input from them. No such luck and of course no longer available. This was one of the first lessons about classic Ferrari ownership I learned. The mechanical and consumable parts are widely shared with other mid-engined V8 Ferraris of similar vintage and therefore commonly available and reasonably priced. It’s the interior and electronic components that are hard to get and ruinously expensive when they do come up second-hand. Someone on the excellent and surprisingly not-full-of-wankers Ferrari forums had pulled the clock apart and simply soldered in new seven segment LED units. I ordered four from eBay for £10, but no way was I going to attempt to solder them myself.
Once I had the Ferrari back with a working fuel gauge, no coolant leak or misfire, I spent an afternoon upside down in the passenger footwell yanking out the classic twin spindle style Pioneer stereo to figure out why I was only getting music from one door. Some swapping round of the left and right channel confirmed it was definitely the stereo and not the speakers or wiring. So I found an electronics firm in Sheffield who were happy to look at it and solder the new LEDs into the clock PCB for me. £100 including return postage. The central locking also stopped working on the passenger side, which turned out to be the door mechanism itself. I got a secondhand unit from exotic car dismantlers Eurospares for £60.
I didn’t venture too far for the rest of the year, totaling about 1450 miles. I still tried to get it out every couple of weeks because Ferraris don’t like to sit around but the furthest from home I ventured was two visits to the Sunday Scramble at Bicester Heritage during the summer, about an hour away. I wanted to make sure there we no more problems lurking before making plans for longer trips in 2023.
Into 2023
That Christmas I took it to my best friend’s house in Wales. After surviving the holidays and sitting for a few weeks, I opened the garage door and was greeted with a small puddle of coolant on the floor. This time I could see which hose was leaking so I replaced it myself, which you can read about here. Total cost £21. Annoyance and faffing around cost: off the charts.
You haven’t really owned an Italian car unless some weird design idiosyncrasy makes your life difficult. Something that had been bugging me about the Mondial for a while was the cigarette lighter. Eighties Italian car cigarette lighters are made solely for the purpose of firing up a heater and nothing else. Unlike a normal lighter you push in and remove, there’s a narrow hole you put your cigarette into like dipping a pickle into a jar of mustard. Then after a few seconds, you remove your lit cigarette and enter flavor country. Normal 12v accessories wouldn’t fit into this tight opening. I didn’t want to take a chance on a cheap Amazon 12v socket so I spent £25 on one from a reputable electronics firm and spent another afternoon upside down removing the entire center console to fit it.
Getting a hand wash job at my local car wash place revealed the door seals on both sides leaked like a newborn baby. This is the sort of stuff you don’t even think about on a newer car but on an old car just forms part of the constant rotation of stuff that wears out and needs replacement. New seals are available at a princely £336.52 for the pair. I bought ten meters (33ft) of generic door seal with the same profile from eBay for £56. Because I am lazy and didn’t like having to set the clock every time I took the car out, I never bothered using the built-in battery isolator. You can guess where this is going. The supplying dealer had fitted a cheap junk battery that was now knackered despite being a little more than a year old. I fitted a high spec Bosch replacement for £135. And started using the isolator. Then backing out of the garage one day the steering felt heavier than usual. A self tapping screw had gone through the tread of one of the TRXs rendering it as flat as a turd. New TRXs are available because Michelin knocks out a batch every so often, but they are £361 each. I got the puncture repaired and all the pressures checked at my local tire place for £28.
My first proper long journey was a public holiday weekend away at Brands Hatch to watch the Historic Grand Prix cars. About 130 miles away, albeit slightly lengthened by the fact I was going to pick up my brother from East London. Our lovely members all know what happened and so if you’re not (and why not?), at the end of the M11 just outside London I noticed the temperature gauge was pinned to the red. This part of the Big Smoke is my old manor, so I knew there was a gas station half a mile away I could limp to. The water pump had seized and consequently snapped the accessory belt. Because it was a holiday weekend the Ferrari couldn’t be recovered straight to Migliore as they wouldn’t be open. My breakdown service promised me a two-leg recovery saying they would collect the car from house Tuesday and take it to the garage, but they reneged and denied saying this leaving me £200 out of pocket to the get the Mondial hoisted onto a flatbed and taken to Migliore by a local firm.
While Migliore had the car for the water pump replacement I had the yearly service done and a booster kit fitted to speed up the driver’s side window, a common issue on old Ferraris due to the way the windows are wired through a relay or something. At the same time, the driveshaft gaiters also needed replacement. That was the second of my big bills and it totaled £1728.
This might all seem like a lot at 18 months in, but it’s important to remember the Mondial is an old car. Stuff is going to wear out whether it’s a Ferrari or a Fiesta. Seals, rubbers and plastic components all age out regardless of which factory screwed the thing together. It’s just the irrevocable march of time. In 2023, the car turned 40 and I turned 50, so to prove to myself and to the Ferrari it wasn’t a temperamental diva first up was a trip to Le Mans Classic in June, a journey of just over 1000 miles. Later in the year, I took it back to place where it was born, Maranello, as part of a weeklong pan-European road trip to the Italian Grand Prix. Once back home I had time to unpack, have a cup of coffee and repack before heading straight back out again to go and meet a car dealer and my twin brother at Goodwood. That came to 2500 miles in eight days and the Ferrari did not miss a beat, sitting quite happily on uncongested European motorways at 80 mph.
Not Much Driving In 2024 But It Still Broke Down
The problem of 2024 came in May when the clutch slave cylinder failed. Luckily, this happened near home, so the inconvenience wasn’t too great. The parts were £116 and the total bill was £349, again from Migliore. Because I spent lot of last year flying to see friends and being a fabulous goth in Germany, the Ferrari didn’t get a lot of use. Towards the end of the summer, I did manage take it to the Retro Rides Gathering at Mallory Park. After sitting in the sun all afternoon, when it came to leave I turned the key and bupkis. Not a click. Not a whirr. Nothing. Embarrassingly, I was one of the last to leave to had to cadge a bump start from Johnny Smith of Late Brake Show fame and his mates. At least he’ll remember me now. Then this weird non-starting fault the sort of fixed itself. Autopian contributor, Italian car whisperer and good friend Andrea Petersen visited my damp little island in November and OF COURSE the Mondial behaved impeccably when I took her out in it. The fault didn’t reappear until earlier this year when I wanted to take the car to a media event in Coventry. The morning I got it out of the garage it was fine. But when I jumped in the afternoon it flatly refused to start again. Serves me right for wanting to show off to my media mates. Recovery service called again, Ferrari recovered to Migliore again.
Those of you keeping track will have realized that up to this juncture I have had the car in my possession for a little over three years. So you know what that means–cambelt time. I cheated slightly in 2024 and didn’t have the car serviced simply because I didn’t use it much, so a fluids, plugs, and filters refresh was due as well. Although the Ferrari is now over forty and doesn’t legally require an annual MOT test I figured it’s always prudent to get one done anyway. Not only is it a good check over, anyone who wants to know the car’s roadworthiness history can look it up online. Migliore informed me on the way to the test station there was an overpowering smell of gas – a new fuel accumulator at £280 please. The non-starting issue was low voltage (again) at the starter motor, solved by running a relay directly to it, a common fix. The total bill this time was, are you sitting down, £2137. Including the mandatory £50 for the MOT test. Bloody hell. And that brings us up to date, as I sold my remaining kidney to pay that bill a couple of weeks ago.
What I Spent
Aside from all these minor maintenance costs, what else have I spent? Before heading to Europe, I thought it wise to fit some more modern headlamp bulbs, £50. These Ferrari V8s also burn a bit of oil. The specified grade is 20w50, and you can’t use synthetic because it attacks the seals. I went through three 5-liter bottles of Valvoline VR1 at £45 a pop. Classic car insurance (limited mileage, agreed value) was about £250 for the first year and £275 for the second. Last year it jumped to £450 and this year it’s gone up slightly again to £468. For the first two years of ownership before it became exempt, the Mondial was liable for Road Tax at £295 per year.
All right, like yanking off a plaster or getting an eyebrow piercing the painful bit is best done quickly so let’s start adding it all up.
Fixed Costs:
Insurance, 4 years: £1443
Road Tax, 2 years: £590
MOT, 3 Years: £130
Storage: £2160
Total: £4323
Now the maintenance and sundries:
Stereo and Clock Repair: £110
Custom Exhaust: £960
New Battery: £135
New Door Seals: £56
Passenger Door Lock: £60
Coolant Hose: £21
12v Accessory Socket: £25
Puncture Repair: £28
New Headlight Bulbs: £50
Valvoline VR-1 Engine Oil: £135
Total: £1580
Major Maintenance and Repairs at Migliore Cars:
April 2022 (drop tank, new HT leads, change top hose): £1300
June 2023 (water pump, service, driveshaft gaiters, window booster): £1728
May 2024 (clutch slave cylinder): £350
Additional Recovery for above: £200
April 2025 (cambelt change, yearly service, starting fault, MOT): £2138
Total: £5716
Fuel (7560 miles @ £6.40 gallon approx.): £1920
GRAND TOTAL SPENT: £13,539 ($17,987)
Bloody hell. When you add it all up like that, it sounds like a lot. And truth be told, it is. Every mile I’ve driven in the Ferrari, it has cost me about £1.79 ($2.38). I haven’t included my yearly breakdown cover with the AA because I have that anyway for my daily driver. Likewise, I haven’t included ferry crossings and European motorway tolls because I would have paid them whatever I drove, although to be fair I wouldn’t have thought about driving to the Italian GP if I didn’t have a Ferrari. I didn’t buy the car with content in mind, but some of this figure is offset by the pieces I’ve written about it here and at the insurance company. But I’m not telling you how much I earned because we don’t talk about money darling, remember?
I don’t think the Mondial has been more troublesome than any other classic car would be. It’s just the issue with owning a Ferrari in the UK at least, is provenance. You simply must have it. Anyone buying one of these cars wants to see a nice fat service history stuffed with receipts for work carried out by people who know what they are doing. And this is aside from the fact I don’t have the skills or the facilities to carry out any in-depth work anyway. If you think I spent a lot, I met a chap with a 360 Modena who had to buy two new engine ECUs at a couple of thousand pounds. Each. The Mondial might be the last remaining attainable Ferrari, but even the later Mondial T which shares its engine with the 348 is a big step up in maintenance because of the additional electronics those cars contain. I went into Ferrari ownership with my eyes wide open but the truth is it’s just too much of a stretch for me. So soon it will be going up for sale, hopefully to be replaced by something a bit more manageable. A car that’s a bit more downtown. A bit more me. One that doesn’t require expensive visits to a specialist garage to maintain its provenance. A car I know inside and out. The love of my life, a Capri 2.8 injection.
In the meantime, do you think sleep deprived David will notice if I invoice him $18,000 dollars for this piece? Or should I just ask for a pay rise?
All images the author unless otherwise stated. Top image credits: Adrian Clarke, eBay, Deposit Photos
Seems to me you’re getting rid of the Mondial just as you’ve gotten it sorted.
I’d keep it – and get the Capri as a daily.
Because multi-car discount on the insurance!
I’ll list it, if it sells it sells. If not I’ll use it for the summer and list again in the spring.
Now you’re talking! It’s good to hear that your other, unnamed motivations to sell won’t force you to eat a disheartening loss.
Just picked up mine this morning. Planning on Radwood and another big show plus lots of cruising; it’ll be the first summer we’ll get to use it to its fullest. After that, like you said, if it ends up being an albatross, well, we’ll always have Paris.
It really has been fun reading about your car (here and at Hagerty) and I envy all the Capri owners who will get to have the same experience in the future.
As the current owner of 3 old Alfa Romeos and 2007 Porsche Turbo……it’s probably better for my mental health if I don’t do these types of calculations.
Per mile cost was about what I expected. And compared to running a late-model USA-built large truck or SUV over the next 15 years, potentially more economical on a per-mile basis.
I hope you find that Capri. In black.
Black is the goal, but there’s a dark metallic grey that’s really nice as well.
You should ship the electronic bits to Big Clive for repair, we’ll even get a YouTube video out of it. Just tell him not to try carbonating it.
That looks like a winner to me, three years expenses haven’t approached the car’s market value, life is good. An interesting, somewhat entertaining article at your expense. I don’t know how useful the information will be to folks living and driving elsewhere, because the UK is a strange frame of reference, where even English made cars have survived for decades. (-;
I would think the maintenance itself, if not the costs involved are a useful data point.
Ok, so roughly 8 miles each way from my hotel to the train and back, not counting getting mildly lost, so that works out to about $38. Ass, grass, or cash? Or PayPal, as the case may be?
Oof. Worse than my woes on the two Benzes and I was feeling sorry for myself.
But! YOLO and YOFO (you’re only fabulous once), so enjoy the red car.
One thing Mercedes does better than most is keep making or stocking parts needed on decades-old cars. They recently started making the air suspension spheres used on just a few ’70s models. Would that all manufacturers did the same.
They definately do/did a good job of making the rare parts available as NOS. There’s a lot of parts on my W126 that are readily available (and surprisingly cheap) because they are shared with the lower spec models. There are some parts that are very hard to find for the big v8 and the long wheelbase, and they are mostly available from Mercedes. Sometimes they cost more than we paid for the car. But they’re out there.
It’s either a shame that you’re getting rid of the Mondial just as it’s sorted or a good idea to get rid of it before the next catastrophe hits. That’s up to the next owner to find out. I can’t wait to see that sweet Capri content start showing up, though. As a man of a certain age, I love a Capri. It’s so frustrating that true Capris only made it over here for a few years under the Mercury division before the badge got stuck onto a succession of increasingly worse cars. The price of good ones in the UK, like Mk1 Escorts, is pretty eye-watering these days, but the agricultural engineering and enormous fan base should keep those bills relatively modest.
2.8 injection prices seem to be a bit all over the place, but the only ones that make really strong money are the run out 280 Brooklands or really minty, low mileage original cars. Escorts can be mad money but only for the very best cars.
Sell or keep after sorting is always a mystery.
Many listed cars with tons of work make you wonder.
I’ve gotten rid of several after reaching the end of my patience with repairs and always wonder if they continued to break of were super reliable for the next owners.
Just tossed a Subaru after an expensive steering rack replace.
Who knows…
I don’t follow the Ferrari forums that closely, but the silver ex ‘John Pogson’ Mondial that was featured on a video over at The Drive was a wreck. The person who bought that had it for 18 months or so and had loads of problems with it.
Had me right up until the end when you converted the currency to dollars.
Who is this, really? Torch?? The real Adrian would never deign to do that, for us of all people…
(Jason catfishing us might also explain how the dimensional measurements were all converted to imperial)
I was thinking maybe it was in lira ₤ not pounds £ but $10.41 is too reasonable
Now get something produced before mid-February 1971, sell it on an April Fools’ Day, then write an article detailing the costs in non-decimal currency.
I’ve said it before, but I can’t even with that stupid system. Like when they measured van capacity by the hundredwieght. What the fuck even is that?
Just keep in mind this handy conversion:
1 hundredweight = 1 cwt
*comic book store guy voice* oh that’s real useful information.
1 cwt = 8 stone
A long time ago I worked at a ski rental shop in California. More than one Brit told me their weight in stone.
“Oh I’m 6 stone”
Great, get on that scale over there if you value your knees.
Technically eight stone is one British cwt. It’s 1.12 cwt (US).
Why, that’s easy: It’s an entire country running on £sd.
I can’t believe this has been up for an hour and now it’s quitting time.
Suffice to say, those issues and those costs are similar to what I have paid, although I would have saved significant time if I’d just had my new shop do it out of the gate rather than wasting time on the neighborhood garage. But having paid the up-front costs of getting it up to speed and initial upfitting, I’ll be ready in a year or two either to follow your path and let it go or make you rue the day you decided to sell it after hearing my wonderful success story.
Happy trails regardless and we’ll all look forward to your writing on whatever car next strikes your fancy.
PS At least you don’t have to worry about the roof leaking! I don’t dare take the cab in anything heavier than a drizzle, and that’s if I’m only zipping out on a quick grocery run.
I would have guessed significantly greater total expenses, particularly as you mostly haven’t been doing the work yourself. Hey, maybe I should get a… NO! No, no, no, no no. No.
I know of a lovely one that’s coming available very soon…..
That’s very kind of you, I’m sure, but I’ve got my hands full just now trying to get my Velorex 435 in shape for the Lemons Rally in August so I fear I must decline.
Had to Google that, as the only Velorex I’m familiar with is the one that looks like a 3-wheeled scrotum. Somehow this seems worse?
Much worse. There are plenty of reasons why they made a lot more of the three-wheelers. Somewhere towards the top of the list, for example, is the fact that the three-wheelers don’t tend to flood the passenger compartment with exhaust. Velorex never could quite figure out how to eliminate that issue with the 435.
How do you manage to heel-toe in those Frankenstein boots? Or do you switch to lambskin loafers, like a real Italian autista?
Ha the pedal box is TIGHT. For short trips I can just about get away with Converse All Stars, but for longer trips I had to crack and bought a pair of Alpinestars wanker racing boots. In black natch.
Wanker racing , too much information.
I have to say that I loved the is s article. Simple,informative, to the point, entertaining, enjoyable subject matter, and very well written. I do have to say looking at the pictures of you, your twin, and automotive salesman I would have thought you, Jason and Beau. Maybe Beau is the same as the salesman but have you noticed your twin looks like Jason?
It’s uncanny, isn’t it.
For a 40-year-old exotic, that’s really not terrible. Yes, it’s not chicken feed, but it could be a lot worse. Think if you had done none of the work yourself!
I have found that when getting an older, special car that the interior is generally the expensive bit to fix, so I look for the best interior I can find and then worry about the rest. Mechanicals are generally cheaper and easier to come by (certain bespoke parts excepted).
Absolutely. Take out the four big bills and it’s not too bad. The fixed costs would all be the same
Still not sure why the petrol cost is figured in. I mean even if you drive your daily you buy petrol.
Fair point, I’m sure if I didn’t mention it some wag would have bought it up though.
I find buying two with different problems plus buying useful rare bits even if you don’t need them yet is helpful
You should’ve put that $18k bill in before David bought his new baby, or however it you acquire one of those things, because he’s never going to think he has money again. Although … he is looking at another old heap. I mean Jeep.
I am doing my best to talk him out of it (the Jeep not the baby).
Sadly I’m the only one doing so.
Me shouting NOOOO! at my computer at work about three this afternoon while my co-workers give me funny looks…
Same here.
That boy ain’t right.
Having babies is like buying a cheap German Sportscar. It seems fun and cheap aquiring it but costs a fortune in the long run.
And it takes about 3-4 years of constant, expensive work before you can do anything with them.
Just Empty Every Pocket.
Come on people! This post needs 17,986 more comments!
Your Ferrari experience was fun to follow along, but I’m really looking forward to see what Capri you will get. Maybe a Tickford is in the cards? A black Ticky with the big rear spoiler would suit you exceptionally well!
It’ll be a 2.8 injection. Hopefully an early four speed with the tartan interior but we’ll see what comes up.
I dunno. While I love the o.g. Capri, it just doesn’t seem to fit the image of a be-Mohawked, Goth, auto designer. I picture you in something like a Fiat X-1/9, Lancia Monte Carlo, or worst-case, Triumph TR7/8.
I do love both the Fiat and the Lancia, but I’m from east London. Ford country.
TVR?
Oh god IT’S LIKE YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW ME
I’m only half mad.
XJ-S has a goth look, but you might find it to “toff”.
Anyway, the Capri is a great choice, Here around the Cologne factory used to be loads of them in the late80s/early 90s. Nowadays I cannot even remember when I have last seen one.
Did you miss the bit where I said I need something managable.
OK, so a Ford Thames van with Vallejo murals on the sides. Cover the interior in blood-red velour.
There can only be one Autopian contributing goth Lancia Scorpion/Monte owner here and I’d really rather not have to Highlander my homeboy…
Oof!
Will David use this as more justification for his article on the superiority of timing chains given that it’s the (sillily frequent) cam belt changes that have forced you into a reckoning with the Mondial?
You’re averaging 25mpg? Impressive!
Imperial not US gallons.
That’s about what Project Cactus gets on the highway!
My Charger on the other hand, much much worse than that.
So like quarts?
UK gallon = 160 fluid ounces.
US gallon = 128 fluid ounces.
The UK’s system of measurements is like the silliest parts of every other system coexisting.
Wait, what? How is 20 flozzes to a pint sillier than 16?
Granted, we’re the country that brought you farthings (¼ pennies), pennies, shillings (12 pennies), florins (2 shillings), half-crowns (2½ shillings), crowns (5 shillings), pounds (20 shillings) and guineas (our masterpiece, 21 shillings).
Money was relatively simple. If you really want to scramble your brain, look up Imperial weights and measures.
Okay, having a unit both for 20 and 21 of something is truly amazing.
I also love the 348. It’s got the side strakes but you can fit it in a garage or a parking spot (unlike the Testarossa). I also love the Mondial. It still has side strakes.
Here’s my Mondial (or any old Ferrari) problem. I want to update the car. There are plenty of available and reliable options for running the fuel and ignition on these machines. They’re attainable (apparently for the cost of a few ignition wires), but installing them essentially makes the car un-sellable. Buyers don’t want to see an upgrade, they want to see continued painful maintenance of a drastically outdated and usually unreliable OEM system.
I absolutely feel your pain on the air cooled 911s. They were hovering around my price range for a brief time, but instead of dropping further they suddenly shop up. It’s like someone announced there were several ounces of gold hidden under the carpet of 964s.
I’m glad you have it. I’m glad you’re getting enjoyment out of it, but I am probably just going to have to live my Ferrari ownership vicariously. So please keep us posted.
TBH the Mondial for me doesn’t really need any upgrades. It’s plenty fast enough (0-60 in 7, 140 or so mph), stops well, handles brilliantly and is very comfortable. Originality is everything with Ferraris though you are right.
Agree it’s not like it’s legal to max out anything faster. But I have to ask. With that haircut do you like the wind in your hair better or the wind against your skin?
The wind beneath my wings.
The only reason a Bosch K-jet injection system would be unreliable is abject neglect. People need to stop ruining cars trying to “improve” them.
The Ferrari I’d get would have been neglected.
Presented with replacing or drastically repairing the stock fuel injection, I would absolutely rip it out and drop in modern engine management. Not to make it faster, just because I can’t deal with paying some Ferrari whisperer twice as much as a modern replacement to clean injectors and change a few o-rings.
And now we see why I do not own an old Ferrari.
You do you, and I will think you an idiot for doing it. K-jet is brain-dead simple. You will spend FAR more time getting some computerized modern nonsense running properly (if you ever do, you probably won’t).
You’re right. I’d probably just K swap it so the engine controls and engine are already set up.
And likely be one of the thousands with a never completed “project” collecting dust in the garage. Fun!
I’ve got a few successful, completed motor swaps under my belt. I think I could do it. I’ll send you a link to my instagram so you can follow the progress. 🙂
Why would I be interested in watching you ruin a Ferrari?
You would hate every second of it.
It would be fantastic.
This was my issue with my 2nd gen charger… but I found the solution!… don’t worry about subsequent owners (buyers) 😀
Lately I’ve been wondering about my 88 900 Turbo convertible purchase. This makes me feel much better. Thanks, Adrian.
And whenever I end up in England I’ll be by with smokes and music. Least I could do.
Are you in the PNW?
Nope, other side of the country. Mountains of VA.
What’s all this about dipping pickles in mustard?
Something Jason taught me, I think.
Dill, sweet, gherkins, or penis? And if penis please refrain from elaboration.
I don’t know. The green ones. They’re all good.
They’re all green, so that doesn’t narrow it down much.
Seek medical attention.
🙁
Have you been introduced to our ‘bread and butter’ pickles? Horrific, sweet things.
I have not. Should I get Jason to bring me some?
Not unless you’re a fan of sweet pickles-as-candy. I think they’re horrendous.
Came here for this comment.
Is this something that our UK-based sorta-European friends actually DO, for f’s sake? Or is “dipping a pickle into a jar of mustard” some sort of regional British slang term for a delightfully mundane act indulged in by members of the heterosexual community there?
So what you’re saying is that the best way to enjoy a classic Ferrari is to befriend someone that has one. Good to know. For now I’ll start schmoozing it up at the local Cars and Coffee but don’t be surprised if I show up in a few weeks. I’ll be sure to bring clove cigarettes.
The best way to enjoy boats is by befriending someone with a boat. Be close enough to get invited, but not close enough that the owner wants you to help with repairs.
They say the best parts of boat ownership are the day you buy a boat and the day you sell a boat
The day you sell it is better
Source: owned boat
Ah yes, boats, also known as a hole in the water you throw money into.
Exactly. Don’t own the boat. Be the hero who brings beer to the boat. My best friend (who owns the Bentley and 456 pictured) also has a boat.
I thought British people had more common sense than Americans? You and your friends are just Americans with funny accents.
Why do they call it English instead of American when the British are described as having an English accent? Seems to me if it is English it isn’t an accent.
England is part of Great Britain and we invented the language is why.
You may have “invented” English.
You idiot twats.
At least here in fucked up Trumpland we had the brains to learn to catch horses…
Unlike you turds and your stupid clacking coconut clacking wankers. No wonder we have to keep saving your asses from the invaders…
BTW, we also figured out which side of the road to drive on you backwards idiots. Just sayin’…
Once again, many farts in your general direction as always.
No doubt. The main reason I have a Land Rover Disco is that for years I had a deal with a buddy of mine. I tow his boat, I can use his boat. Worked out great for both of us. I was perfectly happy to help him fix the thing though. He finally bought something to tow it, so I really should sell the Rover, I am never in Maine in the winter anymore (it’s secondary purpose).
Like a boat.