Used Ferrari 328 Buyer’s Guide, Ferrari Service

Purchasing a used Ferrari 328 is a big decision financially and in this third article, we will examine the last major consideration, previous Ferrari service.   I shared in a previous article Used Ferrari 328 Buyer’s Guide that the first 328 I 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 a 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.