Thoughts on F355?

Hi All,

I recently joined Fchat at the advice of a long time member because I am looking to purchase my first Ferrari in the next year or two.

I have a long ways to go as far as knowledge, but hoping spending time in Fchat can change that. I would love to know your thoughts and personal experiences with the F355. Any years to stay away from?

Obviously this is not the model to hit a home run with (investment), but it is in my price range and makes my eyes light up every time I see one. Thank you in advance for any knowledge you can pass along!

 

Spend many hours reading all the advice in the 355 section

 

My first Fcar was an F355 F1 GTS. Put on a Tubi exhaust. Sounded great.
Sold in 2004. Annual service was ~$5000 back then.
Got tired of all the repairs. Time consuming and not cheap.
I detailed all me repair problems in the 355 forum.

360 spider was much better...see best car under $100k in this forum.

Best

 

Arguably the best looking Ferrari out there, especially the GTB variety.

Arguably the best sounding Ferrari out there.

Arguably the biggest PITA Ferrari out there to service and maintain.

Check out the buyers guide in Forza magazine about a year or so ago? Maybe longer? Where each of the owners interviewed stated that while they loved their 355, they would not recommend one to a friend.

Many in the 348/355 section will tell you that all of the tales of bank account busting repairs are overblown, and that a well sorted 355 is a thing of beauty all around. They're right that it is a thing of beauty all around - but go in with open eyes, and an open wallet.

 

I LOVE the overall shape of the F355, and the sound, and the dynamics.

I would worry about the expenses more than I would for even a Testarossa (with updated diff.)

What puts me off more than anything? From 50 feet, I see one HECK of a beautiful piece of art. Up close & personal? I can only see how all these panels are joined together & it makes me want to lose my lunch. As far as I can tell, I'm apparently the only person in the world bothered by this...
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I have one and love it.

Find one with valve guides replaced, headers replaced, and six speed and you won't have issues. I have a F1 and love it, but it's another system that can break. The actuators for F1 can be rebuilt by a guy in Florida for 2k. The dealer will try to charge you 16k.

You can get some electronic warnings related to the exhaust temperatures, but they aren't that big a deal. Just frustrating. Just some electronic boxes to replace for 400 each.

The valve guides 1998 and 1999 should be ok, but not guaranteed. Even if you have to replace them, it's about 5k extra while doing the engine out major.

So, potential expenses if on your dime:
Headers 3 to 5k
Valve guides 5k when done with major
F1 actuator if it breaks 2k +
Sticky plastic parts 2 to 3k

Major service every five years 10k
Annual fluid Change. $400 in supplies or 1,200 at a shop. I do these myself. Easy and no different than any other car and all info is on this site.

People blow a lot of these issues out of proportion and can be correct if you go to the dealer and look like a sucker.....

 

Look at this beauty ! They will never make them like this again. Nimble and powerful.
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Thank you all for the replies! First day as an F chat member and already feel the love...thank you!

 

Try not to buy into all this garbage about how awful the 355 is in reliability and such. Fact, they cost a lot to own. You can easily put 10k in a five year period. Now that you have that past you, get clean one and enjoy. If your passionate about your acquisition chances are the rewards will greatly out weigh the entry costs. Tough to let a good one go once you have been in the drivers seat for a short time. Best hurry though, they are on the rise. Spiders are a deal right now!! Mine has never let me down, and I've put 20k on it. I've just got a lot in it because I have chosen to keep up the recommended service. I did have header failure, and leaking steering rack. Other than that it has been fantastic.

 

Yeah, that GTV6 is incredible! HUGE value for the dollar, and only downsides I've known are a bit of vapor lock on hot days, and somewhat delicate head gaskets.

 

Never forget you are buying a 20 year old car with 1990's technology, 1990's Italian reliability, 1990's Ferrari "creature comfort", 1990's safety equipment, and a car that probably had 7 different owners.

Classic sounds, classic driving feeling, classic Ferrari look -- with classic Ferrari issues.

Moral of the story: Buy the best one you can find instead of worrying about the cheapest one you can find.

 

great cars, loved mine
the exhaust note @ 8K sounds like an F1 car

cracked exhaust headers + engine out service + melted center console parts = $$$$
still loved the car, but go in with your eyes wide open...... along with your wallet
or as the service manager once told me: " John, that's one of the joys of owning a Ferrari!"

 

Non-355 owner here. But I agree that they are beautiful, fast enough to get you in a lot of trouble, and sound amazing!!!

But the potential bills scare me.




PDG

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

 

Also you might want to fill out your profile, at least the "location" part.
There may be a 355 owner close by to take you for a ride
Once you ride in one and hit 8500 (8000) rpm .... sorry that just about sets the hook as they say in fishing.

 

If you can work on your car you will save a lot of cash.
Sure some things may need to go to the dealer but the fact is a ferrari that need parts will kill you in the wallet.

Find one with all the "stuff" fixed already and its fine.

Can problems arise later? you bet your ass but that's cars.

 

So as long as it has a new differential then the Testarossa is cheaper than a 355.

Then I say the 355 is cheaper if it has headers and stickys already done?

Not that big of a deal.

But when a Ferrari gets to be about 10 years old I think its trips to the dealer are a little out of wack.

I just don't see what is so scary about dropping the engine to do a Hugely overrated tune up. Not counting belt service. The belt service is the only pain in the ass but its not hard to do.


456s had guide issues as well.

Everything Ferrari has built since from the 348 until today has suffered from sticky interior parts including Audi and Lamborghini's they all suffer from the black tar, fix it and its done.

 

I said it before and I will say it again.
The 355 is one of the best looking rear engine cars Ferrari developed since the 458
and this is coming from an F430 owner.
As others posted, find the best you can afford and enjoy!

 

I adore the F355!!

-It's gorgeous. Small, low and wide. Looks 3/4 scale when parked next to newer models.

-While it's not universally loved, I really enjoy the interior as well. Smells awesome, comfy but supportive seats, analog gauges, no traction control button to turn off and the trans/shifter is the best of any car I've driven. Clutch and brake feel is perfect.

-Great handling and compliant enough to be comfortable.

-Not only is the sound amazing but the bypass valve gives you the best of both worlds. Nice but mild sound with bypass closed and progressively awesome sound as it opens and rpm's climb.

-The engine. The trans being a close second this is the best part of the car. Instant bark from the exhaust when you tap the gas and the ITB's open. It may sound juvenile but I'll sometimes quickly blip the gas between shifts (and of course on downshifts) just because the sound and response is so enjoyable. Clicking gears at 8500? Every time I drive the car I actually say out loud to myself damn this car is good.

Mine is a low mile 95 berlinetta. Probably the worst reputation for valve guide issues though mine is exhibiting no signs. Made good power on the dyno and so far has no measurable oil consumption.

I never once considered another model because of maintenance costs. I want to be driving the car that I'm excited about, not the car I thought would save me a few bucks.

Agreed with Mayor that if you want one, buy the best one you can get! That would hold true for any car really but a neglected or otherwise poor condition 355 will be a pricey one to sort.
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I'm on my second F355. Mine have both been very reliable but I also bought cars where were completely sorted. Love the F355.

 

Here are some of the problems i had that i can remember:

New clutch at 10,000 mi. Yes they wear out. F1 tranny does not like to back up until warm so park so you can head straight out. With new flywheel $10k.

Trans would decouple. Engine would die. Had to be flatbedded.

Engine mounts needed replacement.

Dont forget to release the handbrake before you drive...they fail easily.

Headers had to be replaced.

Targa top roof leaked. Could not be fixed.

Various sensors would die and SLOW DOWN light would come on.

Front end is low and scrapes easily.

Gas fumes in the cockpit. Had to replace gascap and other stuff to stop it.

F1 gear display died...replacement $500.

Dash leather had to be replaced bcuz the sun destroyed it sitting outside at the dealers. Had to be replaced at my expense of course. You cannot leave the car in the sun unless you have a windshield screen and/or cover.

Passenger seat belt failed a lot.

Wheel wells need clear bra...dirt from the road takes the paint right off.

I put in a cd changer in the trunk as the cassette tape player broke too many times.

The heating leaked in the front trunk ruining my leather manual case. Had to be flatbedded.

Air conditioning is a joke.

The car did not like hot weather. You have to avoid stop and go traffic on days over 90F.

Best of luck.

 

Wow you had a bad one. I am still on my original clutch at 31,500 miles. Motor mounts and headers are problems on 360 and 430 as well, I can't comment on the F1 transmission as I opted for the 6 speed manual as that was what I wanted. Also can't talk much about the stereo, with Tubi headers and exhaust and Hyperflows, I have no desire to turn on the stereo, I don't think it can match the music from Maranello! I have had mine for 9 years and still puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. I am fortunate enough to have Dave Helms take care of mine so I think that also helps the reliability.

 

The F355 is a great Ferrari for all the reasons mentioned previously. We have 3 in our garage so obviously we like them a lot. I know, I sound like a broken record -

You simply need to find a good car to start with (there is a reason that some will sit on eBay forever), be a proactive owner, and understand the trouble spots to sort out from the get-go. This will get you to a "neutral" starting point where you can concentrate on enjoying the car (A LOT) and not spend your time worrying what will go wrong.

You will likely have the same costs annually for most model Ferrari's. My F355 costs the same in yearly servicing as my old 328 and also my friend's 550.

The major service costs (every 3-5 years) vary from model to model and of course some things will break (in any used and enjoyed car).

Here are some fun facts adding to the discussion above:

Replacing a normally worn clutch runs $1700 at an independent Ferrari service shop. You can do it yourself for less. The dealer would be higher. A 360 clutch is many thousands higher.

A new gearbox in 1998 for an F355 ran $25,000 from the factory - FYI - so while anything IS possible, it is not very likely. Simply do some homework and as the others have said find a solid car to start with... If you follow the thousands of threads in the F355 section, you will quickly find a list of these things to look for and appraise with a purchase.

ALL Ferrari owners worry about the "tax" with ownership with time and materials running much more than normal cars. This is not only an F355 issue. F-car parts are expensive, and sometimes hard to find used or new.

For example, in two and a half years of ownership of my 1995 F355 berlinetta, I have repaired the following on my car:

air conditioning - around $ 2,500 - I live in AZ where this is not something you can live without. It blows much colder now. In the past it would leak out each month.

replaced Cats - with hyper flows - $1,500 - one of my stock cats was hollow when I bought it and would not pass emissions in my state.

One Fan stopped coming on for the radiator - faulty sending ECU - $ 750

Interior Sticky refinishing - $ 2,000 - quite essential for most modern F-cars

Replace motor mounts and CV boot (which go bad on every modern V-8 0r V-12 F-car) - $ couple of hundred

Of course there are tire costs, alignments, and wear and tear items on all models. Any other costs (like refinishing wheels, grills, mats, covers, etc) were elective and not absolutely necessary to enjoy the car, but added to my love of the car and getting it complete.

Yes, I am planning for my major service costs at around $ 7,500 every 5 years. My old 328 cost $ 3,500 every 5 years. Is the F355 twice the car? I would say yes. Others would pick a different route. Major service of a 360 - less than my car. F430 - even less than those. Major service for a Testarossa - Quite a bit more than all of these.

The cost of the car is only the first cost. Maintaining the car well is where you will either succeed or fail with ownership and it will be a "great time" or "time to sell".

So yes, it is really up to your pocket book and preference. But if you do look for an F355 that has a record of these critical items being fixed and set up properly, you will be on your way to tidying up the rest and be ready to plug and play for a long time. We all have ups or downs, but you know I had those with my 328 also and it was a well-maintained "bulletproof" car. You either can put up with the "character" of an older car or not. Only you know if you can handle active ownership. If you need cruise control ownership, buy a recent porsche.

I have not regretted my choice of the F355. My current mechanic in AZ is looking to buy one for himself... My old mechanic in CO bought one for himself. These guys work on multi-million dollar Ferrari's.

Great looks. Great sound. Great feel. Great balanced driving experience. Great Engine. Great gearbox. Great, long, road trips. Great owners to share with.

With collectors with multiple Ferrari's that I have met, most have an F355. Most will never sell the F355. Most rank the driving experience higher than their other cars with much higher price tags in their collections.

Hope that helps. Go in eyes open and get help here. Get good feedback in the F355 section.

Check your budget.

Find a Good One and GO.

Robb

 

If you hate downtime, find car that has had all of the permanent solutions/improvements applied. Aftermarket headers (a source of endless debate, but anything non-original and made in T304 SS will last) and aftermarket cats are two very expensive things that are worth it.

Find the best car you can afford and budget for the things that have not been done. A sorted (and understood) car tends to be more reliable. A basketcase with a frustrated and helpless owner will take time and money to fix. Mine was somewhere in between when I bought it, but after a super-major service and some other smaller fixes it is mechanically sorted.

There is no such thing as affordable Ferrari ownership. If the F355 is the one that scratches your itch, make it happen and make it work. The community here has figured out nearly all of the problems. If F355 maintenance scares you, any Ferrari maintenance will scare you. It's not that much worse than a 360.

 

If I were starting out again in Ferrari, I'd go either 328 (again) or F430. If I were getting an F355, I'd avoid the F1 gearbox, for reasons others have alluded to.

They all have their moments (although my 328 was as reliable as my daily drivers), but a 355 has more potential to throw the odd $10K-$20K repair bill your way. The issue, as PNH posted above, is that it's a relatively complicated car for its era (especially in F1 Spider configuration), with some questionable engineering, and now going on 20 years old -- well past the sell-by date on stuff like old school airbags and electronics. You will need to spend some money on restoration/refurbishment.

That said, these are hobby cars so you can't own/operate them with a bean counter mentality. It just doesn't work, even with a 328. Old cars are old cars.

 

Unscrewing the gas cap when you stop somewhere fixes the vapor lock.