The toughest question of them all, 355 or 996

Moving to San Fran?.... Isn't that just jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire?

 

Its just for a year to study. Why?? what is the situation in San Fran?? (or is it just all the hippies you are talking about )

At least the weather will be a lot better

 

Having a hobby you share with your friends is great. Having a hobby you share with your wife is priceless. (But she might decide she likes the stick better too...)

 

That's brilliant.

 

well I own both cars - i use an '04 C2 coupe for daily driving.
It mainly depends on what you intend for the car - the 355 could be a decent daily driver, as long as you can afford it. Going from a SLK, i am not sure what to pressume - my immidiate guess would be that, a porsche is a better 'next step' than a ferrari, coming from a mercedes of that range. But if the finances are right, the 355 is a delight to own.... The porsche 996 is just as nice, but you might be better off checking on the new caymanS before searching for a used 996 cab - as it also might add up to the same price.

 

if we are talking about a 996 turbo, then the turbo is overall the smarter deal....

 

I am deciding between a 360 and a new 997 cab. My wife likes the Porsche as I have a Boxster now..but I like the Ferrari...The only advantage the Porsche has is it has a backseat...ever how small. I have 2 small children and although neither will be my daily driver, I would like to take the entire family on a ride....

My wife also wants a lake house this year for a get away place...so she is voting for neither

Choose which one will fit your lifestyle better and don't look back.

 

My father recently purchased a 99 355 spider & I have found my way into a 996 Carrera 4. Speed wise they are about the same, alhough acceleration is so different. The 355 seems to be more linear & the 996 seems to be more progressive. Both cars handle like they are on rails. The 996 comparitvely speaking does feel more tame. Whereas the 355 has an in your face feeling where you need to focused on driving & nothing else. The 355 gets a ton of attention where the 996 gets about half as much. After driving both for a bit now if it was my choice I would go with the 355 GTS (it was my favorite Ferrari of all time - I am only 28). I like the experience it offers - the attention - the driving experience (there is nothing better than the sound of switching gears in a 6 speed manual Ferrari) and the coolness factor. I could imagine the 996 turbo would complicate this decision, but imho nothing can compare to driving a Ferrari - it is truly UNF**KINGBELIEVABLY AWESOME!!!!! I can't wait to get my 1st Ferrari (should happen in the next year or 2) and now that I have some knowledge about them I will keep my first for the life of the car!!!

I hope this helps

 

355.

I'm a bit late here but I can offer my previous and current experience. I have owned a brace of Porsches before coming into Ferraris, a '97 355B in 2004. Owned the car for a year and a half and since I'm too occupied in China, hardly drove it and sold it on for part exchange on a 996TT. No stranger to turbo ownership, I've owned the 993TT before the Fcar but I'm getting withdrawal syndromes now. The Porsche's is waaay faster than the 355, better built and feels safer than my previous 355 but it also feels too 'sanitized'. That said, I'm getting back to Ferrari ownership pretty soon since I can't stand dreaming of them any longer and the TT is going. Like some wise guy said, " you never appreciate it till you have no possesion of it anymore ".

Go get the 355. It's what driving is all about.

 

This forum is great! Thank you for all your stories, absolutely awesome!

Just to clarify things, I have no intention of using my next car as a daily driver. To me it seems almost impossible do drive a Ferrari on a daily basis. Just parking would be a nightmare. In some wealthy areas in the US that might work but in Sweden I don’t think it is even worth trying. I intend to use it a wekend and vacation car. We have friends in Switzerland and plan to visit them once in while too. Since Nurburg ring is only a day’s drive away I might go there as well

 

Would you say it is easier to live with a blue or black Ferrari than a red one? When we visited Monte Carlo last summer we thought the non red Ferraris would be easier to live with. They don stick out in a crowd like a red one do. Any one with experience in this matter?

 

I have owned several porsches and ferrari's. Like a previous post said
"Life is Short". You will forget the Porsche, you'll never forget the Ferrari. It's like that special girlfriend from your youth......Think of her and you smile...Get the Ferrari........

 

I am just back from a visit at a local car dealer where I checked out three 355's, two red and a blue. They are all -98 with about 22500 miles on the clock.

Here are link to two of them
http://www.blocket.se/vi/5084768.htm?ca=15_s
http://www.blocket.se/vi/5117756.htm?ca=15_s

What strikes me is that the external impression of these cars was very different from the inside. Rims, tires and over all external appearance were ok. But the inside showed signs of longtime use.

None of them locked like I expected from a car with this low mileage. The blue GTS even had rust on the door sill, the shift knob was all worn with scratches and the seats showed heavy wear.

The interior of the F1 was better but it had scratches on the shift paddles and the leather over the compartment on the passenger side had shrink and come loose.

And why all these cheap ferrari shield stickers?

Can anyone try to give an idea of how a 355 in good shape with about 22000 miles should look like? My SLK with 60000 miles on it is still in a better shape than any of the cars I looked at today.

 

It took 6 months to find a good car. I do not know why many are not cared for. The leather is very supple, so it does require attention. But good cars are out there. Here are a few of mine with 18k miles on the clock. I really don't think it's the mileage that matters, it's the condition.

And yes, the black and blue will both be less noticable. I like the blues a lot. Both are harder to keep clean. The titanium is probably the best of both worlds (subtle and doesn't show dirt). But the red... mmmm....
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Save up, get both. Two very different cars.

 

300% in malaysia!

 

All together now, boys and girls.....P-A-S-S-I-O-N!

Great post,



Cavallini

 

So you would just have dictators dressed up as bureacrats? Wow.

Doesn't that bother anyone? It is your money they spend, after all.


Forza,


Cavallini

 

W-O-W.


Forza,


Cavallini

 

Yeah Remy, no need to remind me....FWIW most ppl in MY have car(s) that costs more than the house and the porch they're parked in. I'm currently still trying to even out the odds...so Johan, again, get the 355!!!

 

Tifosi66: I will most likely go for the 355. The only problem now seems to be to find a car in good condition. There seems to be many abused cars out there.

 

You should be able to find a Rosso Corsa in good shape somewhere.

If this is your first you should go traditional RC. Make the statement.



Forza,


Cavallini

 

SIGN !!!!!

yes sure i strongly agree this comment

My ex-was a 996 C4S at 2003 i liked that car much and i was happy often. But my heart was with the 360's when i saw
on road.
Now i got a F430. And my head is free and heart is in love.....

 

I would get a 993 over a 996. I would never buy 996...looks like a bloody boxter! (Boxter was out first)

 

And the 993 looks like a VW

Good luck Johan