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I had already figured that a 308 GT4 would be the right car. It had a back seat good for kids, a proven drivetrain, available parts, and the right price range. I had been looking at the Ferrari magazine, Forza, which had a feature article on the GT4. "Best driving of the 308 series...Best value for your money...the Ferrari world's best kept secret." Aside from high praise the article went on to discuss price ranges, repair costs, what to look for, etc. I started going through Hemmings and calling anyone with one for sale. This last method was extremely useful. People loved their 308s but many had spent a fair amount on repairs. Several people had bought cars that had sat and spent a fair amount of money once they started driving them as seals and rubber parts failed.

Without exception the people I talked to were very nice, friendly, and helpful. I called on several that were out of my price range ($16,000 to $20,000) just to get information. Many of these people knew each other as well. One that I called on was $25,000 but the guy was really nice. He was a mechanic and his was a California car that had a fresh rebuild after blowing during the Virginia City Hillclimb. The car had been driven and almost everything had been gone through. "Name a part and I've either replaced or fixed it," he said. I kept calling around and looking. After a month or so I called him back and asked if he'd dropped his price. He had. Now, he was asking a firm $20,000, enough to pay for the rebuild on the engine and the gearbox. I was seriously interested and took notes on all that he'd done - 2 pages typed!