Of course all the blue ones start popping up now! Absolutely gorgeous! I think I have a problem.....an Italian problem http://www.sportauto.us/02_inventory/ferrari/1997_Ferrari_355_Berlinetta_Coming_Soon_H072B/ Call Steve Jones.... he's a class act! Image Unavailable, Please Login
I call dibs on this gorgeous 355B! I need some serious input first,however! I've been researching an F-car purchase for two years now, and I'm ready to pull the trigger! I started out with my mind set on a 355, because to me it's the best looking (and sounding) F-car under $100K, which is my price cap. However, many owner's here in "F-Chat", and even EVERY Ferrari sales guy (including Steve Jones) at certified dealers have told me to stay away from the 355, because the 355 has the highest maintenance costs of any modern F-car (mostly from having to take the motor out for just about everything), and has several costly defects that are expensive to fix (more defects than any other modern F-car). I had thusly scratched the 355 off my list and I've been focusing on 550M's exclusively, but this blue 355B makes my bells jingle! You owners out there, if you'll please respond--what ARE the financial realities of 355 ownership? I don't want a car that needs $15K belt changes every 4-5 years, or worse, so what kind of regular maintenance expenses can I expect with the 355? I won't be pounding it on the track, just using it for 7/10's or 8/10's driver's ed type stuff like the Porsche Club does, and I only put about 500-1000 miles on my cars per year. When I buy my F-car, I plan on keeping it for the rest of my life--its going to be with me and my family forever more, so I need this car to be reliable, desirable, and not a money pit for the next 40-50 years! Which is "better/more stable" for a long-term relationship, the 355 or the 550M? My choice is down to these two! ---Dr. K
The most important aspect of Ferrari ownership is the passion for the car. When you find a specific car that. "jingles your bells", PPI the thing and make an appropriate offer for purchase of that car.
I don't want a car that needs $15K belt changes every 4-5 years Welp...hate to tell ya but that's about what you're gonna get, factoring in other fix-it items along the way. It's what has kept me from a 355; I LOVE the cars, but the $ to keep them happy are often off the charts.
Just buy a 355 would ya!! Teasing yourself like this is hard to watch..... Um, kinda funny, made me LOL, but on the off-chance this was not meant as a joke you might want to talk to a few owners about real life experiences, 355's don't all eat that type of money and any car "could".
