What should I look for in a 1990 348TS? I also read this about the car when it first came out. 'Well aware of the Ferrari 348’s shortcomings was Ferrari’s new CEO, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. “I had just bought a new 348,” he said in an interview with Automobile a decade after he took the helm at Ferrari, “and with the exception of its good looks I was utterly disappointed. This was clearly the worst product Ferrari had developed for some time.” Thanks Alan
Be more specific....ie mechanical issues? Performance? Handling? As for LDM's comments, they were discussed here at length in a different thread and 348 owners and supporters disagree, and don't really care.
I think the question is what are you looking for in a 348TS? I was initially looking for a 348 until I drove one myself. I decided to work the winter and buy a 355 instead. I personally was looking at it more from a Performance standpoint than anything. And the price point these days is appealing to 'get your feet wet' with Ferrari. I can't say I have ever met an unhappy 348 owner though, and I very much appreciated the experience behind the wheel.
Look, you have to put those comments by Luca di Montezemolo into context. It's 1991, Enzo Ferrari died 3 years ago, the company has had weak leadership since then, isn't making money, and you have to do something drastic to turn things around. The 348 was developed under Enzo, but it wasn't released while he was still alive - so there's some dissociation of the car from the legendary founder in the public's mind. More importantly, it was designed and released before Luca di Montezemolo became CEO, so he could lambast it to cultivate a personal image as a visionary and potential saviour of the company. The 355, which is essentially a heavily updated and re-styled 348, was already in development and he could latch onto that as "his" Ferrari. The finances of the company were a mess and it would take some time to sort out, conveniently with a similar sort of timeline to the expected release of the 355 - which was expected by many to be a great if not legendary car. So, he trashes the current model in public while he tries to fix the company finances, and touts the replacement just before it arrives. Arguably, it was a good business strategy even though it made the 348 an undeserving scapegoat. Then again during the presentation of the 458 Italia, he repeats the comments about the 348 just to stir up a little controversy and remind everyone about his personal place in the company's history. He did it then because the 458 was, like the 355, expected to be not just good, but great if not legendary - the comments were all about cultivating his personal image, nothing more. Luca di Montezemolo is a very skilled businessman with a politician's gift for personal survival, but he's a terrible ambassador for the history of the marque. So, with his comments placed in the proper context, they are easily dismissed. The 348 is an excellent Ferrari, a dream machine, and recent reviews of it have been righting the wrongs done to its reputation by unfair comments from the company CEO. Do your own research into the virtues and vices of the 348 - pay no attention to dear old Luca. All the best, Andrew.
Thank you for all the insightful comments particularly from Andrew. A local dealer has 1990 with 33k for $44,900. It is in very good condition cosmetically so I was wondering what I should look for mechanically. I haven’t looked at the service history yet as they also have a 1999 Modena F1 that I was more interested but if I can't agree on a price with the owner (all cars are on consignment) I was going to look more closely at the 348. The only thing I didn't like was the silly automatic seat belt but I guess they did that so they didn't have to install air bags which would probably involve a major redesign. Have these cars reached the bottom of their depreciation? Thanks Alan
Thank you for all the insightful comments particularly from Andrew. A local dealer has 1990 with 33k for $44,900. It is in very good condition cosmetically so I was wondering what I should look for mechanically. I havent looked at the service history yet as they also have a 1999 Modena F1 that I was more interested but if I can't agree on a price with the owner (all cars are on consignment) I was going to look more closely at the 348. The only thing I didn't like was the silly automatic seat belt but I guess they did that so they didn't have to install air bags which would probably involve a major redesign. Thanks Alan
I bought my 1994 348 Spyder from the Auto Gallery 8 mos ago and the car has been fabulous. It has a visceral feel and is like driving a spirited race horse straining at the bit. It has been trouble free and I just got back from Los Angeles to Carmel and the car averaged 22.9 mpg and was incredibly fun to drive. And it was also comfortable. I dont think Luca's comments are any more than an attempt to elevate himself in the public eye as previously expressed and do not accurately reflect the true value of the car. Drive the 348 yourself and than make your own decision on whether you want one. No matter what anyone else says you are the one that has to live with the car. I for one think I made the right choice in buying mine. Mel
I recently received my latest issue of Cavalino and they always have a price guide for all models. The 348 is shown as trending up since the last report. One look at other sources with advertised cars for sale shows a trend upward also so it does appear the bottom of the depreciation curve has been hit.
Ask for a copy of the service records, you need to see when the last major service was done, which shop did it, and what service(s) were done above and beyond the major service. P.s. The phrases "engine out" and "major service" are interchangeable
This post should be saved and used for future postings whenever Luca is mentioned in a thread. Excellent!!!
Well I test drove the 1990 348ts and I'm sorry to say that I really didn't like it -- no flames please. It's a great car but I guess I got spoiled driving both my Jaguar XK8 (okay I call it an old mans sports car) and my John Cooper Works Mini CooperS. The car was difficult to get in (I'm 67 and not a spry kid anymore -- okay so no comments), I hated the automatic seat belts and the gear change was very clunky (okay may have been my lack of synchronizing engine to road speed) but I loved driving my Mini Cooper as the gearbox was so sweet and I could saw through the gears with ease. Maybe it's the inherent march of time as these things get better as technology moves forward. Anyway I purchased the 99 360 Modena F1 instead. Thanks for all of your help on this. Alan
No flames from me Alan, the 360 is a great car and it's nice that we have the history of Ferrari from which to fit the right car to the right driver. I like the look of the 360 and I was fortunate enough to sit in an FChatter's CS one day, though I still pine for a 348. Sy (angelis) also let me sir in his and took me out for my first ride in one, which just galvanised the passion. Incidentally, I've also got a MINI - mine's a 2004 I've owned from new and currently have 106k miles on. All the best, Andrew.
Congrats on the new 360. I have been enjoying watching both of your threads about the process of deciding. I currently have a 348ts and am 'considering' a 360 (spider though).
