355's unwanted, no buyers out there??

I am sure a few dealers have had "bad experiences" with the 355. But just referencing the comment he made "the 360 is twice the car", gives me a clue that he may be prone to exageration.

 

I've been told 355s are too old to keep in their showroom and no other reason. Every once in awhile you see one.

 

In the UK our bigist Ferrari dealer GreyPauls have 328s Testarossas, 348s and 355s in there showroom as well as current models. And GreyPauls UK are the largest in Europe. They also have the 7-8 year old 360s

 

Did it not occur to you that you were talking to a salesman ?

He could sniff a potential upgrade so of course he was going to diss your current wheels

The world is full of very happy 355 owners who don't want to change

 

Couple of key points come to mind when comparing the 355 to the 360:

The minor/major services are performed on the 360 "with" the engine still in the car.

Also, the F1 system - from what I've heard / read here and elsewhere - is much less expensive to repair on the 360 than on the 355 (F1 pump especially).

When you also consider the bump up in horsepower, better interior, see-through hatch, fixed headlight units, newer technology, etc., etc. -- then the 360 looks much more appealing to many potential used Ferrari customers. With the '97 - '99 F355's going for $79k to $99k retail currently, then for another $10k to $40k that customer can pick up the "newer" 360 Modena. This would perhaps be part of the incentive of a dealer wishing to push the 360 -- more $$$ from the sale. Of course, for many enthusiasts, the design of the F355 is perhaps more desirable.

I thoroughly enjoyed my '97 F355, but will most likely opt for a 360 the next time around.

 

When I purchased my 1999 355 GTS F1 last November here in California, the dealership expressed a very high "desirability" for the model and requested that if I ever get the urge to sell or trade up, to be sure and talk to them first.

 

Before or after you paid? Of course they want you to think that it is desireable when you're buying!

355's are scary for many because they can go bad to the tune of $10-25,000 PDQ.

 

355's are scary for many because they can go bad to the tune of $10-25,000 PDQ.[/QUOTE]


What Ferrari Can't? As the 360 model ages , they will also begin to see more costly repairs. It' just the nature of high end sportscars. They get expensive to maintain compared to what they are worth.



Darrell.

 

Well, they all can at some point, but the reason that 355's are scary now is because they are at that point. TR's as well.

 

Here here! When I drove my 993TT to the p-car dealer they were saying how much better the 996TT is and how I should "trade up" to "newer technology".

As time passes I am seeing the 993TT holding its value/desireability better than the 996TT.

I guess I should always ask a "salesman" as to which car is best....

My F355 is so much fun, it would be a sin if it did not cost me anything to own !!

 

What Ferrari Can't? As the 360 model ages , they will also begin to see more costly repairs. It' just the nature of high end sportscars. They get expensive to maintain compared to what they are worth.



Darrell.[/QUOTE]

The 360 will get a little more expensive, sure but every problem the 355 has that it has become known for we saw before the production ended. The 360 on the other hand has been almost as trouble free as the 328 was. The 360 is seven years old, we have seen what is in store for several years already.

 

What we are seeing with the TR's now that is different is a couple of decades of deferred maint.

The electrical and transmission problems were known in 86 or 87. Before that actually for the trans because the BB's did the same things.

 

All ferrari have there problems, right now some of the 430s are having software problems, as well as alot of 612s. I was in Stratstones a ferrari dalership in the UK today. And a couple of my mates that work there were telling me how many F430 they have had in this year with software problems for the gearboxs. And the 612s are causing problems. For instance the black 612 behind my car 9sorry for the bad quality)was in for the 5th time in two months for its software to be corrected by plugging it in. They have had two in last week as well. So anything with computers are a pain in the ass.
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C'mon...."Scary"??? The market value of a 355 is very low because of the repair/cost potential. It is a toy, like a boat that needs extra maintenence.

I recall that having a "boat" really means ---- Bail Out Another Thousand.

But once things are sorted the maintence costs can go way down. A proper PPI will help ones negotiation. The more knowledge one has about a model, then one can make more informed choices. Just like anything else....houses, horses, boats, airplanes...ETC.

 

I would not take to heart anything the dealer said about 355's since they are most likely speaking out of self interest. Maybe the 360's are more marketable in their area so they so not bother stocking "lower" cars. The profit margin on a used 360 is got to be way higher than on a 355 unless they can talk u down on a trade price.

A responsible dealer is going to give u a middle of the line approach and lay out the facts evenly on all cars. There are no bad late model Ferraris, only bad owners.

I am a potential buyer for a 1995-96 355GTB 6-speed, so go tell that salesman to stuff it!

 

I just bought (but haven't taken delivery) of a 99 355 F1 from Rob at Naples Motorsport. While there are some obvious upgrades to the 360 I still opted for the 355 for looks and price. And I'm $45k less than a comparable 360 Spider even after the 30k service which I'm having done right now. I think the 355 is drop dead gorgeous and am looking forward to a wonderful relationship. Many thanks to Rob for finding me the perfect car.

PS I'm in the car business (own a Ford dealership) and I know how "persuasive" salespeople can be when trying to switch a customer away from something I don't have in stock. I think that is clearly the case here.

 

Who wouldnt want this????
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no kidding! The 355 is an awesome car all the way around and has beautiful, timeless lines... Service wise, yes they can have more problems than other cars, but if it has been taken well care of the cost of service is really not much different than a 360 according to the independent ferrari shop that I (and lots of others in my area) use exclusively. For instance, according to them, the problem with valve stems is way overstated - they have yet to encounter a 355 that needed the $15k valve job. And they work almost exclusively on 355's and know what they are talking about.
Yes, my next one will probably be a 360, but you just cannot beat the 355 as far as looks go, performance is not too bad either,and most importantly the SOUND! I have yet to hear another ferrari (besides the Enzo of course) that sound as good as a 355 with test pipes, and a capristo exhaust!
So no worry, the demand for the 355 is still there and imo will always be there for good cars!
gordon

 

So true Gordon Its just the givers of bad news that just love giving it. As i said all ferraris can have problems, but they always choose the 355 to beat up on.
MB: Did you sell your car mate?

 

i still have mine for sale, but have several people interested in it. Had some tire kickers at the beginning but now have 3 very serious potential buyers!
gordon

 

From the info I have gathered at dealers such as Symbolic here is they are turning down 360s as their is a glut of them for sale and they don't move well, what is in demand are older rare models.

I was out with a group this weekend and believe me 360 is not any faster than a 355 unless mine is super fast for some reason from removing the cats. The 355 also is easier to spin on its axis via throttle steer and more predictable due to the radiators being in the back ala race car configuration vs the 360s weight bias with the radiator moved up front again.

 

Did Eric do your PPI?

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=135817778#post135817778

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=135428574#post135428574

 

The 996TT is the better car. What you are seeing price-wise is a combination of the lower production (helping the supply/demand equation) plus the nostalgia of the last air-cooled car. You see the same issue comparing the 993TT with the '94 964T. Why should the prices be so similar......the 993TT is a much better car.

But I spoke with 10-12 former 993TT owners who had upgraded to the 996TT before I bought mine, and to a man they were very satified that the 996TT was the better car.