355 Spyder vs 360 Spyder / I Have 355 thinking about trading for 360???? | FerrariChat

355 Spyder vs 360 Spyder / I Have 355 thinking about trading for 360????

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by 355F1Spyder, Dec 13, 2016.

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  1. 355F1Spyder

    355F1Spyder Rookie

    Dec 12, 2016
    3
    Indiana
    Full Name:
    Steven Poole
    I currently own a 99 355 F1 Spyder with 19K miles. I have owned a 328 GTS and now have the 355 F1 Spyder. Now I would like to experience the 360. I'm interested in opinions comparing the cars, as well as the best approach to make the switch e.g. sell my 355 on Ebay then shop for 360 or trade with a dealer. I know typically it best to sell straight out, then buy, but I know the 355s are in big demand now. I'm also interested in opinions concerning performance, comfort and overall driving experience 355 vs 360. Thanks Steven
     
  2. Enzojr

    Enzojr F1 World Champ

    Dec 12, 2013
    14,001
    West of PDX
    Full Name:
    Tomy
    Actually you already have your car posted for sale in another section of this forum ;)
    That was an hour and a half before this post.
    We have no clue who you are, where you live or even what the car looks like.
    So you might want to look at some of the other for sale ads and model them.
    Saying you had a major service 1500 miles ago is good. But we have no clue if that was last week or back in 2005 ?
     
  3. anunakki

    anunakki Seven Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Oct 8, 2005
    72,494
    Las Vegas Nevada
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    Jerry
    I had both. I prefer the 355
     
  4. buddyg

    buddyg F1 Veteran
    Rossa Subscribed

    Sep 20, 2004
    5,446
    West Michigan
    Full Name:
    Buddy
    Trading one of the most beautiful Ferrari's for a jellybean? No, no, no.
     
  5. vracer

    vracer Formula 3

    Jun 23, 2014
    1,098
    NorCal
    Full Name:
    Richard
    The specs show the 360 a foot longer, and less than an inch wider than the 355, but it feels much bigger to me. That is a negative for the 360 for me. When I go on local drives, 360s are a dime a dozen, while 355s have gotten more rare. While I understand the "been there, done that" feeling of a car you have had for a while, think on it for a while.
     
  6. 355F1Spyder

    355F1Spyder Rookie

    Dec 12, 2016
    3
    Indiana
    Full Name:
    Steven Poole
    Thanks VRacer - You are right it that "been there done that" I want the experience of driving something different.. The 360s don't seem to be as raw as the 355s.
     
  7. vrsurgeon

    vrsurgeon F1 World Champ
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    Dec 13, 2009
    15,872
    Charleston, SC
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    Curt
    They're not. And they're not in the shop as much either. ;)

    I've had enough seat time in one to wonder what the big deal is. I guess the exhaust note is 'better". You couldn't give me one personally. Too expensive to own.

    I'm following in keen interest how "in demand" 355's are... one thing I do know is that like the 355, when you drive the 360 people still take pictures of you in it. Despite it being "a dime a dozen"...
     
  8. WJGESQ

    WJGESQ Formula 3

    Dec 30, 2004
    1,477
    360 all day long.
     
  9. 05011994

    05011994 Formula 3
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    May 1, 2004
    1,859
    Golden, Colorado
    Skip the 360 and go to a 430 or 458, much better car. My mechanic loves 360s, they pay almost as well as the 355s towards his retirement program.
     
  10. WJGESQ

    WJGESQ Formula 3

    Dec 30, 2004
    1,477
    The bulk of posts on this forum seem to highly regard the 360 from an F car reliability standard.
     
  11. Shinigami

    Shinigami Formula Junior
    Owner

    Aug 2, 2005
    465
    Gland Switzerland
    Full Name:
    Heikki
    Quite a few places report the 360 as cheaper to maintain and more reliable than a 355, but your mileage may vary.

    The 360 is larger, but also faster. If those things matter to you.

    Personally I think the 360 is the better looking car, but once again, we all have our preferences. Either car would make me happy (and my 360 makes me very happy indeed).

    430 also sounds like an enticing option, supposedly even more reliable and cheaper to maintain than a 360? And faster to boot...
     
  12. killer58

    killer58 Formula 3

    Jun 30, 2010
    1,189
    CA & DC
    Esthetically, I like them both equally, but for different reasons.
    Same goes for the driving experience.
    In the end, my decision came down to maintenance costs.
    Except to correct some neglected items by the previous owner, the 360 has been very reliable.

    I the end, I say drive them both and go with the one that speaks to you.
     
  13. vrsurgeon

    vrsurgeon F1 World Champ
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    Dec 13, 2009
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    Charleston, SC
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    Curt
    And I presume you know this because your 355 spends alot of time in the shop and you have these discussions? ;)

    Funny that the consensus is the exact opposite of this... remember reputations are earned.
     
  14. 05011994

    05011994 Formula 3
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    May 1, 2004
    1,859
    Golden, Colorado
    #14 05011994, Dec 16, 2016
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2016
    Nope, only annual fluids, but I guess you probably have more experience than Dave Helms when it comes to Ferraris. Again if someone really wants an upgrade in reliability and performance the 430 and 458 are the way to go in my opinion. I think right now the 430 represents tremendous value in performance and reliability. The 458 is getting more affordable and is a quantum leap in performance and quality. There really is not a cheap to maintain Ferrari, once they get over 10 years old, there are just parts that need replacement like suspension bushings and motor mounts due to age.
     
  15. andrew911

    andrew911 F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Sep 8, 2003
    2,887
    Northern NJ
    #15 andrew911, Dec 16, 2016
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2016
    My experience owning a 360 and 355 is the maintenance is about the same. All these cars are getting older. (I did not have F1- I'd imagine a 360 F1 system is potentially pricey to fix, F355 more so since earlier generation, but I have no personal experience with either)

    Now that we are going into 2017 (yes even the "fresh design" 360 is 17+ years old), maintenance shouldn't be the deciding factor (maybe 5-10 years ago the 360 was a little better). Over the years much discussion/reputation was the population of 355s that had to work though getting the valve guides and header/cats being replaced/upgraded. By now, most have probably been done. The 360s also have potential header/exhaust manifold issues (mine did).

    That said, for the OP- I've had both, would recommend both, and would ideally own both together if I could swing it in the relatively conservative car/toy budget I give myself :) - they both have pluses and minuses and to me are both awesome. You simply have to decide for yourself- maybe time to experience something different and go for the 360?
     
  16. INTMD8

    INTMD8 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Jun 10, 2007
    6,487
    Lake Villa IL
    It would seem they would be, slightly favoring the 360. (unless you lose a variator)

    I always get a kick out of Curts comments though. 360 is good but 355 is too expensive to own.

    I guess that means a 360 costs 2k a year to run and a 355 20k.
     
  17. AceMaster

    AceMaster Three Time F1 World Champ

    Feb 6, 2009
    34,548
    Ontario, Canada
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    Mike
    Ouch, you're going to get the 355 crowd rowdy...
     
  18. vrsurgeon

    vrsurgeon F1 World Champ
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    Dec 13, 2009
    15,872
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    Curt
    Hey.. this IS the internets and we all spew our opinions. :) I'm just reiterating what my experiences and observations. They're just as valid as the someone who had no issues whatsoever with their car and lets say they found a c-note in the glove box when they bought the car so it was a net positive... :)

    If you guys don't mind.. I'm going to change my headers as I think they're about to explode. Oh wait.. my car has 62k miles on it with the original headers and runs great. :)
     
  19. INTMD8

    INTMD8 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Jun 10, 2007
    6,487
    Lake Villa IL
    Your experiences with a car you don't own? Observations of information stated by other people who don't own one?

    My car doesn't have 62k miles but is on the original headers and guides and runs great as well. Your example is great for people with a euro car, not so much for the majority of 360 owners with pre-cats in the states.

    Been stated a million times but none of them are cheap to maintain or repair.

    Even if a 360 engine out is 5k and a 355 is 10k, most go 4-5 years, this makes the car too expensive to own? Lose a variator on a 360, replace the clutch, munch the engine with pre-cat failure. That's cheaper than doing guides and headers on a 355?

    Like I said before, would still give an edge to the 360 on maintenance cost but certainly doesn't put the delta between it and an F355 at too expensive to own. The 360 is not a Camry.

    Either way, it would seem the OP is more concerned about the difference in driving experience with the two cars, not once was maintenance cost mentioned.
     
  20. bobzdar

    bobzdar F1 Veteran

    Sep 22, 2008
    6,367
    Richmond
    Full Name:
    Pete
    If you're worried about maintenance, don't buy a Ferrari. Model doesn't matter that much, they're all stupid expensive.

    If you like the 360 more than a 355 after driving one, I'd get one. Pretty simple. They're both around the same speed when driven flat out. The 355 is a little more raw, the 360 more refined with a nicer interior. The 360 has a little better street manners as it's got more low end power.

    Personally I like the 355 better by quite a bit, but it's personal preference.
     
  21. vrsurgeon

    vrsurgeon F1 World Champ
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    Dec 13, 2009
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    Thank god. It wasn't my wallet. :) Close friend in town. 95' Berlinetta. Car would just stop running right and we'd stop and run diagnostic.

    360 isn't engine out. :) $2-3k is usual price for belts. It's not just guides and headers as you know. If I need anything done on the front of the 355 engine it's engine out. In the same way the variator should all have been replaced on 360's. Clutch packs are about same price in both 360 and 355. The difference is labor pulling pumpkin versus splitting the case. Suspension gears versus acceleration sensors for the 360.. Ignition coil status and precat failure.. good question and personal maintenance does factor. You guys are right I'm being bad and inflammatory.. :)

    True dat. You're right.. back to discussion..
     
  22. INTMD8

    INTMD8 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Jun 10, 2007
    6,487
    Lake Villa IL
    Well enough, just saying your friends Berlinetta is not representative of all, not any more than a worse case scenario 360.

    And thanks for clarifying the 360 isn't engine out, I didn't know that :D

    Parts alone are 1500 so whose doing the entire job for 2k?

    Still, for your example if we are talking about a good sorted car and the 360 maintenance is 3k and 355 is 6k what did you spend, another 600 a year on the 355? Even if the 355 was triple at 9k you spent another 1200 per year on it, or 100 a month, or what I spend on lunch in a week. (which is probably less than most)

    If that makes the car too expensive to own you shouldn't own any Ferrari in my opinion.

    Sorry for the sidetrack OP, just trying to keep it fair in here :) I have no opinion for you other than go with what -you- prefer. See if you can get behind the wheel of a 360 and see what you like better.
     
  23. vrsurgeon

    vrsurgeon F1 World Champ
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    Dec 13, 2009
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    I want to say it was a dealership that was offering a $2-3k belts replacement.

    I agree that no Ferrari is cheap to own, however the engineering focus seems to be more on reliability and six sigma processes with each new model.
     
  24. INTMD8

    INTMD8 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Jun 10, 2007
    6,487
    Lake Villa IL
    Have a link? 2k belt change makes no sense unless it's truly just a "belt change" in which case, not really a proper service. Could cheap out on a 355 service as well and save money.
     
  25. technom3

    technom3 F1 World Champ
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    Mar 29, 2007
    14,724
    Phoenix AZ
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    Justin
    355.

    To me its more special. It feels more special.

    To me the 360 feels more like a standard production car. Which is both good and bad.

    If I was going to drive it quite a bit... say 10k miles a year...id probably go with the 360.

    If it was a special occasion car... Id prefer the car to be specail and would therefore go with the 355.

    The 355 was produced in lower numbers, I think the styling is absolutely perfect. Not saying the 360 is bad, it just lost the plot to me. I think the organic 360 is infinitely more beautiful than the origami 430... However, if I was recommending a Ferrari to a rookie Ferrari guy I would recommend 430 or 328 just for reliability sake.

    Now I do feel the 360 is more user friendly... for example if the wife was going to do some driving on her own... id probably go for 360. I think car people get the 355... I think people who just kinda enjoy cars would prefer the 360 over the 355.

    At the end of the day you just want to be happy and have a positive car experience, so I think it depends alot on how the car is going to get used

    Id stick with the 355 all day long... unless the budget allowed for a CS. (alot of people have a wife named budget surprisingly)

    Just my two cents of having both on and off throughout the years

    Also, finding a good 355 is significantly more difficult than a 360. So if you have a good one... i would factor that into letting that one go
     

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