360 Spyder or Porsche Turbo Cab

The other day I visited my Porsche dealer and found hat the build date for the ’08 Turbo Cab I ordered is the 7th of March. This should put the car here in April or May just in time for summer. This is exciting, but also made me wonder if I was making the right decision. Yesterday on a fluke I stopped by a Ferrari dealership and test drove a 360 Spyder. I had owned a Testarossa a couple of years ago and did not like it at all as it was not an easy car to drive and seemed to have a never ending list of things going wrong. But, my first impression was that the 360 is a great car to drive and is approximately the same price as the turbo cab.

I’d assume that some on this board have had the pleasure of owning both cars. Assuming you had the choice of either, which would you choose and why? I will put about 5K miles on the car a year and have no desire to track the car. I’m a perfectionist, treat my cars with a great deal of care and do a bit of my own maintenace. The tradeoffs as I see them are: New car with warrantee vs. used with no warrantee, 4 year old vs. 10 year old technology, 480hp vs. 400 hp, the Ferrari has already taken the major depreciation hit, creature comforts are a bit better in the Porsche, Ferrari repair costs vs. Porsche (probably not a major issue on the 360), exotic vs. mass market. I drove the F1 and was very impressed with the performance. Is this transmission reliable over a 3 to 4 year expected ownership?

Any guidance in this decision will be greatly appreciated. One last thing –looked at Gallardo Spyder and just cannot warm up to the design.

 

Coming from the Porsche side of thing. One big factor about Porsches is that they no longer hold the WOW appeal it used to have years ago. Rarely will you get any pass by that will give you a thumbs up or even to take a 2 second look at you.

On the other hand having a 6 years old spider will get strangers that will make a point to stop and give you the thumbs up, I have never owned a car where 100% of people always gave me the thumbs up, never! The WOW appeal of owing a Ferrari is what really sets the difference on the external side.

As far as driving, I have not driven a 997 turbo cab so I can't comments. I am sure if the 997 turbo cab is like everything else Porsche built, then it would be reliable, easy to drive to the limit and requires very little attention and care to stay on the road.

Technically my 360 is everything I wished my 993 and 996 was, it is a true race car built for the road. Much sharper and precise than the Porsches in my opinion.

 

360 hands down. When you turn on the car it always returns the favor..lol

I know of a great 360 spider for sale by the way

 

So.....
You bought your car to have total strangers giving you a thumbs up?
Kind of like having 'the ego stroked' so to speak?
I personally don't like total strangers coming up to me at every destination....
But, this is why I went with black this time.

This is just my opinion og course.


Rick (LAgated360)

 

Getting thumbs up from a stranger was not the intended purpose for me to buy a f-car, actually turned out to be a pleasant surprise. But now I can see from first hand experience why some have bought a Ferrari.

I was basically illustrating the appeal of owning a f-car compare to a Porsche that's why I said "External side".

 

+1000

 

Having owned an 08 Gallardo Spyder and driven a 997 Porsche Turbo as well as F430, I know the F-car and Gallardo is an attention getter. Everytime I drive my Gallardo, at least 3 people would at least look or take a picture of my car. Same with F430. As for performance, Porsche is fast and has a very good handling but nothing compared to F430 or Gallardo, IMO. I know you are trying to compare the Porsche with the 360 but unfortunately I have not driven 360 yet.

 

I've owned multiple 911 Turbos and "switched" to a 360 a few years back and never once regretted the decision. I love porsches. I use a 993 cab as my daily driver and my wife drives a Cayenne S... so we've still got Porsche in our blood. I've since sold the 360 and bought a new 430 and never once regretted not getting a new 997TT. I've driven the 997TT and while a technically amazing car, it's lost everything I loved so much about my earlier 911 Turbos... extreme looks, loud and raw performance. The Ferrari gave me everything back and more, way more.

Sure, I could have bought an orange/green 911 GT3RS... but for me, the Ferrari was the right answer.

Good luck with your decision.

Frank

 

While, I understand the debate I don't see too much in common between these cars other than price and that the top goes down.

Note: I have owned both a 360 Spider and a 997TT Coupe so I think I know where I am coming from (and I'm not meaning to be critical of any prior post). Also, I would be happy to speak on the phone with you if you would like to discuss the relative merits and ownership experiences - just PM me and we can find time to talk. (I know what a big decision this is.)

Here are some thoughts:
Porsche:
- Pro: Warranty!
- Pro: Very modern technology
- Pro: Truly gas and go - no worries ever
- Pro: It's a ******** rocket. You need to drive to appreciate this
- Pro: Mileage won't impact resale the way it will on the Ferrari
- Pro: I felt really comfortable driving the car anywhere (dinner, work) etc. Didn't worry about valet much. Feel a bit different in the 360
- Con: Car will depreciate faster (IMHO)
- Con: It feels heavy and is more of a "hot rod" (again IMHO)
- Con: Sound is terrible. Ridiculous in fact. I can relay my Fabspeed on my TT experience if you want (also posted some time ago on Rennlist)
- Con: It's really didn't insipre me or get in my blood like the Ferrari
- Con: It's so fast, powerful and hooked up that I felt to really expience it you needed to drive well beyond legal limits (uncomforably so for me). I especially mention this given you won't be doing track time

360 Spider:
- Pro: It's really bad ass (IMHO)
- Pro: Sound is amazing even with stock exhaust
- Pro: I think prices are low right now and a lot of depreciation is already baked into the earlier cars (again, I'd be happy to discuss this on phone as I have recently done a ton of market research)
- Pro: Many others to list, but you get the drift
- Pro: I think it may be easier to sell when you decide to get out. Getting rid of my TT at a good number proved a little bit of an issue, but I did okay in the end
- Con: Reliability. Porsche isn't going to have many (if any) issues. This hasn't been my experience with Ferrari - especially the top on my Spider
- Con: It's 7 years older
- Con: I personally think it's a little trickier to drive (others will blast me for sure on this, but as you do so notice I just sold my Porsche to buy a Modena!)

Like I said, these are my opinions based on owning both. If you want to chat, send me a PM.

Tim

 

Good advise from all of the above, but a few other considerations for the open top enthusiest. I have an 04 360 Spider (17k mi, and an 07 Carreara S Cab. As an open-top car the Ferrari wins in all categories.
360
* No wind buffeting, hat stays on, easy to have a converstion at any spped up to 85 mph.
* Quiet with the top up. No road noise.
* Exhaust note ("X-Ost" installed) is terrific. Nothing else on earth sounds like a Ferrari.

911
* After 50 years of development Porsche still hasn't gotten the wind thing right.
* Terrible wind buffeting, hat flies off, (even with the wind flappy-thing mounted in the back sear)
* Very loud cabin with tire noise from the rear with the top up. Kinda ruins the ride and is very annoying.
* Now searching for permission to install aftermarket exhaust (wifes car!) the OEM system is pretty anemic.

Just my $02. as I have had similar thoughts on the Turbo Cab.... Saving for a 430 Spider instead.

Good luck in the search
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+2




I moved from a 996 cab to a 360 Spider but was briefly swayed toward a 997tt largely b/c of the practicalities that you mentioned. At the end of the day the 997tt was a far better car on paper, faster, warranty, newer technology, etc...but I knew it would never ever scratch that Ferrari itch. For me, the 997TT was both amazing and every day usable but the Spider is both ridiculous (in every good way) and sublime. Whenever I am in the garage I catch a peek of the 360's lines and just shake my head and laugh.

On a practical note, I had the same worries about the F1 tranny as you did and was certain it was not for me...until I drove it....then there could be no other tranny for me. My spider came with a 1 year drivetrain warranty from Ferrari which has taken some of the "worry" away. Yesterday I drove it on the track for the first time. Man it was like cheating!!!! way way way too much fun!!!

For the miles you are going to drive the car per year I say go to a Ferrari dealer and get yourself a warrantied F1 Spider....Scottsdale Ferrari still has a few

Best
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Thanks to everyone who has contributed. In the end this is not about comparing objective criteria, which makes the decision so difficult. My biggest fear is that in a year I'll be regretting not going Ferrari and be looking at a huge depreciation on the Porsche. I can see the next step to a 430 in a couple of years being easier.

 

Wow! Love those colors~

 

Having spent most of the winter not driving my ferrari I am considering getting a 997 TT at the end of this season instead of the 360. Winters can be from November to April here if we are unlucky and I like to drive a sports car in the winter too. A 997 TT with AWD makes it a great car for all seasons. So I guess it also could be dependent on where you live too. If you live in a mild climate get the 360 for sure.

 

If it was me, I'd grab a slightly used Carrera S cab. with almost full warranty and a 355 spider


That way you get the best of both worlds




Anyways, you just have to drive both and see what you like.

 

I am a huge Porsche fan and I had a modded out 02' porsche 996 C4 cab (speed yellow) GT-2 front, hre wheels blah blah blah, and then I got the ferrari bug. I sold the porsche and got a 02' 360 spider and then installed a Tubi NGT with hyper flow cats, 19 & 20 wheels, lowered, painted the brakes, blah blah blah.

Now for the comparison. The 360 is an amazing car, it is an exotic car and truely a head turner. The car is amazing on the track as well. The issue with the ferrari is that you can not just take it anywhere and park it. It attracts a lot of attention and then once in a while you will have to get the rear fenders buffed out from someone's belt buckle (my guess) that was looking at the engine bay.

The porsche is also an amazing car, but NOT an exotic. There are way to many that are used as daily drivers (south florida) and most people do not know the difference from a 99 to a 08 TT. They are very similar to most.

I love the porsche, the TT is just, well just amazing. BUT I do not think that I would pay $150k for a porsche. I am waiting for them to come down in value and then will get one when they are around $80k ish. Not now, but later Think about it, you can get a 01' TT in the $40's now. NOW that is one hell of a car for the $40's.

So I would get a 360 spider and then later get the porsche.

 

beautiful house and cars.

 

Have you considered a GT3? That would be my Porsche of choice. TT has evolved into a bloated GT luxury car. Sad, because it was once the ultimate sports car

 

personally I'm choosing between a 360 and a 996 turbo. these 2 cars have the same production years and only a little differences in power. 400 vs 420. so there is a more close competition between 360 and 996TT.
last friday i drove a 996TT and I wait to drive a 360 to see where the emotions will pilot my choice ! usually I drive my 996 carrera 4 and found the turbo with an impressive power for the d.d. in the standard roads....
but only driving cars you will make your choice !
ciao
alex

 

Its worth noting that the soft tops for both cars are made by the same people. My Boxster roof broke 3 times in my tenure, P-car soft tops are far from perfect.

The key is not getting anything obstructed which means one side will skip a gear, then the motor will fail on that side and subsequently so will the other since it now has to lift the whole roof.

Now 355 spider roof - that really is an exercise in hope that it might go up again when you put it down.

 

well after buying a new boxster s in '03 and selling it 9mos later, I discovered I did not like cabs..... so I made the move to the porsche coupe and have been pleasantly satisfied with a 996tt for the past 3 yrs. I recently purchased a 360 modena 3-4mos ago and can agree with what others have been saying about the attention thing. I already have 2 older ferrari's and I thought I was used to the attention but the attention a modern ferrari receives is almost ridiculous and annoying would be an understatement. so keep in mind that you will not be able to drive the 360 everywhere like you could the tt. even though i want to drive the 360, at times I won't a take the porsche instead because of the attention.

eg. today we tried out a new church and of course wanted to be as low key as possible - drove over in the suburban the tt would've been too flashy

and yeah, the 360 has yada, yada, yada ponies but there is NOTHING like the way you get slung into your seat with the twin turbos spooling up. for that reason, i don't think i could ever own a non-turbo'd Porsche. kinda like crack

 

That's funny, I was thinking about taking the 360 to church today..... took me about 30 seconds to decide to take the Rover instead.

 

I've owned a series of Porsches over about 20 years. The natural progression was for me to buy a turbo cab and as luck would have it, my local dealer had an available car which was the launch car; the first one they were to receive. I contracted to buy it without knowing all the specs but with the understanding I could eject if the specs weren't to my liking. Lo and behold the car showed up with a tiptronic but the specs were otherwise right on. List was about $141,000. I was assured by the dealer that the tips had improved dramatically (they could only have) and so I continued with the transaction subject to a test drive. To say the tiptronic isn't ready for prime time is the understatement of the year. The first time I upshifted I literally thought I had missed the button, it was that slow. The sound was anemic, I thought. Sort of like a vacuum cleaner on steroids. Fit and finish were excellent, sound system just ok (still no satellite radio) and a few other minor gripes. But I remained in the game. I withdrew from the transaction for the tip car but still agreed to buy a car with a 6-speed leaving my deposit in place. No dice. All the rest of the production was sold out and although they said they'd likely get additional allocation, I found myself wondering why I would wait around like a guy that couldn't find a prom date waiting for a nice girl to decide to go with him at the last minute when the football players hadn't called. Especially since they wanted full sticker price.

So I investigated Ferraris further having always wanted one. I bought a 2004 360 Spider F1 with 5200 miles and haven't looked back. The steering is more surgically precise than the Porsche's IMO. There's plenty of power for anything I'd ever want to do (no track.) The fit and finish are lovely. The sound. Well, you know. The experience of buying at Ferrari of Atlanta was just excellent in every respect. And although my Ferrari will no doubt depreciate over the coming years, I doubt it will be as dramatic as a new Porsche. Again, just my opinion. I would say that I would not be inclined to use the Ferrari as a daily driver, not because of its temperament but because there's always the possibility some jerk will key the side. I expect maintenance to be a bit more than the Porsche but accepted that as part of the deal, if you will. Like a boat or an airplane, these machines require routine maintenance.

Sorry to be long-winded. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about Porsche (except for the dreadful tiptronic transmission) nor about the dealers with whom I've dealt who share my frustration in not being able to get product to sell. My experience with Ferrari is obviously not a long-time one. But I can say that if the first few months are any indication, it's going to be a long love affair.

 

Oh, but the Tiptronic will land you marginally faster 0-60 times, don't you know?







I'd never take a tiptronic, but then, I'd never take an F1 either.

 

So I think at this point the OP has gotten plenty of guidance on his question. I dealt with the exact same question a year ago, I'd been waiting for the TT Cab to be released, and a co-worker of mine had an '02 360 Modena with 692 miles on it that he finally decided to sell. The selling price was almost identical to the TT, so I bought the 360 and cancelled the cab. I've NEVER had a moment of regret. Separately, I have an '06 M5 as my daily driver, which I'll probably be looking to replace in about 18 months. With that background, here's my question: I'm thinking of getting a Porsche to use as the daily driver, probably don't want to spend for the TT, thinking of maybe trying out a Cayman S or Carerra S, would consider buying something used, low miles with some warranty left. That would be in addition to the 360 which I intend to keep. I'm interested in thoughts and reactions. As an aside, I don't consider most cars to be a lifetime commitment. I'm perfectly at ease with trying something for a bit and if I don't like it after a couple of years, roll into something else. Probably the only other thing I'd consider is a newer M5, because the car is THAT good...