12K mi./yr prancing horse ?

12K mi./yr prancing horse ? I'm just researching Ferraris, not that I am ready to buy, but maybe in a couple of years. Would a 348GTB be a good semi-daily driver, up to 12K miles a year ? Any suggestions ? I'd like a genuine Ferrari with a lovely motor, manual gated shift, great handling, etc., but that I could actually drive fairly often. And as a nearly 40 year old(I will be 40 in 725 days, my birthday was actually the day of the D/FW Toy Run this year, and a great birthday it was ) with no recent tickets or claims, what sort of insurance rate should I be prepared for ? We are in a mild climate here in D/FW and I avoid driving in snow anyway, and I am walking distance to my office, and some great restaurants, shopping,(including the new Whole Foods) here in Lakewood(I LOVE LIVING IN THIS AREA !!),and the lake as well for walking & jogging, and the boat clubs. So I really only drive to meet clients at properties, or for social events now and then. The other tempting option would be a BMW TURBO(335i/is/535). I am enjoying my E92 328i SPORT/PREMIUM: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3874796/2007-bmw-3-series
very much, it's a wonderful driving machine but I tend to keep cars just a couple of years. But the addition of a supercharger in a couple of years to my 328i's lovely N52 motor may make it very interesting.

I love the 348(just something about it - the side strakes, the tail, the nose, the lines), 355 and also 328 (respectively), I would prefer a GTB, is there much difference in structural rigidity between the GTB and GTS versions of these models ? I've had car periodical subscriptions since the age of 10 and I remember reading that the 348s had some unwanted handling tendencies, but I know that there were some fairly substantial handling improvements to the 348s after 1993. Does anyone have experience with this issue ? I do like spirited driving and want a car that is rock solid at triple digit speeds. My 951s were fantastic at high speeds, as is the E92 328i I am finding.

Thanks,
R.S.

 

Thanks for the responses so far. Very interesting and positive.

R.S.

 

Thanks you for the good info. I like the 360s, pretty cars, even if they do not have the traditional lines of the 308-355s. I did not know that they were easier and less costly to maintain then the earlier small Ferraris, that's great ! I will read up more on the 360s, and
I will probably not be buying another car for at least ~22 months so prices may come down a bit more on those. I still have ~23 more months of CPO warranty and BMW Roadside Assist. And my 328i SPORT is optioned out just like I would have ordered it, SPORT PKG., 6MT, PREMIUM PKG. and COLD WEATHER PKG., no idrive, no nav. BTW, do many of the 1995+ Feraris have heated seats ? That's a feature that I have really enjoyed in my last few cars, not a huge deal though.

R.S.

 

360Modena is sounding very good.

I need to take a closer look at one before too long, and start saving more pennies. May be a pipe dream, maybe do-able, we'll see. 348/328 easier to swing probably but may cost nearly as much over a few years considering maintenance, have not looked into insurance either yet :0 . I may just chicken out and go route#335IS/M3/135M(fast little bugger)but I like to think that if I set my sights on something that I can make it happen.

 

The 360 was the first "3 series" Ferrari with available xenon headlamps ?

Merry Christmas!

R.S.