Yes but it also sounds amazing if not shifted nearly against the rev limiter as well. Not sure what you were expecting or what doesn't meet your expectations. If you've experienced it and decided it's not for you, probably best to move on to something different. I'm absolutely infatuated with the F355. This thread makes me want to go out to the garage and give it a hug but I won't because I don't have a microfiber shirt.
I wouldn’t have it any other way. The F355 is the perfect amount of power for the street, IMO. Just enough to have fun with and I can wring it out and not get a ticket for 100mph plus. You can’t compare the performance to anything remotely contemporary. It’s not about that. It’s about the emotional response you get from driving it. For me, there are few cars that could do it for me like the F355, and the others are many multiples beyond in price.
Hey- You earned it- Play with it- You might go through 5 cars before you find "the one" - To many of us "the one" is a 355- To others its not- No harm no foul- enjoy your well-earned "play" money and find something that makes your heart go pitty patter every time you see it/start it/drive it- Might be a Ferrari- Might be a Triumph TR6- Might be a Lambo- Might be an Austin Healey- Whatever- The search is half the fun- Enjoy
All I can say is, which is more fun on a back road? Taking it up to red line in first, or hitting 3 gears at 6k? Personally, I feel more involved shifting at 6k. Plus I don't have to listen what sounds like a cat with it's tail caught under a rocking chair. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Love this site, but these topics are a waste of time; prefer input on the vehicle and shared maintenance and upkeep experiences form owners who just like the car.
I am left wondering where you drove the car ?? Find a nice long (35 mile) back road with low traffic and low constabulary observation, Set the tire pressures to 34 PSI all around, Fill the tank with 93 octane, and drive the snot out of the car, up to red line in the first 3 gears. Come back and report. If you still don't like the car, it is not a car for you--stick with the S2000.
The issus was not the car it was expectations were not realistic given the antique nature of the 355. "I expected angles" . Sent from my SM-G990U using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Maybe that is my issue. I don't know what I expected, other than something cool. Like everyone says, this car sounds amazing and it is plenty comfy in the cockpit.
There is a Classic Ferrari experience then there is a modern Ferrari experience. Very different. As cool and great sounding as the 355 is, its an antique. LIke all those hippies driving around in restored GTO's I'd pay 3K for one, horrible driving experience, but they love it. The experience is in the eye of the beholder. Different strokes different folks. No biggie, sell it and go find the one that tickles your fancy, all good!
Having an antique license plate on my 355... This I can confirm. Yep it's an antique.. but one that presents a very nice driving experience. The end of the analog... but no so old analog that it's terribly vintage either. Compared to the 2 years newer 996 that I had parked next to it, the 355 is an absolute joy to drive relatively.
OK Eric, enough on the GTO's, capische. Some of us "hippies" like to get pushed into the back seat with one of these torque monsters when we plant the right foot. Try it, you might like it, I've been doing it for a long time.
WADR- Not a waste of time at all IMHO- The OP is being <admirably> transparent In a forum full of 355 fanatics <myself included> that perhaps it's not the right car for him- Believe me I can produce insane amounts of hyper-minutia "cost per mile" data having owned my 355 from 2010 but who cares? If the guy doesn't like it then the hyper-analyzed "run cost" conversation is moot- any of us that have 355s left that horse at the barn a long time ago- There is NOTHING $$ rational about owning a 355- Either you would sell a kidney to own it <like me> or you won't-
OP I would put a few more miles on the car before you draw any conclusions, I find that early impressions can be misleading and sometimes it takes a little seat time before a car's charm reveals itself. That said, a 355 isn't for everyone. My wife has never even sat in mine, doesn't think it's beautiful, and can't understand why I like it.
I completely agree and think the main point is... a vintage car like a 355, 308, 512BB, Daytona, 250 GTO, etc... is more about emotional connection with the vehicle, era than a rational decision. A '23 Corvette starting at $64.5k, a fraction of the price, could blow away any of these above cars from a performance or driving perspective. You don't purchase a 250 GTO for $70m because it performs so much better than other cars. It's for an emotional connection, because you have the resources, and/or for an investment. My point is it would be very difficult to rationalize the purchase of a 355. there is no logic there from a performance perspective, or even an investment perspective... To me, the only real rational reason for purchasing a 355 is the irrational "emotional connection!" I think the OP's post is great. I think we should cherish having different perspectives... Different strokes for different folks! But I do think that the OP should have done a little diligence, test drive one, etc., before pulling the trigger on one, as it would have saved him $10k+ in lost transaction costs if he sells.
AH the S2000, the absolute sewing machines of automotive engineering. What a pile of crap buddy, those things always sounds like they are going to blow because you have to take it to 8Krpm in order to hear anything close to mechanical. And the best part of it, its so slow!!! Your smoking crack fool
