Pass Or Grab This 1980 Ferrari 308 GTBI For $81.9K?

Ferrari 308s often present some of the most attainable ways to get into Ferrari ownership, so they’re understandably tempting for many. That’s no doubt what the seller of this 1980 Ferrari 308 GTBi was hoping when he listed this ride on eBay. Open for bids until Friday morning, the seller states this car has a mere 13,000 miles. That’s sparse for such a vintage vehicle of any kind, but is it worth the $81,900.00 Buy It Now price?

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At the writing of this article, the Ferrari has a current bid of $50,100.00, well shy of the Buy It Now. Granted, there’s often a flurry of bids toward the end of listings, so that could increase in a hurry. But that doesn’t mean you should necessarily grab at this car.

Sure, it’s a Ferrari and would no doubt impress people. The Silver exterior looks well-maintained, and the seller claims its’ a rare color, although on pretty much any car it’s not one people really lust after. Still, the Red interior appears immaculate and completely original, right down to the switchgear in the center console and the embossed headrests.

For good measure, the dealer is throwing in all the original books and tools, plus some bulbs and belts for the car. It also states the 308 GTBi received a belt and engine service on March 20 of this year.

Even among other Ferrari 308s, the Buy It Now price is on the high end. Yes, this car has low miles for its age and looks incredibly clean inside and out. The questionable part is the fact it’s a 308 GTBi, which roundly is regarded as the stinker of the 308 line. From 1980 to 1982 Ferrari ditched Weber carburetors for the mid-mounted V8 in favor of a Bosch fuel injection for the 308. This move hurt performance, dropping peak output from 255-horsepower to 214-horsepower, until Ferrari made the move to four-valve heads for the Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole for the 1983 model year.

This means the least-valuable Ferrari 308s on the open market are the GTBi and two-valve GTSi models. While you might not care about the performance hit, the lower value should cause you to stop and wonder. That’s good, because becoming overwhelmed with how cheap a vintage Ferrari is being sold for could lead you to make a costly mistake. Stop, do some research on the value of this car, and if you decide you want to place a bid you’ll know where your limit sits.