insecurities.....the 348 and 355 stories gathered

I dont get the point of this post. Just get a 348 and be done with it.

 

I will agree that the 355 can be plagued with many issues... but a well sorted 355 is a pleasure to own! I have had time behind the wheel in both the 348 and 355. I love them both but the 80hp increase in similar weighted car and the sound of 5 valves/cylinder gets my heart pumping! Personally, I experienced a different evaluation of power between the two cars. Did you have the opportunity to take both cars to redline?

Just my 2 cents, with some obvious owner bias

 

Opinions can not be called "wrong", they are just one persons thoughts on a matter.

I suggest you based your concerns off of flawed logic and reading too many vague posts made on the Net by many not fully understanding the 355 in its entirety. I do not mean to take away from either the 348 or 360 but they are completely different driving experiences and designs.

If you are relatively new to this market you will not have lived through what the 348 ownership experience was like early on before the model was understood. Lets just say it took Ferrari to the brink of financial disaster with warranty claims. A very well rounded model now that they are able to be sorted out, things were not always that way. Fixing a broken part does not constitute "Sorting" a problem, identifying the base cause and dealing with That, does.

How many examples of each model have you driven/experienced for more than a short drive? Folks forget that to be on the cutting edge of technology in a market such as this, there will Always be problems down the road of one kind or another. One doesn't get to the front of the line by following proven and time tested designs. You raise the bar and go where no one else has been before.... and then learn from what time gives you.

When the high points of a given model warrant the efforts to analyze and correct its downfalls, that is the yardstick by which a model should be judged. Make no mistake, do not misjudge the 355 based solely on what you read here, time will prove that model to be exceptional in a great many respects. Case in point is the 348, now a respected and admired model, but the 355... that raised the bar a good deal yet again.

 

What do you mean by "neither here nor there?" Is the post trying to get a rise out of people? I'm trying to figure out where this is going...

Every car has it's issues that need to be worked out. It comes with the territory. As for myself, I love my 355 and I plan to keep it for a lot of years.

 

+1

I posted this in another thread but it really is unfortunate that you only read about the bad experiences people have with the 355. The op should know there are plenty of us 355 guys who have had excellent experiences with nothing out of the ordinary in terms of issues. I've had my '99 355 for almost five years and have not experienced the "issues" that you read about so frequently here. I love my car and wouldn't trade it for the world!

Only the op knows which car is best for him. No offense to my brothers but the 360 styling just doesn't do it for me. The 348 has some very nice attributes but the ass on my 355 just can't be beat...and don't get me started on the sound. It still brings a smile to my face every time.

 

Good post, I would say the same regarding my '98 355.

 

The 355 is not for everyone. It has some very unique characteristics that require attention. That's for sure.

But in the end you do need to temper what you read on the internet about all these horrible experiences....many are self inflicted due to delayed, or non existence maintenance. Little problems can be become large expensive ones quickly if you ignore the signals or can't afford the low end repairs.

However, how many cars do you read about that have "serious issues". Hundreds? Thousands? ...or perhaps "several"

Ferrari 355 Production:

4871 Berlinetta
3717 Spider
2577 GTS
===========
11165 Total

There will always be a story car out there with all kinds of issues being posted long & loud on some forum......as percent of the overall population I would argue they are the minority.

Chose carefully and all will be fine...

 

The more a car is a race car the more race car maintenance it requires.

Lots of cookie cutter fast cars at dealerships with 100,000 mile warranties.



My old weed wacker requires more maintenance then my 355

 

wikipedia: The F355 is relatively common as Ferraris go with 11,273 total units produced

 

Me, insecurity about my 355? I like another one, please.

 

Same with my 95 355 GTS, over a year of ownership and only an oil change.

 

Bigsalgt, I typed that number before WATSON edited his post. He just didn't get the correct number calculating all the models. I guess he just calculated GTB and GTS only and written ~8000 cars only at first. So thats why I posted numbers from wiki.

 

+1

I can only speak from my personal experience and so far after almost five years of ownership, mine has been fantastic. Unless I read this incorrectly, the op has never owned an f-car therefore is probably not in the best position to judge. I don't mean to insult the op in any way so please don't take it that way.

I just get very frustrated when so much misinformation is conveyed about about these cars. You only hear about the bad and very rarely hear about all the good. And let me tell you, from my perspective it is all good...

 

And thank you for not quoting me when you did that so my error wasn't forever shown on the internet

My point on total production was not about exact accuracy in models and quantity, but comparing the general overall number of 355's out there versus how many really have an issue and are loudly bashed on some forum.

 

When it comes down to it, you must have balls to get a Ferrari. There are no guarantees that any Ferrari out there is trouble free. Each model has it's own set of issues that must be dealt with. People do tend to post more about their negative issues than the positive ones. That is human nature. Because of that, it is easy to get a skewed view of what to expect from these cars. If you are going to get a Ferrari of any model, do your research and find out what are the common issues specific to that model and make sure they have been dealt with before buying. Still no guarantees that nothing will go wrong but that is where having balls comes in.

 

Almost all 355 owners would agree with you. Just know this aint no Honda when you get it.

I pick up my car in less than an hour after a winter tucked away in storage. Haven't seen it in months.

To the OP: I can not tell you how weird it is to be in your middle forty's and have a day feel like Christmas when you were 10. That is today.

Seriously...I have had the stupidest smile on my face all day......time is passing far too slowly and my wife thinks I have absolutely lost all manner of adulthood. Perhaps she is correct, I love my car.

 

I felt the same way after my came back from it's annual service...and it was only gone 3 weeks!

These are great cars if you come at it from the right frame of mind.

 

Your post made me smile.

 

I leave my 348 covered when I am not driving her. One reason is to keep the dust off while I do other things in my garage. But, there is another benefit as well. Even after several years of ownership, I still get the biggest thrill from doing the "unveil". As I start to pull up the cover and that beautiful fender comes into view, I begin to get this growing smile on my face. My heart beats a bit faster as I pull the final corner off of her. I know that soon, I will be hearing her fire up and feel that leather wrap around me as I get ready to head out for a glorious romp around the town.

 

Sounds familiar
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Todd and Chris...Try playing this when you "unviel". Its AWESOME.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcGagM3Mypw[/ame]

 

pretty tough to argue that the 355 isn't a "better" car than the 348; the 355 is a lot more sophisticated, and much easier to drive. 348 is so much more old school, like me.

and, likewise, so what if the 360 > 355, and a 430 > 360, and even if a 458 > 348.

you're among friends, we love and hate all of 'em equally. except 288's, they're just best

 

One thing if you think you can find the model F-car with no serious cost associated with ownership, help us all out and lets us know. That way we can all buy that model and live happily ever after. Until then, know if you buy any F-car you will pay to some extent to play no matter what model you think is the most reliable.

 

Honestly, I'd own either one. Now that I have a lot less money than I used to, I am glad I have a 348.