Personally, I think the F355 looks a bit better than the 360. Something about the right mix of angular and curved. Top it off with an exhaust note that is to die for. I'd still buy the 360 (and did consider it) based on reliability reputation. No matter what people say, I've simply read too much about the issues w/F355. It isn't the dollars to fix that put me off, but the hassle of the process of a fun car not being fun when you are looking to use it. Still, the F355 is the one I'd covet a touch more if I had a stable and could offload the maintenance hassle to someone else...
Dave, you fit the profile of what I think is the typical 355 buyer: younger, financially stable, good perspective on older historic Ferraris, etc. You mentioned before that you have some other fun cars. What other cars do you have any why did you choose those over the 355 (and even the 360). I think that it would be a fairly enlightening post, especially to current 355 owners.
Potential bills are very real, can happen to any F355 (including the most "well sorted" car you get.. stuff just happens), and the costs (assuming you pay someone knowledgeable and reputable to do the work) can be crazy high. There is no cheap Ferrari to own - some are more CapEx, others more OpEx. The 355 is very much an OpEx car. Car is incredible, drives beautifully, makes a spectacular noise that is truly hard to beat (short of F50 or F1 car), and feels very "connected" and mechanical unlike a lot of newer cars. If your heart says F355, then make sure you have the requisite stomach, bank account, and supportive spouse for a $30k service bill if you get unlucky one day, and go for it. I get a huge grin on my face every time I think of the car, much less when I get in and go for a drive. Don't know too many who would say otherwise.
Right and the trans has to come out of the 360 for a clutch change where the 355 just needs the rear bumper removed.
^^I think 360 trans stays in, just moved back for access. Still a bit more labor involved. I just won't understand how one arrives at a decision to buy a Ferrari based on a small difference in potential service costs. It's been said but again, they are all expensive. None of them are inexpensive or rational. After having/built so many modified cars maintaining an F355 seems cheap in comparison, maybe that's why it doesn't matter to me. If I was only used to oil changes on a Toyota than it would seem expensive. Either way, it's worth it.
Hard as it may be to believe, you are not the average Ferrari owner nor are you the average first time Ferrari buyer or shopper as the OP is. Most have never owned an exotic so being sure it is understood it is a financial commitment that goes far beyond the purchase price is important. I can assure you, that is never a willing topic of discussion between buyer and seller. The world is full of uniformed former one time owners who will to their dying day tell stories of maintenance costs and reliability issues exactly because they were convinced to buy something they didn't know they didn't want. Not really good for the image of the brand. Been dealing with the realities of that situation for nearly 40 years so I know it well.
I agree 100% on the understanding of financial commitment. I know some people would rather base the decision on running costs but to do so verses buying the car they desire is the part I have a hard time understanding. That being said, I don't want to be the guy convincing the OP to buy something he doesn't really want! He should let us know if running costs take priority over a particular model. If it's just a case of wanting to drive the Ferrari that is the least expensive to run, my guess is 355/360 are both out and 328 in??
All those are all getting to be old cars and as such will have some real expenses. It needs to be a topic of discussion first thing with a prospective buyer. If up front cost is less of an issue a 430 is a great choice. If he is an average do it yourselfer a 328 is a great choice. If he is an advanced do it yourselfer a 355 is a great car. It is not a one size fits all situation and our perfect car is not everyone's perfect car. I will say most just want a car they can just drive and have the same service expectations they have with their Supra or their Benz. They need to understand up front that is not the real world. If they are OK with that great. I have had that conversation with people many times and some need to be told it is just not a good choice for them. We see a lot of train wreck in this business that are totally avoidable and as I said before it does the brands reputation no good.
Yep it was all of the known issues, plus a bunch more common issues that you don't hear much about. The awful rubber hoses that crack and shoot coolant everywhere, the thermocouplers that die every few years, the wonky steering rack, engine mounts, and things in general breaking or wearing out over time. Toss in a few majors and clutches and I ended up spending well over $60k on maintenance and repairs while I had it (mostly at a really great independent shop). When I finally got it back after the last repair stop, the car was absolutely perfect other than the carbon deposits that accumulated from simply being backed out of the shop every morning for about eight months straight. Even with a perfect, fully updated and fixed car, the dream was over and I couldn't get rid of it fast enough. The combination of siphoning money into something that can't be used was too much. It's still one of my favorite cars of all time though, and if I win the lotto I'd have another in the garage as a 4th or 5th vehicle that wouldn't get used as much as the one I had before. Definitely wouldn't recommend one to someone without large quantities of patience or money.
Another mitigator of F355/360/whatever aging Ferrari maintenance costs is that as the models depreciate and trickle down to "normal folk" like me, the desire for permanent aftermarket fixes increases. Valve guides should no longer be an outstanding fix on many of the cars. Headers have multiple durable solutions. Cats as well, although it's tricker in CARB states. Ricambi now has an all-metal water pump that should no longer be a belt service "secondary item." There are even aftermarket CV boots, although not many of us run those. My opinion is, get the one that scratches your itch. If you can't afford an F355, you probably shouldn't be buying a 360 either. Both will give you significant headaches and downtime.
In 5 years of weekend driving my 360 (~2K miles/year) before selling it, in addition to the annual services/tires I did have a big $10K bill for a new header/new cats that were damaged by the failed header/diagnostic and labor. Also both MAFs went- ferrari price is ~$900 a pop. I bought the 355 I have because the prior owner just did new valve guides and belt service for $15K (from a ferrari dealer vs. independent, so probably more $ than it should have been). Still I had to put in another $6K into other mechanical stuff to get the car to where I wanted it (new CV joints, rebuilt steering rack, hyperflows, etc), not including discretionary ~$4K for cosmetics (fixed interior stickies, challenge grill, misc interior items like a new ashtray, window switch brackets and floor mats, new center caps for wheels) and a used tubi. None of these cars are cheap to maintain. The 360 may seem like a cheaper car to maintain, but in the end I'm not sure it's much different given the potential for big ticket items on both cars. If there is any delta, well there is a delta in the upfront purchase price as well- you can bank some of the difference in the price for 355 maintenance vs 360- IF there is any mid-long term difference. To me, the hurdle to buy either car is if you are willing to pay both the annual cost of regular service and be ready for a 4 or even 5 figure bill if something happens. If you can get over that hurdle, the decision is the experience you want- the 355 is more old school smaller dimensions and a different look. The 360 is wide/bigger and more modern. I go back and forth on which I "like better"- they are both good and different. I think my wife liked the 360 better, but I like driving the 355 more because of the sounds and it's a little slower so I can "get on it" more often and to a higher degree of the car's capabilities- the 360 was more capable so I wanted to go higher speeds to push it more for satisfaction, and I wasn't sure I wanted to be tempted to drive that fast. I should add my 360 was a coupe and my 355 is a spider- the sensation of speed in a convertible is greater so that could be part of the equation in the experience. The 360 is a car that people think is a current model if you are into the image thing (I'm not- the "wrong" reason to buy a ferrari, although I realize for many owners that is important), the 355 a "classic" ferrari yet people often comment on the sheer beauty of the 355's lines and dimensions (low, wide ass). Personally, I think the 360 coupe is such a beautiful flowing design (but if I got a 360 again it would be the spider- even though not as "good looking" as the coupe, I found I really prefer an open sports car), but it just seems for whatever reason people are drawn to the 355's looks. Maybe it is because the 360 design was "copied" by more mainstream cars- the corvette "stole" the front end look with the covered headlights for example and you see those everywhere, whereas the 355 is more of a unique look. I don't think I'm really helping here, more or less just throwing out stream of thought comments. I am knocking on wood that my car is good for a while- headers seem to be in good shape, so I'm hoping all the typical 355 issues have now been addressed with my car. Hopefully the original poster was helped with all of the useful comments others have made on this thread! -Andrew
I have to disagree with this having lived on Guam for 3 years with this car. The heat is unbelievable on Guam and my Air Conditioning worked AMAZINGLY WELL and as long as both fans were running, I could sit in stop and go traffic all day (but concede that the motor generates a fantastic amount of heat). So there may be some individual variance between cars on this particular aspect. Mark
+1, my car was comfortable while driving thru Bakersfield mid day at 110 degrees - and it is a spider. That is an air conditioning test. Yeah, I know, "It's a dry heat" - but it is still F'n hot. Stayed cool cruising over the Grapevine (think: mountain pass of overheated vehicles) on the way back to LA.
The A/C works well in these cars but I think sometimes they don't blow cold air is because that hot water valve under the trunk does not shut off sometimes. When this happens, hot water dilutes the cold air giving you moderate cooling. Mine did this and I crimped the water hose and I have very cold air. I usually keep the fan on the #2 setting because it gets too cold.
I have had one hose crack in my 1995 F355...with 57,000 miles covered. My steering rack is perfect Engine mounts are cheap and easy to fix...don't let oil drip on them prolongs life I have changed my thermocouplers once in 13 years Clutch replaced once in 13 years....don't coast with foot on clutch...be gentle with the clutch..drive the car correctly...the clutch is very robust. Spreading inaccurate negative info on the interweb should not be tolerated
Just because that was not your experience does not mean it was not his experience. When the internet belongs to you, you can make those choices, until then don't be so much of ******.
Oy...knob...he said ..."common issues" Be civil... I'm english and don't use rudery like you boys do. I also respect the Queen and do not own a gun.
I don't and I do. What of it? Does not change the fact that wanting to deny a different opinion goes against our nature but then I understand as a subject, freedom is something you have little understanding of.
One of the best characteristics of thr 355... One of the best soundtracks ever produced... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g08WDJfO_b8
Thoughts on F355?.... I love them so much with F1 trans, so I bought two. Image Unavailable, Please Login
