Looked at two F355's this week. What you think? | FerrariChat
Buy

Looked at two F355's this week. What you think?

Discussion in '348/355' started by soulkid, Sep 5, 2009.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. soulkid

    soulkid Rookie

    Sep 28, 2008
    25
    #1 soulkid, Sep 5, 2009
    Hi,

    I am from Ireland. There are only 4 F355's for sale in the entire country.

    I am looking to buy one soon.

    I have looked at 2 so far:

    1) I looked at below 1997 GTB which has 63K miles. (Private sale)
    I noticed a few things:
    -There are small cracks starting to appear on the side back wings (very slight).Is it a big/expensive job to fix?
    -When I drove the car the brake light came on a few times. Anyone know why this would happen? Is it a big/expensive job to fix?
    -I also noticed that the brake pedal had to be pushed a little hard. Is this normal?
    -The chassis number on the log book matched what was on the engine and on the tag on the drivers door. Yet, when I checked a website that shows the history, it says that the chassis number was changed. I asked the owner and he has no idea why it says this as the documentation he has proves otherwise.

    http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200934194986026

    2) I also looked the the 1997 GTS below (Garage sale)

    I did'nt drive it. It looks like new. And has only 16K miles.

    http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200929194644794

    The GTS could probably be bought for €60K and my guess is that the black GTB could be bought for around €35-€38K from talking to the owner.

    The red GTS is the better car. I like the black one as it is within my budget. I am just scared that if I buy the black GTB I could be facing big bills with mileage getting high.
    And the money I spend on the black GTB I could end up maybe spending in total close to the price of the red GTS.

    Any advice appreciated?
     
  2. KKSBA

    KKSBA F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Oct 31, 2003
    15,300
    SBarbara-La Jolla CA
    Full Name:
    KKSBA
    #2 KKSBA, Sep 5, 2009
    The cracks your referring to are likely the buttress cracks that are very common. Search on here for buttress crack and you'll see. Not tough to get rid of them, but when the chassis flexes they can reappear.

    Brake light and sponginess could be many things: brake bleed needed, brake line leak, master reservoir problem etc.. When you get a PPI, which you HAVE TO GET on a Ferrari, have them take a look at the brake system specifically.

    Good luck!
    KK
     
  3. pennafxu550

    pennafxu550 Rookie

    Jul 12, 2006
    23
    Kentucky
    Full Name:
    Faiz Uddin
    #3 pennafxu550, Sep 5, 2009
    Last edited: Sep 5, 2009
    you will spend the money either way... whether paying for a sorted one, or paying to get one sorted...

    ps, that black one looks damn good for a more driven car.
     
  4. MRF40@yahoo.com

    [email protected] Formula Junior

    Jan 1, 2006
    563
    Planet Urf.
    Full Name:
    like whut? Ralph??
    #4 [email protected], Sep 6, 2009
    Looks like the steering wheel is on the wrong side!!!!! LOL.
     
  5. eulk328

    eulk328 F1 Rookie

    Feb 18, 2005
    2,800
    Full Name:
    F683
    #5 eulk328, Sep 6, 2009
    Don't quit your day job....


     
  6. AceMaster

    AceMaster Three Time F1 World Champ

    Feb 6, 2009
    34,777
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Mike
    #6 AceMaster, Sep 7, 2009
    Definitely get a PPI. 63,000 miles sounds high to me, but that is just my opinion.
     
  7. greyboxer

    greyboxer F1 World Champ

    Dec 8, 2004
    12,667
    South East
    Full Name:
    Jimmie
    #7 greyboxer, Sep 7, 2009
    You need to read good 355 buyers guide as the shoulder cracks should be covered - they are fairly normal - if you are lucky the brake light is just the fluid level or a bad earth or possibly even the wear indicator light

    http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34059

    www.the355.com

    Might your budget perhaps allow importation of a UK car plus taxes ?
     
  8. soulkid

    soulkid Rookie

    Sep 28, 2008
    25
    #8 soulkid, Sep 13, 2009
    I could get one in UK. Just the hassle of going there and importing that puts me off.
     
  9. Charly78

    Charly78 Karting

    Jan 24, 2009
    80
    France
    #9 Charly78, Sep 13, 2009
    You must know red car is easier to resell, not the case for the black one
     
  10. PAP 348

    PAP 348 Ten Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Dec 10, 2005
    100,220
    Mount Isa, Australia
    Full Name:
    Pap
    #10 PAP 348, Sep 13, 2009
    That black 355 looks awesome! :D:D
     
  11. eulk328

    eulk328 F1 Rookie

    Feb 18, 2005
    2,800
    Full Name:
    F683
    #11 eulk328, Sep 13, 2009
    Let him buy one first before he worries about selling it (assuming he ever will) :) Okay, realistically now would be the time to take that into consideration but still, I think he should get the color that strikes his fancy with little or no regard to a future sale.


     
  12. J. Salmon

    J. Salmon F1 Rookie
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Aug 27, 2005
    4,367
    VA
    #12 J. Salmon, Sep 13, 2009
    Obviously I am biased, but I think that red GTS is stunning.

    You could actually get into big money with either. Just make sure compression is good, I would actually feel more comfortable about valve guides and headers on the higher mileage car.

    But the advice is always the same: buy the best car you can afford (which in this case is that red GTS).
     

Share This Page