dont be silly mate, it was a brash coment he made about 348's, if it were not for a 348 then i would not own ferrari f328nvl needs to chill
Steve There's no need to apologise, the whole point about a marque (and a forum about it) is that it raises strong opinions, I mean who'd waste their time arguing about, say, Vauxhall . I'm grateful to those who agreed that it's only an opinion, albeit mine, but that's it's OK to say it (and equally to disagree with it). As long as we all avoid being personal we surely can say anything we like, and take responsibility for the reaction we create when others disagree. This would be deathly boring if we agreed about everything. The whole point seems to me to discuss and argue and to respect those we are arguing with. If someone is malicious (or blatantly ignorant) then we should all flame like hell, otherwise take up the discussion and move it on. That's how the silent visitors who read all this stuff gradually form their own opinions. jg
Look, we all know the pros and cons of each F Car. But the thread was all about buying a 348, so before the guy posted his question, he obviously liked the sublime looks of the 348 - so why the negative comments from f328nvl? If the guy wants a 348, then be constructive and help him pick through the crap, not introduce blah blah. F328nvl, you obviously know your subject matter and you are a an owner, so help the prospective buyer in a positive manner, after all, if we all listened to you, your local scrap heap would have Austin Allegros perched on top of 348's ! Okay - a bit extreme, but just remember, we are here to encourage prospective buyers to get their dream cars, not put them off.
Chatrooms are always inflammatory because nobody wants to write a considered essay on any the subject. What I said, however inexpertly, was: Think about a 512 variant if it's the look, or a 328 to protect your money or a 355 to get a fast car. I used the word investment in the sense of "not losing too much money" as opposed to making any. In my experience of this forum (i.e. UK FChat) long considered views get lost in the hyperbole. My point on 348's is that, for whatever reason, (to use that phrase again) a new owner needs to know that they don't bask in the rosy glow of desirability for many Ferrari owners and that impacts on the ability to sell when you want to move on, as many of us have. They're good cars relative to their non-Ferrari peers, but didn't capture the zeitgiest. No more, no less. And, to start a sentence with a conjunction, the chap did say (up the page now) that he'd really like a 355 and saw the 348 as a £20k cheaper car, which it is (probably plus a bit). My suggestion was to look at the earlier cars and then decide. Is that provocation, or constructive advice? (Oh, BTW the name's John, the car's F328NVL just to make it more normal when I read about myself) Sleep tight all! jg
John don't go to bed now! He starts the thread with 'i've been looking at 348's for a while now......and not ' 348's 20K cheaper than a 355', cause in my recent research, you'll find that 355's are still coming down, whilst 348's have found their level we've all been there - heck, my budget would have stretched to a lovely 355, but i just didn't think they had the true 90's retro look of the 348, the 355 whilst its a pretty car, somehow doesn't have the butch lines of the 348 . Each to their own - i was in his position, but went with my subjective view rather than the standard 355s better than a 348, yeah we all know that... that's evolution rather like the 360's better than the 355 and so on, but, as 'our kid' would say, the 348 has a special look - so what did i do? - concentrated on getting the best 348 for the money, and i'm pleased - and up until 1994, that was the best small Ferrari ever!
dont know what the problem is on here the 328 348 355 are all ferrari's so buy what you want out of the three which i have had all of them the 328 is the best looking and a true classic ferrari the 348 is a mini testarossa and a good car as it does not have the paint probs that the 355 has where the roof and rear wings meet and manifold probs at a £1000 a side to fix but as an every day user you would go for the 355 as it has girly power steering but if you want a proper ferrari go for a testarossa 512TR F512M or F50 as they all have 12 cylinders in the rear now thats a proper ferrari
Julian Could'nt agree more,I thought that R Gilligans comments were totally negative and he was saying buy anything other than a 348,personally i think the drive of the 348 is better than all the modern cars,as you have to drive it not just point it,and if you are only going to drive at weekends you want it to be about the drive not how much its worth, or how cool you look in it. Andy.348s RULE Image Unavailable, Please Login
The key point about buying a 348 is that it must be a post-H series one. The pre-H series were slightly nasty, undeveloped cars, with wayward handling caused by wrong rear pickup points. In that case, the 328 was dynamically a much more pleasant driver. The post-H series was much better sorted, had more horsepower, and was a genuine step forward from the 328. There is a chassis number which divides pre- from post-H series cars but I just can't find it in my files. No doubt 348 owners will know it and can post it.
Yet another Haynes Manual expert on 348s according to profile .I agree the later car was slightly better but that is always the case the newer the car things get updated .You would have to own either to be able to compare The early car had mods on suspension ect that were std on the later models I have owned a 328GTB lovley car but the 348 techno and ride much better IMHO. I have owned a 355 and there is no doubt a step on from the 348 as is the 360 to the 355 But they are all bloo-y great cars just enjoy which one is for you RAY360M
Al thats more junk m8. Have you ever driven a 348? or did you get your information from down the pub. I have an AutoItalia magazine June 2003 which compares the 4 v8's of 328,348,355 and 360, and in each case the testers note that the models are a big improvement over the prior model - of course they are......., so whilst i accept that the later 348's had improvements, the rest of your analysis about nasty & undeveloped bits and the 328 versus a 348 is slightly incorrect......
Ah well, if you've read it in a magazine then it must be correct. I based my statements only on personal experience, so not relevant. And Ray, you of all people ought to know it is not possible to change the rear suspension pick-up points from pre- to post-H series without cutting and welding the entire rear frame.
Just found it in my files in a letter from Michelotto - the dividing point of the H-series suspension points is those with chassis number higher than 92100. Michelotto would do a 348GT conversion on any chassis number after that, but declined to do one on an earlier number.
The black 348ts at Verdi's used to be my car. I drove it everyday for a year to and from work and used it as my only car. I bought if from a good friend and sold to my best friend who is also my business partner. I only sold it as I upgraded to a 355 and my friend sold it due to the arrival of his 348 spider. The car has flawless history, mostly with KHPC, and was looked after by Rosso Corsa after that. Go and have a drive. Looks fantastic in black too. I did 8k miles in that car and it did not miss a beat. Superb!
Michelotto is a Ferrari service agency in Padova who for many years have built racing and competition cars on behalf of the Factory. They started off with the 308 Gr.4 and Gr. B rally cars, moved onto making the 348GTs, F40 LMs and F50 GT1s, and then the second series of F333SPs. More recently they developed and built the 360 N-GT racers but, interestingly, had nothing to do with the 550/575 racers.
okay - i'm completely confused, i thought this thread was all about giving some constructive advice on getting a 348, it seems we're now on our way to chopping up cars with the mitchel brothers, but not for me cause my chassis is 90669 so I'm stuffed, damn better sell the nasty undeveloped motor.
And Ray, you of all people ought to know it is not possible to change the rear suspension pick-up points from pre- to post-H series without cutting and welding the entire rear frame.[/QUOTE] I never said anything about cutting and welding new suspension pickups ect The early cars had a suspension mod carried out by the dealer the car was supplied by, there was a oil build up mod as well, where it used to drip on the alternater I have never heard about the mods you on about and i have owned three 348s I also cant imagine many were done if after spending eighty grand on a car it had to go to Michelotto to have it cut and welded, If it was such a problem as you make out why were they not all recalled ? I apoligise in advance if you take this personally its not meant to But my knowledge re 348s has comes from the years i have owned hillclimbed raced and generally enjoyed them (and i dont know everything ) not from The Eye Spy Book of Ferraris Thats it I promise thats it on this subject for me. RAY360M
The mods were never dealer-available - far too much rework involved, and I'm not aware of a single one being so modified. That's why Michelotto would only ever convert an H-series car to GT racing spec. The earlier cars were not thought suitable.
what the **** has this to do with someone buying a 348 for the road yes ray i agree you dont know anything about ferrari's but i have heard you can lay bricks
I originally started looking for a 348 because that is what i could afford, though I really wanted a 355 but once I saw the engine in a Testarossa and those beautiful lines I just had to have one
