How many BAD 355's out there?

Im a collector car broker/dealer. 355's will continue to fall in value for a while yet and will probably bottom out at around 40 before they take a turn north...this usually starts happening about 20 years after production. its not a rare car. they made a lot of them.

they are making too many new Ferraris (or at least they were before the fake recession was declared).

your point about wanna bes getting hold of them and screwing them up is well taken. Some guy called me once about a 456 I was repping (never owned a ferrari before-I could tell it was a stretch to buy it) and I told him he needed to budget at least 3 grand annually for maintenance-some years he would spend very little-some years he would spend more, but it would probably average 3 grand a year. put it in a CD and it will be there when you need it, which you will.

he didnt buy the car.

 

LOL

LOL again.

With all the talk about running costs on this board I would think I'm on priuschat or something. So many people saying that most will just buy a 360 as the price is coming down. Do they not realize that many people who own an F355 could or can buy a 360 but chose not to?

Everywhere on almost every forum, youtube, anywhere, I read people saying the F355 is their favorite Ferrari. Best looking, best sounding, best driving,etc. Of course that's not everyone but it does seem to be a very common opinion. I think those things will do more for value than having slightly reduced running costs on a car that most people are not as passionate about. (again, just my observation)

The F355 issues are known and fixable, so if you buy a car with everything sorted or buy a car and update everything yourself, in the end you should have a damn good car.

 

BINGO! Fix the headers, guides (if needed), add straight pipes, buy a GTS or a Berlinetta (to avoid the overblown internet Spider issues) and you have the most beautiful modern Ferrari ever made that can be enjoyed without too many surprises.

As J.Salmon said, how much does it cost to service a TR, a 512, a 360, a 430??? All of these cars have issues and the problems, and with the latter half mentioned will only manifest further as those cars age.

Now, someone bookmark this thread, and get lvferraripilot a knife and fork. My money says that we will pass 360 values in less than 5 years...

 

Oh the 355 drama continues, just got another 355 delivered to me on a flat bed..broken timing belt. Bore scoped the cylinders, could be serious piston damage on number 8.

 

A mosquito fogger WTF???????

 

Ya, how many does that make now?? For the year?

I had 3 cars in my hangar at one point....2 of them needed engines....

Cheapest car I've ever owned....

 

Oh please.

He's a certified nut case, like the rest of us.

 

3 now..2 of them never got fixed..sitting in the owners garages waiting for funds to fix. This one however will be fixed..Daniel have your pen ready..I'll post pictures of the issue tomorrow evening. The cause of the failure was clearly human error. I feel for the fellow who bought it just 6 months ago. Says the car has been nothing but a nightmare, but he loves it.

 

Easier to keep track of in groups.

 

I wonder just how many 355's are left considering all the ones scraped from wrecks and fires? Believe me there have been LOTS of them gone forever.
An interesting point to be made is that these cars have been around for 15+ years.....time always has a way of revealing what the factory could not readily see during its' production phase.
Thanks to many many owners and shops there is absolutely nothing hidden on the 355....I would much rather own a car that I was knowledgeable about than one that is still going thru its' unmasking.
Thanks to Scuderia Rampante, Stickynomore,Hill and others these issues have been addressed. Those who really respect the marque have invested in these upgrade solutions.
With initial prices being so low it's a great time to buy and properly deal with these issues.
Once done these are absolutely fantastic cars with timeless beauty. They really are the end of Enzo Ferrari's V8 master pieces and time will prove this to be so. This era can never be reproduced.

Don't think that the 355 is the only car that requires some sorting out.......if you are old enough to go back in time 40-50 years to current, you will see some of the finest marques producing some of the finest models that required alot to make them road worthy over years of ownership....

IMO the 355 is not only destined for great recognition in 20 years but can be one of the most rewarding driving experiences during this time also.

 

Ha ha ha.....

I did work on the front arm fix for the Tyrannosaurus rex....still have a few kits on the shelf if anyone needs....

 

Can't be re-used (may be a good thing) but these clamps are the way to go IMO. You need a special crimper to close them but it's not terribly expensive (and it also is used to cut the clamps off). They don't loosen and therefore don't need re-tightening so they're "extra good" for areas that are later covered-up/hard to get to/forgotten. They are uniformly round and don't cut into the hose. Stainless Steel so they don't rust.

http://www.oetiker.com/content.asp?l=4&idNavig=25

http://www.oetiker.com/content.asp?l=4&idNavig=425

http://www.oetiker.com/content.asp?l=4&idNavig=7

 

Pic's as promised..
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Mr. Piston.....meet Mr. Valve.......

 

You got to give up on all the hoses available and go to the SRIinovations DaveHelms hose. It has the right clamps too that will not eat the hose. End your pain Dave is the messiah.

 

Here we go again bad mouthing the 355 . Come on you guys quit your whining. I have owned my 355CH for 8 years. Bought with 6500 race miles on it. The engine was "refreshed" before I bought it. I have driven it on the street for those 8 years (with a few modifications to help it be a little civilized on the street). It still does not have head lights. so no night driving LOL
This car has run flawlessly and is driven on a regular basis, it now has 27,000 miles on it, No header problems no valve guide problems kinda like a timex watch it just keeps on ticking. It does get attentive maintenance by yours truly but it has been absolutely no problem and it sounds better than my 512
My point here is my car had seen harder times for it's first 6500 miles than any other road 355s if any car should have had problems it should have been mine.

 

LOVE IT!!!

 

Hi Vern
Nice to see you posting again...wondered how you've been doing.
Guess that new 512 has kept you busy along with other stuff....

I agree with you on the 355.....it's an awesome car that requires some respect from its owner......a few aftermarket fixes and proper maintenance and it will reward you with many many miles of fun driving.

 

Five photo's posted on this page....... Five INDUCED failures.

Welcome to Janitorial duty Ferrari style. Granted, TB's engine has some guide issues at min. that were parts design faults. With the quality of workmanship that is showing on these two examples, does it leave you feeling confident that they were maintained to a high level throughout their life to date? I submit they held up pretty damn well considering the level of workmanship they have been/were subjected to.

It is a 9000 RPM race engine that has a wonderful power band from a dead smooth idle at 1000 to RPM's that were never thought possible for automotive street use. In that type of situation one will surely find any weak links in the chain.

Guide problems, perfectly explainable once fully understood.

Header problems, same. One has to cam an engine quite wild to get this RPM range but to keep it alive and yet pass the same EPA test as a Chevette..... Lean is HOT and steel melts!

Cat problems, same. When we build race engines it is our job to find the razor edge of what will survive.... but how long? Ferrari's engine engineers don't give a hoot in hell what happens to their package after the collector of the header. They blew it on the guides but it was an entirely different dept that dealt with the EPA requirements to stick that potato in the tailpipe. At what RPM is there enough harmonics, heat and flow to crumble ceramic.... they found that razor edge and crossed it.... technology had to catch up.

Liner problems, take the 3 examples above and add to that witches brew the fact the EPA took away slippery stuff in oil and gave us Hog food for fuel.

Engine Management problems, Some damn bean counter at Ferrari (I suspect getting a Fiat paycheck) holds that trophy and pushed Delphi to make it cheaper. Bosch built a cutting edge system for the day but someone watching the bottom line had a say in how it was plumbed. Want to find one person to blame... look for that bean counter as this problem affects EVERYTHING mentioned above. Very few understand how critical this single problem is and how much it affects longevity of an engine run on the ragged edge.

All of the above is fully understood by a few that were intrigued enough to figure out which is the Chicken and which is the egg. Solutions to the problems are on the table yet Budget is dictating the current direction here. Asked which is "The Best" we likely all agree but we are forced to answer "will it work and for how long?". When the later question comes into a discussion on Ferrari maintenance..... the trend continues and the chain remains unbroken.... It isn't a Chrysler Mini Van, don't maintain it like one. Everything we know about automotive technology has changed in the last 10-15 years and some are finding it hard to adapt... Do it right ONCE and enjoy it.