This month is the one year anniversary of taking delivery of my 99 GTS. I thought I would make a post and break down the cost for those interested. The car I bought just had the engine out major 2 months prior along with QV headers and exhaust. 22,300 miles. Upon delivery I was very pleased with the condition of the car though rather unhappy to discover a coolant leak at the front of the car when it was warming up. Turns out the clamps on the heater core lost tension which required disassembly and replacement of the clamps. Next up, the engine cover lift supports were a bit weak so those were replaced. Hearing about instances of factory cat failure that damaged the engine I bought 2 magnaflow metallic cats and welded the tubing/flanges from the original converters onto them so they were a direct bolt in. After the cats were installed I was still unhappy with the sound of the car so I did some surgery on the quicksilver exhaust which made it basically straight through when the bypass valve opens. Sounds great now, but I still think I may go with a Capristo some day. (which I consider perfection). At the same time I also replaced the primary o2 sensors as maintenance. On to the interior, which didn't require much attention but the look of the air bag was really starting to bother me. It just didn't seem to fit the dash correctly so I removed the leather cover and re-shaped the outside edge of the plastic so it fit the hole in the dash correctly. I then brought it to a local upholstery shop which re-covered it in matching leather. The HVAC overlay was bubbling so I replaced that with a new one from Ricambi. Very easy! Last thing I did before putting it away for the winter was an oil change with a factory filter and AGIP 5-40 oil. Purchase price- 69k Coolant leak repair- $5? just a couple of clamps. lift supports- $80 Catalytic converters/stainless tubing- $250 Exhaust mod materials- $70 o2 sensors- $180 air bag recover- $100 hvac overlay- $80 oil change- $100 One year total maintenance/update costs- $865 Grand total, including purchase price (excluding fuel/insurance) $69,865 The car now has 25,500 miles. I put 3,200 trouble free miles on the car this year and it is an absolute joy to drive. The sound and just the overall feel of the car is excellent. Though I save a considerable amount of money by doing my own work, I still think paying a premium for the best car I could find was money well spent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyzOwdPDl4s Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
+1 I assume you're doing all the work yourself? it seems that the "maintenance nightmare" 355 is a reasonable proposition if you can do your own work (or at least, a lot of it). oh, and nice youtube clip
I cannot believe it's already been a yr. I followed your purchasing threads and searches upon your purchase. Beautiful car. Thanks for your write up. I am always interested in first hand knowledge and experience from the owner about maintenance and costs.
Good update James. It's been a year (nearly to the day) for me too. I think you have one of the finest examples. In contrast to your experience, mine was acquired for a song but was due for a major within 12 months of purchase. Beyond that big major I recently completed - I've done pretty minor stuff along the way...all together, I've probably spent $20k on required and preventative maintenance. Takes my total 1 year cost to pretty much exactly where you're at. We took slightly different paths but the results are the same - rock solid, awesome & timeless sports car!!
Great looking car you have there, and enjoy it in good health. I can confidently tell you that in the 10 years of ownership and with over 100K miles on mine. I feel the same way year after year, and with surprisingly reasonable running costs to. Mainly due to every thing being done to the car my self. Love the red contrasting stitching to mate.
There it is.... this guy is driving my dream car... every option, detail and color... mine. BTW, next time you need lift supports for the front or rear bonnet, get them at Pep Boys for $11 each. And if you ever decide to sell this car, P.M. ME IMMEDIATELY!!!!!
Great write up. I got my 5700 mile 99 f1 fiorano oct 28 th. Major, clutch , no sticky treatment, tires, a/c vent motor, battery and hood struts done at delivery. Since then I also had heater clamp in the front and replaced the thermo coupler. Runs like a fine Swiss watch better yet, it runs like a brand new 355 Ferrari. I hope I have a year like yours.
I can confidently tell you that in the 10 years of ownership and with over 100K miles on mine. I love to hear this, especially amongst all the posts about problems.
Still the best model (GTS) and best color combo (Red with black with red stitching) ever! Glad to hear you've had a good year with her.
Thanks for the kind words everyone. Rick- I was considering your car as well but in terms of location it worked out to be a bit in your favor KJB355- I bought the oil from George Evans, (of Evans Automotive in Ohio) who was the previous owner of the car.
James, Enjoyed your Tube Video and the fact that you have been maintaining your car. Purchased my GTS in June of 2003 and have had very little to complain about. There is a fellow close to my home that does a terrific job and is respected by most all of the Tifosi in the area and he has performed much of the maintenance to date. However, now that retirement has been added to my lifestyle, perhaps the more simple maintenance on the 355 should be performed by me at my home shop. I'm also wondering about the number of 1999 GTS cars that were imported to the USA. Any idea how this information might be obtained? Thanks for sharing your "year in review" as well as your pictures. Our respective cars are nearly optioned the same. Have a great holiday season. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'm trespassing from the 360 section Beautiful car- I love that interior- the red stitching is the first I think I've seen on a 355 (granted I'm not as up to speed with the 355s, but it was a rare option on the 360s and I have it so I'm biased) A couple of things that I wanted to mention- I have a minor antifreeze leak from the front of the car, so my guess is I have the same issue you had- car is now parked for the winter and I'll get it checked w/annual fluid changes in the spring. The other thing is I'm not sure of how much the prior owner of my car drove it just prior to me buying it (I'm right about at the 1 year ownership mark too!), but the car ran great when I first got it but after 2,500 miles of regular weekend driving was running awesome when I put her away! These cars like the regular exercise... You've got a perfectly set up 355 GTS, and the nicest condition/optioned/cared for 355 GTS I've seen! -Andrew
