Motor Trend - may want to buy them a box of donuts!

The main thing articles like these fail to explain is that each car is a price point for entry into the exclusive Owner's arena of all things Ferrari.

I, for one, love my 355. Could I afford a 458...? No way. But is there another car out there that costs the same as a 355 that offers enough soul and passion as my 355 does...? Doubtful. And it's the same whether you are talking 308, 348, 355, 360, 430, 458.

We generally buy the best example of whatever it is we want to pay.

If you can afford a $60k car, you're probably looking at the 355 or 360. If you have $200k to spend, you are not going to be looking at any 348 or 355.

If I could afford a 458 I would sell my 355 yesterday. But I won't be able to afford one until at least 7 years down the road based on my guess on their imminent depreciation.

 

I agree, but to a point. My budget allowed me to look at 308s, 328s. 348s and 355s. A 360 would have had to be a bargain basement example but I could stretch to the cheapest couple of examples on the market. I discounted the 360 option and went looking at the rest. The 308 was just a bit too 'classic' for me so I just drove the 328, 348 and 355. Personally prefered the 348 to the other two. Just did more for me when I got behind the wheel. Found it to be kind of more car than the 328 and sort of more engaging than the 355. But that's just me.

Point is within a given bracket, money aside, some prefer the 355, some the 348, some the 328 but that's if they go out and drive them. When you talk about soul and passion you could be talking about my 348, but again, that's just for me. The point that's been made time and again is that the 348 gets a bad rap compared to it's sibblings, but often that is from someone who hasn't driven one. You aren't one of the people that have said that the 348 is basically inferior but you have, in a round about way, said that it doesn't have the soul and passion of a 355. Have you driven one? I can't fault you for your choice of car, the 355 is awsome. I like the 348 more but the 355 is a great car. Lots of people havn't driven a 348 and if the late 80s styling isn't your cup of tea, that's a pretty good reason not to have had a drive in one before settling on a 355. What many people do is accept the negative comments that have been made about the 348 in the past as fact and ignor all the good press they've been given.

 

Spot on.

With the budget I had a 348, 355, or 360 were possible.
I never really considered a 360 as I just don't like the styling.
The 348 - which I initially wanted - turned out not to have a good reputation (probably unfairly), so I bought a 355.

If I had the money for a 458 I'd have one in a heartbeat, but they will have to depreciate a very long way before I can afford one.

In the meantime I love my 355. It is the best Ferrari I could afford, and it also happens to be one of the highest regarded of all the modern Ferrari's, which is fine by me.

 

Hi Steve, how's it going? I guess you're backing up what I've said. You were steered away from the 348 based on its rep, not on personal experience. Can't fault you for getting a 355 but many people are in your boat. They don't bother with the 348 based on its rep, not on having driven one. I could have had a 355 but prefered a 348 having driven both. Both great cars and you may have driven both and prefered the 355, maybe you would have prefered the 348, who knows?

 

" I could have afforded a 355 but i bought a 348 instead".
A uniqe saying reserved just for 348 owners i think ( apart from the vintage boys). I mean i have never heard a 360 owner say that of an F430. A uniqe phrase indeed, with a waft of BS in some cases IMO. This phrase goes back years even when i owned my 348 i some times used that phrase my self when there was a larger price difference.
I could have had a fit blond under ware model, but i chose the fat one with bad breath

 

Hi Pete. I am fine thanks.
You are right - I was steered away from buying a 348 by its rep.
I spoke to two good friends of mine who's opinions I value and who are highly experienced in the car game. One is professionaly involved, and the other has owned and driven many high performance cars.
One of them has driven a 348, and one hasn't. However both of them suggested I either get a mint 328 or a 355 (or a 360) rather than a 348.
Combining their opinions with what I then found myself through much looking online I ended up buying a 355.
As I've said, I couldn't be happier with my purchase, but I have not driven a 348 so of course can not reasonably comment on the experience.
I suspect it is a lot better than some of the rubbish which has been written would suggest though.

Now, having said all of that, I am also quite sure that even if I drove a 348 and loved it I would NOT swap my 355 for one.

I also would not swap it for a 360, a 430, 599 or many many other cars.

The ONLY car I would sell my 355 for would be a 458 (especially a Spider), but that is a very long way away!

Cheers.

 

Cheers mate, can't argue with that, if nothing else I prefer the syling of the 355 to either a 360 or 430. I guess we all take other people's opinion from time to time, nothing wrong with that. I wonder why your friend who hadn't driven a 348 steered you clear, though. Probably took someone elses advice who had taken someone elses advice etc. For me there's nothing like having a go yourself but that's not always an option. I actually went into a garage when I was looking and they said that, although they'd take me out in their Ferrari, I couldn't test drive it. How on earth did they expect me to know whether I liked driving it, unless they think everyone buys Ferraris for image alone.

Anyway, enjoy your 355 and let me know if you ever get a 458. The way really modern Ferraris depreciate, shouldn't be long. The price of mass production. And yes, you're right, they drive an awful lot better than some of the rubbish that's been written would suggest.

Pete

 

Ok mate, your opinion. Am running a thread on the work being done on my 348, link is here:

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=340077&page=3

After the purchase price and what has to be said is quite a bit of work to get her pretty much spotless in every respect she won't wind up much below the price of a 355, albeit well towards the bottom end of the market. My ready funds put about 1/3 of the 355s on the market here in the uk within budget and I could have stretched further if I'd wanted to, so yes I could have got a 355. Some 360 are also in that bracket over here. Just like the 348. Hopefully that's not too much of a crime. Course could just be BS, who knows......

 

Just wait till my V8 Ferrari documentary is finished. It will give a proper and balanced insight into all the mid engined V8 Ferrari's from GT4 to 458.

I wouldn't change my 348 for a 355/360/430.

If you think that's BS, you just have to read my running report and the amount of ££££ I've spent modding my car.

 

Sy, Can't wait for the documentary, any idea of a date?

Regarding when people say about not being able to afford a newer Ferrari, I've heard it before, water off a duck's back to a certain extent, and I know that mine will only end up somewhere in the lowish 355 range if I was going to just go out and buy a car. Have you ever sat down and worked out what yours will run to, considering its a GTB, will have a race tuned Le Mans engine when she's rebuilt (must be a serious outlay on its own), updated suspension, brakes, aerodynamic updates, racing seats etc? I've seen pics of Andy HLS's NOS injected beast but guessing your's will cost a fair amount more once the Le Mans engine is rebuilt.

 

You don't give up, do you...tell me why you owned a 348 for six years?

 

ETA is hopefully late next year. It's around 8 hours in length, so there's a lot of work.

The 288/F40/F50/Enzo feature may come out earlier as it's easier to do.

 

We should ex-communicate him from the Brotherhood

 

Including the sharks with laser beams on their heads?

 

Thought that was automatic on purchase of a 355? (just kidding )

 

Sy, (off topic so sorry to all for that but know you're monitoring this thread) does your car have an internal or external aerial? Just curious.

 

Doh!! Because i could not afford a 355 at the time, that's simple simple

 

If you travel back in time to 1990, I would like to know which exotic or sport car would have been far better than the 348

 

Thats got to be a matter of personal opinion. But back in 1990 the Lamborghini Diablo was the ground breaking exotic.

 

Excellent point

And wallet breaking to maintain...literally on a weekly basis

 

The question was "If you travel back in time to 1990, I would like to know which exotic or sport car would have been far better than the 348".
Not which exotic had the lowest maintenance cost.
Another obvious candidate is the Testarossa.

 

I think that a lot of this might be open to interpretation or personal preference? After testing the 348 one of the motoring mag journalists over here in the UK decribed it as simply superb. As chance would have it he said he no longer wanted a Diablo, he wanted a 348 tb. Another mag specifically asked what the point of a Tessa was given that in their tests (and Ferrari's so they said) a 348 was quicker round a track and they liked it more. Is a coincidence that you picked those two but does maybe make the point that after a certain point its down to personal preference.

 

Yes that's correct and what i was suggesting/saying if you cared to read what was actually wrote.
And its not really a coincidence that i chose them two cars. Other than the Porsche 964 and arguably the corvette, there were not many other exotics out there that many deem better that the 348. That said the 964 and the Vett are not exotics, so that leaves the Diablo and the Ferrari flag ship the Testarossa.

 

Ok mate, thought I was being quite polite. I cared to read it, maybe just got the wrong end of the stick perhaps. Your gengeral gist seems to be the 348 basically isn't a good car. I respectfully disagree with your opinion. Lets agree to differ shall we?

 

Seriously what are you talking about? The question was asked and i chipped in. Which bit of that said i did not think the 348 was not a good car???