First Ferrari Question - 355/348

No possible but not realistic. Had my 348 for one year and only spent money on oil change. Previous owner spent 12k for valve job,major and other things. Had 360 for 3 years and spent about 1500/y for first two. third year I spent 11k.

So it can happen ...2k/y except for when major is needed is more realistic

 

No. Your annual cost will be much less if you buy a well sorted & maintained car and drive it regularly. There are always exceptions but $10-20k a year is ridiculous. Use the search function, there are hundreds of threads on this topic. Just keep in mind that owners generally post when there is a problem not when things are good. For example, I drove 700 miles last weekend (Copa Costa in Savannah) without a hiccup but didn't post about it.

 

If u keep the car for five years and drive it so that it will need a major, five year total maint. Should not be over 20k. That's 4 k per year including one major. Now, if u paid everyone for what they ask for obviously it will run high. An example is to patch a hole on a Ferrari tire for some reason is 10 times more than on a Honda. When I say for some reason, I think we all know the reason. Good luck with your search and don't be afraid, it's just a car and was made the same way other cars were.

 

That choice helps narrow down your opportunities considerably (i.e. no 348).

 

i dont think the f1 is a good choice, cant say first hand, but a friend of mine has one and is always throwing money at that. i think it has the potential to cost some big bucks .

 

I've owned a 91 348ts for a year now and as said before, just fluid changes and small repairs to sort the car out right. If you do buy one and something small happens, just remember to come to this site first. Someone has dealt with about anything that has gone wrong, most of them are simple fixes and you might be able to handle it yourself. The 348 Brotherhood is always willing to help..

 

The most important is to buy with your head and not your heart. Do everything you can to get the best picture possible of the car's condition before pulling the trigger, not afterwards. Have you considered a 360? Everything equal, maintenance will be less, and difference in initial purchase price may quickly get washed out by savings on maintenance. Just something to consider. Some years ago my heart was also set on a 355, but a good friend pointed me in the direction of the 360, and I have had no regrets.
Jes

 

It's a Ferrari not a house or family hauler, you buy a Ferrari with your heart not your head.

For low ownership cost buy a nice 348, for high ownership cost buy a super low mileage 355 F1.

I have owned my '97 for over 3 years now and have spent around $6000 on the car. 33,800 miles at time of purchase, gated 6-speed Berlinetta, Rosso Corse over black/tan. Major will be performed by me at the end of this year. Estimating $1800-2500 in parts.

$140ish in supplies for each oil change
$12 for a CV boot
$800 for track tires
$1650 for used Mille Miglia exhaust (worth 3x that, absolutely amazing sound)
$3200 for some cherry and oh-so-sexy carbon SS seats
$75 for used OEM red covers for aforementioned seats

As you can see no absurdly overpriced repair bills. I do all of my own labor which helps and I do drive the car regularly (longest stationary period was 1.5 months when transferring insurance carriers) and it does see the track a few times per year. I've put about 3800 miles on the car since 7/31/10.

You can have a pleasurable ownership experience.











And my car didn't have a 3" thick binder full of service receipts either. I just made sure it was "currently" in good shape at the time of purchase. If my car turns to dust this afternoon I will have averaged ~$15,000 per year to enjoy every mile in this exotic machine. Money well spent IMO.




Go out and buy the nicest example you can afford today and don't look back. Life is too short to not own an F355.


Rob

 

F1 transmissions will raise the potential maintenance cost. It is a first generation system and can be an expensive headache. Many owners upgrade to a 360 pump. Same can be said about the spiders -- first generation "automatic" top with potential for expensive headaches (which many will argue is why the inventory of spiders for sale relative to B's and GTS's is always much greater).

 

I had a 997 Porsche turbo and currently have a 997 C4S and I just sold my well sorted and virtually trouble free 348 spider. I owned it for almost 4 years and spent about 3k a year sorting it and servicing it. I can honestly say that once I bought the Porsche's, the 348 just sat in the garage. Forget the turbo for a minute, the C4S does everything so much better than the 348, its laughable. I know that the Porsche has 16 year newer technology but once you have accustomed yourself to it(and the build quality), the 348 and even the 355 just feel like junky old italian cars. If I ever buy a Ferrari again, I would buy a 430 or newer(no belt changes)
IMO, the cost of ownership of the 2 Ferraris(also had a TR for 4 years before) I owned didnt measure up to the driving experience. By the time you get to your next belt change, you will be saying to yourself why am I wasting money on this car which has less performance than a 335 BMW(which just needs an oil change annually). I know , the sound, the feel, the Ferrari-ness right?-NOT. The Porsche, beats it in this dept too. A Porsche has 1/3rd the maintenance, 3x the performance(in your case with the turbo) and more cache than the 348. Again, not trying to offend anyone, just my personal experience. Oh and by the way, when you go to sell it-good luck, as no one will want it for anything near what you think its worth, after you have dumped a ton of money in it. I sold my turbo in a week for just what I was hoping to get with several buyers waiting in line to buy it.

 

A Porsche beats a Ferrari in the sound dept too? Dude, whatever you're smoking it's not legal in NY. I owned a 997 TT before I got my 355 and it sounded like a vacuum cleaner. Fast, yes, dependable, yes, but exciting, no. It was like driving a really fast Lexus. The 355 on the other hand is a true go kart for adults and provides a raw, visceral thrill every time you drive it.

 

Why is Jay posting here if his Ferrari experience was so bad?

He doesn't get it.

Yawn

 

This.

 

"More cache than the 348"? Ummmm... No.

More douchiness that doesn't wave back when you drive past... Yes.

 

There's some guy that's spent $32k in 3000 miles on his 355 that just posted on here in the general discussion area.

I've spent less than 1/10 that and driven over 2x that on mine in the same time period at around $3k in maintenance (clutch and tires are the main expenses) and 8000 miles. Worth every penny and then some.

That said, I diy, so I do not have to worry about a shop charging me $9k for a set of catalytic converters. You need to research the shops in your area and make sure there is a good one that does not put the fear of God in you at every major service and consequently rack up a five figure bill on 'might as wells.' I would also make sure you buy a car that is well sorted, there are plenty of threads on here about what that constitutes.

 

You're comparing cars that are 16 years apart? Comparing a limited production car with one that's mass produced? LOL

 

I find it a valid comparison given that OP currently has a Porsche Turbo. I also had a 997 Turbo and liked the car. It is a great DD, but for fun drives I always took the 360 and eventually sold the Turbo. The feedback and balance of the 360 always felt superior. Of course, in a straight line the Turbo is hard to beat, but that has never been that important to me.
Jes

 

Comparing the 997 with a 360, I can see that.

But the 348? Maybe the 964, which is a difference of three generations.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Wade
As stated above, I only compared the 2 because the OP HAS the turbo already. I was just relaying to him my personal experience being that I had the same set of cars. I am glad you love your 348 and I hope you continue to enjoy it. For me, it was a boring experience and I am glad its gone.

 

Funny, I have experienced just the opposite.

 

Why are you even posting at all if you have nothing relevant to say in response to the OP question. I have given him my personal opinion based on my own experience with the 2 cars mentioned. My Ferrari experience wasnt bad, I just found the 348 to be a boring car all around-again OPINION.