355 vs 360

360 gated six speed..... IMHO the last of the raw Ferraris. I had one for close to seven years. Never spent anything on it other routine maintenance. I agree the 355 looks great, however I also believe the the 360 is a stunning car from every angle and looks better than the 430, particularly the interior.
Just my subjective opinion, of course.

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Drive both and follow your heart—that’s the only thing really matters. If you go 355, either learn the engine-out yourself or have a solid local shop that can do it without requiring a second mortgage.

Best wishes.

 

The 355 is really nice to look at but things that I don't appreciate are the interior that kinda reminds me too much of a boat design with the dash transition to the doors. I don't know it just seem overly nautical to me but I've never been inside one. Not much else I don't like about the looks it's very sexy. For the 360 I read the lights aren't well received by all but they very functional and I think they look way better in person than photos. I love the curves/humps over the wheels from the drivers perspective too and keep my seat up high just so my head doesn't touch the headliner to maximize the effect which reminds me of lola era cars. Being all aluminum is super important to me too living in a tropical environment. All the aluminum accents inside the car are a great reminder of what the car is made of and I think has held up over time. I, of course, am fully invested (mind and soul) in the car having a gated manual keeper. I wonder why they aren't more sought after...but it's kinda like my well kept secret where I can still find parts!

I enjoy working on my car too and the larger size makes it possible for me get to stuff. I don't have a reference to any other Ferrari though.

 

The 360 is the ugliest Ferrari since the mondial. Was a disaster that the F430 finally fixed. Get the F355 without question as service costs are worth it to not have to drive a 360. I've had every mid engine V8 Ferrari from the 355 forward... EXCEPT I of course, skipped the 360

 

Drives an F8 and comments about taste and design.. bwahahha..

 

That's a lot of cars to have worked your way through! Are you not able to find one you like alberta? You may have noticed that every mid engine car since the 360 has the same centerline down the middle cross section and that is because they got the wind model correct. Smart money says they probably also got a few other things correct and those of us who own them think they did. When you get to live with one you may appreciate that it isn't quite as provocative visually as some later models and that is also a plus these days. Still stunning though and analog is where it's at for me.

 

You are a clown. I am sure you are a real Warren Buffet out of Alberta lol. This isn’t GameStop bro…. Get a grip of reality, the dominance of the 360 during its era was second to none. The 430 is a joke and the scud is nothing compared to the 360 CS.

 

I saw this sold for 115K on BaT

 

Thank you. I appreciate that. 360 MT seem to be trading in the 90-120k range as of late for driver cars. All seem to RNM these days.

I have mechanical skills, but not enough to do engine out on a 355. I know my limitations.

Appreciate the input.

 

No need for childish insults over a difference in opinion. I hope things get better for you from here forward

 

Not defending the insults, but your post did come across a bit strong.

Out of curiosity, if the 360 was so horrid, and the 430 fixed what was wrong with it, what exactly are you referring to? They have a very similar profile. I feel like the 360>430 face-lift was the most minor one Ferrari has done.

 

Surprised nobody posted this video:


When I was shopping about 8 years ago, I considered both 355 and 360 gated coupes. I remember well when each came out; the 355 was to die for from the get-go, the 360 less so, until I saw it in person and especially after I got a track day ride in one. Its looks have grown on me considerably, and I love it now. Personally, I like the design better than the 430, but that’s all subjective. Buy what cranks your Evinrude.

I went with a 355 for the exhaust note, aesthetics as I think the berlinettas are drop-dead beautiful, technical spec for its time (107bhp/liter was nuts in 95) and important for me was that it’s the last of the truly small Ferraris. I daily a BMW 128, a small car, yet it looked like a bloated cow parked next to the 355.

The main con with the 355 for me was - wait for it - maintenance cost, and time away during services (in 7 years of ownership I was without the car about 1.5 of those years). I know there are people here who say the costs are as bad as you let them get, and that people over-maintain these cars - maybe that’s true and I’m a sucker, but not having the time/knowledge to DIY the big things, so using well-respected independents the maintenance was eye-watering. Not unexpected - I went into it with my eyes open - but I got tired of writing the checks. Between cost and service time away, the juice became not worth the squeeze. I didn’t sell the 355 because I didn’t like it anymore; I loved every mile and I miss winding it out on a perfect day, and still miss seeing it in the garage. There’s just aspects of ownership I don’t miss.

For sure I’ve heard the 360 can be less fickle maintenance-wise, but like all (now older) Ferraris, it’s capable of generating some hefty receipts as well if you’re not doing the work yourself.

For myself, I’m still hanging onto an 88 911, and may someday look for a good 328. I love the little Ferraris.

 

The 430 fixed the ugly headlights, the small little intakes on the sides, the plastic on door panels, the cheap feel of the interior, the boring single light rearend, the little baby openings in the front end that were also plastic, the shifting speed, the lack of power, the ugly rocker panels, etc etc etc I could go on but it was a HUGE improvement mechanically and especially cosmetically. Even the engine was better looking x 1000

 

Are you sure you are describing the right car?

 

I have driven and owned countless 355s and 360s, as well as 430s.

My favorite is the 360, manual of course, and I prefer the coupe over the spider, but I wouldn’t throw a good Spider out of my garage. I love the curves of the design, more feminine than the sort of overwrought 430.

355 is very special, of course, and you can’t argue that sound. The 360 with the “factory racing exhaust” (i.e. CS exhaust) comes close. But the 355 is by far the most iconic design, and is one of those cars that crosses generations in terms of desirability.

430, while a great car, doesn’t sound as good (more guttural/lower). I don’t Iike the interior as much as the 360. Sure, it’s faster, but the 355/360 are more fun on public roads.

I also prefer the CS to the Scud. Especially my manual converted CS…

 

Thank you, Great insight. I could have written the post myself, thats how much your words felt to me.. Thank you






I drive an Elise most days, or a motorcycle. The 360 and 430 parked next to me look huge. I would love a "small Ferrari" but more than the maintenance, the "time away" is a big factor. I love to drive and more I read and read, I feel like I need to cancel my 355 dreams, and just pull the trigger on a 360

 

That was something that wasn’t a thing when I bought the car, but got to be. Maybe it’s different in other parts of the country (though I doubt it), but it’s hard to find a good independent mechanic that knows these cars; the good ones are slammed with work, so you wait. I get it, but it was one more reason to move on.

 

Makes sense, and appreciate the info

 

The 360 rocketed Ferrari production numbers and they could not meet the demand which also was the same with the 430. Your comments are never going to be greeted well. The things you describe as ugly can be considered perplexing to some people because so much of the 430 is really a 360. Most would skip owning a 430 and just get a 458 if possible which is light years better than both 360/430 in all areas. Regardless of my opinion, I would not call and era or model of Ferrari “ ugly “. Because even though my car is considered old, I still have plenty of people pulling cameras out taking pictures, so it must not be that ugly

 

The 430 was like taking the 360 and gobbing makeup on a supermodel, injecting lip filler and tons of fake plastic surgery. The F8 looks like a transformer bug. But that's what I'd expect when you take Pininfarina out of the equation and let Ferrari do their own.
Everyone has their own taste.. however tacky. Ironically the less taste people have.. the more they want to comment on beauty it seems.
I'd skip the 430 and go 458 personally. 488 is again alot of lip filler from an aesthetic standpoint.

 

There's always someone in the crowd that wants to say the statue of David isn't an astounding sculpture, that Picasso paints like a child, and the proportions of a Braun calculator are "meh".
You just smile and quietly shake your head. You can't teach appreciation of perfect proportion to everyone...

 

There's a lid for every pot! I just bought a 360 spider, I love the looks and the simplicity tbh. I really don't care nor ever cared what other people thought about subjective criteria. Objectively, its a more modern Ferrari all around than the F355 and that does have maintenance implications. None of this is a rational purchase anyways, so maybe you care about that maybe you don't.

 

I think the 430 was a great improvement design wise over the 360 (except for the rear tailights), but opinions differ. Also think the Scuderia in particular was one of the best Ferrari designs of this century.

 

I am not a convertible guy, but my hotel in monterey we had a 430 and 360 spider parked next to us few days. Man it looked great!

The top mechanisms scare me, but gorgeous to see the flat glass over the motor

 

I owned a 355 Spyder and I have driven a 360 and 430. I think the 355 is prettier but I would go for the newer stuff. Maintenance on a 355 was horrible for me.