Why Did You Buy A F355?

I am a confirmed "car guy", with a small eclectic collection. The Ferrari 355 represents the final F-car that really embodies what makes a Ferrari a good sports car. No electronic nannies, the right amount of Horsepower, brakes, grip and handling for a street car. And most important, the car has perfect balance. As a bonus, its easy on the eyes and the 5 valve engine has a unique scream.

 

^^^Couldn't have said it any better.

I'll add that it was the current model when I was hitting puberty and I lusted after one for almost half of my life. It felt great to realize my dream.


Rob

 

Fell in love with it when I was a child.
bedroom wall poster etcetc
Several things are wrong with it, but I still love it dealy.

 

I have no memory of a time in my life where driving and racing a Ferrari was not my ambition - they were (and are) the pinnacle of automotive engineering. I've been a car nut since I was a toddler - my first word was "wheel" according to my mother. As I come from a Sicilian family, at an early age I basically had a choice to make between Ferrari or Lamborghini. I chose Ferrari because they had race cars (amazing how such early things can shape you) and I loved racing.

As to why a 355? I got tired of messing around and decided it was time to achieve my childhood dream. My budget was under 100k and quite simply, it was the best embodiment of a Ferrari in that price range for me and I was enamored with it when it came out. In the end, it came down to 512TR or 355 as I'm not a big fan of the 360 styling yet wanted something with relevant performance. I like the 355 styling a little more than the 512TR but the TR had the allure of 12 cylinders and the fact that when the Testarossa came out when I was 6, it was the end all be all for me - I still have the poster. But, when I found a 355 in the exact color combo and options I wanted at a great price, my decision was made for me.

 

Growing up the 308 and 328 were Ferrari to me. When the TR and 348 came out I was disappointed that they were so different than the 308/328. When the 355 came out I thought they had moved back in the right direction in styling.

When I first got serious about buying one I was looking at 308s. I got to where I could afford something a little more expensive then started looking at 328s but they were getting close to the price of 348/355s. I decided that I'd rather have a more modern car than the 328 if I can get it for the same price, plus the 355 sounds a lot better than the 328. In Houston Texas A/C counts for a lot. I'd heard bad things about the A/C in 308/328s and I worried about the radiators being in the front with the associated piping running right next to the cabin.

Eventually after learning as much as I could about running costs I thought I should go for the 360. One day I saw a 355B side by side with a 360 Coupe and realized that I just had to have the 355 no matter what the cost.

I could have bought a 360 if I'd wanted to. I'm glad now that I didn't though because in the long run I don't think the running costs will be much different. From what I've seen the clutch change prices on the 360 are almost enough to cancel out the major service costs.

 

Why did I buy a 355?

1. The body style is the best of the Ferrari line save for the 458 IMHO.
2. I needed a project as my only daughter was heading off to school.
3. Good 355's are projects. I bought a bad one.....
4. The engineer in me wanted to know about how Ferrari's work. This let me do that.
5. It is a blast to drive.

I did not buy this as some ego thing, midlife crisis or collector car. I drive the heck out of it (3500 miles last summer) and fix almost all of it myself. Keeps you active physically & mentally....and that keeps you young

 

^This

And, yes, I love to show off the fact that I have a Ferrari altough I am one of the very few who openly admits it.

 

OK. Maybe there is a little of that in my reasoning as well.

 

I thought it was the most beautiful car every created in the mid 90's when it came out. I was a teenager at the time and it made a lasting impression. To me it is still the most beautiful car ever created. It is a dream, a toy, and a passion.

 

I don't own one but I can see why someone would. Visually its lines represent a step away from the too-edgy 80s but before the growth of bulges, snoots, and "muscles" represented in the 360 and F430. It is classically simple and tasteful. It is always a pleasure to see one, this from a 458 owner.

 

For me it was case of Goldilox - the 328 was too small/old, the 575 was too big/expensive, the 355 Spider was just right

 

Bought a 355 because the styling is sensuous, the size is perfect for me, a simple interior with perfect placement of pedals, shifter and controls for me (alas, no cup holder), the Fabspeed/Tubi enhanced sound of the engine reving above 5000k, the balance of the car, the ease and pleasure of cruising the canyons here in So. Cal, being in a lifelong state of midlife crisis, and did I mention the sound?

Also , needed a car that would require enough in maintenance costs to spend my kids inheritance ( just kidding kids).

 

Why did I buy a 355?

A lot of cars have nice body styles.
A lot of cars are fun to drive.
A lot of cars you can be a show-off.

But no other car has the SOUND of a 355 ... this really didn't sink in until after I sold my beloved 355 ...

 

Baby steps. Next up 10 cylinders then 12. No fun starting from the top

 

Because it takes the look of a 308 in a much more powerful and modern package. IMHO the F355 is for 8 Ferraris what the 993 is for Porsche Carreras.

I should actually answer the opposite question: Why did I sell the F355?

Because I am an idiot and I bought an F430 Spider new, which I sold for half its price 3 years later. Dumbest thing I've ever done. And yes the F430 was a great car, but every time I drove her I missed the sexy sound and the sexy lines of my F355.

 

The 308 is a wonderful car, so more power and comfort in the 355 had to be better.

Well, it wasn't better.
Both are gems in their own ways.

 

Honestly..because I couldn't afford a Lamborghini Diablo.

 

Loved Ferraris since I was a kid and first got into cars. The 355 is number four on my personal list of all time great Ferraris and much much less expensive than my top three. Like many have said before, it pretty much always puts a smile on my face just seeing it parked in my garage and looking beautiful.

 

Read my thread too......."F355 owners reflection" ....many answers and feelings are there too .....

Every Ferrari is different and special in its way........F355 has many great aspects and one of the truest models to the Ferrari core values.

As any art piece....it is also about taste....most, if not all, agree this is a simple and beautiful car!

 

lmao!

 

Cause I was having a mid-life crisis.

Honestly because I've always been a car guy and I've wanted a 355 ever since I can remember. I figured it was a good way to get my feet wet with fcar ownership and it's what i could afford in the lineup.

 

BINGO!

 

Because it was cheaper then a mail order bride

 

Absolutely. If I could I would buy even a 308 GTS carb and a 208 GTS Turbo.
I just love that Fioravanti design. It is timeless. Call me crazy, but a 308 and a BB still make my heart go faster. Faster than when I see a Daytona (ouch, I should not have said this!! Sorry Enzo!)