360 F1 Spider v Mercedes SL55

My 360 was featured in the latest edition of Modern Classics magazine and compared to a Mercedes SL55.

The author of the piece ultimately chose the..... SL

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What are the reasons for choosing the merc ?

 

Main reason was that the used 360 was 3 times the cost of the used SL but not 3 times as good.

He did like the 360 though.

 

Kind of an idiotic comparison test. Not like anybody is cross-shopping those two cars. Your 360 looks great and I have no doubt he liked it.

 

There's no comparison. I had an SL55 myself and now an SL600. I never compare them since Ferrari will always be a Ferrari.

Plus the author's attempt to justify the price tag of the 360 is illogical. If everybody is logical then Ferrari will not even survive. Everybody will just buy a Prius since you get more out of your money with that.

We bought Ferrari's because we just want to and not because it's a logical decision.

 

Well ill side with the author though.
The sl is faster, has more convenience feature, cheaper to maintain ...
Of course the 360 looks sexy but it isnt the complete cat the mercedes is.


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Dog people would go with the 360... ultimately both are garbage for “bang for the buck” cars or for expected maintenance costs. But if you want something unique and awesome get the 360, if want a car where you can open the garage without random comments, get the Merc.

 

Cheaper to maintain? I don´t think so. Had both SL55 and 65 and they have some expensive features. ABC-suspension, SBC-brakes, roof-mechanics and various other electrical motors.

 

Had a CL55, not SL admittedly, and it was fast but in comparison rather dull to drive. It's comfortable and luxurious but totally different type of car which complement each other.

 

I own a Ferrari 360 Modena Rosso Corsa 6-speed Manual and a Mercedes SL 55 AMG Obsidian Black.

I use the Ferrari on weekends and the SL 55 everyday to work !!

I love both cars and both cars have completely different character.

When new, they cost approximately same money.

I bought the Ferrari almost new and the SL 55 with 40,000 km (25,000 miles).

I paid 85% of new price for Ferrari and 35% of new price for SL55.

This justified my purchases, because there is no way I would have paid same money as the Ferrari for a Mercedes (even the top end special version)

I terms of performance, the SL55 is brutal in power delivery and NEVER feels underpowered or weak... I does however feel heavy and if driven the wrong way it can understeer... The SL55 is very entertaining as in slippery roads it has the power to powerslide at almost 160 km/h (100 mph) !!!

For everyday is it very stealthy and comfortable, and when you are in a rush it delivers.. My only 2 complaints are the weight 1955 kg and the lack of space for 2+2 passengers (I think if they made the front seats thinner in profile they could have saved weight and created extra passenger space..

The Ferrari 360 cannot be compared with the SL55, because it is an exotic car... Everywhere you go it is an event !! Of course you cannot use it everyday in traffic, as people look at you strangely, the clutch is tiresome, the suspension harsh and low and you cannot park it anywhere on the street. But, those sunny weekends, it delivers !! Big time !! You feel great with this car !!

Given the choice, as much as I love the SL55, I cannot live without my Ferrari... They say once I get a Ferrari, you can only sell it if you are buying a newer one...

I terms of maintenance, the Ferrari is clearly more expensive, but don't be fooled, the SL55 also cost a lot !! Especially the parts when they break, it is very expensive to buy new !!

 

Yes i do absolutely think so, i have a CL 65 which is even more expensive to maintain and they are much cheaper.
Firstly for 3k u can get a bumper to bumper warranty on a used one. U can not on a ferrari.
Major service? None
Abc suspension issues? Sure dealer will charge u 3k, buy the pump urself and give to ur local shop $1200 at the door.
Pads and rotors? AMg will charge u ludacris money, but u can get some for 1200 for the set too.
Mercedes is chump change vs a ferrari. Almost always something wrong with an aging Ferrari which is expensive to fix as the parts get harder to fix.


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Let's face it, both cars are VERY expensive to maintain !! Just this year I spent :

(prices in EURO approx. times 1.18 $$$)

Ferrari (parts sources from UK based on-line store, labor at specialist mechanic) :

Suspension all joints replaced : 1800 + 400 labor
Alternator 650 + 100 labor
Clutch (due to wear on throw-out bearing) 1400 + 700 labor
Fuel pumps 660 + 250 labor
... plus some minor items

Mercedes (at local dealer labor included)

ABC suspension pump 2000 !!!
soon need to change SBC module 2200 !!!
brakes and rotor 700 (at specialist including labor great price)

Both cars are NOT cheap to maintain !!!

 

Agreed!
Worst thing u can do with the merc is going to the dealer. The abc pump is 8hours of labour plus fluid to change, the bosh pump on ebay is $500.

The thing i am trying to say is with a Mercedes u can hustle the parts and afford not to go to the dealer because the car itself loses so much value its not worth it.
With ferraris its a bit harder and come resell time it helps to have only original parts and lots of service records...Mercedes not as much


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You are absolutely right !!
But sometimes for complicated things you have to go to the Mercedes dealer, because the specialist will not give you guarantee of his work...
For instance, with the ABC failure, the specialist was trying to figure out if it was the pump... He quoted me 1400 plus VAT = 1750 (including labor) but was not certain if it was the pump... At the dealer they gave me almost same price 1850 including labor, but also mentioned that they needed to flush the system with 200 worth of suspension oil (specialist did not mention this)..
(due to economic crisis in Greece, all dealers make offers on labor)

 

Agree with you 1000% . I have owned both Mercedes vehicles and now the Ferrari and , hands down , Mercedes is way cheaper to repair or modify . They are both going to have expensive repairs but part for part , Mercedes costs less . Here's a breakdown of performance parts for both my cars just to compare :

$30,000 in the Ferrari gets you the twin turbo kit installed

$30,000 in my C63 AMG got me Stage 3 Supercharger kit installed , fully built transmission installed , exhaust , Volk wheels , coilovers , carbon fiber body panels and paintjob

 

I did at one point have a rather modified SL55, and if you left the traction controls on it would cut the power as soon as I would push the pedal too hard. If you took them of the car had a hard time going in a straight line. It was never designed to be a sports car, and in my opinion other than both have tops that go down and have two seats, they have nothing else in common. I would take a new gearshift Miata (I bought a new RF on 12/31 last year) over a SL any day.

 

I drove those two cars for 5 years and maintained them only at the dealer with original parts just like i do with the Ferrari and it was just as expensive. I had the front suspension rebuilt for £8000. SBC-unit was £3000 to exchange. Engine mounts on the 65 was £2500 (engine out) and it goes on and on. Every other service was a big one costing around £1800. Pads and rotors are £3000 for the front alone.

With Ferrari i can go to a specialist that charges much less per hour then the Mercedes dealer and it´s a much less complicated car.

Yeah, btw you should consider yourself lucky with those bumper to bumper warranties. There is no such thing over here. Here we spend everything out of our own pockets on these old cars.

 

Bosch pump for $500? Used one i presume. That´s risky business. Who is going to install it correctly? Would you really gamble with your life like that?

 

If u are going to go to the dealer yes...but then ur comparison is not fair since u are going to the dealer for the merc and not for the ferrari? There are way more mercs specialists than ferrari
Never go to a merc dealer. Why would you do that? Mercedes are a rip off worldwide.
I did the all abc on mine for less than 2000 usd, and engine mounts for less than 1500usd.
How?
1-i run the odbII diagnostics
2-i buy genuine mb parts myself or at their warehouse on mbparts.com
3-i go to a merc specialist at $100 usd an hour versus $215 at Mercedes and voila!


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I go to the dealer for the Ferrari too if i was not clear and that dealer is cheaper per hour then Mercedes. Of course i have to go to the dealer because this Mercedes dealer was cheaper then any "Mercedes specialist" that were cheaper initially but then ripped me off on the labour. But this is my reality and somebody else maybe has a good Mercedes specialist which are bargains. There are Ferrari specialists not affiliated with Ferrari where you can go and have all your maintenance done. If you buy parts at Eurospares you can get away real cheap. There is no chance for the Ferrari to be much more expensive.

Another thing is that Mercedes is double the price in insurance here.

 

I love eurospares got my tubi exhaust for my Testarossa from them for much cheaper than those local thieves here in California.
A local shop wanted like 6-7k for one, eurospares sold it to me for $2800


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I´m surely going to be doing a little shopping myself there eventually. Might even go the Ferrari specialist route further ahead. There really is no difference in value between a dealer serviced car and a car that´s been maintained at one of the most reputable specialists.

 

Agreed and although my dealer in SF is good they don’t know better than my local ferrari mechanic which has seen all kinds of Ferrari for 40 years.
On mine its an engine out service which he will charge 7k for, ferrari 11k... i mean 4k is a big deal to me!


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A $20,000 car... that in another 3 years will be WORTHLESS in literally every letter of the word is being compared to a 360 spider?

Really?

Every ghetto-welfare-wannabe-drugdealer in town has one of these spewing blue smoke from the tailpipe. Sounds like an article written by some kid that got dads old car. Should be retitled "how to reframe your jealously for the app making kid in high school that has more money than you".

 

Had a sl500 had a problem with the top that cost me $3000 at the stealer ship then the next month another problem with the top that was another $1500 then the ABC light came on and I sold it.i had the car about a year it was a 2005.

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