Looking at buying 1st Ferrari

100% on the money. if you fit in one ok, a 328 is the car to get. bullet proof and economical and beautiful.

with the right exhaust, they even sound good...and none of the complexities of the cars that came later.

if you feel a 328 is 'beneath you', then you should be buying a Porsche anyway.

 

are you saying a 328 is a lesser car than a porker ?

 

no


















but it is

 

Whoops, my bad - should have asked about Italian bikes.....good answer. Yes, I had a couple of Ducatis too, once upon a time....

From what I can see, being a relatively recent Ferrari owner, the ownership experience is pretty much down to the competence & honesty (& lack of greed) of whoever does the maintenance, if you don't want to/can't do that yourself.

One thing I've learnt though - any Ferrari is not a fragile toy - they are very robust, but don't suffer fools, either drivers or mechanics.

 

try goober's boys at Koala rentals, they are always making sure his cars are up to scratch and what it REALLY costs to fix these cars .... just don't mention alternators

 

which porker ?

are ANY of them standard, or just the usual stripped out hotted up eggs ?

 

my poor cars suffers all the time, .... the fool driver is also the mechanic

100% on the money Dave, a good mechanic can make or break the ownership of the car , and for ferrari ownership multiply by 308

I can fix all the things on the QV up to a cambelt change but don't trust myself with anything past that

Just remember that an engine fix on a 308 is roughly $10-15K and the motors after them are significantly more,

 

you better believe it!!!

 

Pap and I would sell you our 348's but they are too collectible these days.

 

nice way of saying you can't sell them

 

With a $130K budget, I would test drive a few different models if possible.

I would drive a 308 up to a 360 and everything inbetween.

You may find one model you like more, over another.

If your heart IS set on a manual 360. Find a good one, have a PPI done and buy it. Simple as that.

An oil change on them is easy (if you're half handy). A clutch will last as long as you look after it. There is NO set km's for them to be replaced. Whoever told you the clutch only lasts 25,000 km's need a good turkey slapping.

Cam belts can be changed whenever you want. Every 3, 5 or 10 yrs. Cam belt in my Ferrari is 8 yrs old this year. No reason they wont last 10+ yrs, if you drive the car regulary. Cam belt tensioners can fail also, but same deal applies. 8 yrs on mine now and no issues. A few 348 owners in the USA have had original cam belts and tensioners 15 and 16 years old before they changed them out. No worries.

If you buy a 360, make sure its had the cam variator update. Check or have it checked for the 'VD' stamp on the very front of the drivers side cylinder head.

*Even then, the updated cam variators can fail. Just so you know*


Dont ever jump start a 360 either. Dash electronics are REALLY sensitive to this.

Cam belt change on the 360 does not require engine out like the 348 and 355. So it *should be* cheaper than 348 and 355 cam belt change. But dont hold your breath on that. Budget $5K every cam belt service, every 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 or 20 yrs. Whenever you want to do it.

The 360 is actually one of most reliable Ferraris ever made. Find a good one, buy it and enjoy my friend.

 

+348!

Lol, lucky they arent for sale.
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The engine does NOT need to come out to change the belts in a 355.

you're better off giving no information rather than wrong information.

 

You will struggle to find a manual 360 regardless of budget because they are relatively rare. I bought one new back in 2001 and from memory manuals were only about 10% of production. Your budget probably won't get you into a really nice example of a 360; but it will get you an average one. A very good, well maintained and reasonable mileage 360 manual should cost very little to run by Ferrari standards. The F1 examples can cost huge money if the electronics/gearbox plays up. A friend got a $27k quote for his high mileage 360 that was only worth $100k anyway. As PP said, a nice 328 is the best car to get in your budget. Fun car, easy to drive and cheap to fix.

Boy you had a bad experience with Ducati. I have had four of them now and although I don't do a lot of miles, they have never caused those sorts of dramas and were not expensive to service. They are certainly not cheap to buy and run, esp when you look at it from a % of bike value viewpoint; but nothing like what you quoted in my experience.

 

+1 Good advice

It will be interesting to see how you go as you may find that you prefer a non electronically assisted car (anything up to a 348) to be more up your alley (given the obvious Ferrari passion you describe in your earlier posts) than the admittedly, more powerful, better appointed, easier to drive but slightly less involving 355 and 360.

I do think that a manual 360 is a great choice though.

 

Just to put some perspective.....Ferraris Do come in configurations other than 66% engines behind the driver....there is another setup - the way God and Enzo intended..

C'mon another 4 plugs at service time don't cost that much..

 

Methinks you're wise words are wasted

 

Just my 20c worth----- I have 308s, 328s and a 355. They are all fantastic to drive in their own individual ways. If maintenance is you main consideration then the 328 or 308 is the way to go. It sounds like you are indeed a real life long fan and If you imagine that you would enjoy leaning to do at least some of the basic work on you own car your obvious chioce is the 328 or 308. Add to this that these cars are not depreciating and are less to purchase than a half decent 360 and you have the best of 3 worlds!
1. lower finance cost--(and all money has a finance cost or opportunity cost)
2. No depreciation??? (or at the very least much much less than a 360)
3. Much lower maintenance if the car is up to date in servicing. (and even less because it is possible to DIY)

Which ever Ferrari you buy you can be sure you will love it. When I drive my 328 it is the best car---trouble is same goes for the 308 and the 355. If you are in Melbourne any time soon and you want to do some research you are very welcome to have a look at my cars --9 Fcars all up and have a chat. And yes some are for sale. Cheapest around $75,000 and most expensive $125,000.
I'm not too sure I would be worried about the maintenance cost, you could just sell some of your models as the need arises. Anyway the golden rule is buy the best car of any model you can afford but leave some reserve for the little surprises!
Have fun shopping!!

 

Nothing like my first 9 months either.

Saying he spent 30k mean that it had to be a 1098/1198 which are BASICALLY the same bike as mine (yes, yes, the whole identical but different thing). I was told NOTHING like that by the dealer, have had no issues (with the exception of the random stalls at idle which apparently can be a somewhat common issue for the 848 that is generally caused by the tune on the stock ECU and the best way to get rid of it is buy the better exhaust, but I digress).

I was told to do the annual service even if I don't hit 12,000 (which I won't manage to reach), but was quote around 600-700 for that service, which is a fluid change and valve clearance check and adjust.

I was not told any of the other details, especially not the valve adjust every 6,000km.




But that is a whole other discussion.

For that much money, and with your concern about ongoing costs, if you can't afford to run it, you can't afford to buy it.

Completely academic opinion as I don't own one, but it's my approach to vehicles.

 

yes
but only if it goes to a good home
if not ill keep it
its a Great car

 

Yes it certainly is a great car Paolo. That capristo exhaust sounded fantastic.

 

Ah, yes Greg - the youth of today....simply no idea..

 

thanks Brett
was great to catch up with you
your a true friend brother