Huge let down after 348 drive

This was my first drive in a Ferrari of any kind... It was a beautiful olive green with creme and black interior 348. 92' with 26k miles bone stock except tubi exhaust. What really let me down is I felt like I was driving my 91' Honda CRX from my teenage years! It is a lot faster and more responsive but I just couldn't believe it. Was something wrong with the car? I can't quite point it out but it just felt like everything was loos. I had high hopes but the car fell short of them to say the least. And for a 300hp 3,000 lbs car it felt very sluggish. The cayman s I've driven multiple times would smoke it and it packs the same power/weight. Please tell me I drove a bad example, cause she was stunning and I felt kinda bad after the drive. Also how does the 360 feel in comparison? Is there another car that I could relate it to?

That's the next car I plan to drive. I'd be 10x more shocked if a 360 felt anything like the car I drove today.

 

Well comparing your Cayman to a 20 year old car is not really a fair comparison is it? Why not go out and drive a 430 and tell us what you think...

On second thought it might be a POS one as I don't know your car. I had a 348SS and it was pretty close to 355's until about top of 4th gear....which is pretty damned fast.

Try another one.

 

I understand the cayman is younger by quite a bit. I just was very surprised that a car that sold for 140k new felt similar to a 13k Honda. I guess that's how cars were built in the late 80's early 90's. Key word "Felt" obviously 348 is faster. And I'm very much looking forward to driving a 360/430

Does the mileage on cars mean nothing? For 26k miles the car felt very old. It's not a living creature so time shouldn't change it that much from new. The cayman I drove had double the miles. I'm guessing it's the way cars were built back then

 

I'd be willing to bet there was something wrong with it. Maybe clogged cats or poor tune, who knows? They're suppose to do 5.5 seconds 0-60 or somewhere around there. Not lightning fast, but should feel pretty quick. Also, when was the last time you drove a CRX? Probably felt fast back then compared to the family station wagon or mini-van.

 

Okay, seriously, you lost me right here. Pictures or it didn't happen.

There couldn't be too many like that.

 

My daily drive is a gmc sierra and the family cruiser is a S550 so it's not like I'm driving very fast cars. The CRX I drove last was 11 years ago. The reason I said it felt like a CRX was it reminded me of when I drove it 11 years ago. I'm a weird person who gets attached to cars and I pay attention to many small details to the cars feedback.

Either way I'll try a 360 next

 

Me smells something fishy.

 

You are right... According to what the dealer said there's only 2 in America

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=99559897&listingRecNum=0&criteria=sf1Dir%3DDESC%26mkId%3D20014%26stkTyp%3DU%26mdId%3D20413%26rd%3D100%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId%26zc%3D98354%26rn%3D0%26PMmt%3D1-1-0%26stkTypId%3D28881%26sf2Dir%3DASC%26sf1Nm%3Dprice%26sf2Nm%3Dmiles%26isDealerGrouping%3Dfalse%26rpp%3D50%26feedSegId%3D28705&aff=national&listType=1

 

348 certainly isnt for everyone, could you be more specific about your driving experience? I have found my car at least to have very predictable handling and reasonable build quality for a 20+ year old car. V8 sounds great and there is plenty of power there to get me in trouble. Maybe try one more 348 that is enthusiast owns before you pass judgement. 355 and 360 are great cars as well, just a different evolution of the Ferrari brand.

 

Me too.

So when did this "test drive" take place, and where?

 

You know now that I think about it the car felt as if the shocks were blown. The car did have absolutely zero body roll, which I loved. The tranny was very difficult to row through, yes I did wait for it to warm up. I drove the car for at least 30 mins so I got a pretty good feel for it. Maybe it really is how the cars were built back then and I didn't like it. But the suspension did feel very much wasted like someone ran a few speed bumps too many

 

Today at that dealership Doug's northwest Cadillac just past Seattle in lynwood. Why am I supposed to show proof of me driving the car? If you don't believe me then whatever. Call that number and ask them if a guy named Igor drove the car.

 

I just called and no one is answering. Just the recorded message.

Because over the years we have gotten lots of posers on here claiming this and claiming that. And the tone of your post was a bit instigating. So the "something smells fishing" alarms went off for those of us that have been here a while.

That's why.

 

The shocks were blown because it had no body roll?

Your CRX could go zero to sixty in 5.5 seconds?

Mmmhh.

Have you ever driven another high performance car before from that era?

Kai

 

It's listed, with pix, right now, on Seattle Craigslist.

 

Ok.... I understand, obviously no one answered its 8:30pm they are closed. Next time I'll try to record me driving so I'm not considered a poser. Trust me I was very excited to drive my first Italian. I guess I over hyped the car before I drove it

 

Where have you seen me say that a CRX goes 0-60 in 5.5? I actually said the 348 is way faster. But that has nothing to do how the car feels riding on the road. I drove a 95' Carrera S which was a nicer ride and felt more solid. But the 348 did sound better. That's the only other sports car I drove from the 90's

 

With respect, I'm wondering if the OP drove it correctly. As we know, there is a tendency, for the non-initiated to think that a Ferrari is going to drive like an American Muscle car; that is, you should feel the thrust at 4K RPM. It's quite possible the OP short-shifted the car and never got it into its power band? Anything less than about 5500 RPM is going to be ho hum, if one is looking for some zing ;-)

 

Ya know...I gotta kinda agree with the guy. The 348 was perhaps the first Ferrari I "really" drove...and well, I was quite disappointed in the power department. It almost felt like i could get out and walk faster.

I couldn't believe how let down I was. But then I took one home for a night. I drove it on the back roads and then it all made sense. What a great little car!! The power output is almost perfect for canyon carving, and the way the steering feels mid corner is fantastic. From being let down one day, to it being one of my favorite cars to drive the next. It has it's issues, but overall, they are a wonderful machine once you get to know them.

I would give it another shot, this time take it on the roads it was meant to be on, I can almost guarantee your perception will change.

 

I don't know why they continued building cars after the 89 Mustang GT with 225 hp.....that is the fastest car out there.....no Ferrari comes close

Specs on a CRX was between 100hp to 130Hp.....damn...I can smoke that with my eyes closed with my Sierra 2500 Crew Cab driving backwards...

A Porsche Caymen is nothing compared to the Carrera GT or the Pagani Zonda....since we are comparing anything together.....you should buy an Aventadore or an Enzo, that is more comparable to a Prelude from the 90's....now those move like hell.....

BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA.............



~

Mario

 

Is this it?
http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/ctd/3492323253.html

I was going to check it out when I'm in the area, but the color distracted me away, and it's sorta over priced if you ask me.

 

I didnt take it to the redline but I did go over 6k. But that's not what let me down so much. I knew the car wasn't gonna be a torque monster. It just felt very old, and for only having 26k miles I expected a more solid car from a ride perspective. The throttle response was perfect, and the motor revved pretty fast.

 

Ya they seem to think they can get more for it cause it's 1 of 2 in the US with that color combo. It's actually a very nice color, but you gotta see it in person

 

I see, did you ask or do they even have a record when the last service was performed?

I can see paying that price if the car has been serviced recently, but there were few 348 sold in PNW area in the past few years under $29k, they got sold so quick where I couldn't even get my hands on.

 

First of CRX came with a 60-120hp engine.
Second I'm not comparing a 997 GT3 to the 348. A basic cayman s is not a super car or an exotic. The 348 is, at least in its day. The 2 also have similar power/weight/layout both are MR