1995 GTB here - can echo what others are saying; steering effort is light; I wonder if wider front tires would help here. The clutch isn't heavy, and it gives good feedback. I would describe both the clutch and brake pedal feel as just about perfect. It doesn't take much more effort to drive than a manual BMW, but it's a way different experience. Your feet do start to get cramped in the footwell after a couple hours driving.. Gated shifter shifts very smoothly and precisely. I imagine if the trans syncros are worn it might be clunkier.
My petite wife has problems with the 308. Her legs are too short to comfortably reach the pedals. But she has no issues with the '95 355 spyder. My only real issue is the throttle cable as mentioned above. I have to give it conscious thought to accelerate smooth from stop so the car doesn't jump. (thanks for posting the linkage info..I'll look into it) and if she got caught in the rain, fiddling with the convertible as opposed to her MB wouldn't make her smile. She also drives my '15 Mazda 3 stick. I think she'd choose the Mazda over the Ferrari only because she doesn't have to worry about it driving around.
On my car, clutch is light and smooth. Steering is light as well. Gearbox shifting is stiff until it warms up.
In answer to the OP, yes you will love driving a F355, you should make sure to try it out before purchasing, but these cars are tremendous fun to drive and the clutch and steering are quite easy.
This ^ To add, maybe the seller's car has some issues with it. I will say that my wife had a bit of difficulty, initially, with engaging reverse on our 348 (the lever push-down part of it). It took a little extra technique, that's all. Good to go after that. Way back when, my ex had the same with the Mondial we owned.
Would you like driving a 355? Definitely not. It's absolutely awful when you have the windows down and floor it. It's even worse when you're in a tunnel because there is no where for the sound to escape. Then there's the looks- it's no Toyota Prius or Pontiac Aztec, that's for sure. It's a V8 and not a hybrid, so it loses points there too. I don't like how the car is a two door. A four door is far more practical. It's also terrible off road and the car really is bad at Moab. Nor is it trail rated. You also have to burn premium gas. The engine out service bills are reasonable I suppose so the car does have at least some redeeming quality.
hahahahahhahaha stellar! 355 i timeless and pure bliss to drive. Nothing like the 512tr where it takes effort.
I have a stated value insurance policy so worst case I get my value back, best case they fix it. Is the 355 uninsured or coverage does not cover that type of incident or something along those lines?
I had a 97’ 355 GTS years ago and the 2 issues I had were the sticking throttle and the lack of power in the lower rpms. If your not on full boil the car feels underpowered even by the standards of that generation of cars.
That's by design. Image Unavailable, Please Login https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/355-horsepower-and-torque-curves.564615/ @ryalex
Sorry post above I made somehow jumped threads, it was for another thread As far as like driving it, while some cars are more enjoyable than others I cant recalls nay car that I hated driving. I think the question si the degree to which you liek it and it it enough for you to warrant purchase. Unfortunately you may need to take a spin in one to see. For my I wanted my car regardless of how I liked the drive (which is amazing btw) I simply wanted it for over 2 decades. Good luck with your decision!
That’s hilarious and right on the money. What I found interesting at the time was that in regular street driving the 348 spider I had before felt a lot punchier, probably because of the lower gearing and overall more go cart like driving experience.
..and if you drive a Spider with the top down, there is literally no protection from the weather. You risk getting wet and feeling sun and wind. Very dangerous.
Naah. There's a lot of jostling around, howling noises and the distinct possibility of getting wet. Like sex. Awful.