348 over a 355 or 355 over a 348

I've never been interested in the 348 personally. I was born in the 80s and as a teenager I grew up around the 355 being the new Ferrari on the roads. Excluding the F40 and F50 of course, the 355 will always be the cool car I wanted as a kid so that plays a large part in my choice.

At this point I could swing for a 360 or even a higher mile F430, but the 355's lines and exhaust note do much more for me than either the 360 or the F430. I don't really care to go super fast these days...just want to have some fun in the twisties above 7k RPM here and there. I'll save the cash difference for mods and maintenance.

I used to be a certified mechanic so I don't mind doing the extra work involved with the older 355...if anything I look forward to it. Unlikely that I'll have time for doing engine-out maintenance with work and all though but the fun stuff I'll do on my own.

 

I currently own both. There are similar yet different enough.
They both can be had with amazing exhaust notes. The 355 is a more advanced car but the 348 is more old school. The 355 is faster and handles better, nicer ergonomics. The 348 can be more fun because you have to work the box more to get the performance out of it. The spider top of the 348 is manual and works great compared to the 355 semi-auto PITA top.

As I said they are similar yet a different enough experience.

Love them both so I bought both. Lol.

 

I agree with ijvpet

Have both also. Can't say one is better or I like one more.

 

In all honesty for me it was $ and the actual useage I get out of my cars. I only get to drive about 5-6 months per year so I'd rather have a couple $35k cars than one $70k car..plus variety is fun.

Thus initial buy in plus more potential for big ticket/cost repairs such as valve guides and more advanced electronics made the difference for me.

 

I'm a 355 owner who likes the looks of the 348 better. I think the open holes on the 355 doors look "gaping". But the 355 is the superior car. The engine is fantastic, and it makes an orgasmic scream at 8500 rpm. The engineering and wind tunnel work on the 355 make it even more of an advancement over the 348.

I'm not so macho that I don't think wrecks can happen to me. I like the idea that an airbag might save my rear. (If the twenty year old system still works.) I have an '89 Porsche with no power steering; it is a real handful for // parking, so it's nice to have the power steering (even if it is numb and over boosted) on the 355.

On a five year cycle, my engine out is about two years away, and I'm guessing that maintenance costs are similar excluding that. (Sorry, I'm ignorant of the differences in costs for that service.)

IM(not so)HO, the 355 is the last (and best) sports car Ferrari built up to the 458.

 

I love both.

Seats (bolsters) are more comfortable in the 355 which coming from a 328 with uncomfortable seats - mattered...

I also thought I had more room in the 355 with the steering wheel and seat adjustments and at 6'1" - also mattered.

Robb

 

It probably won't. 20 years is a long time for those.

 

Both great classics, and will become more desirable with time, but my reasons for 348 over 355 were:

1/ I like the baby Testarossa looks - very unique
2/ More visually aggressive
3/ More robust engine
4/ No power steering (I HATE the dead feel of the 355 steering)
5/ Generally less to go wrong
6/ Manual hood mechanism (mine is a Spider)


355 has more power - but irrelevant these days as both 355 and 348 are relatively slow cars now.
355 is also definitely the prettier car.

 

Back when I bought my 348, 355s were still selling for high $90k-$100k and I wasn't willing to drop that kind of money on a Ferrari. The 348 looked similar to a 355 (this was before I knew the 355 shares the same basic body as a 348). Back in the day Miami Vice was THE show and the 348 was the Testarossa's "baby brother". So since my 348 was in a price range I was willing to pay, had a look I liked, I dropped the cash on it.

In the past I would have picked a 355 over a 348, but not so much any more, if at all. The 348 has lest complexities than a 355, so the 348 is a smidgen "easier" to maintain, but just by a small amount. Each model does have it's idiosyncrasies though. The 348 has just enough electronics on it to keep it semi-modern, but not so many that you are at the mercy of a shop or dealer for maintaining/repairing it. Now yes a 355 does have more topend power, but with some modifications a 348 can be made just as powerful, if not a bit more powerful, as a stock 355 under the curve. In my opinion the 355 has THE best stock sounding exhaust ever to come out of the factory, and the right modified exhaust on a 355 is absolute F1 magic. With the right exhaust system a 348 can get really close to that glorious sound a 355 makes, but the 355 still get's the nod.

Early on I bought my 348 because of price. Now I keep it because of what I know.

You really cannot go wrong with either a 348 or a 355. As I have said in the past, the 348 is a diamond in the rough, and a 355 is a polished diamond.

 

I'd accept that, but it really is a close call. btw mine has a Tubi system and is decatted, so sounds pretty glorious.

355 with a capristo is a beautiful sound too.

 

I like it rough.

 

Should make it a FCA event

 

i was looking for a raw driving experience. I don't need air bags, i don't need power steering, i don't need adjustable shocks. I don't even care if the a/c blows cold or the stereo sounds good.
So i bought a 348, i was this close >< to a 355, but could not be happier with my 348!

 

I had a 348 spider and loved it. Wanted to graduate to the next level and shopped for a 355. Would have been happy with it until I spotted this forlorn 348SS calling out for my help. The rest is history. Could have gone either way and I would have been happy either way. In another world, I'm on these boards championing the '95 355 GTB I bought instead.

 

The 348 was my first F-Car and digesting the true cost of ownership was not an easy pill to swallow. Learning about the valve guide/header issues and the cost associated with those repairs scared the bejeezus out of me. So in a nutshell, I bit off just enough for me to chew.

 

I will concede that I like both, but there a few things that really put the F355 over the top for me compared to the 348. First, six speed vs five speed transmission. Second, the F355 has a more modern look when compared to the 348, however, both are quintisentially Ferrari. Finally, that engine, the F355 is a slow car by todays standard, but the motor sounds fantastic as it screams towards redline.

I still love the looks and simplicity of the 348. It has some advantages in that respect. It is the easier car to work on, without a doubt, but in my mind it's lacking the edge that the F355 has. Still the 348 is a fine car without need for apologies. I did buy the F355 spider with a row your own 6 speed.

 

For me , the first few cars i considered were 355's , but i went for the 348 because i wanted a spider and like the manual top , and i also was put off by some other potential problem areas on the 355 . I dont race the car , its driven on nice days to work and used for weekend trips , the difference in performance does not matter . I put high flow cats and a nouvalari exhaust and imho it screams and sounds meaner than a stock 355. As far as looks , its two different flavors of basically the same car , one has scoops , one has strakes . Interior wise theyre similar , i give the nod to the 348 for the dash and way it flows into the center console . Imho the thing i like least inside the 355 is the gauge and radio " pod " . My least favorite thing on the 348 would be the stock wheels , that was the first thing i "fixed " on mine . ( the second thing was that awful stereo , if you want to call ot that , more like a transistor radio )But thats minor stuff , they are both awesome cars !!!!


1994 ferrari 348 spider , third owner purchased may 2013 w/ 27804 miles

 

I like many on hear find both models to be really great cars. I fell for Ferrari at a very early age but grew up on Corvettes and later really got into Porsches. All along I always felt that an F car would happen and when the 348 came out I really liked what I saw. I remember a cross country business trip to Portland in 1992 when I made a point to stop at the Ron Tonkin store and even shell out $20 for a 348 brochure which of course I still have. It didn't happen then but when I finally decided to take the plunge a couple of years ago I looked at both models and was really serious about three 355s's (one of which is written up here a lot) but in the end as fate would have it, a great 348 popped up about three miles from home. I made the decision to go with my first love, the 348. I have no regrets and the possibility of a 355 ending up in my garage is a strong possibility in the future. You can't lose either way with a good choice of the actual car you get. One thing we all get regardless of model is the fact we belong to a fraternity that no other mark brings to the table.

 

I think alot has to do with what model was hot when you became ferrari aware , i was 18 in 1986 , testarossa days . Imho the testarossa looked odd , then the 348 came out and refined the look , tweaked the look here and there and the result was amazing , i never thought it ever looked dated . Now the look on cars is sharp and angular , the strakes to me always looked dangerous and the 348 looks have aged very well


1994 ferrari 348 spider , third owner purchased may 2013 w/ 27804 miles

 

348 is a little dated for me.....Ive owned both and prefer my current 355

 

I have owned my F355 for 14 years, and would never actually consider a 348--the 348 just does not fit the look I want when driving my sports car.

If there were one thing I would change on the F355 would be to take the power steering off giving back a feeling of being more directly connected to the road.

In addition, I would not put up with the::
a) mouse track seat belts,
b) rear end geometry pre-Specialé
c) 5-speed.

 

This is one of the all time greatest posts on this topic.

 

348 built for the Canadian market has no mouse track seat belts

 

Night and day, the 355 is way more advance than the 348 in all aspects. I owned a 348 for 10 years thinking I will keep forever but once I had a chance to drive the 355, I couldn't wait to replace it with the 355. Although the 355 has similar lines, the car is completely different, much faster, better handling, much more comfortable and better looking. I own my 355 spider for 14 years now and every time I take it out, I get the same adrenalin rush in my body like i did the first time I drove a 355.