Had a 328, thinking a 355 next ... But

If you allow about $200/mo for maintenance of a decent 355, you'll be in the ballpark maintenance-wise.
Don't be afraid.
If you go to a 348, that reduces to about $150/mo and less shop time.
Either way, great choice.

 

Spend some (actually lots of) time looking thro the 348/355 section to get a real feel for the ins & outs - and probably a cost per mile

 

+1 this

Exhaust manifolds and head rebuild is the biggie for these, $20k+ job.

 

Go to the 348/355 section and ask there. You'll get a better estimate. Also do a search, as this question has been asked before.

Just bear in mind that:
1) Some 355 owners have had less problems (at least publically stated) than their Lexus.
2) Some 355 owners have paid $30,000 in repairs in the last year
3) Reality is somewhere in-between.

 

Find a bit more money, buy an older 360, and never look back.

 

Or find a bit more money and buy your 328 back.

 

+1
Fingers crossed,my 328 has been the most reliable and cheapest car to maintain.

 

+328

 

Start by reading through this thread:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355/426232-have-we-destroyed-355-a.html

and this thread:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/ferrari-discussion-not-model-specific/433910-looking-buy-1st-ferrari-have-some-questions.html

Pay close attention to who is saying what and you'll find that around 90% of the owners of the cars say the reputation is overblow and 90% of the people saying they're a maintenance nightmare don't and have never had one (and many didn't buy one because they heard through the grapevine they were a problem). Then pay close attention to the 10% that have or have owned one and what their issues were as that is your worst case. Then dig deep into what the issues were and why they paid what they paid.

I did this for years leading up to seriously thinking about buying one, which once I started seriously looking took me around a year. After that research, I learned that those that were spending nightmare bills often got taken for a ride or had a bunch of tangential work done, often cosmetic, that had little bearing on the actual reliability of the car. There are plenty of cars that have had valve guides done, but very few that have spent the $40k you hear (by non-owners) quoted as the cost. From what I can gather, a valve job alone should cost in the neighborhood of $12k with labor if it comes down to it. It is basically $1k to R&R the engine plus whatever work needs to be done, but you should only have to pull the engine for major services or a major issue (in which case the $1k to pull the motor will not be a concern). Almost everything else should be doable with the engine in. You basically have to pull it to do the timing belts and water pump, which is done every 5 years (give or take) and should not have to be done in between if you use the right parts and your shop does it correctly.

Good luck in your search whatever you buy, but if a 355 is what you want, don't compromise as you will regret it. A properly sorted 355 will not be significantly worse than any other 20 year old car. An improperly sorted one will be horrible, so you absolutely have to do your due diligence where with other cars, you can often get away without doing so.

 

The nightmare bills tend to be owners who stick their car into main dealers with blank cheque books. If you use independents and buy a well looked after car your service cost will be circa £1500 a year.

Just make sure the car you buy is well inspected before parting with any cash.


Regards
Scott

 

A 355 and any other 20-year old car will require roughly equal maintenance and have roughly equal parts costs?

 

Equal maintenance, not equal parts cost (as any Ferrari owner can tell you!). If you buy a 355 that hasn't had a major in ten years, hasn't had the valve guides checked and has leaky headers and crumbling cats, you're going to be in for a world of hurt. Buy one that has those and it's other issues addressed or inspected, you'll be chasing the odd leaky seal/rubber bushing/coolant hose like any other 20 year old car.

My 14 year old BMW costs me more per year to maintain than my 355, fwiw, including parts costs. It's not even close.

 

I feel as if some people have made it their personal vendetta to deface and dishonor the 355 with little to no personal experience with them, for whatever reasons. Just look at the profiles of the first 8 responses to the OP, none of them have a single 355 in their resume. What has the 355 done to these non-owners to deserve such angst?

I have owned my 99 355F1 since 2004, and honestly I have spent an average of $140 per year since on maintenance; that would be my material costs for complete fluid changes using redline engine and transmission oil, OEM oil filter, coolant, and ATE Superblue brake fluid, doing all the annual service myself. Except for the major service that was done about 1-1/2 years ago, which was an anticipated event. No surprises, no issues. I simply chose the best car I can find at the time, and paid for a thorough PPI done by a very well respected tech in the F-chat community. Well worth the investment, extremely happy with the car. I could have bought a 360 of the same model year for a little bit more, but didn't. The size, style, and most of all, the sound of the 355 suited me much more.

Cheers and good luck.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Here are my thoughts on the matter:

1. Make sure that any F355 you decide to seriously consider is looked at by at least two knowledgeable persons (hopefully yourself and one other trusted person) or has a professional PPI.

2. At a minimum have a leak down and compression test done.

3. Stay away from cars with the original headers and cats, unless you can verify with certainty (internally and externally) that they are undamaged and numbers from the compression and leakdown test are supportive of a healthy motor.

4. Know the last date of the major maintenance (and whether the upgraded bearings were used for the tensioners).


Now for running costs, assuming a good condition car with a healthy motor and transmission and provided you are not abusing the car or subjecting it to extremely strenuous duty, I don't see the running costs as being unreasonable.

For the most part, my car just runs and it runs better the more I drive it (as do most vehicles). When things break, they are expensive, however the regular maintenance is about 3-5 times that of a "regular" car. 12 Quarts of oil vs 5 Quarts, more expensive consumables/tune up parts, etc. It's not outrageous, but it's not exactly cheap either. Figure that if you do it yourself the 30,000 maintenance is going to run you in the range of $2000-4,000 depending on what you need to replace, special tools, and whatever is broken/needing replacement.

Let's pretend that you had a good running car like assumed above with no major failures, headers and exhaust are already sorted out, and you put 5,000-10,000 miles a year on it. Personally I would lube the appropriate components and change the oil and filters at 3 month intervals. Despite not being required, I would simply do a 30k maintenance at the end of each year (or at a minimum of every 2 years). I would estimate that you would spend less than $900 per year in regular maintenance and if at the end of the year you did a major 30k on it for $3000. Figure no more than $4,000 per year, max.

I would suggest that a budget of $350/month should more than cover it (assuming no major failures). When something goes bad, that's when these cars can bite you in the ass, and they are definitely not cheap to tear down when it comes to rebuilding a motor.

 

To the OP,

You have a 328 the most reliable Ferrari every made. The next best is the 550. Your maintenance experience may not be representative of other models. There is a huge range in price on 355's from $35-70k. It is cheaper to buy a $65K than take a $35k car and try to make it a $65k car.

 

So true.

For the OP, I went from a 328 to a 355 and its was a great move. Just make sure you get a PPI done and you should be fine.

 

I have had my 355 for 6 years, only thing thats gone wrong was a ecu temp sensor on it, had a 328 I liked it a lot but didnt like getting blown off by any random guy in a Mustang not enough power.

 

These responses (facts based on experience) would be good to have in a sticky for 355 Future Buyers.

 

Its a bit surprising the OP hasn't come back on here at all since posting this 6 days ago...

 

You said it all right here! Although all Fcars are fantastic in snow (esp the GT4) the reality is nobody needs any of them. Get exactly what you WANT!