Ferrari f355 Buy it?

What do you mean? Good luck with what? Is there some reason that people don't want to discuss maintenance costs? What am I missing here?

 

30k service: do it yourself = $3000 Dealer Service = up to $10000
Oil change: do it yourself = $100 Dealer service = $800
Headers: Factory and do it yourself = $5000 Dealer service = $9000
Clutch: do it yourself $1500 Dealer service up to = $5000
F1 Clutch: do it yourself $4000 dealer service up to = $15000
Buy an F355 with at list 25000 miles if you want to have fewer problems, make sure you check the history on the car and make sure the interior is in good shape, all the usual issues should have been resolved by that mileage figure + I believe that a Ferrari should be driven not sit in a garage collecting dust.

 

Thanks eyboro. This is exactly the kind of information I'm looking for. Why is this so difficult to find? I've searched this forum and have been researching Ferrari costs for years but it's like pulling teeth. Everyone talks about the costs but never really gets into any detail.

 

Because people usually don't go around talking about how much things cost....Plus maintenance on a 355 is not comparable with a 360---2 totally different animals...Also prices vary greatly depending on what part of the country you live, whether you go to the dealer or independent. etc/.... Not easy to just throw out a number and be accurate, it is more like a ballpark figure..

 

BTW I would take the 355 maintenance number you just saw and subtract at least 50% for all those numbers to get an idea of the maintenance on the 360.. yes it's that much cheaper to maintain.. the f430 is even more so..

the newer the ferrari.. the less it costs to drive (and I love that)..

Last think you want to do is hate your car for the maintenance bills.. the costs for the 360 are reasonable for me, as long as the car is issue free for as long as possible..

 

Whoa there! Why does an F1 clutch cost more than a manual clutch?? Answer: it doesn't...I did it myself, about $700. Maybe you're including a new flywheel, which lasts MUCH longer than a clutch disc. And headers DIY? Well Fabspeeds are about $3k now I believe. Maybe an extra $100 for gaskets, etc.

And as for a newer Ferrari costing less to drive....sorry, no way. Why you ask? that one ugly word, depreciation. Yes the newer Ferrari's cost less to maintain, but let's talk 5 years from today about how much a 355 cost in maintenance and dep. vs. a 360 or 430 in maint. and dep.

I could probably do a 355 major every year for what the 360 is losing in depreciation!

 

Please take it easy w/ the 360 depreciation.. It's hardly as severe as you think..want to see depreciation.. look at MASERATI/LOTUS.. maserati loses 50% value in 2 short years... WOW.. you can always make that mark for when the newer cars depreciation hits bottom as well.

a 99' modena vs a 99' 355.. maintenance on the modena is 1/2 price lets say.. and that person paid 10k more (he got high mileage modena at 80k) vs a low mile 355 at 75k.. I am willing to bet that 5 years later the modena owner is way ahead in cost to own calculations..

 

The maintenance costs go away when my car doesn't get mistaken for a C6 Vette

Just kidding, the 360 does seem to be a more solid car than the F355. It's also much more comfortable to drive on an everyday level from my little experience having one for a week.

Personally though the car is not worth the extra $40+k to me.

On a serious note you must compare apples to apples. Sure an F355 costs as much as a 360 when you compare a LOW MILEAGE 99 F355 to a HIGH MILEAGE 99 360 Modena. But you want to be fair compare the 95 F355 to the 99 360 or the 04 360 to the 99 F355. There's a $40+k diff

 

Wow, ok I didn't realize that high mileage 360's were trading at $80k already. In that case it will be close...a '99 355 with headers done would only require a major every 5 yrs (my plan, not the dealer mandated 3 yrs). That will be about $5k at a good independent, throw in another $5k for misc. stuff. So $10k in maint. over 5 yrs, where 360 may be $5k very simply going with 'half price'. Over the next 5 yrs will the 360 only fall $5k relative to 355 values? Who knows, but I'd guess it will be more.

Point is I don't see a HUGE difference between the two when depreciation is factored in at some level. Buy and drive what makes you happy!

 

What's the big deal with talking about how much maintenance costs on your car? I'd have no problems posting the bills I've paid on my Porsche after blocking out the personal informtaion. You can throw out exact numbers if you want to. You just won't.

 

it's simple. and it's the reason a few guys jumped all over me. They are terrified about any bad rep for their car because they are terrified about a price drop. they see what happened to the TR. They try to minimize or deny any problems to prop up the resale. They don't put miles on their car for fear it will bring down the resale value. there, i said it, have at me. anyway, if you can find a poor schmuck that has already dumped tens of thousands of dollars into a 355 getting it right, buy it. they are magnificent cars. just don't get caught being that schmuck.

P.S., this is my opinion, so it can't be wrong. YMMV.

 

I don't have any bills to scan or I would. Minus oil filter/oil receipts but I threw those away......

 

TENS OF THOUSANDS GETTING THEIR CARS "RIGHT"?? What a laugh. You have a major chip on your shoulder. Any chance you get you jump on your soap box and try to tell the world that the 355 is a maintenance nightmare, yet you've never owned one. Your OPINIONS are based on heresay and word of mouth. Guess what, when people have a bad experience, they tell 10 friends. When they have a good one, they tell maybe one. I have talked with our local Ferrari dealer about 355's before I bought mine and he called them "bullet proof". Yes, there are the header/cat/stickiness issues, but as I said before, EVERY car has it's glitches so don't act like problems are unique to the 355 or to F cars. Oh I forgot, you think TR's and 360's are junk too. Before you tell me that you've hurt my feelings, I really don't give a crap what you think because I know that you are full of hot air. Everyone has a right to their own opinions, but not their own facts.

 

Hehe..

I do find it hilarious when people who don't even OWN a ferrari post here with the "information"....

 

Why are your feelings so hurt? Sore spot for you? I get plenty of chances to tell the world the 355 is a maintenance nightmare and i never have. If you find a post of mine were i said that or anything resembling that(to a reasonable person, not a paranoid 355 owner) please post it. I will retract it. Your dealer called your car bulletproof. great. Doesn't change the problems you yourself posted above. I act like problems are unique to 355's? No that is what you want to hear. Let me state it clearly so you can understand. most ferraris have some problems. some more than others. some problems are more expensive than others. You say i think tr's and 360's are junk. a paranoid lie. please point out any instance where i have said anything like that. you can't. While you are looking for all these damaging posts, maybe you could also dig up a fact i posted that was wrong. oh, didn't think so. Your post is a prime example of exactly what i am getting at with my posts. You and several others are paranoid about your cars. so paranoid you have to "read between the lines" and flatly lie about what people post. The people on this forum know how to read. they can read my posts and see clearly that i have not said any of the things you say in your rant. why is it you feel you need to attack with lies ? I have a 328 and a diablo. say anything you want about those cars. you will not elicit the kind of attacks and misrepresentations you post. For someone who really doesn't give a crap what i think, you sure seem to give a crap. why is that?

 

no, i think jerrari does own a ferrari. at least it says so in his profile.

 

not directed to him per se.. just an observation on anyone who comments on a car he doesn't own or have a good amount of personal experience with.

 

It is interesting every exotic has its own issues and detractors, all one needs to do is read the major car magazines, ie: Car & Driver slagging the 308, 328 and 348 as being over priced under performing and unreliable junk, Classic & Sports Cars stating that all of the cars of the late 1970s through the mid 1990s got by on the status of the badge, not any true quality or performance. The 355 gets its fair share of heat for the sticky parts, headers and valve guides. The 360 and 430 are now getting concerns over headers as well. Lamborghini (pre Audi) had plenty of quality control issues, post Audi for its lack of passion. Needless to say, these cars are polarizing in their like or dislike. Does that make any of these cars “bad”, no, but go in with your eyes open. None of these cars are a bargain; all have higher maintenance than your typical car. If one wants to buy a reliable car that out performs almost all of them buy a Porsche Turbo, Z06 or GTR. All of the aformetnioned cars have something very special about them (308/328 beauty and value, 348 value, 355 value/performance/beauty, 360/430 style, performance, day to day livability). There is a difference between the Italian exotics and regular cars, the passion and pleasure I receive from driving my 355 is worth the price to me, others it is not, that simple. All of us should be concerned, the price on our toys are going down as a result of the economy, so might as well use them as Enzo and Ferrucio intended and go for a drive this weekend to forget about the economy. I know 8,500 rpms through Tubi headers and exhaust and Hyperflows has a way of doing that for me!

To the original poster find a F355 that has had the valve guides done and the original headers replaced with Tubi headers, you should be in good shape. There is more depreciation probably to come on the F355, but proportionally less than the 360 and 430. The 360/430 should cost less at least initially to maintain, jury is still out in the long run. The most important thing in buying any exotic is buying the best car you can, a cheap exotic becomes very expensive very fast. I have 2 friends that bought “perfect” 360s through a very reputable dealer and spent $15,000 on them with in one year of owning the cars. My car has not been cheap, but it has been worth it to me.

 

This seems a bit contradictory..

can you explain further.. you say on one hand buy the "best you can afford" then you say two of your friends bought the "perfect 360's" and they had 15k service charges the first year?

What happened?

 

signed, a reasonable 355 owner that isn't out looking for trouble in every post. nothing in any of my posts that aren't right here.

 

F1 Transmission issues, electrical issues and suspension issues for both cars, both had PPIs done by the dealer...

 

One more thing I would avoid like the palgue if looking at a 355, highend stereos... Almost all of my electrical issues originated from the installation of the "killer" stereo the previous owner had installed. Thanks to these "fine craftsman" that installed the stereo that I have listed to a whole 2 times in the 2 years I have owned the car (you can hear the thing much anyway and the real music is coming out of 3.5 liters)! I have heard horror stories on 360s with stereo installers screwing metal screws into the aluminum....

 

Owning a 355 has been cheap compared to owing a E60 BMW M5 ($90,000 to $42,000 in a couple of years!) Ouch! It is all relative, these are cars, most of the time they cost you money...

 

and these were top quality high end 360's? high mileage? were they expensive 360's?

 

Yes they were expensive spiders $160K plus several years ago, very low mileage. Both Dealers did PPI... Price may not be the "best you can afford"...PPI should have been done by disinterested 3rd party. If possible, it would be great if you know the seller, not possible many times, but good piece of mind.