355 maintenance not as bad as recent threads make it out to be

A lot of this debate is theoretical for guys like me. As though I had an option 348 355 360. Yeah, right. The 348 was financially my only choice. Get the thing in the garage, worry about keeping it running later. It was either 348 or no Ferrari. Period. I chose 348. Learned to work on it so I could keep it running. Talk about falling in love. Kinda like a girl.
Ya gotta get her before you can find out if you can afford to keep her. Ya gotta get inside it to bond with it. Sometimes ya can. Sometimes ya can't. But it's almost always fun.

 

It is really not that bad in my opinion.
If you get a good one and keep the services up including the engine out then you should have relatively trouble free driving.

I have spent some good money on my 355 but some of the stuff I have done was not because it needed doing but because I wanted to do it.
For example, the headers have been fine for the last 5 years. No leaks or issues but as i will be doing an engine out job soon I decided to buy some brand new headers, Remember what I just said 'I wanted to buy them'. The car didn't need new coil packs or spark plug leads but I bought new ones.
The car did not need carbon fibre door sills but I bought them.

The money I have spent on my 355 over the last 5 years has been on items I wanted to renew and not because the car broke down and needed the items replaced.
The real issue I did have was the alternator but other than that I love the car and drive it very regulary so I don't really care about any cost in running the car.

Once you start it up you know you are driving something special and as such the expense is not thought of.

 

I just went through a 30K service on my 1998 355GTS F1. The guys at Penske-Wynn Ferrari-Maserati took great car of me and did a great job for a fair price.

If you can't handle the maintenance costs on a Ferrari, you should buy a boat or a plane. I hear they are almost cheap to take care of.

 

Very interesting thread. I am getting started shopping for a car to fill the void in my garage created when I sold my 328 4 years ago. I was planning on a 355 but found a couple local 328s and posted a question on the 308/328 board about the current cost of a 30k belt service for a 328 as I just don't recall what I spent to have it done about 10 years ago. I am surprised at the difference in belt service cost between a 355 and a 360 and I still don't know the going rate for the 328 belts. Am I right in understanding the difference is that for the 355 it's engine out vs 360 done in the car that accounts for the difference? I am not afraid to tackle maintenance on Ferraris, it's no harder than working on my twin Cessna, I just don't have as much time available to do it so may have to hire the "professionals". So the shopping list is taking shape.
Anyone have a 355 or 360 for sale in the Tampa area? 6 speed Berlinetta in Yellow with up to date maintenance perhaps?

Robin

 

Hm, a boat is a hole through which you throw large sums of your money away. And, you can't drive it on the street. I think I'll stick to my Ferraris.

 

Exactly.

 

Doesn't the belt tension on the 360 have to be set with some special tool that measures the frequency in the belt or something....? I swear I saw a thread about this in the past.

 

If you think the only thing done on a 355 (or any F-car) during a major service is cam belts then you are being misled, a major service is about more than belts, in fact more often than not belts are done "while your there".

Come on guys, this is maintence, its the price to play. If it puts you off ownership then you are not passionate enough and will more than likely move on to the next toy after the first bill. These cars are made with passion, no one said anything about quality.

Toys will cost you money, may as well drive the one you love.

 

Being a life long sports car fanatic, maintaining and upgrading them is actually 'part of the fun' !! IMO there are few things one can spend money on and get this kind of enjoyment in return!!!