what to buy?

Personally for me as far as reliability, I'll go for either the none F1 360 or the 328 not only they have less issue but they can be your daily driver too.

 

Having had a 355 and 360 I would recommend the 360 it is more modern and easier to maintain.

 

A ford gt will be a lot more expensive than the others on that list but it will hold it's value and probally go up some in the years to come. A 355 will also probally hold its value, but will be more expensive to maintain. Porsche 996 TT's are a steal right now, great deals to be found on eBay, and I think they won't suddenly drop cheaper than what they are at now for a while. 360's seem to be going down as we speak as many owners are trading up right now, they will probally drop to just over 100ish and level off 10-20k or so over 355's in the long run. Z06's can be found for great deals now too, but they also will contiune to go down, but since they are GM they will be much less to maintain. and NSX's I just don't like...

After re-reading what I just wrote I think for you a 996TT would probally be the best buy now if it suits your fancy. Good luck!

 

These cars all over the map.

360F1 - significant depreciation yet to come, significant maintenance costs; but it's an exotic and a thrill to drive. I don't know what the costs would be, but next to the 328 the 360 is considered one of the more reliable Ferraris. Check the 360/430 forum here for better info, but $4K-$5K every three years for servicing seems like a good starter estimate.

355F1 - highest repair/service costs of any Ferrari V8 (I think the F1 pump, if it goes bad, is $10K+ to replace.) Also a true exotic. All Ferraris depreciate with mileage - moreso than normal cars - so buy one that already has miles if you're planning on driving it much. Also the F1 is considered yesterday's technology, so a 6-speed would be my choice. Figure $6K-$7K a major service. The Spiders' power tops can be expensive to repair, and they seem to fail often enough to generate those horror stories you mentioned.

Porsche 996 (all flavors) - comfortable, have already depreciated severely as the least loved 911 ever built. Maintenance on my 993 wasn't bad, and a 996 is certainly much cheaper to run than a Ferrari. Not exotic, so if you're looking for 'unique' you won't get it here. But they are affordable now, and parts are plentiful. Maybe best to look for a certified pre-owned one to keep your unexpected costs down.

The NSX and Corvette are nice cars, much cheaper to maintain than the Ferraris, but also not really in the same category. The NSX is rare. Corvettes are very common. Not sure how much it matters to you, but in San Diego they're everywhere. In New York, maybe less so due to the winters.

If predictable, low servicing costs are important to you, the Corvette probably is the bargain car, and the NSX is the bargain pseudo-exotic. But the Porsche 4S might be the deal of the bunch.

 

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