348 vs. 360 Spyder

If it makes you feel better I went from an immaculate need nothing 04 manual 360 Spider to a 95 F355 that costed me more in service and purchase cost than what I sold the 360 for. I have no regrets going backwards. The 355 is more my sort of car.

Sometimes you need a change and there is no denying the evolution of the models makes them better overall each time. I just happen to love the 355.

 

While the 360 is newer than a 348, both are old cars now.

The newest 360 is 10 years old.

 

From a fellow 348 Spider owner and totally subjective.

On the plus side:
360 parts availability is very good
Major service far less costly
Higher Wow factor from passes by
One extra gear ratio
More HP/torque

On the negative side:
Thousands imported vs 348 Spider
Power steering
Much 'bigger' car
Higher annual road tax and insurance costs

You can't go wrong either way as you'll end up driving a Ferrari so it's all good.

 

Drive what gets to your heart. Does not matter what ... any body else says.

 

+1

 

If you can sell your car for a price anywhere near what a manual spider 360 goes for do it in a second before they come to their senses.

 

Agreed. Owned a 348 Spider, loved it. But come on, a 360 manual spider for the same/similar money? No brainer.

 

Depends what you are after, and if you own a track. The 360 is a 348 on supersonic steroids - it does everything better and WAY faster. On a track, the 360 will put bigger smiles on your face. In real world driving, the limits are too high, so most of the time you end up putzing around. At putzing speeds, the 360 feels a bit cold, and you might miss what it is all about. The 348 spider gives you the same thrills, albeit at a much lower (and slower) pace, and thus while you would be putzing in a 360, you might actually feel like a hero in the 348.

Otherwise, the pros and cons above are pretty much bang on. Either way, you will be happy.

 

I went from a 348ts to a 360 Spider. I have to say that they are totally different cars and don't really feel they are very comparable. I've liked them both for what they are, both have some cons, and HUGE pros. You could own both and not feel like you have redundancy in the garage.

Try one out and see if its a for you.
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There are only 1,000 348 spiders in the whole world. I think they look great and are likely to continue going up in value.

That being said - Buy what makes you happy. All Ferraris are special so it's really hard to lose.

Robb

 

personally.....i would keep the 348 since its a spyder......very few around and the 348s drive like a dream....not the fastest car by any measure....but they are amazing....

 

Even price of "regular" 348 TS went up (at least here in Europe) and I could sell mine, add a few bills, and buy a 360. A friend of mine just did that: sold his 348 and got a 360. If your 348 is low mileage, a special color, a special model like your Spider, then price go crazy. Here in europe your 348 Spider is worth way more than a 360 Spider.

By "way more" I mean that you can nearly buy two 360 Spider for the price of your 348 Spider: the first 348 Spider I see listed here is at 110 K EUR / 117 K USD. I may be exaggerating a bit but here a 348 Spider is easily 1.5x the price of a 360.

Sure, prices may crash / bubble may explode. But one car is a rarity, the other isn't.

The 348 is also better looking and soon a "classic" so I'd really think twice before selling it!

 

Very interesting, thanks for sharing man.

 

thats a very good argument for the 348 Spider and exactly what i feel driving the car. very much drama at lower speed.
as i own my 348 Spider now for 15 years and the prices are going up, i am thinking of buying a 360 Spider for the club-events and keeping the 348 as a classic.
so ist easier to keep pace with the modern cars at the events and the classic will be the car for a sunday drive in the mountains.

 

Keep the 348 and get a loan to buy the 360.

 

This was one of big reasons I went from a 360 to 355! The 360 and subsequent Ferraris got so capable... I found myself driving the 360 faster than I wanted to be going in order to get it in its "proper element"

I also wanted another convertible and my 360 was a coupe...and was looking for a little change after 5+ years with the 360. I loved that car though and wish I could have both at the same time! Maybe at some point I'll move back to a 360, but if I did it would have to be a stick spider- the 360 coupe is one of the best looking Ferraris of all time in my opinion, but I found I really want a convertible for my toy car. For now the 355 is ticking all the right boxes for me- exciting to drive, fabulous sound (tubi/hyperflows), wind in the hair, rolling artwork like most Ferrari's are...had it almost a year and love it!

By the way, the first Ferrari I ever drove was a 348 spider I rented for 6 hours on our honeymoon in Hawaii (Maui)...it will always have a special place in my heart

 

I don't think that there is a wrong answer here.

Depends on what you want. I love the style of the 348, it is iconic, and it was the 6 speed that drove me to get a F355. The 360 blends in a bit better and looks a little less edgy (and less Ferrari IMHO). Maintenance should not be radically different in the 360 (other than dropping the motor for the 30k service). To be honest, I am glad the motor comes out for the F355 service in hindsight, it allows one to be really thorough during service and allows you to find developing problems which one might not have such a clear view of with an in car 30k belt service like the 360.

The 360 is faster and lighter... I will give it that. Do you value the 348 more than the 360? Because, financially, even if you had to spend 10-20k to jump from one platform to another or someone were to give you 10-20k to trade platforms, would you do it. I would not take 10k to trade my F355 for the 360, even though it is a better car, it lacks the emotional reaction I have to the 348/355 and 458. For me, it's almost as if the 360 and 430 are non-existent options (and I do think that they are wonderful cars). I just can't see trading the F355 for anything less than the 458 (save the 288 GTO and F40, although calling them lesser than a 458 is kinda silly in its own right).

 

I wonder if it is? 355b is around 3125lbs. All 360 coupe weights I've seen are around 100lbs more than that. I think only CS is slightly lighter than 355.

Rwhp seems to be similar for well running 360 and 355 as well.

Should be close!

 

Granted, at street speeds performance is going to be negligible with your average driver behind the wheel...

I don't know where you guys keep getting this 360 is heavier than a 355 thing from...
The body is aluminum not steel. Similar engine so lets say same weight there. Seats? You think the 355 seats are that much lighter than the 360 seats? Air conditioner compressor? What "luxurious accessories" are going to make up for the at least couple hundred pound difference between the aluminum and steel chassis?
I can tell you when I ride in the 355.. the 360 feels like a lighter car. And I have CF sport seats in my 99 and no frills cockpit. Maybe its just mine. I don't think my 360 is going to top the scales. If the factory is so optimistic on the 360's reported weight... you don't think the 355 is any different? (granted I haven't weighed mine.. I'll have to one of these days.)

edit: seems Wikipedia quotes the 355b at 2976 and the 360b at 2840 so about 130 lbs lighter. Still an extra passenger weight difference. 355b vs 360 spider looks about equal weight because of the top.

 

Wasn't on wiki or trying to guess individual part weight, simply going off of vehicles people have weighed.

My old 99GTS was 3162 so I put berlinetta at 3125 as a guess but I will check mine to be sure.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/272443-weighed-my-99-gts.html

Here's a 360 at 3250 but may not be too accurate on a truck scale-

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/134653657-post2.html

Euro 360 at 3086 (unknown scale) and CS at 3074

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/360-430-sponsored-yellow-compass-group/435683-ferrari-360-weight.html

CS at 3104 with a full tank-

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/138737800-post4.html

Modena at 3200 (unknown scale)

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/139886181-post4.html


So the Challange Stradale isn't even 100lbs lighter than a 355GTS, I'm still guessing most regular 360 coupe are slightly heavier than 355B.

As to why? Even though aluminum I think the car is slightly bigger proportions overall. Do they all have power seats(I would guess your carbon seats are manual)? Glass engine cover vs aluminum?

Overall not entirely sure but if you look at cars that have been scaled it does not seem the 360 is lighter unless CS.

If anyone in the Chicago area has a 360 they want to drive over we can back to back scale 355/360.

 

It's funny hearing folks tout the 6 speed as an advantage. I rarely use 5th in my 348, at least not on country roads, and I'm not feeling like I'm in need of more shifting

I suppose that could also be attributed to the 348 ultra-notch gear selector.

Anyhow I loved the 360 when it came out, but now for me it seems too big, and lord knows I don't need a faster car for street use. Two arguments for me in favor of the good ole 348.

 

When I drove Ron's (fastmustang screen name) 348 I thought the gearbox was nice! Didn't think it was ultra-notch at all.