Looking to Buy a Ferrari, Need Advice

Hi All,

I've been researching a lot over the last 6 months or so. I currently have a 996 Turbo X50 6MT with 32k miles. I sold my '74 Alfa Spider last year and I grew up on XKEs, Ferraris (my dad had a 365 California Spider when I was growing up), and all sorts of others interesting English, Italian, and German cars.

So far I've driven:
550 Maranello
348
f430 6mt - didn't love it though
360 coupe and spider - both 6mt

What I'd like to drive:
355 6mt
Testarossa

From my list, you can see I'm sort of all over the place. Ideally, I would spend 100k-ish for the right car. Something that would appreciate in value would be nice but at the very least I want something that is at the bottom of the depreciation curve.

I really love my 996 and it's really clean and well dialed in overall. If I got a 355 or 360, I feel I would sell the Porsche as they seem like fairly redundant cars at that point.

If I got a TR, a 348, or a 550 I would try to keep the Porsche as a more commonly driven canyon car and drive the Ferrari for fun runs and Cars & Coffee.

I like having different cars for different driving experiences and overlap is unneeded. My daily drive is an electric Jaguar that is pretty much as fast as any of the cars on my list but is obviously a completely different experience than any Porsche or Ferrari.

Soooo what would you do?

Thanks for all your constructive opinions!

 

Just reading your intro here .. my gut ..no science .just gut ..go for the 550

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Well I started with a TR, my dream car. Driving it was always an event but not very practical so it ends up being a car that you need to pair with say a 355. Now I got an FF and I love it but miss the TR so my recommendation would be to go for the car that you truly love!


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If I could find someone in the Denver area with a TR or a 355 that would definitely help make my choice!

I also worry that with a Ferrari milage matters a lot more than it does with a Porsche. That's really the only reason I would consider a 348 - seems like a car you can put more miles on without it killing the already low value.

So many decisions!

 

I would personally go for a 360 but you’ve already driven one so you already know whether you liked it or not.

 

I thought the 360 was fantastic actually. Slower than my Porsche but feels more lively in almost every way. If I bought one, I'd definitely sell my Porsche though as they're sort of redundant cars I think.

 

The key bit of info needed is why didn’t you like the 430 with manual transmission? That should have been the best overall car on your list.

 

+1
I would've expected that car to tick all the boxes. What didn't you like about it?

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Good question - I think 430 manuals are overpriced. I also don't love the looks as much as the other cars on the list. I also liked the sound of the 5 valve heads on some of the other cars more. The one I drove had a capristo exhaust and it just sounded tinny to me. Noooow if a 430 manual came down close to 100k....I would be temped.

 

OK, then the best car left in that group is the 550 IMO....what did you think about that?

 

Of the cars in discussion, I would say the 550 and the 360 are best.

The least desirable would be the Testarossa and the 348. IMHO Ferrari styling just was not up to par on these.

355 is very nice but it is small and expensive to service.

 

I think I need to drive another 550. They're really hard to find locally in Denver for some reason. The one I drove was in Chicago and it didn't feel as powerful as I would have thought. The clutch was also incredibly heavy - which I've now learned may mean it needed a clutch.

 

360 or 550

 

Remember they only made 4,000 550s versus what 18,000 360s, or like 14,000 355s.....it certainly has a cachet the other cars don't, hence the modern day Daytona moniker. It's a nice mix of pretty and masculine design cues.

 

The 55 sounds not too great to be honest. If u only have 1 Ferrari id go for a bit more flash


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355 is way more comfortable and easier to drive below 80 mph, its more of a go kart. the tr is very heavy and hard to maneuver at low speeds (no power steering). i own both and id give up the tr and keep the 355 if i had to.

 

if you are gonna do a 550 you are better for doing a 612

 

The thing I miss most about my F355 is driving it barefoot.....no joke. it was a little go kart and I felt like I was one with the chassis driving it barefoot!!!

The feel of the metal of the gas & brake pedals on my foot was just beautiful.....
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Haha totally - not to mention the perfect aroma of fuel burning along with shwing!

 

I agree with Shark, 430 6MT is the best car on your list (maybe try one without Capristo), but over your budget it seems, then the 550. 360 is good but less good than 430 (power, ediff, stiffness, interior). 355 has its own charm and fun, but you can't really compare to a 550, one is a go kart the other is a classic V12 but a bit muted in sound and looks. But the 550 has a GT depth to it especially if you drive long distances. It's not "fun short blast" car in the way the mid engined V8s are.

Testarossa is a bit of an undertaking, an old car now.

In terms of manual Ferraris that pack a thrill, 430 6MT is as good as it will ever get.

 

I felt the 430 was also too stiff for my needs. Maybe I had it in sport mode and didn't realize it??

I really need to find another to drive. I also have a hard time with the price. It's just such a high number vs the f1 cars.

I already overpaid for my 996 turbo - can't do it a second time! haha

 

greetings! Here's another vote for the F355.

Best wishes on your search, very interested to see what you end up going with.

Cheers

 

Honestly, it’s a personal decision: get the one which most excites you.
Ferrari’s by their nature are costly, needy cars....it’s ultimately meaningless which may be ostensibly ‘better’ if the that car doesn’t stir your soul.

 

Might not have overpaid, just bought a little early...they're not getting any cheaper!

 

328 - Magnum PI with a lot of improvements. There's a cult following for 328s.

TR - Ditto.

348 - a more raw version of the F355. No power steering. The rear end - you either can live with it or your can't.

F355 - Expensive valve guide fix but most have been sorted.

360 - A lot of bang for the buck right now.

430 - Ditto. It is to the 360 what the 355 was to the 348. As time goes on, the price difference between these two models will get very close.

California - in your range and apparently a lot of car for the $$.


Of all of these cars, the only one with a good bit of depreciation still ahead is the Cali. The 430 will ultimately descend close to 360 values but not quite.