348 versus 993/964

hey guys
kind of a F car noob , and have been on my second 993 for a few years. it's a targa tip but been harboring F car fantasies these winter days lol.
an f chat member allowed me a test drive in his fine F355 F1 gts and i was left nicely impressed by both driving experience and cabin. a step above my stock aircooled P. the 100 or so extra horses and a couple grand on the tach sure helped.
that said , wondering where the board feels the 348 currently stands vs the late air cooled P cars?
my car is fun n quick but now a high miler that might be an even money swap into a sorted 348, ($50-ish?).
thanks in advance
john


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You lost me when you said your 993 Targa was a tip. That lowers its value to most people quite substantially.

Outside of that, I think you know where this board stands already.

 

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/498357-964-vs-348-buy.html

etc etc - many more

 

thanks for the thread link . i did search on tapa but honestly nothing much came up.


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yes thank you . as with all cars of interest the condition, service history, mods, options and rarity play a role. to be clear not asking 'what's better' or 'what's my car worth?' but just looking for some objective performance and aesthetics comparisons from anyone who might have experience with both.
they are about same era and imho similar price ranges. F cars appear the better relative value right now.
cheers !


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As far as what specifically? 355 has a big power jump from a 993. 348 would be what, about 15-30 more depending on respective years of both.

What I disliked about my 993 was the gearing. Ratios made no sense to me and it's big money to "fix". (mine was manual trans).

348 vs tip 993, I would take a 348 all day long.

348 vs manual 993 c2s would be a harder choice.

 

Why even compare a 348 to a Porsche? Just buy the Ferrari and enjoy.

 

I have a lot of experience driving 911s even though I've never owned one. The power levels are similar but the driving experience is not. As for overall driving feel I'd compare the 348 more to an SC or 3.2 Carrera due to the lack of power steering and overall harder edged feel. The 993 feels softer in every way to me. I'd take the 348 over the 993 any day of the week, but I'm not a Porsche guy so no doubt my opinion is skewed.

 

thanks mike good info . cheers!


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I owned a 993 Carrera 2 manual for a little over 4 years. It was supposed to be a keeper as the ultimate of the air-cooleds. I also found it very pretty and nicely understated. But...I never fell for it like I thought I would. Liked it, admired it and respected it, but ultimately it left me cold. After a series of fast Alfas and Fiats ,the 993 was a little soulless, clinical and soft, even if it was 'old-school'. Sold it for another dream car in the F355 and there is simply no comparison. The Berlinetta is a truly magnificent thing and defies rational thought. There will be no 'replacement' for this car.

 

Sell your 993 tip and use money to get 355 F1. You won't regret it- advice from an ex993 owner. Great arbitrage opportunity.. won't last. Too much hype on 993s. They're great but not special - unless it's a turbo or wide body.

 

I'll offer a contrary opinion. I own both a F355 Berlinetta (gated) and multiple 993s.

A manual 993 narrow body coupe is the best of the 993s. It's the lightest, most agile and has the best steering (by far) compared to the all wheel drive versions including the turbo. As mentioned above, it's a little soft in stock form and the gear ratios are too widely spaced, however, once you fix this (which I have done with mine), the car is brilliant. It's also incredibly well built and reliable.

I wouldn't touch a 348. Aside from the styling which I don't like, it's not very fast and doesn't handle very well. The F355 is much better on both counts. The F355 engine is fantastic with great throttle response. It also handles very well.

However, if I had to chose just one, it would be my re-geared 993. Marginally slower than the F355 but the steering is light years better than the Ferrari. It's better built, has lots of character/charm and makes the F355 feel large and bulky in comparison. You "wear" a 993.

Luckily I'm able to have both and for my money a properly sorted 993 and F355 are two of the best cars ever.

 

Your subjective view of the narrow body or base 993 is not shared by market pricing. I drove my 993 to the track for years and got good use of it, but now as I age a comfortable and more stylish yet still performance ride checks my boxes. Hence my preference for the 355. All subjective stuff down to each individual.

 

Could care less.

This is one of the rare exceptions in life where the least expensive option is the best one - at least for me. It's frankly the same with the F355 which I prefer over the more expensive 360 or 430.

 

See I like the 348 over the 355 and the 996 or whaterver they are calling the egg today LOL

 

By modern standards the 348 is not a very fast car, and clearly the 355 was a big step forward. However the 348 is not as bad as many say (maybe not here...), and I'd rather have a 348 than a 355 with F1 gearbox which in my opinion was terrible (a manual 355 is obviously better than a 348, but the 348 being overlooked makes it good value for money).
Talking about gearbox, the 348 one is not very reliable so one has to be cautious when buying...

 

I have the 348 and 3-355's. The 348 is just a total blast to drive. Spped is all up to driver at the track not no stinkin 0-60 times

 

yes my similar thoughts led me to the initial test drive of the 355. i know there's a range of opinion on the 348 and was curious to hear. glad for all the feedback . thanks!


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Drive them all. When you find the car that makes you feel like all is right in the world, stop looking, buy it, and never look back.

I drove a 328, 355, 997, Cayman gt4, etc. and liked them all for different reasons. I drove a 348 and fell in love. It's not the fastest or most collectable car, but it is the right car for me. YMMV

 

LOL, selling your 355?

 

Agreed that it is a great car and the steering is sharper than the 355. Re-gear has to make a huge difference.

I started running through doing this in my head, figured 12k for trans/lsd, then do a clutch while I'm in there then may as well pull the engine and do all the maintenance.

All said and done it would have been rather expensive and still down 100hp compared to the 355 which I personally have more an attachment with.

If I ever got back into a 993 I would really try to find one that was re-geared/lsd and if possible engine mods.

 

Never really liked the 993. The unloved cars are the 348 & 944t 3.0 coupe which are a great pair on long & short track. Hoping to track this season.

 

This must be the ultimate 348- amazing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KajL7klumA

 

For the sake of balance, here's 10 more pages of reading from the pcar forum perspective.

Considering 348/360 vs 993...experiences? - Rennlist Discussion Forums

 

I like the guy who professes his dislike for the 348 due to the uncomfortable heat radiating off of the gearbox onto his thighs while on a long drive.

Ignoring some of the posts in there with a blatant misunderstanding or representation of the cars qualities, there does seem to be a common thread where the Ferrari continues to hold a strong allure, tempered only by running cost potential/reputation. That says quite a bit when considered within a corner of the web that generally embraces an inherent bias, driven by an existing ownership choice.

I've considered various 911 options, from early long-hood SWB 912-6 hot rods to SC to 993C2, and was pretty much set on that path, until trying out the 348 and F355. Obviously I chose the former of the two, as the character and intensity of the 348 flavor spoke louder to me. A good 348 is, to me, so much more of an event, a much more potent and special sensory experience, existing on a different plane entirely over those 911s. Running costs be damned, as they are not a consideration towards the point of the car when in the driver's seat.