355vs360 which to purchase?

I agree that you should buy the one you like most. As an owner of a 1995 F355 Spider and a 2000 360 F1, you have more than $$$ and maintenance to consider. Do you want the last of the "classic" look Ferrari's? The 355 would never be mistaken for a Corvette C6 like a 360 might be! The 360 is more modern and refined. Stock exhaust note is much better in the 355, aftermarket also true. The 360 is VERY WIDE! Drive it and pull it into your garage.....it is the same width as a Testarossa! If you drive on tight roads, keep that in mind. The 355 can be thrown around more nimbly than a 360. The 360 will have less maintenance issues, BUT as stated, it is more expensive to begin with and will depreciate more.
When looking for a second Ferrari, so my wife wouldn't fight with me over drive time, we considered a 355 , non spider, for more body rigidity than a spider (she drives VERY aggressively), but bought the 360 mainly because she felt it was better looking(her opinion, not mine) and was more refined. She also wanted an F1, and we were leery of 355 F1 maintenance issues. The F1 problems were improved in the 360 (with factory upgrades), most notable the pump priming when the driver door is opened.
Me, I still love my spider, especially with the new Hyperflows and Capristo!
I truely feel that the performance is very similar to the 360's, so that shouldn't be a deciding factor. Love them both, but VERY different cars.

 

Sorry for the newbie question, but why does the 355 cost more to service than the newer 360? I am looking at a number of 355s but if the costs of maintenance will outweigh the initial purchase savings in a few short years, the 360 sounds like a better choice.

 

Yes, that $50K is real money. Also, 360s are available in quantity in every exotic dealer's inventory. There's some serious depreciation left there. 355s may drift down a bit, but IMO they're a smarter buy over the next couple of years, provided the big issues (valve guides, cracked headers) have already had the proper fixes done.

Subjectively: I think the 355 is a stunning car, probably the best looking modern (1990- ) Ferrari sports car. (Although I have a weak spot for the 550 as a GT car.)

Lots of good advice already posted here...

But it's a waste to buy any Ferrari if it's not the one you really want. Good luck, and post pics!

 

In my opinion, buying a Ferrari dosn't make economic sense and if you cant afford the servicing of a 355 then you can't afford to buy a Ferrari. If you can afford the servicing of a 355 then buy the Ferrari you want the most.

 

Agreed! The 348 upgraded is better than a 360 in my book (I cannot stand the look of the 360's front end).
Upgrade a 348 and, with the savings, buy a new Mercedes as your beater car

 

Of course people don't buy Ferraris because of economics (although a case could be made for that, since some of them don't seem to depreciate much). I just wanted to know what about the 355s vs 360s that makes the latter less expensive to service. It's part of my decision process since I rather like both cars. It's not a question of whether I can afford one or not afford one, but if all things were "equal", the economics could push the decision one way or the other. And I'd like to know why.

So, what is it about the 360s that make them cost less to service? Are the valves self-adjusting vs. needing shims in the 355 for example? Does the engine have to be pulled in order to do routine maintenance on the 355 but all things are easily serviced in the 360 w/o pulling the engine?

 

Both cars have self-adjusting valves (Hydraulic followers) the main basis for cost is because the 360 can have its cambelts changed with the engine in. This is done through the rear panel behind the seats. Were as the 355 has to have its engine taken out. ( well it can be done with the engine in situ but this is a contraversal way, and alot of folk moan when the subject is raised. Personaly I beleve in both methods) The 430 should in theory be cheeper still due to there being chains instead of belts.

 

That's the rub, isn't it? After lurking here for a few months, the polls seem to indicate that there should be a lot of F355s out there with fixed headers and valve guides.

I put a Car Wanted ad in Autoweek three weeks ago - "Wanted: F355 Berlinetta, USA 6 speed, fixed guides and headers, recent major a plus, [email protected]" - I received exactly 0 emails!

In my three months of searching, I have only found about three cars with the valve guides fixed, and one with proper headers (many Tubi mufflers, but no Tubi headers).

If anyone know of a good GTB, please let me know!

I've been thinking of getting one that needs a major and spending about $16k to get it fixed up (guides, belts, and QV headers).