348 Apprehensions, Justified or over Thought?

A Ferrari 348 is arguably the best bang for your buck in the Ferrari world. They have the mid engined looks even though they might be a bit dated but it's still something you can't ignore if you pass by one. They're very reliable cars but 1) it is much older than your 911 so expect a few extra things to break or need addressing and 2) you have to deal with an engine out so the cost to drive per mile will be a bit higher. Is it worth it? In my opinion yes.

I haven't read all the replies but in case nobody mentioned it, I believe the early 348s had issues with the gearbox.

 

There was a ring gear nut issue on the pinion, and no it hadn't been mentioned. All of them are balky when cold. I give mine a little blip when this happens and it slips right in.

sjd

 

Nobody on his death-bed ever said "damn, I wished I had not bought that Ferrari."

 

Loving my 348!

It is great arm exercise while barely moving in parking lots. : )


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All you have to do is roll an inch and it looseness right up, even in parallel parked situations you can roll and turn instead of turn and roll, its a technique. I actually forget I don't have power steering.

 

Obtaining a Ferrari is the easy part, maintaining a Ferrari is the "hard" part.

ALL Ferraris have their idiosyncrasies, so the 348 has it's fair share of them. Keep in mind the model is three decades old, first built in 1989. So when you get one it comes with 30 year old technology. The good thing is it is simple. The 348 has just enough electronics to run the engine and a few creature comforts.

If you are not a scaredy-cat you can do fix about everything that needs to be done on a 348 yourself.
Need to cross reference parts = no problem, go to the 348 parts interchange sticky.
Need to fix something yourself = no problem, got the the 348 do it yourself sticky.
Can't find what you need in either sticky = no problem, run a search of the Chat archives.
If after you've tried all of that and still can't find what you need = no problem, start a new thread and ask.

I say get rid of the 997 and buy the 348. If it was a 993TT then I would say keep the Porsche, but it's not, so sell it and buy the Ferrari.

When you buy the 348 here is what you need.
Documentation and receipts for maintenance
Compression test and leak down test (that will tell you the internal health of the engine)
Check ALL things electrical to make sure they work (lights, turn signals, wipers, hazards, hvac, windows door locks, etcetera)
Look for leaks, especially under the flywheel bell housing (aka, the pumpkin)

The 348's engine is a F119, and let me tell you it is VERY TOUGH! I have beat the living tar out of my engine and it takes it like a UFC champion. The 348 was the very for Ferrari that started the Ferrari Challenge racing series. I have done MULTIPLE redline shifts, lots, and lots of dyne pulls, and even a cross country drive a few years back. I have no fear driving my 348. If something were to leave me on the side of the road = no problem, I phone up AAA and have it flatbed home. No biggie.


You see Porsches everyday, how many times do you see a Ferrari? Then of those times how many are of a 348???
Sell the Porsche.

The 348 Brotherhood will be here waiting to welcome you.

 

Ah ha! Another 348 / 400 owner in process! You can join Mr. White and I!

 

I'm eyeballing that beverly hills CC pile of junk...totally my speed when it comes to buying.

sjd

 

Keep in mind the exhaust makes a big difference. When I drove my first 355, I wasn't too impressed. It was quiet and not that exciting. However, I knew from posts here and Youtube videos that they sound amazing with some exhaust modifications. Once I got mine, I went to a Capristo (it already had Fabspeed headers and secondary cat delete) and it's a totally different car.

 

Without seeing it myself, I'd say that anything is possible. Especially with limited production cars from way back when.

 

I would say possible but not probable. Put a paint depth guage on it perhaps.

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Interesting comments from 2004 and 2014. Definitely worth a read.

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/355-paint-density-reading.8353/

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/1992-348-repainted-by-factory.451035/

 

It's also not uncommon to see cars repainted (touched up) to varying degrees after they come into port. Less common these days, but they still try to fix shipping scrapes before sending them to the country distributors.