355's in the mid 30's

It does??? I thought they it was on or near the equator???

 

I hate to bring this up, but there is a Trinidad, Colorado. I'm pretty sure they get snow. For the record, so EVERYBODY is clear...Which Trinidad are we talking about?

...and if I may, this is a rhetorical question!

 

+1000 ...... any car can be found at any price ....... but as you said 'you get what you pay for' ............. most on here know that ........ though some still feel that a 30k car is equal to a 60k-70k car, because it is the same 'make and model' .........

 

The Yellow 97 you provided a link for on Auto Trader is a theft recovery for one, so my guess is $35K would be a fair price. I noticed a 99 listed on Ebay for several weeks Red & Tan F1 with some bumper rash and a salvage title for $47K, I don't see anybody giving more than $35K for it either...At least it's got the original wheels on it. I'm not real big on after-market wheels on a pedigree.

Also I notice this 97 Yellow one had Tan guts. Is it safe to say the car isn't the original paint/color? I don't believe I've seen a Yellow 355 with Tan guts... A 348, yes, but not a 355. Are there any out there with anything aside from Yellow w/ Black?

 

Yes, in the mountains. For example, Morocco gets snow too (in the Atlas mountains). Been there, saw it. Thought I was in Austria for a moment

 

Possibly he was referencing Trinidad Colorado. In which it will be snowing very soon.

It's hard to say which will come first, the snow or the mid $30k 355's, but they are both coming.

 

Ferrari did produce some yellow spiders with tan, along with red, and a few with blue which probably were special ordered.

 

They must quite rare... I think it's a nice combo, but for me it has to be so from the factory. Good input. Thanks!

All the chatting has really lit me up on the 355. I think my money will ultimately be better spent on the 355 opposing the Mondial. It seems to me the Mondial market is very soft. Don't get me wrong, I think it's an amazing car, but short of the 355 no doubt.

I got a buddy biting at my ankles to use my boat slip. It's not a 80MPH that gets me from my backyard to Lucaya, Bahamas in 35 minutes but what the hell, "If your important people will wait for you!".

So this is exciting. I've narrowed it down to the 355. I'm not quite sold yet on a spider. I think a Berlinetta would be better for all purposes, but that's all flexible. How are the A/C's in the 355's? I only ask b/c Palm Beach is one humid BEAST.

I here rumors on the earlier models there is a considerable amount of problems with valves and headers. How would I determine this has been done? Is there any years that are arguably better than others?

I do prefer 6-speed box vs. F1 (partially b/c I've not driven one), but guys I'm really flexible with a lacking of knowledge. School me if you will.

Also there's a 99 355B F1 on ebay with the original wheels available. It's been on there FOREVER! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/355-GTB-F1-Yellow-Service-Records-Factory-Wheels_W0QQitemZ140342988872QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item20ad181048&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245#ht_21482wt_936

What should this one bring?

Also what is there to be said about this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995-Ferrari-F355-GTS-6-Speed-Manual-Trans-EURO_W0QQitemZ180409250576QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item2a013ab310&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245#ht_14746wt_1282


...Anybody know either of these two?

 

Trust me, did the same thing with boat and cars combo.

MB looked nice, but biggest POS I have ever owned. The pain I felt from the MB was no where near as bad as the pain you could feel from F-Car ownership. Although the 355 is a reliable F-Car, 10K miles is a lot to drive that car.

I would spend the extra on a good solid , sorted 355 and put the boat on hold. Or as someone else said, get a P-Car. Getting both at the same time will likely go from fun to fuuked in 60 seconds. Unless of course you are really lucky.

You are talking about two extremely fun toys, they are also a bit fincky and fragile.

Remember, BOAT stands for....Bust Out Another Thousand

Get what fits in the budget (with reserves!!) and enjoy.
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No its not. The first pile of crap is for sale in the back of a trailer park. No pics of the engine or interior. Wanna bet it wont pass a PPI? So even if you get it for 35k you will still have to spend 30 to 40k on it which puts us back at 70k+ and that does not include a paint job which ill bet again is needed. As for the second one..46k miles..Even with the service, ill bet it would never pass a PPI. Im sure we could search and find one for a case of beer that has gone through a compactor. If you want a nice 355 you wont find it on Ebay or craigslist. You will find it through a friend or a shop you know well. And when you do find a fine example of this beautiful flying machine, you will have to spend 70k and up. All the rest have stories. For the guy who started this thread and is now wondering which year and model 355. The best year is 95 and its a GTB. Now yes there are some draw backs to that year but once you do the valve guides and replace the headers with good headers (when I say good I mean shielded headers) then you will have the best 355 and possibly the best Ferrari ever made.

 

About 18 months ago, I bought a very low mileage car. It got passed on all points with minor exceptions in a PPI by a factory shop. The care was due for a major, so I figured $5-7,000.

Within a year: New headers, thermostat other issues and maintenance added $14,000 to the cost of the car. I did some cosmetics, which took it closer to $20k.

The car should now be good for 3-5 years at least -- of course, who knows what else can come up?

A 355 in the 30s would have to be a nightmare in waiting. My car's been gone pretty much all summer - should have done the work last winter!

Even in the worst economy and luxury car market, a 355 is more fun than 95% of the performance vehicles out there. It's worth $50-75k.

Last week I drove a 575M, thinking of adding it to have an F1 car in the garage for genteel touring. Forget it. The car is massively overpowered, there's no road feel, and the transmission is an evil joke. It shifts like a 14-year old girl who's learning to drive a manual -- unless you've got the pedal to the floor, in which case you've doubled the speed limit, with absolutely no sense of velocity in the cabin. I went from thinking "there's an undervalued piece of automotive sculptur" to concluding "there's a car that's soft where it should be tight, and tight where it should be soft." (Just like the 599) Whereas the 355 is just right. Sorry, when you take a car up to 80 or 90MPH, there should be a little bit of drama!

 

What threads like this tell us is that if you don't know what you are doing you buy big and hope you got a good deal. This board is full of low mile late model 355's in good cosmetic shape that failed leakdown tests and were not cheap. It is really good that newbies come here as a place to start their research. The knowledge here is deep. But we can't condem cheap ferraris. Really the ferrari is cheap or expensive relative to your knowledge base. It is all relative. A guy with a body shop would not be scared off by faded paint. Enginefixer would not be scared of a blown motor. The more we are educated the less unknown the cars become and only then can you get some well priced deals. I laugh at people who think they can buy one of these cars based on a snapshot PPI and a service history. Those guys are just hoping to get lucky.

 

You defintely should test drive several different Ferraris before you determine which one is for you, like the above poster's experience with the 575 and my own when I test drove a 328 before I bought my F355. The 328 was just too slow for me, it could not keep up with my wife's Honda S2000. Beautiful car, but I needed more power. The more cars you drive the more likely you are to find the one you love. Drive several F355s if that is what you really want, a well sorted one with proper cam timing will make all of the difference in comparison to one that has not been maintained and has not had the cam timing done correctly. May the horse be with you in your quest, once it gets in your blood, there is no going back.

 

It's strange that you are considering either a Mondial or the 355, talk about extremes, they are complete opposites. I own both at the moment. The 355 is like a movie star that you take out on week-ends, and the Mondial is your grocery getter. Go for the 355 and keep it manual, too many stories with F1's, although I know they can be fun. I bought a late 96' and it's the best decision I ever made, 5.2 motronics, updated valves, etc. Car runs like a Rolex, and I would not hesitate driving it 3000 miles accross the country whereas the Mondial I wouldn't. Ebay is a great place to find them, just do your homework.

 

Hey Stephane I agree it is a bit extreme. I bought an 89 Mondial which I only had for just over 2 weeks because the owner couldn't produce a clear title. I dodged a couple of bullets as I found out the guy didn't even own the car! I had put about $2K immediately in the car after buying it (New Factory Wheel, New Shift Knob, Tires, and Sunroof Repairs). I got my money back, even the repair costs and found out a week later the guy was being investigated for defrauding a lot of people. I got lucky. I got to drive a Ferrari for free basically for 2 weeks. And ultimately I wouldn't have been happy with it b/c it was a coupe.

I feel differently about the Cab & Coupe in the Mondial. Strangely enough I like the feel of the Mondial just fine and the overall difference in price initially seemed to justify the Mondial. Having had a friend with a 355 Spider, I got to love the car but hate his repair costs. Looking back on it, he bought a 95 Spider for $52K in December 2004. The car should've been around $75K right? Well it was in the shop over and over again and I have chopped that up to bad valve guides, headers, electrical issues due to an idiot installing after-market electronics, and the top. Pretty much the standard across the board problems before corrections were made.

I've decided to pursue the 355B or GTS if I can find the right one in the next month. I've got my CL500 sold I believe and a friend is loaning me an Aston Martin DB7 Convertible for a month to get me around. I may buy it until the right 355 comes up, but I'm definitely convinced 355 or nothing. I won't be impatient about this search. The Aston belongs to a very wealthy friend who'll let me have it for about $25K just to make room for another toy. Ultimately I hope to find my Stallion beforehand.

 

Wow, $25K for a DB7, I say take that and buy a $25K Mondial!! The Mondial is such a great car for little money, it is hard to resist the temptation, I should know, I've owned 8!! The 355 on the other hand, I would stay in the right price range to get a good one without serious potential issues ($55K and up even for a B). When I looked for mine, I stayed away from those "bargains", paid $68K and got a great car. One thing is for sure, it is still a buyer's market. Good luck with your search!