Is the Ferrari 360 "worth it"?

Well it seems like you have "earned" the ability to own the car. Good for you! I meet many people at Cars and Coffee who seem have their entire net worth tied up in a car that they are upside down in and continue to throw money at to up the "cool" factor. I always cringe when someone starts modifying their Ferrari with body kits, carbon fiber "farkles", odd oversized wheels and dare I say, rear wings. Do drive a 360 and a 430. You may find the "need for speed" is best satisfied with the 430. I could have afforded both but chose the 360 because of the original design. I tend to like first generation cars although I liked my 328 better than my 308 due to the later's color coded bumpers vs the black DOT mandated bumpers Ferrari was forced to include in its original offering. I think a Ferrari offers a more of emotional and visual experience than a visceral one. But as many say... "Your Mileage May Vary".

 

I’ve had several 360s and a 430. I liked them all very much. My guess is that if you keep the 360 long term, the maintenance may be higher than the 430, and therefore after a number of years, the out of pocket may be the same as having bought the 430 to start with.

 

Ron I predict the 430 is going to be in your garage if you do get a Ferrari. 360 doesn’t have the torque off the line on the low end...

 

Yes it was, beautiful car

 

Avoid the "coulda shoulda...", just get the F430.

 

Yeah, it is the better car unless you prefer the looks of the 360.

 

Corvette's are great cars, but Ferrari is simply put in a different league.

My first Ferrari was a 2003 360 Spider. Love the car. Worth every penny for sure.
Sold it after 2 years and bought the new BMW M4.
Love the M4 but I quickly got bored. Nothing life a Ferrari.

Sold my M4 after just a little over a year and I now own a 2006 F430 Spider F1.
Simply put, my face hurt from smiling everytime I drive my F430. Love the car.

My F430 is the best car I have ever driven and owned and I feel very blessed to own one. All through hard work.

In case you're interested, here is my post a few years back after owning my first Ferrari, 360 Spider, my 7 months review.

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/my-experience-owning-a-ferrari-360-spider-f1-after-7-months-of-ownership.463215/

Dan

 

And by the way, in my opinion, the F430 is way better compared to my previous 360. Just my opinion.

And after installing Agency Power Headers, Kline Innovation Exhaust, Mase Engineering software upgrade and BMS Racing filters - here's how now my F430 sounds like:



Dan

 

I am a die hard 911 guy, i just bought a 360 2004 a month ago and LOVE IT- Its one of the most fun cars i've ever owned and i plan on putting many miles on it- the sound, the feel..i love it! (Of course i still have my 911 as i'd never give it up for an F-car) lol

 

So I think I my situation while car shopping might be the closest to yours. I had (still have) a Corvette, and I was 360 shopping right after buying a house. I was planning on financing a portion of it, and my payment would be about half of my mortgage. I did a year of research, I am a DIY'er, and I have always owned manual cars, and wanted a gated one...but especially at that time, they were carrying a premium over the F1. The manuals are for more friendly and reliable for a shadetree mechanic like myself, which translates into several thousand$ in repairs and maintenance.. I set a budget and stuck to it..which ended up making go from almost settling for an F1, then realizing that it wasn't what I wanted and since I was not JUST looking for a car with a horsey on the hood, I would rather not get any than settle for something I didn't want.

Well, the "right" car came along, it was gated, it was a bit of a misfit because it had "high" miles, it had a completely red interior, needed a lot of minor work, but also had a lot of recent work. The car wasn't perfect, but it was gated and within the budget...but after researching what it would take for ME to make it closer to perfect, I went for it. I changed all the interior carpet, did a ton of work on it, put a lot of money into it, but only a fraction of what it would cost to have to have half the work I've done by a dealer. Your comment about the parts not being more than any other car is completely wrong, you will ALWAYS spend more to maintain a Ferrari than a Toyota or Chevy (Corvette included)...BUT there are plenty of tricks that can save a lot of money floating around on this site. This site is gold and I don't know how anyone ever owned Ferraris prior to it existing.

Was it worth it? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Ferraris are women. They can sometimes be sweet, rewarding, fun...but then then can have a mood swing and decide they hate you for ever having the audacity to touch them. MY advice is: PLAN. Plan your budget, stick to it, but have the means for a major repair if it happens. If you want a manual and want to drive it, be patient for when the right one comes along. The low mileage collector grade cars are still carrying a premium, and if you want to drive it or do your own work, that value is going to go down significantly. A higher mileage gated at a decent price usually pops up a few times a year. (hint: imported Euro models go cheaper). Drive a few and that will answer your question even better. You may hate it (Yes, it's possible for a person to dislike a Ferrari, it's just a car.), then there is no "right" car and you just saved yourself a ton of money. Either way, good luck.

 

I forget if somebody already mentioned this or not, but since the 360 is at the bottom of the depreciation curve, if for some reason you don’t like it, or your finances change (for the worse), or you want cash for your business, it is likely you’ll be able to offload it with little to no loss. This holds for the 430 as well, but I’m not sure if it is at the bottom of the curve just yet (probably close enough, though).

 

...and the attainable manual trans of the 360 (manual 430’s are simply out of reach for many-I couldn’t justify it, nor am I certain the 430M is an ideal combination ).

It came down to this for me...the manual trans experience of the 360 vs the greater power of the 430 and a few other modern touches. A 360M came along that made the decision for me.

TBH, I never think about wishing I had a 430. I sometimes wish I’d got a 360M convertible though. But at the time,I wanted my first Ferrari experience to be as uncomplicated as possible.

 

For me, there is no car (except maybe for far more money) I'd rather go on a drive in than my gated 360. However when you ask "is it worth it?" I suspect not. Objectively there is nothing that the 360 has that newer faster mass produced cheaper cars don't.

The 360 is a subjective experience like no other. If it was for you, you'd probably already know it and nothing anyone here could say could possibly dissuade you from buying it.

 

Ppl say this commonly, can we be sure though? Sometimes I’m not sure...outside of this forum, listings and sales make me think that for all but the special ones, there may be more downward movement.

 

Hi, I had a C7Z51 Corvette and I liked it a lot. I know have a 2003 360 spider with manual transmission. The two cars are very different. The Corvette is more refined, more comfortable and had no issues over 3 years of ownership.
The Ferrari is more exciting to drive and the sound is amazing. However, it has less amenities and feels more raw. I think I'm fine with the power, I don't feel I need more power.
You have to think about the maintenance even if you can the work yourself and you have to be able to manage a 10k unexpected repair bill. The parts are more expensive even at Ricambi.
I advise you if you want less attention to get a less stand out color like black or blue. Mine is red and I cannot drive it without bringing a lot of attention.
Is it worth it? For me yes, I love driving it and the look and the sound. I think at the end it is cheaper to own than a Corvette even with the repair because of minimal depreciation at this point.

 

Sounds great, Dan!

 

I've had a 360 and now have a 430 Scud. The technology difference between the two is significant. 360 is a prettier car to me than the 430, but the 430 is no slouch in the looks department. The 430 is mechanically bullet proof thus far and I spent some significant $ sorting my 360 out (clutch, sticky buttons, door unlock actuator, tires, upgraded to CS TCU, CS exhaust because stock muffler was starting to spew white powder). The 360's F1 transmission is primitive compared to the 430 and more so the 430 Scud. The 360 has slower shifts with what feels like some clutch slippage between shifts. The 360 has a smaller clutch which needs replacement every 10-20k miles. The 360 uses timing belts which need replacement every 3-5 years whereas the 430's engine has timing chains. Much of the differences are attributed to 5-6 years of technology evolution between the introduction of each model. I'd go with the 430 if you can swing it.

 

I went from a Viper to a 355 and was VERY disappointed until I accepted that it was simply a different kind of fun. If you love low end torque you will hate the 360. But if you can enjoy high revs then you will love the 360.

 

This is not true. Not in the gated car anyways if you know how to drive. The trouble is that if a car had 10 owners in those 20K miles who is to say that they knew WTF they were doing? I mean they got rid of it. The car is awesome so I dont get that at all.

 

Thanks Chris!

Dan

 

There is a silver 360 manual with 40k miles that just popped up in the classifieds for $79,900 , if that car checks out i think its priced at a great deal..says major service just done too..I drove my 360 gated all day today and man do i love that car!

 

If I were you I'd pass on the 360 and go look at a Alfa 4C, Lotus Evora 400, or a AMG GTS. They are all better cars than a 360, are rarer and are better drivers cars. I have no emotional connection to cars so I merely look at them as machines. When people say it's a Ferrari that usually tells me it is the only argument they can come up with for choosing a 360/430. I have had 5 360/430 (both transmission versions), as well as over 450 (including C5,C5,C7 corvettes) other cars. I see cars in a very different way than others on this forum and the badge on the hood is just something I clean when I wash my cars. I bought a M4 last month and this month a 991C4S, in my mind they are both better cars than a 360. In its day the 360 was a great day, but its day has long since past, and if you are buying a car (which I don't think you should it that is the only way you can buy it), that is going to cost you close to $1000 a month, buy one with a warranty. I can tell you a story about my last 360 the Ferrari dealer had to put 23K into it to make it road worthy again.

 

The cars you mention as alternatives are all great cars. There are many cars that drive much better than older Ferrari. The main reason that I own my F car is for the camaraderie of the Ferrari Club and all the events and gatherings. My Favorite car was an Audi R8, and I did go to an Audi event in Europe where we drove from Munich through Austrian over the Alps into northern Italy, around Lake Garda and Verona then back. But the only other marque that has similar gatherings to the Ferrari Club in the US is the Porsche club.
With my Ferrari any weekend between mid March and November I can attend a track event, or a Coffee and Canoli, or a car show, or a Formula One viewing, or a dealer cocktail party. It’s a whole lifestyle.

 

A stock 360 can be "recalibrated" to be much better drivers car with simple software and geo upgrades from Challenge Stradale and Challenge race cars...

Q. Can you do this with any of the above listed cars? And with some choice upgrades a lot more fun!!! Plus it's a Ferrari... Sorry but Alfa, Lotus and Mercedes are just not the same, emotions aside...