| Author | Message | ||
| EFWUN (Efwun)
Junior Member Username: Efwun Post Number: 215 Registered: 2-2003 |
Not the cracks at the base of the buttress by the air intakes, the tiny crack forms at the rear where the buttress re-joins the deck lid. Some Bs and most GTS's have the buttress crack (butt crack?) by the air intakes after a while; chassis flex. I'm talking about a tiny crack, more like a line in the paint | ||
| billy zissis (89tr)
Junior Member Username: 89tr Post Number: 242 Registered: 4-2001 |
Mine has those stress cracks on the buttresses as well. It is not an indication of an accident but like Ricky said could be anything from road conditions to spirited driving. So Bill how does the 355 compare to the NSX? I as well own a somewhat stock NSX (92 though) and as much as I like the NSX I like the 355 a bit better. Both cars are great. Congratulations and welcome to the ferrari world. | ||
| Eric (Vette)
New member Username: Vette Post Number: 5 Registered: 3-2003 |
thanks for the info on the cracks... ill look into that. and the control arm advice is very good lol id hate to have a few of those bolts drop out. Bill: you know i read your post on purchasing your car not too long ago... congratulations! its good to hear you are enjoying that fine piece of machinery. remember they build them to be driven, not to be a garage queen! enjoy it! | ||
| Ricky Nardis (Rickyn_f355)
Member Username: Rickyn_f355 Post Number: 290 Registered: 8-2002 |
efwun, those tiny cracks happen because of the stress from handling, not necessarily being hit. My buddy has had his 355 new since day 1 and he tracks it alot, and has the cracks. The cracks do not mean that the car has been hit. | ||
| Dennis (Bighead)
Junior Member Username: Bighead Post Number: 51 Registered: 2-2003 |
Hey, thanks for the kind words everyone. One last thing -- every 355 owner out there should pull off their front wheels and check the bolts on their control arms. My mechanic and friend now checks those routinely whenever a 355 comes in for ANY service -- he says that well over half of them have one or more loose bolts. Egads. vty, --Dennis | ||
| BILL CHIUSANO (My355)
New member Username: My355 Post Number: 47 Registered: 3-2003 |
I LOVE MY (99' 355 F-1 GTS). It's awesome!!!  | ||
| Ghostrider (Threefivefive)
Junior Member Username: Threefivefive Post Number: 85 Registered: 8-2002 |
Dennis, Just wanted to say that your post is a superb summary of issues to consider and things to look out for in the '95. There is often a lot of conjecture with respect to differences b/w the '95 and subsequent year 355's -- your post does a wonderful job of separating the truth from the fiction. Great job!! It is posts like these that really add a lot of value to the buying decision. Regards. | ||
| Eric (Vette)
New member Username: Vette Post Number: 3 Registered: 3-2003 |
thanks for the information everyone.. I am a mechanically inclined person, so I am eager to hear of where to to look for signs of a lemon. from what i have heard and the little experience I have had with one, they seem to be an amazing high end machine, and more importantly stable at speeds and yet still not cumbersome around town. thanks everyone! | ||
| EFWUN (Efwun)
Junior Member Username: Efwun Post Number: 213 Registered: 2-2003 |
Dennis has given you the straight poop. I loved my '98, but when I got my '95, I forgot all about the '98! Other issues are accident damage; a hit-fixed car is a far less valuable car than a clean, no-stories car. Often, a bent 355B or GTS will exhibit tiny cracks at the rear of the sail panels where they join the back deck. Similarly, you'll want to go over the inner fender attachment points in the front under the trunk lid, any scratches on the bolts, or funky looking paint will require more inquiry. Finally, you'll need to look under the car. Any funky lumps or excess undercoating should send you running. They're wonderful cars; get yourself a good one, and you'll be a happy man!! | ||
| Martin - Cavallino Motors (Miami348ts)
Advanced Member Username: Miami348ts Post Number: 4042 Registered: 5-2001 |
F-1 Transmission did not become an option until late 1997 in the 1998 model year. May have been late 1998, definetely not on the 1995 and 1996 models. I have also never seen a 1997 model with F-1. Make sure you get a good deal. | ||
| Dennis (Bighead)
New member Username: Bighead Post Number: 50 Registered: 2-2003 |
Eric, check out the archives here and also at FerrariList. Rich with this stuff. Also, see below; these are my answers to similar questions asked by someone else in your shoes, about the 1995 MY car. >1. Was the "valve guide" thing overblown on this year model, or is it a big concern? Overblown, IMHO. Fairly rare problem. Obviously, if the car/engine hasn't been properly cared for, it's more likely to happen (duh), but I certainly wouldn't say that this is a common affliction. If it DOES happen, though, it's fairly pricey to fix (I've heard that it can cost up to $15k, but I suspect that it can be done for less). >2. How about the "throttle sticking" on this year model? I heard it is a "vacuum type" "sticking" and not a mechanical cable thing. What is the story with that? Very common. Robert Ziino wrote: "The factory uses a grease on the throttle linkage bearing that gets hard with age. Clean the bearing and repack and 90% of the problem will go away. I did this on my 95 F355. I could not apply throttle at low speeds without the car lurching. This corrected the problem." If this doesn't solve the problem, you'll have to update the linkage near the top of the engine. Ferrari changed the design of the part to cure this problem in later model years. All told, FoNE charged me around $400 to do it. Slightly "urgh", but it had to be done. >3. No OBD II on this year model. Is that bad or good? Well, you won't get any bogus "check engine" lights coming on for (just the "usual" check engine lights!). More seriously, a common consensus seems to be that the 1995 models are slightly more powerful. My mechanic, John Tirrell of Independent Ferrari Service, recommends a properly sorted 1995 model (spend the money you save on tires and gas). Al Chelini wrote: "The 1995 models are preferable, as they have TWO airflow meters instead of just one as on the later F355s, which translates to better breathing and therefore more horsepower." [email protected] added: "The earlier 1995 355 with Bosch Motronic 2.7 seem to be more durable than the later OBDII version 96 and later Bosch Motronic 5.1 versions. The cracking headers are more common on the 5.1 cars, the earlier 2.7 cars had alot of air injection rail tubes fracture (welded at top of header just near mounting flange), the valve/seat (exhaust primarily) sealing issues I've found on 95,96 & 97 higher mileage cars... A good indication is sampling each headers eaxhaust gas sample ports as this will reveal a poor cylinder. The cats are pretty good at cleaning up excess fuel and hiding it from the tail pipe exit. Furthermore the 1995 cars have slightly more power (due much to the 2 air mass meters allowing more air in) and can be tuned with chips, bypass tubes, etc and not interfere with the "dreaded" CHECK ENGINE light circuit. Good luck Which brings up something that IS a "common" problem -- failed exhaust headers. Graham Welland suffered from this; he wrote: "It was a design/material problem. I can personally vouch for the fact that it was not limited to '95 cars as my '96 spider had the exact same problem. The header burns through, or in my case detonated through, usually resulting in a blow out of the insulation material that wrapped the header under the heat shield. FNA had a programme of replacing the headers and did this for me for free. The car was just under 4 years old with 10,000 miles when this happened. Getting the header was the problem as there was a large backlog and a lot of dealer horse-trading seemed to be required to get you one within a reasonable timeframe. The word from the tech guys at Tonkin was that apparently there was a pile of these busted headers at the factory." >Anything else? The Forza buying guide mentioned these potential problem areas, listed below (also with my comments. FWIW) -faulty oxygen sensors and ECU's (true enough, but better than 348s) -cylinder liners (rare) -leaky clutch slave cylinder (rare) -leaky dampers (more common) -steering rack mounts can crack (only if you hit something) -fuel lines not replaced under recall (early cars MUST get checked; the recall is still in place, so get it done!!!) -valve guide wear (see above) -exhaust manifold failures (see above) -intake manifold leaks (rare) Al Chelini added: >Talking to other owners of the F355, some complaints have been that the alternator needed rebuilding, occasional windshield delamination (bubbles) in the lower corners was mentioned. The alternator doesn't like the heat in the engine compartment, so the condition thereof depends on where and how the car was run. The delamination does occur, but it is only cosmetic (and also occured on other Ferraris of the same vintage). vty, --Dennis | ||
| Eric (Vette)
New member Username: Vette Post Number: 2 Registered: 3-2003 |
well i was looking at a 95 due to the fact ive heard from a few people that the 95's ran a little stronger than the later years. I wouldnt be opposed to an F1, or the paddle shift tranny that came as an option, although I hadnt planned on it. the yellow one is a 95. the car would be crossing from colo to wy. as far as the models, im pretty much set on the GT targa. thanks again! | ||
| arthur chambers (Art355)
Intermediate Member Username: Art355 Post Number: 1082 Registered: 6-2001 |
Year? Model? what are the specifics. Unless you really know what you're doing, a 1995 355 has certain issues. Is it an F1? The major warranty issues are dependant upon what state the car was originally sold in, etc. Come back to us, with more details, and I'm sure that someone here will help. Art | ||
| Eric (Vette)
New member Username: Vette Post Number: 1 Registered: 3-2003 |
Well the title just about says it all. if i were considering a F355(possibly, just maybe a certain fly yellow/black gts in a nearby city) what should i take into consideration? from what i understand the major service needs to be done every 5 years or 30k miles or so. please correct me if im wrong. any pet peeves, problems or even little things you just thought was neat about the car? im mainly looking for the driving experience, upkeep costs(a basic run through of what the yearly costs would be and what they go to would be great!), reliability, and performance if at all possible. thanks in advance, and happy motoring to all! |