Hello everyone! I'm excited to join ferrarichat, and looking forward to the day I bring home our first ferrari! Was wondering if I could get some advice and info on a concern I've been having for a while. Me and my wife will be picking up our 2008 Porsche RS 60 Spyder in two weeks! The next car will be either a late model 348 ts or 355 F1. Knowing the reliability of Porsche's my concern is, is it true that these Ferrari models we're considering require quite expensive repairs and maintenance. Will we be able to enjoy them and not have to worry about taking a 800-1600 mile round trip without a breakdown? Our Porsche sales person told us not to waste our money, he told us in essence, that for every 1000 miles of use it'll be in the shop. Now we understand that if you can afford a Ferrari, you can afford to keep it maintained. But we can't help ourselves, we want one of the beautiful works of art! So any advice would be wonderfully appreciated! Thanks in advance! Dave&Michelle
Go for it, pictures of Ferrari's always look really nice. Seeing one up close is always a jaw dropping experience, owning and driving one ..... Well you have to do it to believe it. Go to the 348 and 355 forums, they both have guidelines and things to check before purchase. I have owned a 87 328 GTS, and now own a 97 355 spider ..... I had sellers remorse for 14 years after selling the 328, but the smile is back. Nothing sounds like the rawness of a 355 with headers and after market exhaust going thrust the gears.
I have a 2002 360 spider for a year and 10,000 miles on it with no mechanical problems. I have taken several 600+ mile trips and would not be afraid of longer ones just haven't had the chance. Furthermore I drive mine daily. Although repairs can be expensive consider the driving experience which in my opinion far out ways the expense. IMHO
Some Ferrari models have a reputation for being more reliable than others. For the 348 and 355 cars, the key is having the car maintained by a mechanic that really knows those cars. There are only a handful of repair shops in the country that have a strong reputation for servicing the 355. I would have complete confidence in buying a 355 if it came with a complete set of service documents where the service was done by one of those expert mechanics. Otherwise, I would budget some extra money in the deal to take it to one of those shops and have a fresh major engine service done to it, along with a thorough inspection of the rest of the car's components. In your local area, I would talk with local 348 and 355 car owners and find out who is the best mechanic in your region for those cars. Your profile says your location is "Loveland C", is that in Colorado? The 348 TS is a stick-shift car so I assume you can drive a stick. Just curious, why would you would want an F1 transmission in the 355 instead of a stick? Note that the F1 paddle-shifting technology went through several generations of improvement with the 355 F1 being the earliest example of it. A 355 F1 would be a blast to drive, but so would the stick version. The other big decision when buying a 355 is which body style to get: the Berlinetta hard top, the GTS targa top, or the Spider convertible? .
You expect anything less from a porsche salesman? Does he even own a Porsche? Not true at all.. Go to the 348/355 section for more accurate information..
If you are paying for a premium 355, you should be able to get into a 360. From my understanding, the mechanical upkeep is much more reasonable than a 355. I'm a bit biased. I have a 360 but didn't look at the 355 because of the engine out maintenance.
Mseals.Yes, Loveland CO. Sorry I haven't been on to reply for awhile, busy! Update. We canceled the Porsche! Couldn't do it, loved it, but the Ferrari desire won out! We've decided to put the money back in savings and decide on what car we want, which has changed a bit. The 348 is still on the top list, but after more and more research, we found this to be pretty darn hard to decide! Mseals. The 355 F1 was actually a mistake, I meant it to be the gated version, honestly, the only one we want, whatever the one we get, wI'll be a manual. Thank you all for the info. This is a wonderful site! The List. 1994-95 348 spider 355 (on hold) 456GT (for some weird reason we love this car! Manual only) 360 Berlinetta(2000-2002) 308 GTS or 328 GTS (need to research more) Thanks again, will look at each forum category for the best advice. Dave&Michelle.
