Which V-8 car will become the most desired

You can take mine out if you want to swap your Testarossa for a day this Summer...

MB

 

Tantalizing, since I've yet to drive a 308! I was referring to my Mondial QV.

 

It's a race between 308 and 328, who's gonna win?

 

The original 100M is a rare car, loosely the AH equivalent of Porsche's 911 RS 2.7 (~$350K now). However the basic 100 or 3000 aren't all that expensive, until you get to the 99+ point concours level. Mark Hyman always seems to have them at about $50K-$60K for very nice ones. Compare that to prices for open Porsche 356s, which start at $100K for a very nice cabriolet and run up to ~$350K for Carrera Speedsters. Actually, a rustbucket Speedster that runs is $100K+ right now. A rustbucket, regular production Healey is probably $10K-$20K or so, depending on how complete it is.

While an E-Type or Big Healey is a cool car, and prices have advanced, they require an owner with some patience for things mechanical. I.e., for generations raised on Accords and Camrys, the maintenance required is otherwordly. Not so much with the older (pre-'74) Porsches, which pretty much just need frequent oil changes and valve adjustments. That usability helps drive values.

You can take excellent care of a 355 and still have a cheap plastic interior that turns to goo, valve guides likely to be a chronic problem, C-pillars that develop stress cracks due to bad structual design, and a jerky F1 gearbox that will likely be less loved than the Valeo tranny in the Mondial. This is inexcusably bad quality and engineering, not something a careful owner can compensate for. As a final kick in the a$$, you also get a parts price list that is obscene even by Ferrari standards.

The 355 is a car that enthusiasts buy for its looks (and sound), despite its many expensive problems. It looks good, right up there with the 308/328. Hell, I've probably posted 100 times about how the 355-360 transition was an aesthetic disaster for Pininfarina.

But it's not truly collectible, not all that well made, perhaps the most expensive V8 Ferrari to maintain, and not as strong a performer as the modern 458 or F430. You really have to want a 355, and be OK with spending $10K+ every once in a while on a car worth about what a loaded BMW 3 Series goes for. Because all these cars are irrational purchases, there will always be fans of the 355 (including me).

But if we're talking about "most desired" from a general market perspective, that's a real long shot, IMHO. There are too many reasons to pick up a cheap F430 (modern and technically impressive) or 328 (classic and aesthetically impressive) instead.

 

Agree

Agree about the looks part. Don't agree about driving, though. A same year 911 is much more fun.

Dale

 

ok, you win.

 

I can't agree with this logic, every car has known issues and fixes. Interior is a $5 one time fix (with some elbow grease), guides are fine in later cars and many early ones are fixed already, and to compare the F1 to the Mondial mistake is laughable at best.

I will agree on the parts price list though

IMHO the only thing that could hold back the 355 from being an appreciating collectible is production volume, there's quite a few out there. This all could mean that the truly 'good' 355's with all known issues fixed and in mint condition will command more of a premium in the future. Who knows....for now I'm just enjoying every mile!

 

I find it extremely amusing how much talk about maintenance cost there is on this board.

I for one just realize it's part of the game and expect it with this type of car.

If it bothered me at all then I wouldn't consider buying a Ferrari in the first place and it certainly wouldn't sway my decision on which car to buy.

Guys who are losing sleep over maintenance costs are probably better off with a different make car and I don't think those guys are going to have a great influence on market value now or in the future.

 

I figured if I out-typed you...

 

I, for one, did not reach a level of financial success where I could buy Ferraris by being wasteful with money. I like 355s, especially the way they drive. Aesthetically, I think they are nice though not among the best and the phony front grill bugs me as it did on my 348. But, I won't own one for all the reasons Bullfighter and others mentioned. Prices would indicate there are many others like me. There are other choices I can enjoy with far less headaches and wallet aches. This is the only reason 355 prices are not much closer to 360s. I sold my duplicate 328 last year for 56K. That evening, I was browsing Ferrari ads and found a '97 355 with the same mileage that the owner had recently spent over 20K on. The asking price was 56K. In the 7+ years I had the 328, I did not spend anywhere near even 10K including tires, etc. So, I expect to have my 328 for a very long time. Meanwhile, my 430, which I bought new 8/05 has cost less than 3K in maintenance plus tires and brake pads since I have tracked it quite a bit.

Dave

 

If you are talking about new or nearly-new cars, you're right. Those buyers have tons of disposable income and to them $10K is pocket change.

But sky-high maintenance and repair costs adversely affect the values of the older cars because to those buyers $10K is a significant amount of money.

Ferrari doesn't care, of course, because they make their money on the new and newish cars.

 

For a strong second, you mean. 355's lapped them both.

 

Dave,

I understand where you're coming from but I guess I still don't agree personally.

Some would say that spending any money on any Ferrari is being wasteful with money.

That being said, the amount it takes to maintain a well sorted 355 was not enough to scare me away from one.

To not buy the car I wanted because of some extra maintenance cost to me would be missing the point entirely as to why I wanted the car in the first place.

 

Yeah but I had an '04 STI and reeled in 355s with it on track days and I'm no Schumacher. Performance is all relative. I used to lap my buddy's QV twice in one 30 minute session but a 308 is still more fun to drive overall.

Dave

 

And they would be right!

Dave

 

"lapped them both"

I think he was speaking of the poll results. ^^^

 

In addition, the parts are very expensive.

 

Dave:

I've got a GSXR1000 and an SV 1000, and I suspect I could lap you pretty quickly at any track, but the point isn't how fast they go. It's how much fun you get from them as you've pointed out.

Art

 

no offense to anyone who owns a 355 but I don't think it will be high desirable in the next 10-30 years. The reason is its not rare and have no significant racing history.
although its a beautiful car but its not going to generate million dollar bids at Christies.

 

Nobody looks at maintenance costs when looking at 512BBs or Dinos or anything desirable. maintenance costs will not hold back appreciation.

Ford made some 400,000 mustangs a year, so copy number is not the end point either. They made less 400is than 355s.

The only thing that will influence appreciation is DESIRABILITY. And that is going to change over time and will be nothing if not unpredictable. But no one in 20 years is going to say "I am not going to buy that 355, even though I really want it, because the headers might need to be replaced."

Most agree the 355 is a very good looking car, and that should stand the test of time. I think there is a good bet that nothing will ever sound quite as good. There will come a time when the performance of the 355 360 and 430 are so far behind the cars of the time that the differences are immaterial. The "tech" in the 430 will be like 70's tech is today.

That's the world you are trying to predict. When the performance and nit picky issues don't matter anymore, the 355 is going to stack up well against almost anything that has been made. At least that's my guess.

 

That is absolutely true. None of these cars will ever be 7 figure cars (unless inflation makes $1,000,000 equivalent to $60,000 today).

I think the real question parallels the Dino. Who would have guessed that of the 246, the 308, and the 328 that the Dino would be worth 2-3 times as much? I mean it doesn't even have a V8! Hell, it's not even a Ferrari!

I think the 355 will be the next Dino. I think there will come a time it will be more desirable than the 360 and 430. But it will take 20 years to prove it.

 

Looks like the 308/328 have pulled ahead of the 355.

 

I was, in both a symbolic and real sense.

The 3x8's are toooo damn slow, guys. Face it. I have, I own one.

Not going to 4 liters in the initial 3x8 design was a huge mistake...with that one extra silly liter, it could have been the greatest single production sports car ever.

 

Don't think the 355 will EVER be considered one of the greats "all time". It was a great car in its time but the other posters are right, the electronics will look like ancient in another 30 years. The 308/328 was the last of the "great Ferraris" prior to the move to more electronics. This alone will make it aways seem "classic" instead of "old".

Low maintanance costs will really help promote it "making sense" as an investment.

Since the 328 is considered the superior version of the 308, it takes the top prize. When you factor in production numbers, it really starts to make the case for it.

I think the Testarossa will also make a run due to its looks and V12 powerplant.

355 will always be a great car but the maintanance cost will outweigh the performance advantages when it is 30 years old. There will be too many other great options that are 20-40 years old.

 

Investments? Is that the thread? I am my own best investment, not the Ferrari. You find a way to afford what you want. You've got to enjoy the ride. And the 308 is the most recognized of them all (thank you, Tom) and easy (well, sometimes) to work on to boot.

I've never seen a hearse with a luggage rack. Life is short; eat your dessert first.