Given the choice - 348 or 355?? | Page 4 | FerrariChat

Given the choice - 348 or 355??

Discussion in '348/355' started by gated_shifter, Oct 26, 2016.

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?

Which do you buy - 348tb or 355 Berlinetta

  1. 348tb

  2. 355

Multiple votes are allowed.
Results are only viewable after voting.
  1. Steve355F1

    Steve355F1 F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Aug 26, 2011
    16,211
    Adelaide, South Aust
    Full Name:
    Steve
    Correct.

    Along with the 308 and 458, the 355 will be remembered as one of the very best V8 Ferraris of all time.

    Anyone considering one should find a good one and buy it sooner rather than later.
     
  2. SoCal1

    SoCal1 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Jun 14, 2011
    8,562
    SoCal LA/OC/New Mexico
    Full Name:
    Tim Dee
    #77 SoCal1, Oct 28, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    My thoughts exactly

    I'm not much a fan of street cars never was

    Challenges for me all the way

    I love my 348 TS CH as a street weekend warrior

    No stickered up with race stickers but I do have all challenge parts and a vinyl cutter :)

    :)
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  3. flat_plane_eddie

    flat_plane_eddie F1 Rookie
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 30, 2013
    3,142
    NE FL
    Full Name:
    Eddie
    Thank you, no need to say yours is as well in this friendly competition!
     
  4. GerryD

    GerryD Formula 3

    May 5, 2010
    2,436
    North of TO
    Full Name:
    Guido
    I and many others have talked about this in the past and it always turns into a chit flinging match and this site does not need more of it.
     
  5. PAP 348

    PAP 348 Nine Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Dec 10, 2005
    99,174
    Mount Isa, Australia
    Full Name:
    Pap
    Cheers mate. :)

    Cheers mate. :)
     
  6. SoCal1

    SoCal1 F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Jun 14, 2011
    8,562
    SoCal LA/OC/New Mexico
    Full Name:
    Tim Dee
    #81 SoCal1, Oct 28, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  7. life@8500

    life@8500 Karting

    Feb 22, 2005
    226
    Milford,CT
    Full Name:
    C Ryan Ramotar
    #82 life@8500, Oct 28, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  8. JimEakin

    JimEakin Formula Junior

    Jun 13, 2015
    988
    Mountain Living
    Full Name:
    Jim
    Many years ago I bought a 348 TS as I couldn't afford a 355. I'm very tall and there really wasn't that much room in the 348. (But hey, I had an MG TD and somehow just made that work.)

    No one here has mentioned the "break away" fault in the 348's rear suspension - this almost caught me out a couple of times. I took it out to the Willow Springs race track and had to be very careful.

    Even though it had 300HP, it seemed under powered, with not enough torque for powered oversteer. You had to learn to keep corner speed.

    I had it for just under a year and sold it to buy a C5 Corvette convertible - more power, more stable handling. I still have the Corvette, just recently bought a 550.
     
  9. Shark01

    Shark01 F1 Veteran

    Jun 25, 2005
    5,687
    75 more hp, MUCH better sound, better looking in the front, side (no dated looking strakes), and rear (no Pontiac tail light treatment).......

    The only real negative are the maintenance and convertible top issues.....which are real.
     
  10. bikz

    bikz Formula 3

    Mar 2, 2012
    1,043
    Malaysia
    too brilliantly said.....
     
  11. 4rePhill

    4rePhill F1 Veteran

    Oct 18, 2009
    8,178
    Worcester, England
    Full Name:
    Phill J
    So are you voting for the 348, the 355, or neither? :confused:

    That's because according to most on here, it's a complete myth created by all of the motoring journalists at the time, none of whom apparently knew how to drive a car, and you imagined it!

    Others will tell you that there's nothing wrong with the car, it just needs it's suspension setting up correctly/uprating from the factory settings (which surely indicates that there was an issue originally then? - Especially as Ferrari themselves eventually made changes to the cars suspension set up!).

    Ferrari's V8's were never renowned for their low end torque (in fact, low down in the rev range, the more powerful 355 is actually slightly more "gutless" than the 348!), they're actually more about their top end power, so you need to keep the revs up in lower gears to get the best out of them (in general terms, that goes for almost every Italian manufacturer and every Italian engine - Italians love revvy engines!).

    Whilst the 348 has never been a power-oversteer monster machine, it is incredibly flexible and adjustable on the throttle pedal when going through corners. No, you're not going to light up the rear tyres at will with loads of torque, but you can delicately adjust it's cornering attitude mid bend on the throttle (just don't take too many liberties with it mid bend, especially if you're still on the original, early factory suspension set up!).

    The 348 is a car that you need to learn how to get the best out of it (again, especially with the original early suspension set-up), and it can take time to learn how to do it (which in part is something that the motoring journalists "back in the day" didn't have - Time to learn the car properly).

    TBH, it sounds as if you never really "got" the 348, and based on its driving characteristics, it simply was the car for you!
     
  12. ///Mike

    ///Mike F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2003
    6,097
    Bugtussle
    I try to avoid quoting entire posts but every bit of what you wrote was spot-on, Phil, and echoed my thoughts when I read the post to which you responded.

    And yes, 348s are extremely sensitive to setup, as are race cars. As I have said here before, about the best and the worst track cars I've ever driven were 348s. I've driven cars with well over 2x the power, but that weren't nearly as gratifying or evocative to drive as a well set up 348CH. But I've also driven a 348 that was downright frightening since its rear end wanted to pass its front end going down the straights. Proper setup is of paramount importance and it's clear that poster (and many other 348 detractors) never drove a good 348.
     
  13. 4rePhill

    4rePhill F1 Veteran

    Oct 18, 2009
    8,178
    Worcester, England
    Full Name:
    Phill J
    In some ways the 348 reminds Me of Porsche's 917 race cars.

    When the 917 first came out it had a reputation for being one of the scariest race cars ever made, with claims of schizophrenic handling that was never the same one lap after another.

    Early cars had some design issues that caused issues, and many drivers simply couldn't get to grips with the car and walked away from it.

    There were some design improvements/developments that improved the car, but it could still be a bit too scary for many drivers.

    Those who got to know the 917 better though, and learnt to understand it properly, enjoyed the challenge of driving it, and felt a great sense of achievement when they got it right with the car.

    Today, the 917 is recognised as being a great racing car - But one that you need to learn to drive properly, and show it a certain amount of respect that other, similar cars didn't need.

    To Me personally, I think the 348 is similar.

    It's a car you need to learn about properly over a period of time, in order to understand how to get the best out of it.

    It doesn't give up it's ultimate performance easily, and if not driven the right way, then it can bite back, but when you do learn it properly, and you do get the best out of it then you know you've done a good job as a driver!

    With the 355, I think it's a lot easier to get the best out of it than in a 348 - But is that a such a good thing?

    Does the 355 reward the driver with a sense of achievement in the same way that a 348 does? - I suspect not! (That's not to say the 355 doesn't reward its drivers, I just think it's less of a challenge!)

    I'd go as far as to say to 355 owners, once you have mastered the 355, get yourself a 348 and see if you can master that car!

    Going back to My 917/348 comparison, as I have already said, the 917 is now rated as one of the greatest race cars ever made, the 348 on the other hand remains one of Ferrari's hidden gems - You just have to work a bit harder than other Ferrari models to find out why!
     
  14. ///Mike

    ///Mike F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2003
    6,097
    Bugtussle
    Great post and great analogy, Phil. Very well stated.

    Most car buyers these days seem to want more and more cosseting from their automobiles but for those of us who still want a pure sports car experience and unadulterated Ferrari feel the 348 was the final opportunity to own an unfiltered production V8 Ferrari. AFAIC that makes it a very special model indeed, but that's hard to explain to those who like water in their whisky.
     
  15. fdekeu

    fdekeu Formula Junior

    Jun 19, 2008
    582
    Belzium
    Full Name:
    Frank
    I like both a lot
    with a preference for the 348 with its wonderful steering feel
    so guess which one i bought
     
  16. Reddesire

    Reddesire Formula Junior

    May 7, 2008
    388
    Melbourne, Australia
    Full Name:
    Andrew Gaal
    Its a tough choice and one can see all the usual arguments in all the previous posts. For me it gets down to what do you want out of your Ferrari. I am 348ts owner and I absolutely love it. There's no denying the 355 is a more powerful more refined car than the 348 and as the model that superseded the 348 I would be disappointed if it was not better in those area's just as a 360 and in particular the F430 make both of our cars look positively average. (OK yes I know some of you will say 'no no no' but you know what I mean). I think the true worth of the 348 has been a bit of a secret for some time but looking at the way prices have shot up in the last 12 to 18 months I think that secret is out of the bag. Only 2 on carsales at the moment both priced higher than the 30 odd 360's also on carsales !?!?

    I drove both before I bought my car and leaving the extra cost of a 355 aside I bought the 348ts because I saw it as the last of the 'old school' cars. At least Enzo was still alive when it was being developed. With no power steering, just a beautifully responsive direct rack and pinion configuration, no gas/adjustable shockers and no fancy F1 style paddles for gear changes just a nice notchy, stiff gated box. It drives like a 300hp Go-Kart and that's really what the 348 is. And for me that sold it. Old school performance with Go-Kart like handling. Forget cruising with one finger on the wheel and your elbow perched on the door sill. To drive a 348 at any sort of decent speed is a 'both hands on the wheel', seat of your pants, experience. Get yourself into the hills of Belgrave, Listerfield, Cockatoo etc and its exhilarating, like a drug. Plus for me there is no other Ferrari V8 that sounds as good with a Tubi-style exhaust and test pipes than the 348.
     
  17. AceMaster

    AceMaster Three Time F1 World Champ

    Feb 6, 2009
    34,548
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Mike
    But the question is not which is the better model, it's which would you choose between the two.
     
  18. ///Mike

    ///Mike F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2003
    6,097
    Bugtussle
    Nicely said, Andrew. I agree 100%.
     

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