This is it......... It may seem trite to say that the F355 is one of the best ever road cars Ferrari has ever built when this has been said about so many of its products, but the 355 really is that good. It was far better made and developed than its predecessor, the 348, and the 355's handling made it much more forgiving of those with more money than ability, unlike the 360 that followed. So, the F355 can justifiably claim its place among the greats. The fact that the 355 is just so achingly pretty only makes it all the more desirable, and when decent used examples are now down to around £40,000, it seems so temptingly close for mere mortals. Even so, do bear in mind that even if you can raise the wherewithal to buy a 355, you will still need plenty more cash to keep it in tiptop shape and serviced regularly. There will be few 355s around without a full Ferrari dealer or specialist history, but if you are unlucky enough to clap eyes on such a car, do not buy it. Don't even talk to the wretch who is selling it. Build quality of Ferraris inside and out took a major step forward with the F355 and you could conceivably use it every day, though the running costs are certain to make this prohibitive to all but the richest owners. Whenever you choose to drive a 355, you are rewarded with a soprano V8 soundtrack and performance that lives up to the promise of 375bhp. The six-speed manual gearbox is the one to go for as the paddle-shift model was the first road-going Ferrari to feature a flappy paddle 'box and was far from fun to use.
I read a recent comment by Clarkson and he wasn't that complimentory about the 355. When the 348 came out, he thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. Now he slaggs it off. Here's another 355 review. Notice how teh writers wife is the one who wants one. http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,12930-2023502,00.html
