Help me decide on a 355

Coincidence... I also have a 70 454 Stingray Coupe (Blue Metalic) and just added a 348 GT-S to my garage last month..

Cheers,
R

 

Wow, after reading this I have to admit that I am somewhat offended by this post Jordan.
I took the entire day to show you the car, drove 135 miles each way with the car to have it taken to the best mechanic on this side of the US for a PPI which passed (Karl even advised me not to sell at $54K as it was a steal). I had you drive my car 45 miles on the way back (knowing you never drove a Ferrari beforehand), took you out on a race track with me as the driver at full speed. All the while the car never once acted up, smoked, overheated, leaked anything, smelled, made any noises, or anything, in very unfriendly climate I might add. We cleared the code from the cat sensors, everything checked out Ok including the oil temp, no warning lights were on. Basically a problem free car with full service history.
I have owned 16 Ferraris, had membership with the FCA for over a decade, never once sold or bought a "bad" Ferrari as everyone here that know me on this forum can also testify to including the Lambo group. Karl and I bent over backwards to introduce you to Ferrari ownership with a really good chance at a great car and now you think I am selling a potential "project"? Your admitting to a single oil change on your 996 in 7 years leads me to believe that the F355 is just not a car for you. I think I will give another guy this opportunity, this car deserves it. Hope you had a nice flight.

 

Ouch!

 

Umm, Stephane, so what is the deal with those codes? The response was harsh I felt considering the OP's inquiry.

 

Hyperflow cats trigger those codes from 02sensors. Simple common reaction with 355's, thousands of posts on that issue. Still worth the investment when you see what it does to the sound and HP. "Harsh" if I was trying to sell a project car, far from it.

 

Not even an American heavy metal V8..... IMHO

 

Wow, sounds like a very motivated buyer, flying out to personally inspect the vehicle, validating its condition and price and willing to forgo the leakdown/compression check. I had the same questions about mine when I purchased it, just part of the process IMO.

 

Tire kickers everywhere.

 

Flying anywhere to look at a car is hardly a tire kicker....

 

I know the interior parts are first class in that car!!!!!!

 

Stephane is a stand up guy that doesn't want to risk his reputation on selling someone a
" project car ". Just do yourself a favor a buy the car, you will be more then happy with it and probably sell the vette. LOL

 

If I may, I'd like to add my 2 cents here...

Being an owner of *two* 355s, one 1995 and one 1999, each with aftermarket catalytic converters, I must inquire about the suggestion that the occurrence of error codes as a result of having installed aftermarket catalytic converters is *normal.*

Let's talk 5.2 Motronic here since the car in question is a 1996. The system *initially* may throw on Check Engine lights because it hasn't before seen such parameters, and it needs to learn them. Over just a few engine cycles, though, the Motronic should learn the parameters for the new catalytic converters, and the Check Engine lights should never again reappear for that reason.

I have *zero* Check Engine lights on either of my 355s. And yes, the lights work just fine. Initially, I did have a Check Engine light on my 5.2 Motronic shortly after installing the aftermarket catalytic converters. But the light never again came back after it was cleared after a few driving cycles.

So the *recurrence* of a Check Engine light that indicates an oxygen sensor problem may be an indication of something else. In that scenario, a different problem or a set of different problems may exist.

Either way -- this is not a huge deal. To the original poster -- this issue can be easily figured out by any Ferrari expert who has experience with the 5.2 Motronic system. Since you say you live in NY, I have the just the guy for you if you're interested. He's a real 355 professor.

I've already sent a PM to Jordan to tell him I know where he can find a pair of OEM catalysts. Everybody can be happy

 

Dave,

Thanks for the input. this makes a lot of sense because this would be the second time I just reset the cycle and the light has not come back on right after as it has the first 2 times. So maybe the 5.2 system has finally learned it as you call it. This is great stuff, I learned a lot about my car this week-end. This is why I love F-chat. Thanks again everyone.

 

Normal.

Idle is nothing to be concerned about, but it should be pretty rock-steady at ~950 rpm when warm. If it's bouncing and you're not getting a code for anything related, it's possible you need a throttle body sync, and it wouldn't hurt to check out the throttle position sensor.

Those are the efficiency codes. The easiest fool proof method of dealing with it is to pick up a cheap set of generic cats from Summit Racing or elsewhere, and pop them in temporarily to reg/inspect the car. You can always put the hyperflows back in afterward, the CEL will eventually not trip, though the codes will continue to be stored.

Alternatively you can muck around with some of the "simulators" and bent chunks of pipe for the secondary sensors, but it's generally not worth the trouble when you can just temporarily "fix" it with $200 worth of cheap cats.

 

I agree

 

Thanks for all that input. I now feel a lot better about my car although I never doubted it, hence put it back up on the market. Now that I know there are non-issues, someone will get a fantastic car afterall.

 

Stephane,

To me it does not appear he is trying to offend you or was disappointed. The guy is obviously new to Ferrari ownership and it appears that he just wanted to get another opinion on what everyone felt with some things he noticed. I know that when I buy my 355, I am going to post my own questions and concerns on the car I am looking at on here, strictly to do my own due diligence and learn more.

I just wanted to dispel any harsh feelings. I wouldnt want a deal going sour over this if I was the buyer.

 

When I sell a car I like the buyer to be correctly informed regarding any concerns they have, if I was selling a Ferrari I would direct the buyer to Ferrarichat to get independent advice regarding the potential purchase.

Its a process we see a few times a week here. If you have a good car to sell (and I don't doubt for a second this is a good car based on the OP) let the buyer ask the questions, they will satisfy themselves and make a decision based on there findings.

Situation normal as far as the OP is concerned (IMO)

 

I had CEL issues with hyperflows.

In a nutshell, if Karl did the PPI and called it a good car - particularly if he told the seller not to sell at that price - you'd be a fool NOT to buy the car before he wakes up and realizes what he is doing!

 

Well, not exactly. I actually recommended F-chat to the buyer well before he even test drove my car as I wanted him to be as informed as I was when I bought my first Ferrari long ago. What offended me is that all those minor "issues" were resolved and cleared by myself and Karl who did the PPI before I drove him back to the airport. Second guessing Karl who happens to be one the best in the industry with the implications that my car may be a "project" was a blow to my integrity in a nutshell.
I am not a dealer, and I am not broke. This is not a distress sale, and I am not selling bad inventory to meet my monthly "sales". I looked at dozens of 355's before picking mine, and I won't let anyone call it as such. Buyer or not.

 

Sounds like it should be a sale. Buy it already!

 

First I would like to say thank you to both Stephane and Jordan for travelling quite a distance to come meet at my shop last saturday. We are not open on weekends but that is the least I can do for the trust that has been put in me.
I have worked on many cars for Stephane and have NEVER had an unpleasant experience. He 's as honest as anyone can be and he knows his cars well. He knows a creampuff from a piece of junk and he would never buy or sell a piece of junk. He also knows that I would never lie TO him (or anyone else) and therefore I would never lie FOR him.
I have had 8 355s in my shop over the last 4 months (2 are still there) and none of them come close to the condition of Stephane's car, inside or out.
The car never let out a puff of smoke, during coldstart, hotstart, accel. or deccel.
The only true concern Jordan seems to have is the CEL due to the high flow cats.
I also have to say that most tirekickers don't buy plane tickets to check out a car.
I hope that Jordan can find a solution that will satisfy his needs to make the car legal in NY as far as the emission system is concerned so he can get to enjoy this truly fine example of a 355. They are starting to get less and less.

Karl Troy