Hi Clay, All beautiful cars. If you are looking to pare it down to the most unique driving experiences / contrasts, I would keep: 550 355 Yellow 308 All different and beautiful. I will try to get one of each of these in the future - I think it is a perfect trifecta! I like the 328 and 308qv also but you do have overlap. What do you like to drive the most? All of your cars seem to be going up in value so not an obvious decision process. Great problem to have. Robb
Some Ferrari mechanics who I've been in contact with warned me about bying high milage 355 due to a weaknes in the engine which resulted in an unatural wear of cyl 7 and 2. Cars who has past the 80k km marker, should be checked for this.
I saw this car in person and I wouldn't buy it. Hugely misrepresented, spider cracks in the paint of the hood, cracked paint in the c pillars, after market windshield that looks out of place, after market f1 pump that is not communicating with the ECU and as a result is not allowing the car to go into automatic mode, sticky interior, not very strong a/c, major occurred in 2012 not recently as mentioned in the listing. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Robb, yes a good problem to have I agree. I also agree with your final selection as the most "ideal" for such a situation. As of today just signed over the bill of sale for the 355 and already having second thoughts but so be it. I like and know the buyer so hopefully not the last time I see the car. Probably would have rather sold one of the 3x8s but will probably end up selling on of them as well also in the not to distant future. Hard to answer your question asking which I like driving the most. They're all different and you naturally fall in love with each of them for what they are. The 550 is by far the most powerful and put together model without question. I don't think it's the best or sexiest looking given it has some of the most boring wheels and fit I think ferrari ever put on such a vehicle but it's nice to have the understated look I guess. *The 355 again powerful and always exciting to drive. Love the looks, especially from the rear and I also like the almost old school vertical window in the back with the pop lights. Handling is great and the car feel very small and agile yet as soon as you clean the exterior and take it on a drive the black exterior is nothing bust dust covered again. Once warmed up though and comfortable the shifting is a blast. *1979 308, not the most powerful babe but the natural sound of the carb'd model is something I've grown fond of. *1985 308, as with many of the 3x8s compared with newer models they feel less "put together" in terms of handling but the looks of this particular 308QV is probably my favorite in person. Driving isn't fast but fun as it quickly forces you to fly through the gated shift as the RPMs climb fast on these. 1988 328, has the appeal and classic finish aesthetically but with a much more "sorted out" driving experience over the 308s. There's more power and more speed to have fun with. In the looks department I prefer the concave wheels over the convex but I'm happy to not have the ABS brakes on the 89 models as I hear once they go out they're rather difficult to fix. As for my "gut feeling" on them. I feel in a 3x8 model their engine's are like tanks and you don't worry quite as much about putting the miles on them whereas with the 355 & 550 you're almost waiting for something expensive to go wrong. 355's are expensive to own no question as gear boxes, valves, and headers seem to always be on the horizon. With the 550 I don't question those same symptoms but more so the electrical as this is when ferrari seemed to be adding more complex systems into their vehicles. In the end the 355 is probably one of the most fun cars to drive in all departments with the exception of expense. They're all incredibly different however when comparing 3x8s,355s,550s but I do think for the most part all are on the move to only go up in value but the question as with any owner is at what cost.
Well, a quick search revealed the answer. No! http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/263251-compression-readings-need-advice.html http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/210227-355s-overcooking-cylinders-anyone-heard.html I have no reason to doubt my sources. One is a master mechanic for one of the big Euro dealers of Ferrari/Maserati, the other is an engineer who has worked with development and education for Lambo, Ferrari and Maserati. But still I did a search since this wasen't an issue when I read various buyers guides.
