I agree 100%. Actually they got it right with the entire car. Only from head on does the F355 look its age. The 360 and new F cars have some nice interior features and styling that are absent from the F355, and performance enhancements, but exterior styling of any F car after the 355 just doesn't cut it with me. I was excited when I saw the first photos of the 458 and thought Ferrari finally got back on track. But when I went to look at one in person my smile fell to a frown. I though they lost it after the 308 as well because I never cared for the 328 plastic bumpers and the elimination of the Daytona style toggle switches. The 348 made things worse in my eyes (sorry guys, I'm just not a fan). The 355 offered a reprieve, but it didn't take hold.
The glass over engine would look terrible on the 355. I love the entire car just as it is. And, I don't think it looks dated at all. My comment was directed to the 360 as I said that's the only feature I like about it but not suggested it would work on the 355. I do like the 430 but not a fan of the huge front bumper ducts. I love the 458 and thing the glass over engine is perfect for that car.
I don't normally disclose money factors. But, let me just say, I bought my 355 needing valve guides and a major. I paid about 13k for this. Could have found someone cheaper? Could have found someone more expensive? Of coarse! But, I bought the car right as it turned out. Right enough to beak even which is all I could hope for. Not to mention I have a strong running car and expect it to stay that way with proper care and maint. However, it is mind numbing to get on here as a "lurker" trying to find out some info on the best F car to buy. This forum is scary! No question about it. But, I hope I can be of help and take the willies out of a newbie that wants to buy a 355. These post on here are supposed to beinformative for the pros to share ideas and for us little guys to find info on how to tinker with the other parts of the car. So, we can say we had a hand in keeping our babiesnursed. My advise to a newbie. DO your research. Stay away from the horror stories (I am guilty for having one myself) Make sure you do the proper testing and negotiate your price according to what your will have to do to the car vs what has been done to the car relative to the values and market prices for them. I don't think we as fchatters do anything to the price. I thins it's same as it always was/is. It is peoples ability to be able to afford the car or not. Market wil move up and down a few thousand depending but base prices will hold steady. LET"S ENJOY THE FREAKING CARS. nice thread though. If I can help anyone wanting to buy a 355 I can share stories of some do's and don'ts... Don't be afraid of these cars.
Nope, not hard, it's just the first I've heard of it. Are there any other known that were built that early? Do we know of any differences to the later cars? Also, where are these 2003 f355's? I'd like one of those .
Steve Wool, a sincere bravo to you for spending what was needed to bring your car back to health. You could have walked away from the car and passed off its repairs to the next guy to deal with, but you did not.
Honestly, its more than perception. All the "horror" stories are true. We prospective buyers see the invoices all the time. And you don't have to be an owner to look over the facts. I drove a 355 last weekend with a single repair totalling over $70k. And no it didn't include an engine rebuild, or valve guide replacement. Go ahead, show me a few $10k+ 360 invoices..... I like the 355 (but like the same period Diablo roadsters better), but they are expensive to maintain on a $/mile basis.
$70k? Come on, taking that with a major major grain of salt. You're either making it up or somebody got completely ripped off.
Here you go: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/141591581-post39.html http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/141590677-post17.html http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/141592851-post50.html http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/141593583-post52.html http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/141878237-post73.html http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/141884516-post75.html http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/141893262-post94.html Those are just from one thread. Do a search and there are plenty more.
Go look in the Ferrari ads section.....Not saying everything was a repair, and at least one thing was an upgrade (challenge grill). Saw the invoice myself. Car was amazingly clean.
And not a single actual invoice to examine....so I'll use your line and take these with a major grain of salt.
No, the Ferrari dealership that did the work ($12k respray) verified that the car was undamaged, it just had poor paint and lots of chips. Look guys, I like the car.....but at a $50k pricepoint, $10k+ repairs stand out. The Diablo is just as needy, but at over $100k it just doen't seem as bad. I think Brian Crall (Rifledriver) has the most informed opinion......that carries alot of weight for me.
+1. There is no way one could spend $70K on an F355 repair that did not include an engine rebuild unless they were: (i) seriously delusional and/or (ii) mentally incompetent. As owners it behooves us to learn as much as we can about the cars we own. This involves obtaining a WSM and getting your hand's dirty. Accordingly, when a problem arises which is beyond our ability to correct, at least we can have an informed discussion with the shop/techs selected to fix said problem. There are many unscrupulous and incompetent shops out there that have no business claiming to familiar with the repair of the Ferrari marque. Caveat emptor. BTW, no less an expert than Dave Helms has stated that, in his opinion, the F355 B/6-speed will be highly sought after in the future. It is the last really beautiful, non-video game Ferrari model.
Since there are a few people in total denial, I've downloaded the invoice and I'll list what was done, then I'll take off and let those return to fantasy land. Now before I start, I think this is a geat car and a good buy. Fuel block repair Leak down compression test Full inspection Wheel repair Full service (no valve guides) Shocks and mounts Replace undertray Hood struts Kick plates Ash tray Challenge grill Refinish sticky stuff Replaced leather dash AC repair Convertible top repair Add Tubi exhaust Cracked panel switch Repair turn signal switch Re-spray Clear bra State inspection Electrical (wire harness) repair Oil temp gauge Cracked side mirror Dome light Replace key fob Air flow meter
This was $70k or $12k? Many of the items listed are upgrades or repair via abuse such as a broken mirror. Can't blame the model on stuff like this
If that was $70k I would think someone was taken advantage of. My point of my original post is that people are afraid of the 355. We've seen posts where people have mentioned they spent the first year of ownership in fear the car would explode at any moment and generate a $25K bill because of unfortunate rumors from uninformed sources. Only after having the car, did they realize that they didn't have to worry quite so much. Thank goodness Quadcammer chimmed in because he beautifully illustrated my point. Someone that has never owned a Ferrari in their life and self proclaims all the horror stories of the 355. Alternatively, we've also seen plenty of owners chime in with their own first hand stories. My point is that there are known problems of the 355 like headers, valve guides and such but once those are addressed they are pretty solid cars. Does that mean that no one is never going to spend $10K again on a repair?...absolutely not. Does that mean there aren't some nasty 355's out there, nope. They are 20 year old cars...kind of (not weighing in on that debate) and things will break and need to be rebuilt due to age but not because it was a 355. The biggest thing I would love to eradicate is the fear people have of the 355. I would venture to say some, if not many, of those larger repair bills referenced here are to address those known issues we've discussed and will hopefully not be repeated. I know my ONLY $10K repair was for a major service where we replaced the headers and parts were over half the cost. Price is victim of that fear but not the point of my post. The issues with sticky interiors, headers and $10K repair bills are not the exclusive provenance of the 355 since I think every Ferrari model probably has some aspect of the same stories. We need to do our best to try and educate people to the real story of these cars and call out those that spread bad info. It's going to take a long time and may well be a futile effort but I think it's worth a try.
3 out my 4 friends that own 360s have been hit with $17,000+ repair bills. The 3 are F1s, the 6 speed manual has been much more reliable and far less expensive.
For $70 you might as well throw that car away and buy another one.... Probably find a really nice one for 70K
Look guys... walk into any experienced shop and ask what car they think has the most problems. I haven't met a mechanic yet who would recommend a 355 over a 360 in the reliability and cost to keep running department. That is not so say the 355 is a bad car or not worth the money. It is. The point is the reputation has nothing to do with Fchat and everything to do with real world experience over years and years of it being on the road. What owners do here is a GREAT SERVICE to newbies looking at buying. They are better off knowing the issues than not knowing. If you want a 355 -- and many do -- you'll be more confident knowing what you face than guessing. At least you will be properly prepared when making the leap and knowing what to look for.
