F355 mantaining costs: are they so high?

You read car and classic article? I have a 355 manual and it costs me no more than £700 - £1000 per annum apart from the major service every 3 years. Then it's £1500. Get to know your car, don't be afraid to get your hands a little dirty, I learnt to change my break pads myself, it's really easy and saves £250 from the dealers.

Ppl always say this car is costly to maintain but it really isn't. Do your home work on the car your going to buy, service history, evidence that it's been cherished and you will be fine!

 

I somehow feel this might have been covered before - an example http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/230348-f355-maintenance-hog-i-disagree.html - for more try a search on maintenance in this section and read the threads that look promising

Amongst the basic reasons maintenance costs more than a 328 are the power output is higher - the engine is in a higher state of tune and so needs more maintenenace

It is designed so that ideally the engine needs to come out to maintain which costs more

The F1 is harder to maintain simply because it is first generation - over the years control systems improved and then DCT came along

The interior materials are less robust and so need more looking after

The tyres are less mainstream and have to work harder so they cost more and need replacing more often

And so on

 

Do not buy one! Horrible car! Costs thousands a week to own! I would buy an Acura NSX for sure.

 

It depends on the car. The 355's have known issues, but once fixed, they're fixed.

 

That was serious...................................I kid..........I kid......

 

The $3k-$4k per average factors in the engine out service.

So you may go 3 years without a single repair, and do only fluids/oil, and then do your major service. Do the math on that and you have exactly what the magazine (that the OP read) tells you.

 

Mine has gone 5 w/o a hiccup. Service is getting done in Nov for $6000. Yearly oil changes is all.

 

With respect it is clear from post 7 & 12 you haven't really done any research at all

Start here http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/447037-helpful-information-those-search-355-a.html

 

Just like the Testarossa, the boxer, and 348 the 355 has an engine out service.

Every 7 -10 yrs for a full out service is fine , I have been doing that schedule on my Testarossa for decades.

Find the best 355 you can find and pay a little more to get a car that was cared for ..... The interior is weak just like the other cars I mentioned, it's part of that era.

If you find the right car, it should cost you no more than double to service overall than your 328.

My Testarossa is running at about 2x the cost of my 308.

The 355 is also double the 328 in performance and sound as well though

 

Common problems caused by very high engine heat
Burned through headers, cracked engine mounts, failed cat converters, cracked rubber hoses, cracked connector heat shields, ignition wires

Common problems due to poor material:
Valve guides, interior bits, seat position sensors, flap door for air,

Too many electronic doodads:
ECU for top, for windows, for suspension, for seats, for AC, for car, for ...

Overly fussy design:
Spider top, spider top, and spider top.

Hard to do items:
Engine out service, belt and tensioner bearings, water pump, radiators, clutch, gearbox, F1 service,

Items worn out very quickly
Engine mounts, temp switches, by pass valves, Cat converters, O2 sensors, all hoses, all fans, AC control,

They did make one improvement over the previous model. They stopped using the circular door to body connector.

And, it is still one beautiful timeless classic design. It is like the Porsche 993 for Porsche, The last classic look before things go modern. With a free flow cat, a Tubi exhaust, a 355 will scream at 7,000 RPM like no other cars I know.

 

I understand that, but the book is quoting the "Ferrari standard" of a 3-year belt service, not a 5-year...hence the discrepancies amongst owners that claim it does not cost them $3k-$4k per year.

I'm sure if you polled every 355 owner and took the average, it would be far less than what the magazine quoted....however, if one was to maintain by the letter of the law (read: by the service book), then the projected $3k-$4k per year is right on the money....

 

My belts last changed 7 years ago/11000 miles..car runs great
Every year..oil change.

It cannot be necessary with modern belts and Hill Engineering tensioner bearings to change timing belts every 3 years.....

 

Hey,
Image speaks best http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg103/adammwood/Pillars.gif

 

C pillar is the section of the car between the roof and the body at the rear window. The A pillar is the one holding the windscreen. The B pillar is the one between the side windows. Some cars, like coupes do not have a B pillar.

Do not be scared off the 355 by the negative posts here. It is a fantastic car, but it has its issues. Like any car. It is a complicated piece of machinery compared to the 328. Being in Italy you will probably have good people around to help you repair and maintain it.

 

You guys are missing my point.

The magazine that the OP read states $3k-$4k per year in maintenance costs, which is based on the maintenance schedule followed precisely to the letter of the Ferrari law.

Obviously, a 5-year belt change interval or a 7-year belt change interval will cut that $3k-$4k of annual maintenance costs in half (and even more than half in most cases).

 

I would say the "letter of the law" has changed and is more towards 5 years now. Ferrari even knows that 3 years was a scam! My buddy bought his 99 with 22k and it had never had an engine out. He has since but just proves it was BS.

 

The 355 is definitely my favorite, but the 328 is a classic, it all comes down to what you are really wanting from a Ferrari. Are you looking for performance or are you looking for the classic Ferrari look. I think that it would be hard to argue that the 328 doesn't accomplish the latter every bit as well as a 355.

From a performance perspective, if you aren't a purist, there is plenty of room to make the 328 perform far better than the factory set it up to perform. It is completely reasonable to believe that you can pull another 50-100 hp out of a 328 motor if you spend some serious money on the effort (increasing displacement, forced induction, etc). Suspension can be upgraded. Even modern wheels and tires will make a huge difference in handling.

Mark