Hey all, Just registered and since my father passed and I have inherited some money, my dream of owning a Ferrari may be coming true. I need to talk to guys who own 355's about how much maintenance needs to be done, etc before I really get serious about buying one. Is there somewhere here on the site that talks about that and about overall ownership of 355's? If any of you who own one would be willing to talk, I will call you if you give me a number, or I will give you mine if you send me an email so we can discuss. They sound so awesome on the you-tube threads I am smiling just thinking about it. So far all I know is MAKE SURE the maint. records are solid, what else should I be looking for? Thanks and I look forward to joining the mix soon. Regards, Matt B
First Ferrari? Get a 348. Much less maintenance and entry cost. That way you can see if you like Ferrari's and can cope with the maintenance repsonsibility. You can search on the subject of PPI's and maintenance, etc.
Welcome to Fchat! I'd suggest searching threads in the 348/355 forum. You can learn a lot about 355s there.
Your dream car awaits you here http://www.ferrarichat.com/ferrariads/showproduct.php?product=1521&cat=2
welcome. But I have to ask the obvious: are you stuck on the 348/355 series because of [you fill in the blank] You picked two of the more costly maintenance normal production cars in Ferrari's lineup. just asking.....I love both.
One thing about this board that is very different from others is that the search feature does wonders and you can find any information you're looking for on any Ferrari of any type in that little search bar. One thread that you might want to look at concerning another new 355 lover who is looking to maybe buy one : http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=201196
If you want a 355 because of the styling and performance, that is understandable. If it is because of budget limitations, then a 328 GTS might be the better model to start on. My first Ferrari was a 1988 328 GTS. All I can say is good things about them. The 355 is a step up in performance from the 328 and sharper in looks (in most people's opinion - the 355 was voted the best looking Ferrari in a number of polls over the years). As you probably know, there are 3 basic body types to the 355: the Berlinetta (hard top), the Spider (convertible), and the GTS (removable targe top). The 348 is another great choice. The look of the slats on the sides has grown on me and both the 348 and Testarossa cars are starting to age well. If budget is not a limitation, then both the 360 and 430 are worth looking at. Most people new to Ferrari get the red color. Typcially a red/tan car seems to be everyone's first Ferrari. After a while, the non-red ones get more intriguing. Good luck.
Thanks for your responses so far. As far as the 355 as opposed to any other Red car, the first thought was performance vs. cost to purchase...I guess the comment of buy a 348 first is not a bad thought, I just hate the look of the rear slats on the 348 - they remind me too much of a Fiero. I will say however, if it will cost me $10K less per year to own a 348 over a 355, then 348 here I come...LOL The 360 and the like are too expensive for my budget, and even I don't think I should start with one of those to enter the Ferrari family. The last comment of a 328 doesn't sound bad either, but it looks like most of those are in the same price range as the 348 - what are your thoughts about comparing those two? Thanks again all.
As I think about it, my yearly operating costs really can't be much over $1,000/ year if that, but that's because I do almost everything myself, so there's no labor expense. The 30K parts package from Ricambi was about $3,000, I paid $2500 for the headers, a couple sets of tires. Oil change, less than $200 for oil and filter, Brakes from Porterfield were about $400 I think. Unless you have everything done at the dealer its not as bad as some make it out to be. Of course there's the fact that I only drove it 24,000 miles in 9 1/2 years.
Welcome to F-chat mate, this is a great resource for all things Ferrari. First thing to remember is to enjoy your search, don't be too quick to jump in the first car that fits your budget, take your time, shopping for these cars is a very enjoyable thing to do. Now i would recommend the 355 as a first Ferrari, it was my first and second and they are better to drive than they are to look at and that's saying something cos damn these things are great to look at. Find a 355 (or any F-car for that matter) that has good history, has had the headders done (or budget to get them done in you purchase price) and get a good PPI done by a knowledgeable 355 tech. If it checks out then your good to go, we can help you on what to look for in a PPI but leak-down seems to be the major one. Speaking of major, budget that into you price also, if it needs doing soon the offer less if its just been done your good to go. Lastly, i would take a 328 over a 348 if they were both on the table under similar situations, that is purely a personal preference, i think the 328 is a better looking car. JMHO. Do you intend to use your 355? This will mean you are looking for a driver not a garage queen, two different animals in my experience. Low miles does not mean more reliable.
Welcome to F-Chat !!!!! The 348 & 355......not cheapo's to service & keep all aspects in working order.....get the tools ready & keep the garage lite on !
I will start looking for both, and keep my eyes peeled for the one that looks to have the best history etc. I really appreciate the welcome here, and look forward to the search - I am not in any rush, so the good news is I can learn from you all and from the threads here, and then ask questions as they come up. If the cost is roughly $1K USD a year if you do much of it yourself, then I am somewhere between doing that and having the dealer do it all (which sounds like $5K USD a year) so I will budget approximately $3K a year and see how it goes. It will NOT be a garage queen. If I have waited this long in life for a Ferrari, I am going to drive it. It won't be a daily driver, but will be out on the weekends during the Summer and on some sunny Fall days to drive through the trees turning colors... Man, I am excited already. I can't wait for the right one to finally show up. MB
All Ferrari's are great, no matter what anyone says. That said, I know a 328 owner, and though he loves the car, it just isn't that fast compared to today's modern cheapo performance cars. If the budget allows, go for the 355. When I was looking, I thought about a 308/328/348, but looking at the performance figures made me opt for the 355. Not knocking the 308/328/348 guys at all, I just wanted my first Ferrari to be faster than any other car I had owned previously (fastest being a 1999 911 C2). The killer sound from the Cap Stg 3 exhuast and Hyperflow cats, not to mention dope handling was just icing on the cake. I'm currently in the process of putting Fabspeed headers on, can't wait to see if there's any difference in sound. Not being a crazy-rich dude I was concerned about the maintenance budget too, but I said screw it, there will always be more money to be made, and you are only young once. It's great that you want to buy a driver, too many people let these cars sit. It's a damn shame, if you ask me. Drive the car, and if it needs to be fixed, fix it. Have fun with the search!! -cuneo
+1,000,000 I simply could not agree with this post more, Cuneo me and you agree on a lot of things, you sure your not a Kiwi?
Who knows, I might be. There is a pretty large hole in my family's lineage, so it's entirely possible!!
Don't spend inheritance on a car no matter how much passion. Inheritance represents someone else's life in monetary terms, use it as an asset, invest it in reducing your mortgage, kids future education (or future kid's education), your pension or wealth building savings. A car will never be an asset, financially that is... not at this level, and certainly not one you intend to use. Earn you money to "blow" on a toy like this, but when it comes to inheritance, save it for yourself or your future, doing the person who left it to you justice. I own an F-car, and will never break even on it. It is fun to drive, gives you a special feeling even when you don't sit in it, but (boy will this forum come down hard on this sacrilege) many times I do wonder if I should have just put the cash it costs to own it into my son's own future instead of other people's pockets from oil companies, to government taxes to mechanics etc. If you chose to ignore this (and I hope you will), buy one that looks hotter than your hottest ever girlfriend, drive it harder than you would want to F*** (ahem - "car" what goes through your dirty minds?) the hottest girl you ever fantasized about and don't even engage on any conversation or thought about justifing the cost of ownership (like is the case with the hottest girls). So chose, first 1/2 of the message or second 1/2 - good boy, the second 1/2 I feel. We're all here to help keep those costs down... PS. These cars are chick magnets, won't tell you what happened to me on the Champs Elysees in Paris at 2am.
The money spent on a car like this will be AFTER the kid's college money is put away and after we are debt free. It isn't a million bucks, but it is enough for us to be debt free and have some money left over. I value your opinion, and lean toward view 2...life is so short, for what are we waiting? When God decides my time on this earth is done, he is going to take me away. Maybe it will be in a Ferrari! MB
What philistine would take a 328 over a 348?! You cannot even compare these cars. The technological differences are overwhelming. I not talking about the difference between a 1989 328 and 348 either. The later 348's are fantastic and the Serie Speciale cars are among the best along with Spiders and Challenges. Many owners have seriously upgraded their cars too, so earlier models shouldn't be panned. The 328 is the ultimate refinement of the 308, but the 348 is another car entirely. If you want something closer to modern, then the 348 is for you. If you're into retro, maybe a 328, but IMO the prices are not warranted for a good 328 these days. They have just escalated past reasonableness for what they offer thanks to the 308 crowd - the 328 is their "wish" item. As a 1st Ferrari, the 355 is a big step up and a higher commitment than the 348. It's the car I wanted after I owned a 348 Spider and I would have had one were it not for this ratty SS on eBay that tugged at my heart. Get what you like; it's your money, but try the different ones out to see if you can detect the differences. Once you decide on a model, get the best representative you can (or want to) afford. Maintenance is not so differrent 348:355. However, if something breaks, the 355 is going to cost more to fix only because there are more complicated systems on the car. Now if you really were up for the challenge, I'd recommend a well cared for and upgraded 308GT4 or a late model Mondial as the best entry Ferrari in terms of price/experience/maintenance, but I don't know you well enough!
I was actually thinking along these lines when I read the original post. If your Dad was a car guy, I could see that, but if your Dad drove a truck or an econobox, that cars were just transportation it would be dis-honoring his memory to blow a substancial sum on somedthing he would have no interest in. As far as what Ferrari, with my current fun car (996 Turbo), I'm afraid anything less than a 355 would be a disappointment. If I came from an econobox, a 348 would be the ticket (once those hideous rear lights were replaced). A 328 is just too dated and cheesy for me.
Thats about it too. I am sure there are plenty of 328 owners out there that can afford a 430 too, but they love their 328 a lot more.
My daily driver for the last 10 years have been various BMW M3's so I am not apart from having a few high horsepower cars available. It wouldn't dishonor my Dad in any way. He was actually into cars, so he would smile...
For me, the later 348 SS cars and 1988 & 1989 328 GTS cars are a bit of a tie. The 348 is a great machine, no doubt about it. And the styling is maturing nicely these days. But the 1988 328 with concave wheels and the 1989 328 with convex wheels + ABS are absolute icon cars. The 328 is the evolution of the design theme that started with the 246 GTS Dino and 308 GTS. The look of the car is like nothing else. The nose, the wheel arches, the side scoop, the roof line, the rear tailights, the front grille, are all "just right". Only the 328 GTB has cleaner lines IMHO (but, I could not live without that removable targa top on the GTS on sunny days). And the fact that it has a decent sized trunk in the back is another benefit (with built-in bread warmer). Plus, a 328 is so easy to live with. Nothing high-tech about it. Simple, reliable, and everyone on the planet recognizes the shape going down the road (thanks to Magnum PI). And all that for $55k - $60k for a nice one (plus the cost of a detailed PPI, of course). I can see it being a tough choice between a 328 GTS and 348 SS - especially if it takes a little more $$$ for the 348 SS. Here is a link to a couple of pics of a great looking red/black 1986 328 GTS Euro: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=137848839#post137848839 And here is a link to a red/black 1994 348 SS for sale at Sport Auto in NC for $69.5k: http://www.sportauto.cc/inventory_ferrari/1994_348_TS_Serie_Speciale/index.htm
Listen my friend, if you're going to spend this kind of money on a used ferrari, spend it on the one you want, not the one that you think you might want. Whether you spend 50,000 or 500,000, if it's not the car you want, you're just settling for something. When I decided I wanted a ferrari I knew it was going to be a 355. I did my homework, talked to the people here ( they know more about ferrari's than anyone), and when I could swing it financially, I went for it. I have had the car almost 2yrs. I did a major in April, had the wheels redone, the calipers painted red, new rear tires, and the interior pieces changed. Do I regret buying the car, NEVER... why, because every time I go into my garage the smile never leaves my face, because that is the car I wanted. My advise, take your time. When it's right you'll know it. The 355 is an amazing car. Good luck!
