LOL I'm sure glad you said it... Out of your mouth FBB and to God's ears. I fear that you are underestimating the 355, which is a seriously superior performance car to the 348, despite our cracks. It's just a seriously expensive-to-maintain seriously superior performance car. BTW, we brothers miss you dude - get another 348 and come back to the fold. Think of the money you will save on gas at the track! You know there are cheap challenge cars out there just waiting for you. Heck, you can rebuild them so who cares if they need help?
Well I want more speed with less work. So 348's are out and that means 355's or 360's. I passed on a few 355's and a 360C. My problem is owning the Z06 and being able to lap faster than my 348 racecar with only sticky tires on the Z06. So since I could not find a ferrari to track I ruined a perfectly good Z06 with 7k miles and my rollcage is about 1/2 welded so far. Sadly the 360C is no match for the Z06 in nearly stock trim and the 355 does not stand a chance being a few seconds slower than the 360. So now I can drive my old laptimes at a cruiser pace with A/C on and drink in my cupholder or kick it up a notch. I'm building this Z06 racecar for SCCA T1/NASA ST2 which is basically all stock and a rollcage including a full interior. As for Ferrari's I'm looking for a 456GT. IMO it is the best looking Ferrari with the best package of compromises for a streetcar but that is the opinion of a middle aged guy.
Actually, I really think the 348 will win in the end and the 348ss and TB will be the biggest winners. The 355 has some flaws that will get worse as the fleet ages. Even the 348 gearbox issues are sporadic and appear no where to be mileage dependent. Plus the gearbox issues are preventable and fixable even if a blow up happens and "YOU" can fix it. I think the biggest future dogs with 355F1's. The 75hp difference can evaporate with the few engine and exhaust issues. 348's can run any exhaust even straight pipes! The 150lb of downforce at 120mph has no practical use in a streetcar. Both the 348 and the 355 will be semi-driven garage queens mostly owned by waxer/polishers and since these versions for Ferrari are so far behind the general auto performance curve the word performance will not have alot of meaning in terms of resale anymore than we care what a Dino put out in 1972. Well in 15 years we will see.
I don't know FBB the 355 is a better looking car and more refined in handling and shifting and the cars that have had their headers and guide issues resolved will be fine as they age. Don't get me wrong I loved my SS the 7 yrs I owned it but the 355 just seems to be a better car. Like you said we'll see what happens 15 years down the road. (although you could be right on the SS version) Also I look at the Boxers as an example, they just finally started to go up in value being in that 75000.00 range for a long time and they are 8x as rare as the 348 and far more unique. If anything the 348 will be like the 308s and sit a certain level for a very long time, if you think about it why would they ever be more collectble/wanted than a 308 is now(they have been a 30,000.00 car for almost 20 years). Anyway just thoughts, Regards, Vern
Nice to see such optimism. We'll see how the Ferrari market pans out with our economy going the way it is. I wouldn't buy a 360 any time soon! I would however buy another 328. The 328 market still seems solid.
Collectable? no. I just said one day a 348 will be more desireable than the 355. In 2030 the kid who was 10 will remember the TR as THE Ferrari and the 348 is part of that lineage and looks the part. The 355 while no doubt an improved version will be like the 328 but with crappy mechanicals. The 348 will always be a driver's car and I expect model year for model year more miles to be on a 348. This is just one guys opinion. I have no 348 nor a 355 so I have no dog in this hunt.
Dude, you missed the rest of his post - he wants a 456GT! The man is clearly delusional from too much saturated fat fried foods - esp. chicken. I know for a fact that the real reason FBB prefers the Z06 to the 348 is that it better fits his rotund frame and the extra torque from the GM V-8 works alot less harder to tow him around the track. BTW, the 456 is the best value for the buck in the V12 world. I was tempted before the SS came along, but then I sobered up. FBB, do you remember all the hype about bronze valve guides? Well, the 456 has 48 of them! The question is, "Would you buy a hooker with a coupon or pay full freight for a call girl?"
You sir, are a very smart, observant, intelligent, and astute individual. The 348 IS one of the best looking Ferraris ever made, second only to the 308 series IMHO. The newer they get, the more they look like jellybeans. As FBB states, you CAN actually work on these cars with confidence, as long as you have some former experience in mechanics, aren't afraid to ask questions from someone that has first hand experience with Ferraris, and take the time to do things the correct way. And yes, I'm a 348 people and yes, I am very cool.
348 ='s first of the modern day ferrari's...i love my 1990 model TB will never sell...my AMG komp E55 beats most more modern F-Cars so no need to upgrade
Don't forget the oil pump chain tensioner fun when blowing the bulletproof 348 horn http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=178593&highlight=348+chain+tensioner
That is an easy fix and a fairly rare failure. It does happen. When was the last time you heard of a 348 failing its PPI due to bad compression leakdown test? You take your poison your way. I'll take mine my way. All I can tell you is after many years of owning as a streetcar and years of racing as a caged racecar, I never paid the Ferrari tax.
I have put 2000 miles on my 348 in the past 30 days!!! "LOVE'EN IT" just does not cover the feeling....
348's are great, they too have flaws like the 355's, but when you consider all things, these cars are awesome, and who cares what they "might" be worth in a year, 2 years or 10 years. I brought my car as it was always a dream to own one for as long as i can remember and in that dream i was always driving. I feel sorry for the people that have these great cars and keep them locked in the garage in case one day the value on a "low miles" example might rise 10k. I know i will not get back what i paid for mine, but if i loose 40k at least i have had plenty of enjoyment and memories that money will never be able to replace. Drive your cars, who cares what they are worth.
It's a case of supply and demand, simple as that. Come to think of it its not just Ferrari's! Any half decent motor is much more expensive over here. (Including Porsches, lambos etc).
Right on brother! You are only here once (This ain't a dummy run, no good being the richest man in the grave yard).
HA! These discussions always get conveniently biased. It's easy for the crowd to say how the valve guides and headers will keep down 355 value. The ignored facts are that you can buy a late '98 or '99 and have no valve guide issues, and I fixed the header issue with a gorgeous aftermarket piece with a lifetime warranty for $2400. And the F1 is always picked on, yet it's much more reliable than the 348 gearbox!!!! I just don't want any future owners to search and read a thread like this and get a biased opinion. Each model has potential issues and thanks to the guys on Fchat all have much cheaper than OEM fixes. Whatever you drive, enjoy every mile!!!
