Considering an F355 as a daily driver - is this a realistic possibility?

1. In my opinion an F355 that is driven regularly will cost less to maintain then a car that sits in a garage. Cars are meant to be driven. Do not drive in rain popup lights are prone to stop working if driven in rain.
2. Oil change every 6 months if a daily driver.
3. I like 6 speed, but if you live in a city maybe an F1 would better.
4. depends on the year and mileage, headers, interior items gets sticky (we got Robbie who can help with that), 30k service.
5. Look for 98 or 99; I think that Ferrari pretty much solved most issues by those years, with no more than 30k miles 1 owner car
6. 2 things are pitfalls 1: you bought a 2000 360 Modena last year for $200,000 and its $100,000 today. 2: Accidents

 

I am far and away not the foremost Ferrari expert but after owning 6 Corvettes ('90 conv., '71 conv., 82' CE, '91 ZR-1, '05 Z51, '05 conv.) I decided that a change would feel good. I slapped a for sale sign on my '05 convertible (it's still for sale BTW) and bought a '97 F355 Spider. It's not as fast as my Corvette but it's a different driving experience totally and I like it.

1. There are daily driven Ferraris out there but my question is how much money do you have? If you don't perform your own belt services and oil changes and your car has a looming 30k major that you have to save for you might find that operating the Ferrari is a $3/mile proposition. I drive mine 2000 miles per year and try to start it at least once per month in the winter months when it doesn't see the road.
2. I'll let other people with more experience than I answer this question.
3. YMMV. I like the spider. My car came with an aftermarket exhaust (Tubi). I found an original muffler for it and put it on but I didn't like the sound as much as when it had the Tubi on it so I switched it back.
4. The leather covered dash shrinks over time with too much sun exposure. The HVAC panel also melts/bubbles. You *WILL* drag the nose of the car on a driveway incline which will really piss you off. The exhaust manifolds are prone to cracking.
5. I'm not aware of one.
6. This may also vary. You get mobbed any time you stop anywhere. I stopped to get gas once and got blocked in by people stopping to see the car. Idiots race up to you and someone hanging out the passenger window takes a picture of your car with a cell phone camera. Other idiots race up to you and then bounce their engine off the limiter a couple of times before driving away at high speed -- I guess thinking that I will chase them. I take great pleasure in not chasing them.

Wallace

 

I wouldn't suggest it...... (Former Vette owner)

 

When I first bought my 355 I was so enamored of it I used it as a daily for almost a year.

I know thats not a lot of time to base a conclusion on, but I had no problems that put the car in the shop (the convertible top rarely worked though) . I took the car from ~9k to ~17k miles in that time.

However maintenance is very expensive and the more miles you drive the more maintenance you will need and that will add up faster than most cars.

As others have said...you will scrape the nose, you will get sticky plastic parts, your leather will pull away...but none of that keeps you from driving it.

 

I went from a 1995 Corvette Convertible daily driver (DD) to a 348 spider dd. The first thing that you'll notice is visibility. The Corvette's engine in front really does block a large amount of your view.

Put the engine behind the driver and that view improves greatly!

I've put a lot of miles on my 348 in 3.5 years of daily road driving, weekend tracking, and drifting. I had considered the 355, but because I'm in a remote location I needed a Ferrari with as little complexity as possible to keep my personal maintenance down.

So I couldn't justify the 355's power seats, power top, power shocks, power steering, air bags, F1 tranny, etc. Great car, just not a perfect fit for my location/situation.

But...the Corvette had some advantages in ground clearance and plastic body (e.g. over rough roads or roads getting fresh asphalt). Surprisingly, the 348 has a better engine cooling system than the Vette, so it actually handles rush hour traffic better.

Daily driving is no problem for the Vette, but your Ferrari is going to whine about your short stop-n-go trips; expect more maintenance and cleaning.

Can you drive a 348/355 daily? Absolutely. It's just a question of money/effort/time to keep her in top shape while you do so. Beats letting such a beautiful beast just sit and rot in some closed garage, I say.

Is that experience Honda-like...just get-in-and-go every day? No. You'll find yourself using a trickle charger and smelling for fuel and hitting your cats with thermal temp lasers and checking your oil every day, for instance...things that a Honda won't see. Ever.

It's a lot of fun, though. Why not?! Life's too short to bore yourself into your tomb.

 

I'd consider a 348 for a daily driver, but that 355...it's a very repair and maintenance intensive hog. Call any Ferrari parts store and they will tell you that 355s provide their LIVING.

 

Ah I forgot about my trickle charger...

Its funny...having now owned and sold a 355 Im more inclined to go back to a 348 or 328 before i would go to a 360.

 

1. I've been driving mine for 2 years now and can't imagine not driving it. I do however switch between that and a BMW depending on the weather.
2. In the 2 years I've driven it (bought it used with 17K on it) I've put on approx 12K miles. I've changed the oil regularly, had to replace a throw out bearing, painted the front bumper twice due to rock chips and scrapes and replaced my cats.
3. I've owned a number of vehicles but none excited me as much as my 355 Spider - 6 speed (required).
4. Front bumber will probably need to be repainted (if your particluar) due to scraping.
5. Spider and 6 Speed (sorry but both IMO are necessary)
6. Don't have two.

While it seems there are things that will be required of you to keep it in good condition - its all well worth it.

The worst thing that could happen is ......I guess I can't think of anything.

Go for it. Doubt you'll be disappointed.

Jeff

 

They're all good, just different trade-offs and rewards. I love the Euro 308's for speed/simplicity/price...dig the 360 interiors and performance, etc. If you don't like the 360's rounded look then the 355 would get you close to that performance while keeping most of the classic Ferrari wedge shape...and the 348 keeps that same general look while simplifying the experience even further.

Right now FatBillyBob is going to a 550! I looked at some 550's and 575's, but the thought of me personally maintaining the extra 4 cylinders (et al) kept my check book in my pocket each time. That back seat in the 456 has tempted me, too. I've got two kids, so when I want to take them on an ICEE run I've got to stuff them into my Porsche instead of the 348. Bummer!

 

Take my advice, don't do it as a DD....

The maintenance will cost you a vette in a year. Especially if you get the wrong car..

Of course if you don't mind that then hey "pull the trigger"

 

Pictured here is a brand new timing belt that was recently replaced on a F355 without removing the engine. Obviously the fuel tank had to be removed. Completing this part of the 30K service without pulling the engine saved the owner a nice little chunk of change (about $5K I believe). My friends Ezio & Roberto Roselli of San Jose, Ca who repair all type of Farraris did this job and the owner was ecstatic at the final price, especially when compared to the other shops that quoted him for the work. I think before you buy a F355 locate a good service shop (if you haven't already) that knows what they are doing and chat with them about the car.

At any rate regardless of any maintenance "issues" I say go for it buy a F355 for a daily driver and just drive it, maintain it, and enjoy it. If one can afford it life is too short not too! One problem that I personally would have in driving such a beautiful car like the F355 every day is that I would worry way too much about having her beautiful lines dented & dinged by idiots in public parking lots/garages ect....who don't seem to care and appreciate a fine piece machinery let alone a piece of rolling art. Just my 2 cents worth.
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i tried it for a year and 8k miles. i really wanted it to work too. in the end, i still have the 355, but i had to buy a 911. just not a good daily driver.

 

Interesting. Do you have any more info on this? How many hours involved for complete job?

 

That topic is best for another thread. Trust me there is controversy involved.

 

I don't know that I'd recommend a Ferrari to someone on a tight budget. Definitely more of a luxury than necessity. Tires?! My Pirellis last 10,000 miles of street driving. My Kumhos...much less on the track and skidpad.

Can you wrench on these cars yourself? Absolutely. Ferraris were entirely hand-built up through the 348 (i.e. everything on the car bolts on, unscrews off), went to robotic welding on the 355, then progressively automated more on each newer series.


For a ballpark figure, you will *never* drive a Ferrari for less than a $1 per mile over the long run. Pretty easy math if you are driving it 17,000 miles per year. I'm personally about double that at this point, even though I do all of my Ferrari maintenance myself.

 

do a search on 30k major service and you will find a lot of threads with the cost and what is involved. long story short, if you are driving 15K miles a year, be prepared to spend some $$ every year. In fact, go ahead and open up a separate bank account in your Ferrari's name lol.. and put $10,000 in there. FYI a major service will run around $8,000. Unless you are made of money, having an Fcar as a daily driver is NOT a good idea, just a FUN idea!

 

Seems like taking a super model in a cocktail dress everywhere you go.

I think if you treat it as a dd, then pretend it's a normal car. Don't fret over door dings, where you park, whether it rains or snows. But even then, it'll still be awkward putting 5 Safeway bags in the trunk...

Kai

 

IMHO the worst thing about making any Ferrari a daily driver is not the maintenance cost, the door dings, rock chips, scraping the bumper, etc. - it is the risk of losing the appeal of having that special car. I used mine (348) as a DD the first year I had it - since then I have toned it down and I now look forward to weekend drives in it again.

 

Buy a Honda Accord and a F355 and use it as a Semi-Daily...

Win-Win Alternative. Life is all about balance and is too short not to have a Ferrari...

 

I agree with half of this statement

Life is short, and if a Ferrari is your dream AND you can afford it without too much risk, you must go for it. I drive my 355 all the time - today to work, gym for lunch, picked up my daughter and headed to Walmart after work (to buy a few 250 GTO Hot Wheels of course ) But on the non-Ferrari days I'd rather walk than having to settle for a Honda Accord! (yes that includes snow or rain) Pick up a used STi for $20k, AWD 300hp, great daily driver all season.

 

You've made the right choice!

As much as I'd like to use my F355 as a daily (and I did for a stretch), it just didn't work out. I still put lots of miles on the weekends, and on certain Fridays.

When you do, the F355 will still be as beautiful, and special.

 

I've had 308 carb, mondial cab, 348 later turned into full raccar. Currently 550 + C5 Z06 just turned into a full racecar.
No ferrari is daily streetable because they break until you get them sorted. Then when sorted you have to deal with things that cannot be fixed like nose scraping everywhere and car taking off in lanes because the streets are just crappy with potholes around here and the thing is so small you can't put anything in it. By far the best thing I ever did was convert the 348 into a full racecar. I had more fun in 10 years with that as a racecar than anything else and I am tempted to get another one if I only had a place to keep another car. The Z06 racecar just does not feel like the ferrari. It is plenty fast but when you drive it you say to yourself, "I should be having fun and I think I am having fun" but you are really not sure. I always got a smile from the Z06 when it was a streetcar too but something was lacking. Once you had Ferrari you are ruined for life. The nose heavy feel of the Z06 makes the experience numbing. Perhaps it is something about midengine cars and maybe that's why there are devote Pbug nuts who just love how they can manhandle that 911 rearengine and make that car do things it should not be able to do.

Now the 550 is a completely different story and I suspect the 456 too which is why I was looking at them because my Z06 is now a racecar and I needed a streetcar and I wanted a Ferrari I could live with. The 550 feels like a cross between the vette numb nose heaviness and the spirit of ferrari I got out of the midengine cars. It is a great street balance and you have more space for stuff and you can enter a parking lot and hit a speedbump just like a normal car. What a concept.

FWIW the 348 guys always claim the 348 is more gokart like and the 355 is numb with powersteering but a nice motor. If you are considering these cars drive both 348 and 355. 360's are in the C6Z06 price range now.