SHOULD I BYE A 355 or a ZO-6

Since the car was built in the 70's\80's is there another car in that "ERA" that can top it (other then its replacement = 328)?????
*didnt think so*

 

I would by a 348 Challenge car and forget about both...they are way too refined!
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Turbo, I will keep this short, but what a great tribute to your son. No one can imagine your emotions and feelings. Please keep his name alive in some sort of an exotic and imagine his grin and smile at those special times.
David

 

a 348 wouldn't be that bad considering they arent that popular and they are very cheap now adays at 50k or less. All you would need to is Twin turbo it and a few other mods and your good to go.

 

Did'nt someone do that on this forum? Bob Norwood did some as well. I usally don't have any trouble keeping up with the 355s, chiped, drop gears, straight pipes, etc. But you are right. 500 or so HP would do the trick!

 

Well I went and test drove a Z0-6 today and it was lightning fast but it's still a Corvette and not a Ferrari. Sure it's more reliable, Has a warranty,And Is much faster than a 355. I just wish the 355 didn't have so many problems. There are so many horror stories it really makes me paranoid. I'm afraid if I bought one I would have a hard time enjoying it thinking something was always going to go wrong. I guess the most logical thing to do would be wait a couple of years till I can afford a pre-owned 360. But in the mean time I find myself obsessing over a 355. Maybe I need therapy.

 

+1 david, sorry to hear about your son turbo, my mom got in a car accident today that could have been fatal (she is ok though)

 

Therapy will likely be less than maintaining the 355. If your buying to feed your ego buy the Ferrari, if you're buying to enjoy the car buy the Z06.

 

Sorry, but I beg to differ. I have yet to own or even drive one but it seems that the best form of therapy to me would be driving any Ferrari, so you could kill two birds with one stone there. And I don't think too many people on Fchat buy them to feed their ego's, they buy them because they want them. And I'd say that most of them enjoy their cars very much, thanks.

 

My therapist charges 200.00 an hour. If I see him once a week it will cost 10,400 a year. I think the 355 would be cheaper to maintain unless I had a major problem. I guess life is a crap shoot but reading all the negativity about the 355 has given me cold feet.

 

My $.02

I've had a Viper ( Gen II) and currently a 355...my friend has a new Z06, an Aston Martin Vantage and a 360 and Ive spent a lot of time driving them.

The Viper ( Gen II) is bulletproof and gets just as many stares as the 355 or 360..plus its faster and the interior is way nicer than the 355 ( and thats saying a lot since the Viper interior sucks..lol) ..its not going to carve up a canyon like the 355 or vette but that torque puts a smile on your face nontheless. 5 years of viper ownership and all it ever needed was routine maintenance.

Z06...its the most amazing performer of the bunch but really its invisible to the rest of the world. I couldnt justify $70k on a car that just fades into the background. Having said that its a blast to drive and with the warranty you're safe for a few years of maintenance. If all you care about is fun to drive get the vette and save yourself a lot of headaches.

AM Vantage...This seems to be out of your range ( and you can get a 360 for the same price) but my quick review is its a fantastic daily driver ...which you cant say for a 355 or a 360...For the same price as a 360 you get something much more rare ( and turns a lot more heads) with close enough, if not even, performance.

360...More reliable than a 355 ( as long as you dont get F1 which IF it breaks is going to cost you a fortune ) but nowhere near as reliable as the above three cars ( I include the Vantage as its under full warranty even though it hasnt been out long enough to determine its true build quality).Interior is 1000 times better than the 355. Low end grunt , while less than the viper or vette, is good and makes the 355 seem like a dog...only problem is theyre way too commonand trendy( at least in LA) and feel heavier than the 355.

355...I know some will come after me with fangs bared for saying this but...its a money pit and Ive met far more 355 owners who agree with me than those that dont. It was never the most well made Ferrari and now they're old and truthfully to get a really well sorted one with its 30k you might as well cough up a little more change and get the 360. IM planning on getting rid of mine end of the year ( after it gets out of the shop for the third time in 12 months - Ive actually had the car in my hands for less than 6 months out of the past 12 ) and getting a 360 spider. My only regret is I do think the 355 is the better looking than the 360.

To sum up..ONLY get a Ferrari if you are obsessively passionate about the marquee and are willing to deal with the insane maintanence that comes with owning one. Buying a 355 will get you less performance, much higher maintenance costs AND a very low rent interior ( my last girlfriend thought it was a kitcar because she couldnt believe an actual Ferrari had such a crap interior ) ...

As my mechanic told me when I first bought mine..affording the car is easy..keeping it running well is the expensive part. Of course if you only plan on driving it 3000 miles a year you probably wont have nearly as many problems as I do..I like to drive it at least 1000 miles a month...its a freaking sports car and is meant to be driven.

My opinion is unless you hate them, get a Porsche Turbo..reliable, faster than the Ferrari and more prestigious than a Vette.

Again just my $.02

 

I think you just nailed the coffin shut for me. I really wanted a 355 but after all the negative comments on this thread and the private messages I got from people that didn't want exposure about there 355 because they are selling them I think I'll just have to sit on the sidelines till I can afford the 360. I have owned 3 Porsches and although I feel they are the best around sportscar you can buy there a dime a dozen in Los Angeles and I want something that every yuppie doesn't have. (Yuppies don't
take this personally) As far as the Aston goes it's out of my price range and I could never take the depreciation on a car like that. Thanks for you're great comments I think you are right on.

 

I'm with you. After 3 months of seriously searching, I think I'll be going back to P-cars until I can afford a 360 or CS. Thanks for starting this tread.

 

i bought a f355 just over a year ago, what a waste of money, they really are a pile of ****, and the repair costs are terrible, all the parts are well over priced, and if you can be bothered having to visit a mechanic nearly every time you take it out!!!!!!!!!!!
the body cracks at the rear butress(design fault)
the electrics on them are very unreliable aswell, dont be fooled by the stunning looks and the name!!!!!!
i will never buy another ferrari, if you want a powerful car and reliability go for the bmw m3 or something that will be fun to drive and reliable

 

Thanks for your imput.

 

Another nail in the coffin what a shame. It reminds me when I was single and dated a swedish model for playboy. She was absolutely beautiful but once I got to know her she was high maintenance and a real pain in the ass.

 

If you are so concerned with running costs and upkeep don't buy a Ferrari, any Ferrari will have problems and expensive ones at that, Ferraris are known as wealthy mans cars for that reason and nothings changed, my 328 was the cheapest concerning maintenance costs but it still set me back several thousand over the past 4 years.

The 355 is a sophisticated car and things will go wrong with it, they have phenominal handling which is why they make great track cars along with the added features such as dry sump, transmission water to oil cooler and gear pump driven lubrication system which neither the Vette or Viper have, I have driven Vettes and Vipers and the Ferrari 355 is no compasion in the fun factor not to mention the engine note, Vettes feel numb and Vipers drive like a heavy truck plus the engine note is nothing great at all.

Get a Vette or Viper with a warranty and you'll be much happier as it seems you are very concerned with running costs.

 

Guys this is really scary stuff being posted regarding the 355. I have been searching to purchase one, and am currently considering getting one of the two I've been inquiring about. The postings are making me think twice! I have owned 3 Porsches before, two were turbos, and have never experienced the kind of mechanical horror I am reading in this thread regarding the 355.

It is really sad to read this stuff because I was definitely ready for the gorgeous looks of the 355... but now I really do not know what to do!

 

I owned a 355 for two years and had absolutely no problems whatsoever. With Tubi exhaust it sounded fantastic. Not to sound like a broken record (heard often here), but simply ensure you have a full service history, and that everything is well-sorted, and you should have a fine car.

I have owned 2 Corvettes, and they are GM poor quality overall.

Ferraris are particular, and you can expect things to go wrong, as it is part of the Ferrari ownership experience. But overall the 'experience', 'therapy', whatever you want to call it, of my 4 year old 355 far exceeded that of my NEW Corvette.

Whatever was you go....enjoy!

 

A good friend of mine has a Viper GTS, red with white stripes.

We drove to lunch at a place called Twin Peaks, and parked side by side. His car was virtually invisible.

He also likes to ride in my car, more than drive his. While his car can wrench a tree stump out of the ground, it's handling is very heavy and clumsy.

I too decided against the 355, because of all the horror stories. I opted instead, for the 348. I haven't regretted it for one second.

 

So would I be correct in assuming that the 360 does not have to have the same engine out $9,000 service?

 

This thread has been helpful, and I would like to thank those that have contributed. As someone who has been focused on making the jump to a Ferrari or Porsche Turbo it has been a huge asset to be able to read a lot of the comments regarding the reliability issues of the F355 compared to other vehicles. The overwhelming opinion seems to be if you want a fast car that will not break and cost you the farm, yet still want to be somewhat unique, get the Porsche Turbo. It is sad, however, since I really have enjoyed the drives I have taken in the F355 and 360 Modena, and the fact that they are absolutely amazing looking!! Have a good afternoon everyone.

 

These stories are terrible, I drove my 348 Challenge over 33,000 miles in just about 3 years now. No real problem until I burned up the drop gears (my and the dealers fault I asked to check it) $9K, about 6 hubs, engine out plus clutch. I don't think I've spent over $30K in maintanance. Ten track days, Sebring, Daytona, Roebling Road, VIR, CMP, Road Atlanta, IRP, Indy, Sumit Point, it's well worth it for me and the memories. And to think, I almost brought an orginal 66 Ford Mustang Shelby GT for $35k that would now be worth north of $200,000. It's all about the memories. Buy real estate or stocks or the next great collector car if you want an investment. You live once, (although my x-wife said we had been together in 31 previous lives) so do what you love...

 

I spoke with a Ferrari mechanic yesterday that has a shop right down the street from my business. I told him I was considering a 355 but after reading about all the problems they have I didn't know whether I should get one or not. He told me if I could afford a 360 I would be much better off. He said that his 360 owners are very happy with the car and they have few problems. I told him I could not afford a 360 at this time and I would have to wait a couple years to buy one. He suggested that I wait till I can get a 360
and bypass the 355. He said if I really need to have a Ferrari right now I should buy a 328 and drive that until I can get the 360. The problem is that I have driven a couple 328's and the car doesn't really turn me on. I think it looks great, But driving it is no thrill. It's really ashame that the 355 has so many problems. If it didn't I would buy one in a N.Y. second.

 

Issues are a bit overblown on this site concerning 355s potential problems, many have never had any problems at all including my 355 has never had any major mechanical issues from its records, it did have the interior parts replaced 3 years ago as it was from a hot climate in Texas which effects the parts, the 360 still is relatively new and long term mechanical faults are yet to be found, it is also Ferraris first all aluminum car so I would expect frame stress crack flex issues with the aluminum frames as well, all Ferrari models have faults, the 328 was probably the most reliable Ferrari built and they still can have expensive repairs.