Brandon, If you're willing to spend SERIOUS time reading (sometimes between the lines) threads on this forum, you will get an amazing education. I spent hours a day for almost two weeks reading everything, including old threads, to get the info I needed to feel comfortable in buying, or not buying, a 355. I did buy it, & still love the car after a year and a half. FWIW, the last belt change was three years before my purchase, and I felt comfortable with a 5 year change. It will be done this winter.
355 is one of the most beautiful Ferraris ever produced and it sounds the part. It is also a very good track car. It really propelled Ferrari Challenge into a credible racing series. I've been on the track in both F1 and MT versions. From memory, it seemed F1 was less stressful on a "busy" track, like Road Atlanta. But, both are great cars if well maintained. Due to engine-out major and age, maintenance will be higher than an a 360. There some other serious issues involving things like valve intakes. However, I assume most of those should be sorted by now. In regards to the targa top leak, 348s are also notorious for this issue. If your not afraid of the maintenance, its a great Ferrari for the money. Otherwise, 360 is a better choice.
If you're afraid of maintenance, you shouldn't buy a Ferrari. The model isn't so important, they all have issues.
Very true. 360 scheduled maintenance is less but variator/clutch/f1/etc type things can still be a $$$$ surprise.
I owned one for 14 years. They are not only one of the best looking Ferrari's ever made but one of the best looking cars ever made. The sounds they make are incredible. I used to brag about how reliable it was but I hit a wall with problems and gave up. I spent $20K and it needed $13K and I said I've had enough. Read my posts about the whole story I posted. I'm always pondering another Ferrari but I would rather pay upfront instead of getting nickled and dime to death. Having to deal with grease left all over the car and the car getting damaged when taking it in for service added to the misery of having to shell out the cash.
Not really. Some models are definitely cheaper to maintain than others. Yes - they all require maintenance - AND make sure you drive them - but, some models are known to be a challenge to own in terms of maintenance. Sadly, 355 is one of them.
It's not a matter of cheaper or not, it's a matter of proportion. $1500 a year is cheaper than $2000 a year, but both are expensive. Would you drive a car you didn't like as much based on $500 a year cost savings? I sure wouldn't.
+1 I know a couple of guys who have seen $20K service bills for 360s, F1 issues, clutch, front fender buckling, cam variators, etc. The are usually less expensive than 355s, but as they are getting older, they are not exactly cheap to own either.
Owned two, still love the cars. I think the 355 is a car for someone who wants to learn and be involved in the ownership. So many things are much better dealt with by a concerned owner than a dealer (like the sticky interior parts, which anyone who has been here for 1/2 a day knows how to deal with). The F1 is the same thing: for the untrained, it's a potential mess. For the guy who learns and understands, it's the best auto-shifter that has and ever will be made. Yes, I said that out loud, and I will stand by it.
Therein lies the rub. 360s are newer cars, so they're not showing as many age related issues as the 355... yet. In the long term, and as a DIYer who's heavily involved with his cars, I'd far rather own a 355 than a 360. I longed for one for years and seriously considered them before deciding I wanted the more raw Ferrari experience offered by the 348. But never once did I consider a 360-- they're capable cars, but they don't stir the soul to the degree that the 348 and 355 do.
My 360 is 15 almost 16 years old. How old does it have to be to start showing these "age related issues"? I guess the aluminum body might corrode in another half century right? This last weekend I turned the key, drove her all weekend and then put her into the garage last night. And I keep doing that with no CEL's.. no "issues". The older 355's are 1-2 years older than my car.. actually the 99 355's are the same age as my car. If the 355 has such a "reputation" it's because its been made, not because of age differences. I always encourage someone who really wants one over any other FCar to absolutely get it. But do it with eyes wide open.
This was exactly my experience. It's one of my favorite cars of all time and I said I'd never sell it, but after 8 years I'd had enough. When your car spends most of the year in the shop accumulating massive bills, it's hard to continue. Had a good trouble-free run when I first got it though.
I'm sure a bunch of 355's did the same. I know mine did. I agree that the 360 likely has a slight edge on the 355 for reliability/costs but no one is retiring early with the difference. Maintenance- edge in cost to 360, unless we are talking clutch replacement Headers- Can fail on both Ball joints- commonly 360 Variators- 360 motor/trans mounts- both cracked rear frame- 360 guides- mostly 355 sticky interior- both Again, I do think it's more likely a 360 will be a bit cheaper in the long run but they both have a fair amount of potential issues, 360 is not Lexus reliable in comparison to a 355.
Was this the first model year only? 1999 $1,000 to fix sound right? I think most of us would agree that 1,000 issues really aren't. lol
Doesn't make any sense. An issue is an issue. Fix ten things at 1000 each and tell me if you spent any money. My point was and still is they each have things that will have to be sorted, at a cost.
I jumped in because I had never actually heard about that before and as a Ferrari 360 Owner/Operator I was curious. Motor/trans mounts also fall into this "no big deal zone" for the 360 anyway.
Can you highlight where I said it was a big deal? None of it is a big deal to me, this is a discussion about comparative costs.
It's kind of like the cracking buttresses on the 355 I guess. Next time you're out at a C+C, take a look at the buttresses (those raised areas on the quarter panels) look and see if there is a faint crack in the paint at the base. Only, that's more common in the 355 and 348 set in general and doesn't occur mostly with heavy track use as with the 99 360 cracking. The 355 set likes to talk about the cost of the clutch in the 360. I've been quoted between $4k to $5k by my mechanic later this fall. I'll take this any day over the engine out service in the 355. Bear in mind while taking off the pumpkin in the 355 is "easy".. the actual clutch plate and bearings and hardware still is the same price as the 360. And the marginal late 80's technology that will fail like the water pump, and shock actuators... yeah nobody mentions that because that line item adds $1000 each to the shop bill. The 355's reputation was cemented early on and is deserved. To ignore it IMHO does the model disservice.
The buttress issue is completely cosmetic vs. a structural issue, not really the same. To the same point - the belts and bearings are the same on the 355 as the 360 when it comes to major service. Water pump is an issue on all of them - all cars really. They get old and/or sit for a while, they need rebuild or replace. Not a 355 specific issue. 355 has shock solenoids, 360 has cam variators. And it goes on and on. You're missing the overall point that they're both expensive - and the difference in cost between them dwarfs the overall cost. If you can't afford the maintenance on one, you can't afford it on the other.
