348 owners don't "upgrade". A word of warning.

You are 100% right in everything you said. If you lived close to me I'd buy ya a beer!! I am biased as I too love the 348 for the reasons you stated. I have not driven a 355 or a 360 and am 100% content with my 348. As with any car you need to keep up on maintenance but I think the 348 is a very decent car if you give attention to the known problem areas. EVERY car has weak points but I feel the good far outweighs the bad on the 348 if you know what to watch for.

Top speed doesn't really matter unless you track the car (which tears up any car) since there ARE speed limits when driving. Anything over 70MPH will get you a ticket here in OH and just 1 ticket makes insurance CRAZY high. If you are too immature to realize that you just can't drive like a maniac on the road...you'll soon find out what Joe says...."I lost my license...now I don't drive".....

I love the 348...the lines, the sounds...it's the total package baby!!

 

Very usefull opinion !
Thank you very much !

 

I've never driven a 355 or 360, although I could see myself owning a manual 360 some day. However, as a 348 owner, I totally agree with the sentiment of this thread!! Another SCORE for The 348 Brotherhood!

 

AWESOME THREAD! I'm in the middle of a major lawsuit that will be at the latest by February. Most likely they will want to settle within 60-90 days. This is not a case they want to have brought before a jury and a record of the awards...it will sink them and they are already exposed on this and left completely defenseless.

You know how you always "COUNT CHICKENS"? Well, I don't owe hardly anything so I was thinking about the potential for taking a small part out of that and treating myself to a 360 as a possible upgrade but felt the same way you feel! NO KIDDING! So then I thought well what the hell, have 2 F cars... Truth is, I'd never drive the 360. I'm so partial to my 348 Spider I would always take it. I am absolutely both content and proud of my spider. I'm just going to invest and put away for retirement.

Thanks for posting. I am right there with you!

 

Thanks for sharing this. I love the look of the 360, and could see myself "upgrading" to it someday. But I will likely (God willing) hang onto my 348 for several years. It's a great car and a HOOT to drive!

 

+100

I have a 360 and thought I was the only one who feels this way once moving on to a 360/430. Just you feel about speed and such, I feel the same way. that's not why i bought the car. I do love the room being that I am tall.

It took me about a month to get use to and almost sold it. I can see myself owning another older (non power steering Ferrari) I LOVE THE RAW feeling.

 

I like to think of us as a big part of the enlightened, sensible (debatable, I'm sure , and true enthusiast segment of the "modern" Ferrari crowd!

 

Amen brother. This is why it so hard to give up the "lowly" 348 for the techno GT's represented by the 355's and 360's. Hey if my wife can drive it to the grocery store and parallel park it, forget it!

 

Wow, sorry to hear what happened to your 360, I was really thinking about stepping up to one, next year, I better do my homework ... thanks for the advice !

 

The 348 Brotherhood would mourn your loss...

 

I didn't realize you went to a 360...hopefully you can get her up to CT this summer for our Sunday meet!

 

Yes I will and i will be there for the show also...

 

if you want an even more "involved" experiece, drive a carb'd 308.

 

What he said.

 

all that and you can smell like gas when you get out of the car..

 

I think the build quality, long term desirability and styling of Ferraris have declined over the last 20 years. I'm partial to the 308 and 328 over the 348, and it's beyond argument that the 348 has engineering flaws and some subpar materials. But I agree with your overall point. The 348 does have the compact proportions of a sports car, which contributes to the whole experience.

And, with the newer stuff, IMHO you lease it and turn it in before it falls apart or runs out of warranty. (That's not just for Ferrari -- new Porsches, Mercs, Audis, etc., are all destined for the recycling bin.)

 

And cook a steak medium well over the engine bay, if you have original fuel lines.

 

Bullfighter,

why do you feel cars have declined in the last 2 decades ? I feel some point have become better and more complex. Each model has it gremlins , par for course.

todays models have moved in a different direction. I would not say the material used on the 458 are inferior to the 328

the newer car will be desirable to today's generation. the 360 for example mean little to you but to mi kids( twenty somethings) this is the car they in music videos and in ads. they are the future collectors.

 

L

Lol, I never fill my tank more than 1\4 full for fear of being roasted alive!

 

Heck, for some of us the added risk is just more excitement!

 

348 seems more hazardous with the headers right beneath the fuel lines...

Since I work close to home I'll often drive the 308 and 348 on the same day. They're completely different experiences. The 308 has that inimitable smell (ref: Neil Peart - "well-weathered leather, hot metal and oil...") and really makes me feel time-transported. I just adore that car. The 348, which I got from former F-chatter Marco, has been heavily performance-modified and is really quite fast. It feels vicious and angry, lol. But it still has the absence of too-intrusive electronics.

I've considered going more modern but the more I read and look around, the less interested I am.

 

This is a great thread.

I bought an extremely low mileage 355 in March. At the time, there were a couple 360's in good condition, with current service, available for the same price, but I wanted a 355 and knew I would regret buying anything else.

Now that I have the 355 (which I'm keeping), I'm really tempted to sell my 2003 Boxster S (which I love) to make room in the garage for a carbed 308. If I did, I'm not sure what I'd drive to the grocery store though, since the Boxster is the most practical vehicle I have! (I use a motorcycle for 95% of my transportation needs)

I keep thinking that a carbed 308 would feel fast without going too fast. I've already been pulled over in the 355 once already for sounding/looking fast (let me go, since he didn't have any actual numbers, and I certainly wasn't going to say)

 

I have a 1998 355GTS F1 that I bought new. I ordered a 360 shortly after that. When I got the 360 about a year later I kept it for 5 days and sold it. It wasn't a small sports car anymore.

I don't like the cheese graters on the sides of the Testarossas or the 348 very much. I think they date the car.

I never owned a 348, but IMHO the late 355 engines are superior just because of the valve train. I have driven a number of 348s and from the inside they are a nice ride.I have owned a 512bbi and a 412 as well.

I don't like the styling of the current Ferrari line up. The cars are all bigger, and the Enzo style raised tail light and the new headlights don't do it for me.

I also currently own a 2000 456M GTA and I plan to keep it and the 355 until I die.

If I were to buy another Ferrari a 275 GTB/4 would be nice.

Enzo said, "the best car he built will be the next one" to paraphrase, but I think if you find a car you like, stick with it and take care of it. You will be rewarded in the end.

 

+1,000,000 ...Find the car that fits you and your dreams and roll with it... Go for something else and it may become Friday the 13th part 334!