Just passed eight years of 355 ownership | FerrariChat

Just passed eight years of 355 ownership

Discussion in '348/355' started by rendergod, Oct 11, 2007.

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  1. rendergod

    rendergod Karting

    Jan 30, 2004
    69
    Silicon Valley
    Full Name:
    Allen
    #1 rendergod, Oct 11, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I was looking through my Ferrari files last week and saw that my purchase contract was dated October 6, 1999. I celebrated on Saturday afternoon by dropping the top and taking my wife to Buck's in Woodside for some popcorn shrimp, followed by a spirited drive through the hills above Palo Alto. The weather was perfect with clear views of the bay and downtown San Francisco almost 30 miles away. The road home passes beneath a wide freeway, where a couple flicks of the downshift paddle rewarded us with an exhilarating Formula One soundtrack...

    Anyway I just wanted to offer my experience as a counterexample to the negative stories I so often see here. In eight years I've had no problems with valve guides, headers, convertible top mechanisms, sticky interior parts, etc. The car has always run great, sounded great, looked great, and smelled great. I've never been stranded except for needing a jump start one time. I'm not saying there have been no problems, just that they've been minor, and less than many other cars I've owned. Maybe my 355 was built on an unusually good day at the factory, or maybe people simply post more often when they're having trouble rather than when everything is going fine.

    Here's a picture of her taken at a local car show in 2005:
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  2. PizzaPrince

    PizzaPrince Karting

    May 11, 2007
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    #2 PizzaPrince, Oct 11, 2007
    nicely put



    +1
     
  3. greyboxer

    greyboxer F1 World Champ

    Dec 8, 2004
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    #3 greyboxer, Oct 11, 2007
    Car still looks fab - out of interest how many miles ?
     
  4. 285ferrari

    285ferrari Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Sep 11, 2004
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    #4 285ferrari, Oct 11, 2007
  5. Parikh1234

    Parikh1234 F1 Rookie
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    #5 Parikh1234, Oct 11, 2007
    very nice, congrats! Heres to 8 more years......
     
  6. Oengus

    Oengus F1 World Champ
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    Sep 29, 2004
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    #6 Oengus, Oct 11, 2007
    Looks great Allen..........I am awaiting delivery of mine!!
    I hop I have 8 yrs of happy and maintenance free driving :)
     
  7. Bullfighter

    Bullfighter Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jan 26, 2005
    22,367
    Indian Wells, California
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    Jon
    #7 Bullfighter, Oct 11, 2007
    I heard NSXs were more reliable...




    ;)

    Congrats!
     
  8. Shark01

    Shark01 F1 Veteran

    Jun 25, 2005
    5,737
    #8 Shark01, Oct 11, 2007
    I'd be interested in what your maintenance costs have been over this long period......thanks
     
  9. amenasce

    amenasce Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #9 amenasce, Oct 11, 2007
    How many miles have you done ? Do you track her ?

    Beautiful color !
     
  10. titanium360

    titanium360 F1 Rookie
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    Nov 10, 2003
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    #10 titanium360, Oct 11, 2007
    let me know if you ever decide to sell her, seriously
     
  11. Financialman

    Financialman Formula 3

    Sep 8, 2005
    1,841
    San Jose CA
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    Dan Carpenter
    #11 Financialman, Oct 11, 2007
    Beautiful car, love the color. I have had two 355's and never had a problem with either of them.
    Bad news travels faster than good news!

    We should get together sometime,we are very close.
     
  12. dougburhyte

    dougburhyte Karting

    Dec 28, 2005
    166
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    Douglas Burhyte
    #12 dougburhyte, Oct 11, 2007
    Allen - Great looking car! I love the silver color. I lived in the Bay Area for many years before moving to my current location on the Central Coast and I know (and love) the roads you speak of very well. I've had my 355 - a 1999 GT - for only two years, and I believe I'm the fourth owner. Aside from a number of minor, niggling issues left by previous owners "for someone else to fix" (which I've now done), my 355, like yours, has been trouble-free and a joy to drive. Perhaps we''ll have to get together some time when I'm in the Bay Area with the 355 and explore a few more of those wonderful Bay Area back roads.
     
  13. PAP 348

    PAP 348 Nine Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Dec 10, 2005
    99,341
    Mount Isa, Australia
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    Pap
    #13 PAP 348, Oct 11, 2007
    Awesome Allen. :):)

    Your car looks gorgeous!! Hope you have another fun 8 years in your 355!! :):)
     
  14. rendergod

    rendergod Karting

    Jan 30, 2004
    69
    Silicon Valley
    Full Name:
    Allen
    #14 rendergod, Oct 11, 2007
    Thanks for the comments everyone!

    greyboxer, she has nearly 19K miles now. 4K of those were driven by the original owner during the six months before I got the car. I was told by Stanford European that he traded in the 355 for a Diablo (no accounting for taste)...

    285ferrari, OK, I just submitted her stats to the registry.

    Shark01, maintenance costs haven't been bad, with one exception. During most years she was just in the shop once for a routine inspection and fluid change. The first major service was done in 2001 when the engine was already out under warranty to fix a minor oil leak, so it was cheap. However the second major service cost over $13K! I blame myself for taking her to a relatively new dealership. Had I done my homework on the forums first, I could have had a first class job done for a lot less.

    amenasce, the only track she's been on is Laguna Seca, and that was only for a couple parade laps during the Historics (but diving down into the Corkscrew was still a blast). I'd love to do more, but where can I go that doesn't require convertibles to have a roll bar?

    titanium360, I'll let you know, but I'm planning to keep her for a while. I just haven't been tempted by the newer models yet. To me, the 355 is the last of the Ferraris that still look like the dorm room posters I had back in the 80's, with the single front grill, popup headlights, etc.

    For those locals who'd like to see her, I'm planning to go to the Santana Row meeting this Saturday morning (my first time as more than just a spectator).
     
  15. DM18

    DM18 F1 Rookie

    Apr 29, 2005
    4,725
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    #15 DM18, Oct 11, 2007
    Great looking car. Wonderful to hear of such a long and happy ownership. Enjoy :):):)
     
  16. cavlino

    cavlino Formula 3
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    #16 cavlino, Oct 11, 2007
    Hi Allen, thanks for sharing your news. I have owned a 355 for a bit more then 3 years now and also have not had any of the big issues others have complained about.
     
  17. Joe G.

    Joe G. Formula 3
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    #17 Joe G., Oct 11, 2007
    awesome color combo and definitely shows pride of ownership
     
  18. cuneo

    cuneo Formula 3
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    Nov 20, 2006
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    #18 cuneo, Oct 12, 2007
    This post makes me want to try for a 100,000 mile 355, just to rub it into the nay-sayers' faces... 355 RRRRRRRUUUUUULLLLLLLLEEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
     
  19. Monteman

    Monteman Formula 3
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    #19 Monteman, Oct 12, 2007
    I'm having the same experience although I'm only two years in. I drive it at least 3K-4K miles per year and maniacal about the maintenance. I've never had anything really go wrong with the car and it's never left my stranded. I did have one situation where the top wouldn't go up and it turned out to be a penny that was stuck in the seat track. You can hardly blame that on reliability.

    IMO, the key is maintenance and driving. From what I can tell, it seems the cars that suffer are the ones that are rarely started and/or driven or the maintenance is ignored. Anyone else see the same thing?
     
  20. DIGMAN52

    DIGMAN52 F1 Rookie
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    Jan 30, 2004
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    #20 DIGMAN52, Oct 12, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Congratulations on the 8 years with the 355. I just passed my 4 yr anniversary with my 355 spider on Oct 1st. I have had most of the 355 issues during this time, but only stranded me once. The whole Ferrari experience has been worth every penny, especially the sound of an F1 car strapped to your butt. Did 1,500 mile in West Texas in mine last year with 30 other cars, and it was amazing on those big open roads! I think the 355 Spider is one of the top Ferrari's ever for the combination of looks, speed, sounds, and easy driveability. It reminds me more of the older Ferrari heritage than the 360's and newer cars.
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  21. bcwawright

    bcwawright F1 Veteran

    Jul 8, 2006
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    #21 bcwawright, Oct 12, 2007
    +1
     
  22. Big D

    Big D Karting

    Nov 7, 2003
    140
    Tarzana, CA
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    Demetri N. Zafiris
    #22 Big D, Oct 12, 2007
    I have owned my 1999 355F1 for a little over three years, when I purchased it the mileage was 20,000 and had just had a major service and new tires, I currently have 30,000 miles. My repairs problems have been headers that were luckily covered under warranty, correction of a supporting transmission bracket that was installed wrong and caused repalcement of motor mounts, two ecu's. I have upgraded the car with hyperflow cats and an Xost system.My wife and I albolutely love the style, performance and sound, we plan to keep the car forever along with our 79 308GTS.We are truly fortunate to own such great cars.
     
  23. gothspeed

    gothspeed F1 World Champ

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    #23 gothspeed, Oct 16, 2007
    All these great 355 stories are making me think there isn't any grass on the other (360) side................ :D
     
  24. Llenroc

    Llenroc F1 Rookie
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    #24 Llenroc, Oct 16, 2007
    I bought my 355CH 5 years ago with 6500 race miles on it. I have put 13,000 on it since then(street miles) and have had no other problems other than replacing the pass. side header when first bought the car(it was leaking when I bought it). It has run flawlessly. Did the engine out 2 years ago and everything looked fine. Regards, Vern
     
  25. UConn Husky

    UConn Husky F1 Rookie

    Nov 11, 2006
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    #25 UConn Husky, Oct 17, 2007
    Awesome post, and you're absolutely right - most come here to post problems and find solutions, which is good. But reading all these 'help needed' posts can give the wrong impression that every car is doomed. I agree with the 'use it or lose it' theory on car maintenance and things breaking - cars don't age well when just sitting around and not being started. I'd rather wear out than rust out :D
     
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