355 valve guide and exhaust header solutions.

The valve guides once fixed should last a long time. They are a wearing item on any car and more so on modern high out put motors so they will not last forever. The headers will be a continuing problem unless non Ferrari headers are used.

I have to admit a bias toward the 512TR and 12 cylinder Ferrari's in general. In my experience they will be similar expense wise unless you are abusive to the transmission in which case the TR will be very expensive. I like the 512TR better to drive but that is a matter of opinion.

 

When I was looking for an F-car, I too was choosing between a 512tr and a 355. It all depends on what YOU are looking for.

For me, ultimately I wanted the looks of the F355 spider with the 512tr drivetrain!! Since you like the hard top and if you don't mind the "miami vice" look, I'd say go for the 512tr. I wanted a spider so the choice was clear to me. Also the first time I saw an F355 spider... I thought it was the best looking F-car ever made!!!

 

I have a 355 Spider and a '91 TR (not 512TR, although I know them well). The cars are VERY different! The 355 is great at high and low speed, and it is quicker in tighter turns and twisties where the TR becomes a handful. A 355 is more driver-friendly and forgiving at the limit. The 355 is generally louder (what a great sound though!).

The TR is fantastic, but it is and feels like a big car. The car is much more fun at high speed than low, and it is nicer on a long trip (less noise and lower RPM). The torque of the 12 cylinder is wonderful, but funny enough, the cars are similar in acceleration and speed. A 512 takes much more force to drive than a 355 (no power steering and heavier clutch), but it is equally more rewarding when driven well.

Currently, a 512TR will cost you about $20k more than a 355B. Maintenance is about the same, but the 512 is more sorted out than a 355, and it has more nagging issues: sticky and bubbly rubberized dash (all 355s sooner or later), valve guides (that can happen more than once), exhaust manifolds (get non-OE to replace), shocks (mine have been replaced 2-3 times each corner in 30k miles). And if you get a TR instead, DO NOT overly stress the transmission, and sometimes even if you don't (like me), it will break.

Best of luck, because both cars are great!

 

Once the guides are replaced with steel they are good to go until the engine needs a rebuild. If they have been replaced with stock bronze (for some ridiculous reason), then look for the problem to likely crop up well before that. Even Ferrari uses sintered steel replacements.

The headers have a weak point that can be solved permanently thru QV London fixing the stock unit (the add wall thickness at the weak point). If you replace with stock, then they are just going to crack at that weak point again. If you go aftermarket, then likely there will be no problem due to redesign.

I just thought we needed more here.

 

I love it, I went through the same exhaustive study w/ the same two models. Yes both the valve guides and manifolds can be permanently fixed as previously mentioned. Find an F355 that has had valves converted, manifolds replaced and 30k service performed w/in 12 months or 5k miles and you should have insulated your self as best as one could hope to do. Additionally, you could set aside $10k as I did for unknowns and any annual improvements I wanted to make. So if your looking at a 99, save $10k from your capital budget and go w/ a 98 and put the $10k aside. Apply this irrespective of which model year your looking.

Either way you can't go wrong both great models. It appears you have gone about the "hunt" the right way by studying over the last several months and researching. You'll be a knowledgable owner and that is the most important mitigating circumstance. You know the right questions to ask.


Good luck!

 

Two different vehicles for two different purposes with different maintenance issues.

You can find a 512TR without air bags, I believe, not so for the street-wise 355's (air bags have a 10 year life-span before replacement and have been seen here on Fchat to deploy prematurely).

The 512 TR is a fantastic highway vehicle. The 355 is more of an urban street fighter (easier to park, for instance).

The 512 TR, except for perhaps the very last year model, has a weak differential. It's the exception rather than the rule to find a 512 TR that has an updated differential.

With the 355, there are 2 weak links: the valve guides and the exhaust headers. Here you *can* find 355's that have superior aftermarket exhaust headers already installed, as well as sintered steel valve guides instead of bronze.

So if your thinking is along the lines of "let the prior owner pay for the major maintenance issues," that's the way to go.

 

Keep us posted as to what you decide on and send us pics when you get it.
Best of luck

 

Yeah! Buy something!!!