Truer words were never spoken! The thrill comes from driving it not looking at it! As an investment....fuhgettaboutit. Yesterday a good buddy who is a big Porschephile (currently owns a 997 TT and a 996 Cabriolet) came over and took my car out for a spin. He had never driven an F car before. After 5 min and 8000 rpm he was grinning like a school kid, readily admitting that it is an experience like no other. We are all lucky owners, drive them, maintain them, don't bad mouth them and put your retirement money in something else!
Don't forget (and I didn't sate it) you must also leave room for unexpected items that come up 30 days after the sale, unless you are selling "as is" cars. Check engine light may pop on in the first week the new owners buys it. I'm not going to tell him to pound sand over a $300 dollar o2 sensor. You need to also leave room on the table for negotiation. I not following how 55k of spent money, sitting on the showroom floor tied up in a deprecating asset builds any kind of interest at the bank. Maybe I missed somthing?
Tim, looks like you have a GTB there, is it in the process of being restored or a project put on the back burner?
I agree. Nicely stated. As I have stated before buy the car you like, if it goes up in value great, if it doesn't at least you still have the car you like. By the way those 997 TT are rockets. Talk about a fast car. Those 997 TT are the jack of all trades.
Buddy of mine was at my house yesterday with his brother and his 09 blk/blk 911T Yeah it's a nice car and I've had Porsches , but they still look like Volkswagen bugs next to the 355. Visually, against the 355 it didn't hold a candle. Though it would thrash the 355 all day long in the performance department. Remember, Picasso 's and Matisse etc... We're once traded for menial things. These cars are art. My buddies have cobras (replicas) , vipers, vettes, Porsches , GTRs, yet none of them could you just have in your garage and just look at. I love lambos but not even those evoke the sense of art and historic presence that the ferraris do. The return on these is the driving experience. To be tied to the values of these cars is somehow like worrying about what your girlfriend is thinking, in other words, it's a waste of time and it is death for the soul.
F 355's are one of the nicest looking cars Ive ever seen. My buddy just bought a 2007 997 twin spin turbo.....I drove over to his shop and had my spacers put on last week. He and his son were doing the spacers and I said "nice Porsche".....his son replied "yeah but its not a Ferrari" ...his dad looked pretty bummed. Every young kids dream id to own a Ferrari..........
Poor maintenance of the car you drove. If the gasket is in good condition and lightly lubed my GTS is creak free.
I guess to some you have a good point,but for those who would not even want a 360 is where the only buyers to pay high money will come from..kind of obvious..there are probably more people that would want a 360 and that will hurt the 355 market overall..maybe its just me, but i wonder what people see in the 360?
Agreed. Just out of interest, what do you use to lube the seals? (And, speaking of "rare", only 74 of the 529 were RHD)...
Well, they are "better" in terms of Better built More comfortable More reliable More mid-range torque More room (only relevant to fat bastards) However, they are also Far less good looking (yes I know that's subjective but most people agree) Don't sound quite as good (but still better than a 430) Aren't as instantly recognisable as a Ferrari The handling (at least on the early ones) was not as predictable as the 355, and therefore in the hands of the average driver was probably slower Represent a pretty small step forward in performance compared to most other "new" models And, are a dime a dozen and are considerably cheaper than the 355 (of course I'm taking about here and the UK, but let's not go on endlessly about various markets here) Great car, but overall better than a 355? Not in my opinion.
The engine out service on a 355 scares the crap out of some people and might sway a buyer who was deciding 360 vs 355.
I disagree. As a new owner I only ever saw a 10,000 dollar major bill on a car I was looking to buy. Did that scare me? You bet it did. But reading on here educated me as what truly is involved in doing a major and it isn't as daunting as it first appears. But I have heard from some non 355 owners as late as this past weekend at an FCA event say to me, but you have to pull the engine on those cars. I think a non 355 enthusiast on the fence maybe with a 360 would weigh that issue significantly.
I take all of your points. But it's hard for me to understand that someone who really wants a 355 would be scared off and then buy a 360 instead. To me, that would be someone who just wanted a Ferrari. Which is a whole different thing.
You got it, Steve. I wanted a 355 for 12 years and I did not care one bit what it would cost to maintain it, even after coming here first before I bought. Some are die hard and don't let details get in the way of their dreams....
Agree Steve. I think that most 355 buyers truly want that model for its intangibles. At the price point 360s are now as John brings out, first time Ferrari owners who just want a Ferrari can get it one at a good price and that money and that buyer is gone as far as 355 is concerned. I sat with one this weekend who bought his 360 about the same time I did. He never considered a 355. To him a 360 was more of a "real" car and that's where he put his money. And he's about to "upgrade", his words to a 430. Another 355 non-buyer.
