F355 vs 360 Stick Shift

I didn't say that you said that, I quoted Curts post not yours.

OK, Curt suggested that the reliability report of his car is "misleading" because he has tools and services it himself, to which I countered is not a logical connection.

He said if Dave fixed the car himself and claimed "no problems" he would be misled. -"I'd be mad if someone misled me claiming "no problems"-

That is saying Dave is fixing his car and lying about it's reliability, not just that his servicing costs are lower. Follow?

And agreed, if you invest 50k in tools you will probably save that much in servicing..... 25 years later.

Marginally different means the 355 will be a 2-3k more every 4-5 years. So yeah, 50 bucks a month is pretty marginal.

 

Then either will do. There is more on his wish list I supect. Sound = 355 that's the best. Track = 360 better of the 2. Repair ability of track damage = 355 still steel frame Chassis feel =360 the 355 flexes too much but negated if welding in cage which is easier on steel. Why I mention track is because OP and I had track discussion before. Maybe that is one reason for 355/360 track fun without 488 cost or risk of totaling expensive 488? Since he has 488 if you want an analog daily driver he can take to work then 550 maranello. Low end ones are bout 80k...but all clutch cars get old in 405 freeway traffic.

 

They're both old Ferraris. They will both attract as much attention as your 488. Average folk do not know the difference or even consider older Ferraris exist partially I guess because they generally all look in great condition.
I had as much attention in my Mondial (which was 21 when I bought it) as my F355 (over 13 when I bought it) and 360 (nearly 15 when I bought it).
In stock form I have no idea which sounds best but I think with the right exhaust, the F355 is probably one of the best sounding cars in the world.
I spent more in maintenance on my 25k miles F355 than I have on my 39k 360 (on average annual costs). My 360 drives better, is (it seems) much faster and sounds better than my F355 did.
That was my F355 and my 360. Other people will not have the same experience. Both had/have aftermarket exhausts but I guess the 360's is much better.

F355 has to be one of the prettiest cars in the world. That said I do appreciate the swoopy lines of my 360.

Ultimately old Ferraris (like old cars) have the potential to need work. Unfortunately they are just as expensive to maintain old as they were new or indeed as a current Ferrari is.

I feel with any new car (I'll never own a brand new Ferrari) you can budget better. With an old car you can't reasonably budget and an old Ferrari is no different except when the unexpected happens it will cost more

My advice as ever is buy the best you can and the one that gives you the most fun. Whichever you buy there is a fair chance you'll swap it later on. I did.

 

My bet is most folks that have a lot of tools and a lift probably do more work on the cars they own not just one car they own, so the savings will materialize much quicker then the 25 year time frame mentioned. Heck I'm installing a 4 post lift in my new garage mostly for maintainance and storage reasons but yet I'm sure folks are going to claim I'll never reclaim the cost. At the end of the day I don't care what folks think I care about what I want and what I need.

Personally if Dave can work on his own cars and save money and get some enjoyment out of it more power to him. I'm sure his cars are well taken care of and he has the ability to work on more then just his Ferrari's too. Sure most won't have this ability and save could buy a project car and bring it up to his standards all on his own and save a Ferrari that might otherwise never be repaired due to cost. And his claim that the F355's he has being trouble free are more then likely a direct result of 2 things. Finding well maintained cars to begin with and superior ability to perform preventative maintainance.

 

That is all very faltering and much is true, but many, many guys here have equal or better skills than I do. It's just not very difficult if you take the time to get to know the car

 

Quite possibly.

It was said that costs aren't comparable if you have your own tools and do your own work. I was just making the point that tools aren't free so you're paying one way or another.

 

Was just making the point that the cost over the long term isn't neccisarily as long as some people think especially if you have more then one car. It isn't like you only put the Ferrari on the lift. Yes I have great respect for a lot of folks who learn the cars they own and tackle projects that many wouldn't even consider. I love reading the threads about the guys doing their own engine out major, and the guys that actually learn how to do some of the regular maintainance.

In my youth we wrenched on our own cars and for the most part my friends and I had better running cars then the rest simply because we worked on our cars and corrected issues either as they were starting or prevented issues. Granted old ford mustangs, dodge chargers and camaro's aren't really same league but same applies.

Hopefully I can get back to a place where I have time to wrench on cars again but with my current business ventures and the prospect of a new one I'm afraid it won't be any time in the near future.

 

It's been my experience owning and running a landscaping and lawncare business that you recoup the cost of tools quicker then you think. Granted in a business setting you will recoup the money markedly quicker but I just think that 25 years to see the money return is a bit long. Lifts aren't that expensive any more, and the diagnostic tools can be sold when your done with them. Wrenches, sockets and screwdrivers you'll use on way more then just a single car with the exception of specialty tools and again if you sell the car you can sell those too. With the money you saved using the tools and the money you recoup from selling the tools you might actually be ahead, or that was the case with some of the older skid steer tools we sold off after aquiring newer skid steers that required different stuff.

Not meaning to ruffle any feathers but it's been my personal experience that you recoup the money far faster then you might think. Besides it sounds like a lot of guys that work on their own cars do it as a hobby and as we all know sometimes we way overspend on hobbies. Sometimes we overspend so much we wind up going into business to pay for what used to be a hobby. I know I'm guilty of that and now I find I have way less time to do it for the joy and have to do it to meet a deadline.

 

True, I put my Maserati on it too but I don't work on my BMW winter car - I only enjoy working on the toys

 

Not ruffling any feathers, I've already agreed with you. Just depends on how much you spend. Build a garage, lift, tools, scan tools/etc could easily spend 150k+.

And yeah I don't work on my BMW winter car either. Drop it off at my friends shop.

 

The first time I took the engine out of my 355, it already paid for my 4 post lift, times 4.

 

Wow, you are quite the negotiator! A brand new 130k GTS for 100k?! Well done sir!

What made you go from not enough to money to buy a second car after the 488 you got a couple weeks ago to getting a 355/360 then to a S2000 then back to 911 GTS in a matter of 2 weeks?

You must be very fortunate indeed! Kind regards.

 

Good luck with the Porsche ...at least you will not be noticed driving one.

 

Congratulations! I'm glad you got to live your dream. Saving 7 years to buy a 488 and then in 2 weeks make enough money to buy a brand new GTS in cash as a 'normal dude' at and 'normal company' is an amazing accomplishment. You should be very proud! I know of guys that never took initiative and just made up fantasy scenarios which got them nowhere. I'm glad you are not like those folks.

 

LOL

 

Hi Sau Kweng Tan,

Nothing wrong at all at buying nice cars! You worked for it, it's your money, and it's your happiness. The raised eyebrows (at least from me) come from your repeated emphasis of how you stretched to get the 488, how you barely have enough money for rims and don't plan to buy another car anytime soon, but a few weeks afterwards said you are thinking of getting a 355 or 360; then decided against that to get an S2000 instead because of high maintenance costs, and then changed again a few weeks later dropped another 170K on a GTS.

No need to feign modesty, If you are doing well - everybody here will applaud your success.