Please do not take this as controversial as I am not trying to be and apologize if it seems this way. I recently spent some time looking through various articles in FChat and find a pretty consistant trend. Ferrari 348/355 guys and gals bashing the various 348/355 models. Debates rage about which is better, which will be collectible and hold value, etc.. I am not saying that the debates are wrong but they suprise me. I think we would all like to see the legacy/opinions of these cars improve and make them someday classics. But, are we not shooting each other right in the foot with these articles? Keeping in mind that a general observor will probably not know that most of it is all in fun. Especially when it comes to the lolely 348. If you google 348 opinions you will find numerous FChat searches where our own fellow Ferrari enthusiasts are trashing our cars. The 348 guys defend and the 355 guys attack. Then, the 348ers attack the 355ers. While I admit that some of the banter is educational and funny, it seems we are just adding fuel to the already raging fire about these cars, especially the 348. I only ask because I respect all of these cars and wish I could own all of them. I just do not understand why the most respected Ferrari chat site on the web would be flooding the un-deletable internet (forever engraved in history) with so much ammunition to further degrade the cars we are all so passionate about. We have the power to change the opinion out there with threads like: "The Ferrari 348 is Awesome!" "The Ferrari 355 is a Dream" or whatever. Over time when people "google" these cars with words like "collectibality", "reliability", "reputation", etc... they will see endless accounts from those that really have driven these cars and know. This may actually someday help change the opinion of the 348 and bolster that of the 355. Just a thought. Thank you.
It's kind of the classic internet argument: Somebody asks what everyone's favorite item is (doesn't matter what it is) People then voice what their favorite is Somebody asks why People list opinion X,Y,Z, and Z is a negative opinion People take exception to Z and attack Counter attack etc. So, next time somebody asks whether they should buy a 348 or 355, this exact debate will happen again and we hear about how the 348 is more 'raw', the 355 is faster, the 348 has better steering feel, the 355 looks better and so on, which is usually all fine. The problems start when people start listing reasons why they don't like a car (348 looks 'dated, 355 has crappy steering feel, 348 is slow, 355 isn't engaging to drive), and then people get their feelings hurt because that's the car they have and respond in kind. The long and short of it is, people with exotics or classic cars tend to tie too much of their self worth to the car they drive and therefore feel an attack on their car is an attack on them. To try and mitigate that, you can emphasize positive traits rather than negative where possible. That and not getting wrapped up in your self worth being tied to your car, though to be fair this is difficult as these are emotional purchases so it's tough to separate yourself from the car. To really understand why someone likes a car, you have to understand their individual make up, not just check boxes or a pro/con list. I may not prefer a 348 over a 355, but I certainly am not obtuse enough to think my personal preference is more 'correct' than someone elses. Some do not have that outlook and think their opinion or preferences are more important than someone elses.
And you'll find the back-and-forth in almost all of the sections. Mondial, 308/328, 348/355, older vs newer, Original vs Modified. Thats the internet.
I think the 348 is AWESOME, I LOVE my F355! Every single Ferrari ever made is special and has attributes that set it apart from every other car made. We are just nit picking on details because its what people do. The bigger picture is that I bet even the people criticizing some particular model on some particular feature, probably really like that model overall. I know I would even love a Mondial
+1 good post I think the whole 348 vs 355 thing is all a bit of fun. Where it goes wrong is when someone takes it all a bit too personally. My view is they are both wonderful cars and not a great deal separates them as per bobzdar's post above.....just enough differences to fuel the debate, which should be more about fun and less about being "right"
I tend to think that Ferrari owners can be somewhat more critical than others towards their cars because we expect a lot from such a historic marque. Unfortunatly Ferrari has been known to have an " occasional " quality control problem much like any other manufacturer.I guess when you spend as much as it costs to purchase such a legendary automobile one could be surprised to find nagging problems with various vender supplied parts and accessories. Just because the car can cost in excess of 100K doesn't mean you are getting 100K quality trouble free wiring , plumbing , A/C etc etc. Having worked in the helicopter industry for over 30 years the same complaints arise. A new helicopter can cost several million dollars and it would not be unusual to have several unserviceable items accumulate even on the ferry flight from the manufacturer to the customers locale! You get better seats in a cheap Toyota than in a 3 million dollar aircraft, It's just the way it is. Even producers of so called high end products are still looking for ways to increase their profit margins by incorporating many lowest cost bidder subcontractor components.You just have to concentrate on the many positive aspects of Ferrari and try to repair or improve the problem area's as they arise. They are beautiful cars to look at and very satisfying to drive but trouble free they are not. All part of the experience. JGW
Everybody needs to get to a point in their life where they don't give a crap what anybody else thinks. This happens about one year after you buy your first Ferrari, you realize that the fanboys who task you how rich you are at the gas station don't really contribute a lot to your life. Ferraris suck on so many levels- that is what make them so exclusive. They are so great on so many levels- that's what makes them desirable. We are talking about very old cars here- 15 years is three lifetimes for supercars. Go on the Mercedes forums and read about all the silly crap that W107 guys have to deal with for supposedly "Bulletproof" cars. Age is the enemy. I've loved every Ferrari I've owned...more to come I fear...
I look at it in this light. It's the same as when family talks about family. But when an outsider chimes in, they are dead. These are our famliy members and who knows them better than we? But let some Porschephile or NSX-head open their mouth and watch the fireworks.
Well said Vince. These 348 vs 355 debates tend to stay between people who are already owners or have been owners in the past. We've already made our beds, now we are just sleeping in them. Honestly I don't think any of this scares away prospective buyers. You either have an irrational love of these cars or you don't. If you do, it's going to take a lot more than a bunch of forum chatter or a nagging wife to dampen your purchase plans.
What about all the positive threads? I think it's a pretty encouraging section to browse for us youngsters who are still working to get into our own 348 or 355. I've certainly found a great many people with kind words to say about my own 348 aspirations. And, yes, the Ferrari 348 is awesome. All the best, Andrew.
Not entirely sure about the above but I guess it depends on the buyer. Certainly can be the case one model vs another. When I was looking, a lot of well meaning souls tried to 'warn me off' the 348 in favour of another model but when I dug a bit deeper many of their opinions were not first hand but were based on what they had heard, often through internet forums. In this way the myths are kept running. Re the nagging wife, you're clearly not married to a primary school (elementary school) teacher. If she says no toy, it'd be no toy. They're just that scary! Good question, though. Why all the debates? I come squarely from the 'Ferraris are great' camp although I'm more than content with a little banter. As far as our little corner of Fchat is concerned I think that both the 348 and 355 are awsome cars, everything a Ferrari should be. I've always held this and although I've obviously put the 348 forward a few times, part of this was just to reopen the debate on a slightly more even footing. I've never held that it's better than other models, it's just different. I think the problem is when the banter is either taken litterally (which it always can be, I 'know' quite a few people now through Fchat but do I really KNOW them?) or when it's open to people who don't know better which it always is on the internet. A while ago there was a great deal of negativity between 348 and 355 owners, I watched it from afar before becoming an owner of a 348 myself. I'm not wholely convinced that this negativity still exists to the same extent. My impression is that generally speaking the 348 is getting a lot more good press than bad these days. There's still the odd person wanting to wind people up a bit but as long as it's well meant there probably isn't too much harm in it as long as it's clearly friendly banter. This isn't too hard with a good spread of smilies in the posts as dry humour is a little difficult to pick out. All in alll I think our little corner of Fchat is a far more friendly area than once it was. It's far more usual for 348 owners to acknowledge what great cars the 355 is and vice versa. Long may it continue! Nos
I have owned many automobiles over the years.... I own Ten now, everything from a 1923 Cadillac 7 passenger limousine phaeton to an XLR... and of all of the cars I own, I enjoy my 355 the most..... so what I think and say about my 355 is ... very positive !!!!!! It is a joy to work on and to drive, ed Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
