It's time, 348ers: let the 355 bashing begin!

and youll note that women drive them as well. i dont mean all 355 drivers are girlie men as arnie would say, but rather ..... no hang on, got that wrong, new just coming in ......apparently all 355 owners are in fact girlie men, but moving rapidly along, the 355 is a ferrari that chix like to drive. its got that gay power steeing so thier little wee arms dont break off or get hurt, gearshift feels like a toyota, clutch is light as a feather - poor old enzo must be turning in his grave for making that car. he was a classic chauvinist, and must now be wondering what he did wrong. the 348s heavy clutch, notchy shift and lack of power hook make it a true ferrari, the best of history, heritage and performance but a mans car to drive. the 348 is probably the most distinctive looking ferrari ever made. some other models you have to look at twice and work out if they are a ferrari, but not the 348. the side strakes were groundbreaking. and as for the testarossa being the 348s big brother, and am i the only one that thinks the testarossa overall just looks just a tad dated. the 355 just seems to have had all the fun taken out of it. every model prior to it, from the 348 back, was a true drivers car. every model since, the driver is more and more insulated from the environment and the road, and so i wonder whats the point? and the extra performance of the 355 - if speed is your criteria, all 355 owners should trade thier cars in on ducati 916's which do 0-60 mph in 2.7 seconds. that f1 speed. but if you buy for any other reason, then everything ive said is valid. and im always right. ask my ex wife. thats why she left.

 

Go to the gym.

 

My first exposure to the 2-seat open sports car was over 40 years ago in driving a 1959 MGA and what a thrill it was. My 348 Spider evokes that thrill, which I sometimes call the "ultimate MGA"! So did my P-968 Cab. The F355 to me marks the transition to the modern highly electronically assisted genre of F-cars. Don't get me wrong...given the resources I own a 360F1 Spider in a heartbeat, but at the same time would strive to keep the 348. I agree that this car will grow into a rare classic..there can't be more than a couple hundred clean low mileage samples left in the States.

 

meant to say "given the resources I would own.....

 

Hey Vinny, what's "hard bop" jazz?

 

I'm certainly a convert to my 348 - the first Ferrari I drove was a 355 spider in Sydney and that car was my dream car, but when it came time to buy I knew I was going to be on a 308 budget. I stretched to 328 money, and then happened to drive a 348ts and really felt that I was getting very close to the 355 experience I had enjoyed but for less money. Plus the standing order is to get the latest you can in a series and so of course the late spiders are the best sorted of the 348's, I really am a convertible guy and I wasn't anywhere near a '99 355 spider budget. I had heard all of the usual "Luca said the car sucked" stuff but in hanging here and talking with some of the 348 brothers I found that the REAL 348 problems aren't as bad as the perceived ones.

Like Jerry's dad I have exhaust on my car that is magic, and I'd still like to have a 355 but I'd keep my 348 and maybe add a berlinetta or better yet a '95 Challenge car....

Cheers
Kevin

 

"I had just bought a new 348 with my own money, and ,with the exception of its good looks, I was utterly dissapointed. This was clearly the worst product Ferrari had developed for some time."

Luca di Montezemolo
(Automobile magazine Feb 2001)

In contrast:

"Should the man who wants to spend £76,000 on a motor car buy a 348 tb? The answer is yes, yes and yes a thousand times.........if the car had been good, or even very good, that would have been enough, but the car is, in fact, a sensation. it makes a laughting stock out of the Honda NSX, and, as far as the BMW 850 is concerned, well, this is like watching one of those nature programs where a whale eats a plankton."

Jeremy Clarkson
(Motoring journalist, TV presenter and a very very badly dressed man)

 

Well since we are on the topic about this! I plan on adding another F-car to the garage, was thinking about a mondial T, nice classic look for a small budget, but for the same amount I could get into a mid 95`s 911 996 porches for what I think is about the same performance to, oh I know I said the "P" word, but having 2 F-cars already and spending the money to maintain them AND if you can find someone to work on them in my area! What should I do??

thanks for any advice..

 

Don't have a 348 or 355, but ... 348 prices have been getting more attractive, maybe because they have a bad reputation in some circles. I think the fact that they're in brand new Boxster S territory would make sports car guys take a serious look. Lower prices = increased demand.

I'd agree 348's look really riveting and exotic when you see them, although the 355 (saw a RED one today in San Diego in Scripps Ranch, making some noise...) is plenty handsome. So I'm jealous of all owners of both cars...

 

yeah ! I guess we forget how lucky we are to own them!

 

I noticed you have two "TB's". Why not get a "TS", because where you live in Lodi, it get's pretty dang hot.

I've got two "TS's", but when it's foggy the tops stay on (which is most of the time).

We otta trade F-cars!!

BTW, you bringing them to the Concorso?

 

yeah your right its very hot here! its 107 today... yikes,, as for the TS cars im a hardtop guy not big on burning the top of my head! LOL..
Whats Concorso?? and where are you located?

 

I am very surprised guys with 355C's aren't dumping the 355 pump gear and steering rack for the better 348 steering rack. The chassis of the cars are virtually the same. 355's ride is more street friendly with power steer and adjustable shocks. Ferrari used the 348 as a test bed for the Enzo motor/drivetrain. I guess maybe the 348 is not a POS afterall. If the 355 was so great why didn't they use a 355 or a 360 for that matter?

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=67721&page=1&pp=20

 

For one thing, 348's keep showing up in theatre-released movies. Movies after movies.

Consider:
2005 Red 348 in Sin City
2005 Red 348 TS in Pusher 2
featured for about 15 minutes or so. (Danish Movie, should be in the US soon, called "With Blood on My Hands")

1999 Red 348 Spider in "Go" (an entire scene is based around this 348, with top down, being stolen, driven wildly, a gun in the glove box, and taken to a strip club)

2004 348 in The Perfect Score

1995 348 Spider in Showgirls

1995 348 Spider in Sabrina

2001 348 in The Heist

348 in The Replacements


So the 348 gets a lot of on-going publicity for a car with limited production numbers (e.g. 556 U.S. Spiders).

For another thing, the 348 has proved its critics wrong. Car&Driver, Road&Track, and Automobile magazine all railed against the 348. C&D went so far as to whine that you had to put both seats "forward" in order to lower the convertible top.

R&D complained of squeaks and unreliability.

Automobile called it beautiful, but everything underneath stunk.

...And they were all wrong. 348's are extremely reliable. What goes wrong with them is predictable, usually preventable, and typically easy to fix.

Squeaks?! Oh, please...

The steering rack on the 348 is extremely precise. It's very impressive. Yeah, it doesn't have power steering...but you don't need it. The 348 frame and suspension was well-engineered, so the steering is actually precisely what a driver wants and needs at all but parking lot speeds. Even there, I routinely parallel park my Spider.

Time has also vindicated the 348's looks. The front nose, rear side strakes, and top-down profile are movie-making beautiful. Very agressive, yet in a pleasing way.

The 348 is the F-40's little top-down brother.

Now, the 355 is a fine car with great wheels and pleasing horsepower...though getting all excited about 370hp in a 1996 355 versus 360hp in a 348 Competizione seems a bit exagerated.

The 355 has a 6 speed, power steering, a power top, 5 valves per cylinder, and adjustable shocks...none of which made it into the Enzo.

Instead, the Enzo started out on the 348 platform with the precise 348 steering rack and 4 valves per cylinder.

The 355 is the F-50's little brother. In looks, its engine bonnet is the only component that stands above the 348. That cover with the scoop was nicely done. And if you're into that sort of thing, the F1 transmission is nice. I'd give the 355 the edge in the interior, but only barely.

But going back to the 328 rear lights?! No thanks. That feminine front nose?! Uh, uh.

The bronze engine valve guides through mid 1998 are problematic on 355's, as are the exhaust manifolds. Fix and replaces those and it will be time to repair the hydraulic power top and power shock motors. Again, no thanks.
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The Concorso Itialiano is in my home town of Monterey. Here's the link:

www.concorso.com

It's a lot of fun for ferrari lovers.

 

348 owners dont have the problem of people asking "is it a replica", as 355 owners do, here in the UK.

 

Just stick these on and you'll never have that problem again!
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LMAO

 

The 348 is a good little car. Infact they seem much tighter then the 355..not as many squeaks or rattles on the inside. Ever driven a 355 spider and a 348 spider back to back? The 355 rattles like crazy where as the 348 seems more solid. Could be because of the suspension differances as I know the 355 does have more structure to it..but it just feels cheesy compaired to the 348.

You also don't have as many issues with the 348. The 355, well the list is huge..shock motors breaking, or the shock adjuster. The alternator belt tensioner bearing is a normal replacment item, the manifold issue, the valve guide issue, power steering resiviour forever leaking, until it was updated in late 97, interiors melting, the leather on the gauge binical pulling/shrinking, the convertiable top system is terriable and fails quite often. The ashtarys are fragile..I could go on. Most issues in the 355 are expensive to fix.

The issues on the 348 are many..but in comparision to the 355, the issues are cheap and easy to fix. Although the major service coast of the 348 is getting to be quite expensive, mostly due to the fact that this is the only engine that using a singal timing belt, and the bearing are unique to this engine, parts prices are climbing. Soon a 348 will be TR territory to service in cost..only because of the parts prices.

The 348 is a rare car and a fun car to drive. I much perfer the non power steering and the rougher ride to the car..it just feels like somthing..355 way to easy to drive although its nice, its not an experiance.

I knew the world was comming to an end when Porsche went to liquid cooled engines, and Ferrari started to use power steering..

 

I looked at both cars and the above comment strikes a chord with me. It's not just a question of whether you can afford it, it's also a question of whether you want to put up with things like roofs failing or engine problems. The 348 has little in the way of gizmos to go wrong. I have a spider and I wouldn't be bothered about fixing a/c for example. Most other things can be fixed and I don't like things like electric seats, which you just know are going to fail expensively at some point.

I think I posted on another thread that I saw the 348 as 80% of the drive of a 355 for 60% of the money. The ratios may be a little flakey, but you get the idea.

There is a big difference in driving the cars and I suspect that money aside, younger drivers will always prefer a 355 because it is much easier to drive. Some people, self included, really aren't bothered about things like pas and tc, but I suppose eventually we will be forced to have them as we upgrade our cars. I wouldn't try and dispute that the 355 is faster, or that it's quicker point to point. I'd just say it damn well should be!

I really don't want to get into bashing another person's choice. So much of it is subjective and personal, and that's a good thing.

 

Ready when you are!!


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Classic quote Sy just classic!

 

Tom, with great respect to your experience on these cars, I disagree with the above assessment. Two of the hoses have recently crossed the $100 point and the cam seals are sneaking up in cost. Using the uprated Hill Engineering bearings is the trick -- and in my opinion, a very sensible upgrade. Everything else is comparable to a 355, IMHO.

-Daniel