Ghibli 2.8 vs 2.0

[themominator]

Hi everyone, this is my first post so a newbie here

Im lookin into one of my all times favourite, but Im stuck between two cars and would appreatiate some help.

1st is a 1994 2.0, RED, BLACK interiour, manual gearbox, 16'' rims 24,000km and looks as good as new realy.

2nd is a 1997 2.8 blue, cream interiour, auto box, 17'' rims 30,000km, apparently got some sporty exhausts + chip producing 330hp,

the first one looks realy good, but the second one not only its cheaper, but it seems better too,

which one do you guys prefare? and what advise do you have??

many thanks in advance..

 

[CatmanV2]

Personally I prefer the blue one

C

 

[ZAM400209]

hi thermominator,

the red '94 is an early car. Possibly a series 1A- no bonnet louvres. It appears to have the right wheels but someone has swapped out the headlights for the later version.

The blue car from '97 is a GT and is amongst the best Ghibli's made. The engine management and general build of the later cars is much better but more importantly the GT suspension and brakes make it effectively a different car from the earlier versions. The 2.8 pulls like a horse as well and what it misses in BHP to larger engined cars is made up for in great torque.
"Chipped" GTs are quite rare and I'd personally take steps to have the "chip/(s)" removed to revert to original spec- it'll certainly be fast enough and the car will last longer as a result. The issue with chipping on these cars is detonation and thermal management for what is already a highly tuned engine. Revising ignition advance and boost control through chipping on these cars is budget engineering applied to Ferrari mechanics.

Is the vendor giving any details as to the chip involved?- is the original program still restorable...?

 

[Arfa]

As a previous owner of a serie 1a car my advice would be go for the later car. The ranger diff on the early cars is notoriously weak.

 

[highlander]

like the look/sound of the red but the extra bhp of the blue is more attractive..................oh, choices, choices
edit: did not see the posts from ZAM and ARFA - my view was based on looks, they know these cars so listen to their advice.

 

[themominator]

thank you all for your help.

ZAM400209 no clue about the chip but will ask, as I do agree with you on just leaving such a car all original,

I was leaning into the 2.8 one too, but that red one looks so good in and out

 

[Ewan]

In standard spec, the 2.0 lt. will be more powerful - having about 306 bhp as opposed to the 275 or so bhp of the later 2.8 lt. car. I prefer the manual gearbox and the 2.0 lt. engine, but there's no doubting that the 1997 car has many other mechanical and build-quality advantages. Still, for me, it'd be the red one. You'll just have to drive both and then decide.

 

[dickyb]

I agree with Ewan, the 2.0 is a little quicker than the 2.8 and is more fun to drive, you have to rev it a little more but that's part of the fun. The manual gearbox is also much more involving than the automatic.

In Italy the Series 1a is actually very sought after, many prefer it to the later models as it's performance is quite raw and more enjoyable to exploit. In a dry climate bodywork issues shouldn't be a problem, each of these cars has its merits so why not try them both and see which one you prefer.

One last thing to bear in mind is that the earlier cars can sometimes suffer from damage on the underside due to their lower ground clearance, make sure you take a look at the condition of the exhausts underneath and the diff oil cooler.

 

[Andyk]

For me the red looks stunning...Always liked red on the Ghibli but most people will say buy as late a car as possible...

 

[Andyk]

The red does look like a lovely car....

http://www.ssmotors.com.tr/index/detay/5370

 

[Rwc13]

Love the look of the red one, plus its the 2.0 manual. That would be my choice having driven both recently and gone for a 2.0 manual GT myself

 

[Ewan]

23k Euros is big money! Trade value of that car in the UK (if it was RHD) would be what? £6k?

 

[ZAM400209]

sorry- I completely forgot about the diff

thanks Arfa!

bare in mind the car has an ECU for each cylinder bank (which are under the front seats), so any reversion to standard for the GT should involve TWO chips

 

[Andyk]

23k Euros is big money! Trade value of that car in the UK (if it was RHD) would be what? £6k?

A lot for the UK but not sure for Istanbul....If you look at the other prices...and thet have some very tasty cars they are all loads more than over here.

 

[themominator]

thanks guys, thats why I feel so undecisive

23€ yes is a lot of money for a car thats 20 years old, but I think it should go for a bit less, so will see and keep you updated

 

[Andyk]

Both car look lovely to be honest........Good luck and look forward to hearing how you get on.

 

[zagatoes30]

I like the earlier version, it just looks cleaner

 

[ZAM400209]

tell you what though-

that red light shouldn't be on, on the suspension-controller...

(expense...)

 

[ian roberts]

I also had a 94 2.0 LHD a few years ago and now have a last of the line 1999 2.8 Auto. I regretted selling the 2.0 the second it went off the drive it was awesome. I have a fantastic 2.8 now and its a great GT car and the build is definitely better but really miss the 2.0 litre + 6 speed combination. Its a tough one and you really need to drive them both but that's sometimes difficult as well. I am always looking for another 2.0 and would jump at a good one....€23k is double the UK price though.

 

[themominator]

I also had a 94 2.0 LHD a few years ago and now have a last of the line 1999 2.8 Auto. I regretted selling the 2.0 the second it went off the drive it was awesome. I have a fantastic 2.8 now and its a great GT car and the build is definitely better but really miss the 2.0 litre + 6 speed combination. Its a tough one and you really need to drive them both but that's sometimes difficult as well. I am always looking for another 2.0 and would jump at a good one....€23k is double the UK price though.

hi ian thanks for for your comments, that what I wanted to know (yes prices are high here unfortunately

I had a look at both cars and I like the later one more, but I want to know, are these cars a pain in the butt to own??? obviously I won't be driving it everyday and just weekends, but is there anything I need to worry about or look out for?? somebody said something about battery issues or something

the car Im looking at has covered just over 40K miles, apparently had just been serviced (turbos and belts etc), the exhaust has been remanufatured as close as possible to the original.

anyway happy new year everyone