355 Gurus: I need buying info for a 355

No Daytona seats... A quick search in this section and you will answer 90% of your questions. A 348 AND a 355? Awesome!!!

 

ok...

well... it looks like no one else has said it... but do a search...

this has been covered eleventy BILLION times.

But here is a recap:

95's: more desriable to some because of OBD1 computers, have been deemed "faster" However, they could have valve guide issues which is PRICEY to say the least
96's: same issues with valve guides. OBDII computers...
97's: I think F1 came... pretty rudementary, but still popular. F1's tend to eat clutches faster. F1s will smoke clutches backin up hills in reverse. or just reversing too much in general. However, i do THINK that valve guides are less of an issue
98's" less of an issue if any issue on the valve guide deal
99's: Last year, Very cool (at least to me) Fiarono package becomes availble on last XXX spyders.


All- suffer from expensive engine out services that will run about 8k and up. This is recomended to be done about every three years (belts) some will argue 5 years. All years suffer from cracked exhaust manifolds. All factory exhaust manifolds on 355s will crack. Even if they were just replaced. You have to go aftermarket to correct the problem. All years suffer from "sticky" interiors. Some of the surfaces in the interior that are black tend to melt and become sticky. You either strip them of this coating, get carbon fiber, or buy new stuff only to have it happen again. Convertibles will obviously be more suseptible to this. Also, eyeball the dash boards for shrinkage... no not because its cold (sorry couldn't resist) but because the heat tends to warp and shrink the leather on the dash often costing thousands of dollars to replace or re-wrap.

last but not least... always always always get a PPI.

Well,

I haven't owned a ferrari yet, but I have been lurking on these message boards and this is what I have learned. Everyone feel free to correct what ever errors I have made....


But basically... i pretty much sumed up the search for you, and what everyone else on the board is going to tell you. Guys, if i left anything out... sorry...

 

Great decision on getting a 355................!!! Most f-cars have issues some more than others but all fixable.. ! Health of the motor is the first thing I look at, then chassis and interior 'condition' are next.......... good luck with your search ... :!!!

 

Don't believe the hype with F1 trans cars... They have been proven much more reliable then most will believe. My mechanic says he has problems with 360 F1 cars tenfold over 355F1 cars...

Not ALL exhaust manifolds will crack---not true..I know cars with 40K miles on them and have never had an exhaust manifold issue. This is a POTENTIAL problem with ALOT of cars--Not always and not every...

Spiders are not more susceptible to sticky interiors..Some will tell you the sticky interior is a result of wiping down with certain products. I believe it is the sun that does it, but some cars I have seen have no sticky interiors and 20k miles om them.


Not any one problem will effect every car...Some cars have alot of these problems, others have hardly none..I believe it has alot to do with how the car is taken care of and how it is driven over the years...

 

This info is close...
95-96 cars appear to have more valve guide issues than later cars. The problem was largely (but not completely) solved by mid 1998 when the factory switched to the sintered steel valve guides.

Most of the other info I will agree with. I soak my dash in Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil three times per year, and no shrinkage or cracking yet!

 

JT,

Without addressing the essential subject of your thread, I would like to inform you that when I was living in Scottsdale for a few months recently, I saw a red/tan 1995 F355 Spider (6-speed obviously) at the Toyota dealership on McDowell Road.

I saw it in December-January-ish. It was owned by the General Manager of the Toyota dealer. The car had about 6,000 miles. I don't know if it has yet been sold. Anyway, I went to see the car and noticed that the clutch had some oil leaking from it. Additionally, the date of the last major service was a mystery to the owner himself. But I point out the car because I think it might be a very good prospect for you because these issues certainly aren't dealbreakers. The car seemed to be in very nice physical condition; so considering these typical mechanical issues, you may be able to knock the price down a bit if the car is still available. If it's still available, I would recommend going to take a look at it. You may consider asking Alex Traverso in North Scottsdale to perform the PPI for you.

 

DITTO. My '95 GTB has 58,500 km (36,350 mi) and no sticky interior or shrinking dash. Only minor problem is the air cond. control face has bubbled a little. Since buying it a month ago, I've applied sumptuous amount of leather conditioner.

 

Time for a overlay replacement!! I have done 8 of them in the last 2 months...

 

The only thing I know as an F355 owner is not to make a blanket statement about F355 or any particular years. Individual cars are different, so do your due diligence, and you should be able to own a well sorted example of the best looking modern V8. All I know from my experience is, not all 95s have bad guides and not all 98s are good.

Before I bought my F355, I did what you all did. I Read too much into the stuffs on this forum. That's not the worst thing to do, but just know that stuffs that are on here are not the bible when it comes to F355 or any other F-cars for that matter. Tons of the stuffs here about F355 were not even coming from F355 owners, LOL. The other thing is, people tend to post here, when they had problems with their car. And like everything else, the negatives always get exposed more than the positives.

My 1995 F355 with 23k miles plus is running with original valve guides and headers. When my indy did compression test prior to my engine out at 21K miles, the results were good, and the guides are fine. I have since saw with my own eyes, two more 95s, one with 31K miles and the other with 60k, yes, sixty thousands miles with original guides. 60k is probably as high as what Ive seen when it comes to these cars, but that one was also had its original guides. So, take it
for what it's worth.

Even, if the guides are going to go bad, the cost is not that bad. Once the engine is out, a competent independent should be able to do it for an additional $4-6K more. Which is slightly less than an engine out service cost. But honestly, if $4-6K for service is a lot for you, no offense, this car is out of your league.

 

very well said. 355's are great.

 

HAHA!!!