348 vs 355 Article

Just in case you guys haven't had access to this recent article from over in the UK, as it's a month old and the next issue is out, don't think it's too bad to post it. Call it a plug for the magazine which it came from which is a really good read.

p.s. Sorry the ends of some lines didn't scan too well, but hopefully you get the general content.
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"The F355 sounds like the devil's chainsaw."


Brilliant!!!

 

Thanks for posting the article... now if I could only get my screen to magnify just a little more.

There was a thread at the end of February about this article if anyone wants to check it out.
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=357884&highlight=fun+begin

 

"It (the 348) won't be to everyone's taste, but for those who prefer something stronger than a mug of cocoa it really does hit the spot."

Really, really well said. Why I love mine.

 

I like the 355, but the 348 is a riteous bi.tch!

Interesting that LdM was "alarmed at the 348's raw driving experience". It has occured to me more than once that his public image is precisely what we 348 owners chide the gel heads about.

 

The more "daily driver" the car, the more refined and numb the driving experience.

 

What color is that 355? That is my new favorite, no question.

 

Could it be this....?

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=78319345&listingRecNum=56&criteria=sf1Dir%3DDESC%26alMdId%3D21117%26mkId%3D20014%26stkTyp%3DU%26mdId%3D21117%26rd%3D10000%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId%26zc%3D68116%26rn%3D50%26PMmt%3D1-1-0%26stkTypId%3D28881%26sf2Dir%3DASC%26sf1Nm%3Dprice%26sf2Nm%3Dmiles%26isDealerGrouping%3Dfalse%26alMkId%3D20014%26rpp%3D50%26feedSegId%3D28705&aff=gogsema&listType=1
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Looks like that could be it. Hard to be 100% sure. The color appears to be much different shades of blue depending on the lighting.

 

I don't think the 'reputation for poor handling' is what is driving the values - I think it's the 80hp and dated styling more than anything.

Where are they getting the times for the 348tb that was as fast as the 512M at fiorano? The 355 was a second faster, the 348tb 2 seconds slower...Maybe they got confused with the 348 challenge?

 

I agree. The power difference and styling were the draw to the 355 for me. It motivated me throughout college and my early years of work afterwards. I wanted one so bad.

 

At the risk of being labeled as one of those thin skinned 348 people, my 2 cents, and I like both cars.

The style I don't think is a problem at all, and its not what is holding its value down on a 348. As far as regular everyday people go (non car fanatics or Ferrari owners) the 348 draws more attention then the 360 or 355 whenever I have it out among other F cars and other sports cars, this I can guarantee. In fact, I bet if you ask any 348 owners, no one on the street doesn't think its an exotic or something special, plenty of finger pointing and picture taking, and it starkly stands out on the street.

Is the look dated, sure, but that is part of the appeal. I mean what is the 355? A slightly less dated looking car that looks more common, less in your face, less exotic, more regular sports car looking like an MR2 Turbo that's easier to drive? Yes, I agree with you, its a little less dated However even little kids will recognize the 348 as something cool.

The 348 looks like what most people think of when they think of Ferrari. They think all lambo doors go up and Ferrari's have cheese grater If the 348 was 375hp, and a 355 was 300, I'm sure you see more attention from enthusiasts then for the 348 and value would be the other way around.

I swear, I promise you, over MANY MANY years the only people I've heard say they dislike anything as far as style on a 348 are 355 owners, with the only exception being a few other Ferrari owners. Being almost the exact same looking car, of course its the items they don't have (door rakes, larger fog lights, etc) on the 355 they have an issue with. Big deal, take them off, switch the nose, but to me that would be messing up a good thing.

An exotic car is about being different to me and most people would agree, not about being more vastly appealing and plain or matching what other sports cars are doing.

I and many people like the 348 for its looks not in spite of it. The only thing I can say I feel looks BETTER to me on the 355, are the rear taillights. I actually preferred the 348 looks and wanted a more raw/pure sports car, having had much faster cars already.

Secondly, neither car is fast by today's standards, and at least the 348 doesn't blow up every chance it gets, I think it actually becomes more solid the more you use it. Several F car mechanics I talked to seem to agree especially when comparing it to its hissy fit having sister car that keeps them well paid.

I feel the 355 value will also continue to go down with years and miles for the next few years, while the 360 continues to do so also. For many first time buyers, its the latest and most power they can afford. For a good while that was the 355, but now the lower maintenance cost of the 360 and the number of them out there, you will see more pressure down on the price.

I think the 348 is near its bottom, and not unlike other doubted Ferrari models, I think it has at least a fair chance of increasing as it becomes an older classic, and the other cars just become OLD. Why? It was the biggest step forward for all V8 Ferrari and one of the last before massive electronics. Old electronics are just old and hold little value. In out of date complexity. Old mechanical becomes cool however. Example: An old computer is just a dud, disposable even though in its time was amazing, while an old mechanical watch that couldn't keep time as well as its digital counterpart may fetch more than its original price

 

I'm still laughing at this.

 

did anyone realise that the 355 is up for sale and the other one isn't? hmmmm......

 

I agree. Mine was compared to a 458 the other day (completely unsolicited, I promise) by a neutral party who remarked, "Wow, the Italia is awesome, but I really like the lines of your car more." No knock on the Italia, it's a fabulous machine, but I agree. Michael Sheehan would say I'm "stuck in the Miami Vice Era."

I always see a very obviously positive response when I take the 348 out. At the end of the day, though, it's the drive that continues to light me up!

 

Looking at the styling as objetively as one can a subjective topic, the 355 was called out at as a future classic at a roughly 8:1 rate to the 348 in a poll in the general discussion area of fchat. Make what you will of that - but that type of sentiment will drive prices.

I like the 348 styling but absolutely revile the wheels. It's a very good looking car when it doesn't have the lower in black and has the GTC style wheels. Very good looking.

In terms of 'rawness', the only driving concessions the 355 has over the 348 are completely defeatable, so if you're truly after rawness you could easily pull the abs fuse, disconnect the shock actuators, depower the rack and get most of that 'rawness' 348 owners rave about along with the extra 80hp, increased chassis stiffness, and more importantly to the driving enjoyment aspect of it, the extra 1000rpms. None of those modifications will cost you any money (unless you hire someone to depower the rack) and to top it off you'll have adjustable shocks to really dial in the handling to your preference. You can't add any of the 355 features to the 348 for free if you so desire, however.

In terms of the 355 being a timebomb, it seems the 348 gearbox is just as fragile as the 355 engine...

The point is, I don't think some 20 year old minority comments about the handling have anything to do with the value as the article proposes, it's the general preference of the 355 styling and the added performance and features. In terms of neither car being fast, the 355 is still on par with a new 911, corvette, 370z, cayman S, z4 etc. The 348 isn't. All of those factors drive the price of the 355 higher and the only thing that could drive it in the other direction is if the 348 is considered one of the more beatiful Ferraris down the line. Right now, sentiment clearly favors the 355 in the Ferrari world but it could change. Probably a long shot.

That being said, if the 348 speaks to you, then your choice becomes easy. However, I just don't see the 348 ever being worth more than an equivalent 355, just like I don't see the 355 ever being worth more than an equivalent 360. I think the gap will shrink as the 348 bottoms and the 355 comes down a bit more, but that's it. Neither is rare enough to demand high prices - look at run of the mill 308's, they're dirt cheap despite being a 'classic' and universally praised styling wise. If they were going to appreciate much, it would have started to happen by now. The only models worth anything are the fiberglass carb'd cars, so there may be some hope for the GTC model 348's as it's limited production and has some go fast bits, but that's about it.

Also, to be clear, I already have my 355, so I don't give a **** which is worth more at this point. I'm trying to objectively point out why the values are what they are and are likely to be. Go out and drive it and have fun, if you bought with any concern for future value you're in for a world of hurt either way and you better sell it now because it's not going to be worth more anytime soon.

 

I parked next to a yellow California in the Ralphs parking lot the other day. Quite a crowd gathered. I talked to the owners of the Cali for awhile. Great people. Anyways, as the Cali pulled out, a small group came up to me in my car. I asked if they saw the Cali, they said yeh, but liked mine way more.

I didn't buy my car because of what others think, I bought it for me. I love the styling. Maybe that makes my old. But those cheese graters do scream FERRARI to just about everyone......

I do like the color of that 355. Speaking of color, didn't the article say giallo drops the value (5%)? I obviously could care less.....
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To each their own I guess. I would draw the opposite conclusions on all counts. Maybe there is a generation gap. Seems many fall in love with the car that moved them most in their youth.

 

that's definitely because out of the 9, seven (7) currently own a 355, one (1) had one before and have now moved on to a 360 or better which leaves only one (1) more who were the "general" in the "general discussion area"

 

Well I didn't even know about that poll, likely all the 348 oweners also as they were too busy driving, while the gel heads worry about too many miles, the 360 pushing their prices down, headers and valve guides so one can see how they have more time trolling polls.

 

Steve, think you've hit the nail on the head in that it's each to their own and perhaps depends on whet you fell in love with in your youth. For me it was a 348 and although I looked at several 355s, I didn't want one as much. It's interesting to see how the 'debate' is different in my part of the world where it does seem that the 348 is having something of a revival. One interesting fact is that there were 3 times as many RHD 355s built than 348s, but there are almost ten times as many 355s on the market. You could say you just can't sell 348s so no one bothers but I'd doubt that's it. I think it's 355 - awsome car, 348 - just starting to be seen in classic terms by some. Some more modern, far more expensive, Fcar owners are starting to say they wouldn't mind adding a 348 to their 'stable'. Possibly it's out of sympathy but I doubt it (how I'd love to have a 'stable' btw)

Over here 348 prices have crept up, not a lot, just a couple of thousand on average. Older Ferraris are moving too. The 308 was an interesting choice for Bob to use. Discarding the GT4 308s now sit in 355 money over here. A 308 GTBi will set you back the same as the bottom of the market 355 wise. Like you said, carb cars are more, they're towards the top quarter of the 355 market and all the 308s are rising. 328s are also on the move and are selling fast. On our most popular site there were 13 on the market of which almost half have sold in the last couple of months.

All in all the lowly 348 is starting to be looked at in a slightly different light with positive articles, quite a bit of first time buyer interest but also many other Ferrari owners looking for something a bit raw and basic. Think someone predicted something like that some time ago in their first thread on FerrariChat. They're probablay feeling a little smug about it by now......

 

We can agree to that, I have 355 wheels and lower valence and top body colored

 

Again, bit of a different debate but I don't think the black sills look all that bad. To me they just look classically Italian in the same way as they do on the Berlinetta Boxer, the Testarossa, 328 etc (ok maybe a little overdone on the BB!). Just think they make the 348 look her age, which to me isn't such a bad thing. Also think the lines are Classic Ferrari. I know many people like the newer models but for me I really like the older cars and judging by the reaction I get when I'm out and about, I'm not alone.

p.s. I'd like to take this opportunity to apologise for the gratuitously arty black and white, only way to hide those d*mned sills!
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Don't think the interior looks 'dated' as some say either (with the odd small tweak). Certainly not what people say when they see her. And to me they do look like an archetypal Ferrari. Just look that way to my eye.
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Right, that's more than enough pics of my car, on another forum I was 'bantered' heavily for over posting pics of her so will stop. Just think the 348 is a truely good looking car.