Honest evaluation of 355 vs 360?

Biggest no brainer ever. See my response on the 430/360 forum. Repairs on a 355 will cost you more than a clean 360 before you know it. 355 is for tinkerers at this point in their model lives.

 

the repair costs of the 355 made owning the car (which I loved) unenjoyable.

360 has been a piece of cake by comparison. the 360 is a better car in just about every way...though some may prefer the smaller size of the 355.

 

360 no question. If you sift through enough of the threads in the 355 and 360/430 section you will see a unanimous decision on how its the best F car buy currently. From a future depreciation perspective there is no better value.

 

Ya, 355 for those that want to work on a Ferrari. I like the look of the 355 ok, it is striking, but the 360 in comparison is beautiful and will be cheaper to own.

 

Although I agree with my fellow 360/430 chatters, you may get similar but inverted advice posting the same question on the 348/355 part of the forum. Then to further the study try a corvette forum with ZR1/Z06 Vs 355/360 and on to a GT3 forum. Yes I am overstating the fact that the opinions expressed in this particular part of the universe are biased.

You have waited 25 years and endured Fords, Nissans, and Toyotas, so go out an get the 360, or spring for a 430, or sell the house and buy a 458.

*Ford, Nissan, and Toyota all make fine automobiles.

 

My 355 with Tubi sounded great. Folks in the Ferrari Club used to follow me to hear the exhaust, especially in tunnels. And it looked great. Although the pop-up headlights are dated.

but the 360 drives better, turns in better and accelerates better.

repairs: there is no comparison. 360 belt replacement costs half (don't have to remove engine).

355 headers had to be replaced at 18k miles.
F1 clutch had to be replaced at 10k miles.
F1 shift was very jerky compared to 360.
Front spoiler overhang scraped much more frequently. I mean all the time by comparison.
Car had to be towed to the dealer 3x. 360 = 0. When you live 3.5 hrs from service, this is a big deal to me. Every time I got in the car I wondered if it would break down. No fun.

 

Well some things arent subjective. To say a 360 isnt cheaper to own than a 355 would be just false. If total cost of ownership doesnt matter, then the OP prob wouldnt even be asking for advice because when money is no object you buy what you want.

With TCO on the table, hard to defend the F355. Is it for "tinkerers" really? only if their tinkering enables them to pull the engine for a major every 5 years or so. That *really* adds up over time.

 

I had a F355 Spider for 3 trouble free years. (348 Spider for 2 trouble free years prior)Bought it with 19K and major done 2 years prior. Other than a broken throttle cable and a new CV boot I had no issues other than routine services, oil changes, brakes and tires. I sold the car with 34K and a major service due. I drove it often and it did hit 180mph on the speedo. It was a weekend car and I enjoyed the sound and small size, handled great and I love the looks. My son just turned 2 so I am waiting another couple of years to get back into an F-car as I miss the hell out of them. I am considering a 360 Spider although I haven't ruled out another 355! Either way you can't go wrong but in your case as first F-car I would go with a 360

 

In terms of looks, it is a matter of taste and preferance. I love and prefer my 360 spider, but I think the 355 Spider is one of the most beautiful Ferraris ever made.

Upkeep and cost to run definately favors the 360. But that will not be the only factor guiding your decision I imagine.

Best to drive both and let your heart decide. Buying a Ferrari is to me, not a matter for the mind like it is with German cars, but a matter for the heart and soul. You are not hunting for a strong Bravarian wife who will give you strong children, you are hunting for that forbidden fruit high maintenance trophy wife with some attitude and flair.

 

+1
Strong Bavarian women scare me

 

I had two 1995 F355 GTS. One in Germany and one here in Arizona and didn't have a maintenance issue with either one. Yes service was more expensive but the car was over all more enjoyable (than my 360 spider).

I have made it no secret I didn't like my 360 Spider and given the choice would go back to a F355. Now of course the Challenge Stradale is my overall favorite. But that wasn't part of the question!

 

I had almost the exact same experience with my 355spider vs 360 spider...and the 360 is much more comfortable inside, a much nicer and more modern interior; and a better driving position with the 3 pedals not so close.

 

I liked my 355 Coupe better, but that is because my 360 was an F1 Spider. However, the 360 was much faster and much easier on the maintenance. In a heart beat though I would take a 6 speed 360 over a 355, just my opinion. The 360 was a major breakthrough for Ferrari with the construction of an all new Aluminum Car. I agree with the above poster that the greatest one of all is a Challenge Stradle.

 

There is one at my gym that I can't take my eyes off of when I am there. Makes me feel like a stalker looking at some gorgeous latin bombshell because she is wearing something revealing. You should not look, but your genetic code has other ideas. The CS is about the sexiest Ferrari I have ever seen with the performance to back her up, so to speak.

 

plenty of latin bombshells at Adelita's

+1 on the CS

 

LOL ADELITA'S!!! HAHAHAHAHA

 

I am looking forward to buy a 360 soon ...

 

Just stumbled upon this thread.

Maybe the OP should ask the same question in the 348/355 forum?

I think the market has spoken.

 

I had a 360 coupe stick for 5 years- sold it in the fall due to some projects. I recently purchased a 355 spider stick which I drove roughly 1.5 miles, so way too soon for me to give a good opinion. (I'm waiting for the road salt to be off the ground to drive her!!)

A few points:
* For my first Ferrari I found a stick 360 coupe to be the "safest" bet given no convertible top to break, no F1 to break, no engine out service, clean sheet design (i.e. roomier cabin, all aluminum construction, modern electronics/HVAC). This is probably still the case- you'd save a bit on the upfront purchase of the 355 but parity of cost would be reached at some point if the 355 is more to maintain...
* I sold the 360 for other cash uses, but to be honest I was ready for a change after 5 years. I wanted a convertible, smaller car/cabin, less modern feel and even better sounds (my 360 had a tubi, and I just bought a tubi for the 355). In otherwords, I was ready to go back a generation- ideally I could have both at the same time though!
* ANY ferrari can cost a lot to maintain. The second or third year I owned the 360 a header pre-cat let go and took out the main cat...we started checking the intake when I got a CEL and put a new gasket in...when the dust settled I had a $10K bill. The prior owner of my 355 just spent $15K at a Ferrari dealer having the heads/valve guides redone along with the major service (the fact that the prior owner just did the essentially one time upgrade of the valve guides is a big reason why I bought this 355).
* I think if you know what you are getting into (proper PPI from a reputable shop), either car is good. There may be more potential issues to deal with for a 355 spider (I'm always viglent with power tops for example), but at the end of the day I think the total cost is pretty even- these are toy/luxury items so you really need to go with what sort of experience you want vs. going nuts trying to analyze owership costs. They are both done depreciating which is nice.
* For either car I'd be more wary of F1 vs stick, but that's just me. Either F1 can cost you more in maintenance than the manual varient.
* The 360 is a beautiful design and fast. I think the 355 spider is also beautiful- more wedge shape vs. curves, and I think it will give me a more vintage experience between the sounds, size and feel- less "refined" than a 360 yet still refined vs. say an old air cooled 911.

Either car is great, but what I quickly found when shopping for the 360 and then was reminded of again when looking for the 355 is that there is a wide variance of cars out there. Some cars look MINT and then need $20K+ of work and some cars have a few stone chips but are perfect mechanically. Condition and maintence are worth a lot in these cars- whatever you think it will cost to correct an item, multiply by 3 or 4.

 

and the hood (top?) is so much easier to deploy (assuming the roof cover is put on the 355)

Oh and it goes better! More tractable in the gears.

 

I think a post like this in the 360 is going to get biased results. So, take that into consideration.

Ultimately, it all comes down to what gets your blood pumping. My suggestion would be to drive both, if you have not already. But, yes, I tend to agree that the 360 would be the better of the two choices. I personally have a 360, and have been very happy with mine, though it hasn't always been smooth sailing (some small niggles, also a full exhaust replacement for the "problems"). But, I love my car and couldn't dream of life without it!

 

I hate these questions as it doesn't matter. You have to decide. If you're looking for information about cost, maintenance, etc - the 360 is the better car. The 355 has the appreciation advantage, but I think that's minimal at this point and will easily be eroded by an unexpected repair, or diligent maintenance.

Drive both, I think you'll find them both sensational. They're both beautiful cars. There is no wrong answer here, but only you can decide.

 

I think that is all fair enough. I don't think a discussion about Spider tops really is a valid comparison of either car. Let's face it, Spider tops are a PITA and a compromise, either way.

My point was that asking the original question in the 360 forum is only likely to get a predictable result - Just as asking it in the 355 forum would.

I don't think there is any doubt that the 360 is the better car. It is better in most measurable ways. Not all, but most.

Which one is the more desirable car, however?

 

Depends on the person. You couldn't give me one.

I couldn't afford to maintain it even with a 6 figure income. That and the round lights on the front bumper don't do it for me. That, the cracking pillars, and many other things. No thanks. The wedge died with Vanilla Ice.