Hello, First post - I'm a new subscriber with potential interest in a 355 Berlinetta, manual transmission. I'm a long-time Alfisti, Alfa Romeo owner, and Alfa racer (and AlfaBB member). I built my own Alfa full out race car from high mile donor car, and do all mechanical race car work and maintenance myself. Daily drivers are modern German stuff. Anyway, I'm mechanically inclined and competent, though without specific Ferrari knowledge. I have always been a Ferrari fan and am trying to convince my wife that it is time to check off Ferrari ownership and experience on my bucket list ;-) My specific interest is in the 355, and my preference is for a Berlinetta with manual transmission. I'm not a convertible guy and prefer the stiffness of a coupe as I'm looking to maximize handling and driver experience. The reason for preferring the manual transmission is less complexity and the basics of driving. The car would be for weekend runs with my 7 year old son or wife. I was hoping that you can point me to threads on, or list here, what to look for, typical failure items, pitfalls, and problem areas when purchasing a used 355. I would also be interested in suggestions for professionals to hire to perform a pre-purchase inspection - I'm in South Orange County, CA. Additionally, any suggestions for good sources of used 355 are appreciated. I didn't see a for-sale section on FerrariChat - apologies if I just missed it... (just getting used to the site) Thanks, Jes
First: Good luck on the search for a 355.. Second: Use the search option in the upper right and you'll find more info than you need... As for a PPI post in the S. Cal section, someone will be able to help you... P.S. Welcome to F-chat!!!
Since you're in Southern Orange County you might want to try Cavallo Motorsports in Carlsbad - ask for Chris and tell him I said "Hi". They did a couple PPIs for me and were very thorough. I won't take my 355 anywhere else.
Feel free to PM me. We can talk about the 355 and what my experience has been. Also, I am located in South OC.
Thanks all for the suggestions and welcome. I did a search as suggested and have noted the valve guides, headers, and irrelevant for me: F1 transmission and convertible top to be main issues. Any ideas in what $ range I can get a solid, well maintained, low miles manual 355 Berlinetta? As long as valves and headers are updated I'm not too concerned about year. Should I be? I would obviously prefer one with recent major service, as I'm sure it costs an arm and a leg. I have seen price from $50k to $70+k, but have not yet gone to see any - want to do my home work first. Jes
Welcome aboard and you've picked a GREAT first Ferrari. Don't let the forum chatter scare you away- I think MOST 355 owners who have found good clean well maintained cars have experienced very good reliability, excellent performance and very little downside. You can find early 355's for as little as $45K and late models for as much as $80K- it seems to me that a very tidy 98-99 355 Berlinetta with less than 20,000 miles is still a $60K proposition- especially in a desirable color. If you're OK with rolling the dice on an ebay car you can do substantially better than that...but you know the odds on "gambling" on a late model Ferrari are pretty scary. I passed on a $45K 95 Berlinetta near me- car was just too worn for my liking- and paid substantially more for a fairly clean 99 F1 and then had it trucked across the country. You'll have no such problem as you're in a target-rich environment. PLENTY of cars around so decide what you want and don't settle for less. As with any Ferrari just be realistic about the care and feeding of an exotic car- it's never cheap and it's never practical- it's just fun as hell.
Ditto You will soon find the outstanding comraderie on this forum, with great knowledge and a willing to assist.
Thanks Nizam (who is trying to talk me into a 360) ;-) BTW, in my research I found this blog (which you all probably know). In case you don't, here is the link: http://www.oneyearwithaferrari.com/ Jes
