Maintenance?.......

Do a search , you may find that 355's are no more or less expensive to maintain than a Testarossa. If you want maintanence friendly , buy a 328.

 

If you're looking to buy in 5-7 years and you want a low maintenance V12, the 550 might be the way to go.

 

Welcome to the chat. I concur with trying the search function. I guarantee you will find a ton of information concerning F-car maintenance and costs.

The bottom line is find a car, have it PPId and go from there. The money for a PPI is worth it, believe me. Budget not for the car you can afford but the car you can afford to buy and maintain. Having said that, I still believe the best, basic preventative maintenance one can do is to simply drive!

Good luck and, again, welcome to F-chat.

d

 

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Get a 328. 355/348 is no less expensive than a Testarossa. All require a engine out. The 308/328 can have a major service done without removing the engine. For more info the search feature is your friend.

 

Get the TR...while maintenance may be a little more than a 308/328....look what you get! Don't settle ...you will never experience what Enzo intended with a V8. If you can only afford a V8, just buy a Corvette...

 

Welcome to the forum.

I would recommend buying the newest model you can i.e a F430 is better than a 360 better than a 355 etc.

If you drive a testrossa I think you will find it very dated. The chasis is stiff. I wanted to buy one and was back from the test drive in two blocks.

Avoid 308's from what I have read they are expensive and troublesome.

I have limited Ferrari experinece but my 360 was perfect and F430 thus far.

The older cars have the advantage of being less electronic so you can go to private shops pay less and usually get good service. I must admit I love the appearance of thr 348. They meet the critera stated above. First of the modern Ferraris yet simple. Other people would know more about them than I.

Good luck on your choice.

Lee

 

For Japan I'd avoid a TR as it very wide. Maintenance is very high with a TR I'd figure $1.50 per mile.

In 5 years TR gearboxes will be scarce as well and they go at 85K miles and are about 20K today installed.

360's are a good choice and I'd also consider a 308 GTB/S or a 208 GTB Turbo if you can find one.
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If you like the 360 more than the Testarossa, go that way. I think you'll spend significantly less repairing/maintaining it due to age, the fact that the Boxers and Testarossas have an expensive Achilles' Heel in their breakable differentials and that they require expensive routine servicing. The 355 does seem to be the most expensive of the V8s to maintain.

I own a 328, and would agree they're probably the most "affordable" to maintain. They are older cars, though, so make sure you like the unassisted steering, tight cockpit, and low (by modern sports car standards) horsepower. IMO, the 308/328 are the prettiest of the lot, followed closely by the 355. That's what you get for foregoing the 355's vastly raised power.

With regards to V8 versus V12, the V8 was made the dominant Ferrari engine under Enzo Ferrari's watch (the F40 was his ultimate car). It's probably fair to say, roughly, that the first 30 years of Ferrari road cars were dominated by twelves, and that from the mid 1970s through the present the V8 has been Ferrari's engine of choice for its sports cars, with the twelves powering the grand tourers and of course the few hundred Enzos.

All of which is a long way of saying: choose the car that you love to drive and don't get hung up on cylinder count. A 360 and TR are very different cars and both great in their own ways. I like the 550/575 suggestion above - stunning car, inside and out, and probably the best thing Ferrari's done since the Daytona. If I could afford it comfortably, I'd have a 550/575 parked next to the 328 and not feel it was any duplication whatsoever.