355 advice please!!

I had a 328GTS and now have a 355 GTS!

The 355 is a great car- very fast, very neutral handling, but the back end will step out if pushed (not that I've tried. Not even got close in 'sensible' road driving). It is apparently easy to catch, and was widely praised by the press in reviews for its great handling.

I'd say the 328 is a more involving drive most of the time- for this reason it felt like more of a true Ferrari, and I miss it for that. The 355 only comes alive at speed.

Whether you prefer the 355 really depends how important speed over ground is to you. The 355's engine is in my view its most impressive feature, and it dominates the driving experience- in the 328, it was the whole package that made it great.

Robert.

 

I am reading lots of people on this board mention that the read end of a 355 is easy to break loose,and I just want to put in my 2 cents.I will agree that you can get the 355 sideways ,if you were in another car in the same situation at the same speed i think you would be in the woods,the 355 has enough motor to do power slides ,,,wonderful controlled power slides,no snap back,just great control with your right foot!!!!
I love the way 355's handle they give you plenty of warning near the edge,lots of feedback ,you know when the car is at the edge,because of this I think that 355's are easer to drive for the novice If you compare it to a 360 witch in all realty is a better handling car than the 355 ,the 360 is harder to find the edge it holds on longer and gives less feedback and then it's gone .in the hands of a great driver ,that is more sensitive to the cars feedback the 360 is unreal but put in the hands of a novice near the edge it could be trouble
DAVID

 

The 355 has a few inherent design probs (valve guides, catalysts, exhaust manifolds) which seem to go wrong on a lot of cars. If you are unlucky, and a few of these go wrong, then the 355 will cost you. So get a good one, and ideally get it PPI'd before committing.

Then 355 engine has to come out for cambelt change, where the 328 can be done in situ. But then the 355 needs belts done less frequently.

That said, I've not noticed any particular difference in cost so far- and I suspect it will average out over a few years.

And neither car has cost me as much to keep as a 1961 Jag E Type I had a few years ago! (and certainly less than a 8 metre powerboat...)

The 355 is a fabulous car- I had a 320 mile round trip last weekend (in wind and rain), and it was just the best fun. I've never had a car that felt so secure on the road in what was quite poor conditions. It is a car that grows on you the more you drive and the longer you own it when the depth of its ability can show through.

Robert.

 

Speak to user "Ade" you'll find him in the UK section mainly.

 

Yes, as above, speak to Ade...!

If you are unlucky (as he has been) you will get a failure of manifolds, valve guides, catalysts, and some other bits.

A set of new shock-absorbers will set you back too...

However, there are many 355 owners who have few of none of the above go wrong. A PPI would hopefully reveal some issues.

Robert.

 

I have had mine for several years. The only problem during that time was one of the water hoses came loose in the front end and dumped a bunch of coolant into the trunk. The engine has been bullet proof.

 

If you cannot get a PPI, who will do your servicing? Or to put that another way - whoever you are going to use for your servicing needs to be experienced in looking after Ferraris. You need to find that place first and ask them to do the PPI (pre-purchase inspection) on the car you are interested in buying.

Ric.

 

Two suggestions: get a fellow local owner who really knows F355's to take a look at the car you are interested in, or fly a Ferrari mechanic up from KL or Singapore to do the PPI.

 

What about Ferrari of Bangkok? I've been in their service bay, and it is larger than most Ferrari dealerships in the U.S.

 

I also went down the same route and to be honest I echo Roberts sentiments,the 2 cannot really be compared and are both fantastic for different reasons and If I could have kept both cars(No space)I would have done.
Dave Mc