355 what to look for

Welcome to the Board.

There have been a number of threads in the recent past on the 355's. Take a quick search (top left hand) and search for 355 or 355 problems - you will find detailed write-ups and lists of things to look for and watch out for.

If you don't find the specifics or have questions based on the findings - post those and we can drill down to the details to help get you ready to purchase.

It is good that you are spending time - looking - that is the best way to approach it - take your time - there are some very good threads/reading..

Rich

 

I am not a 355 owner, but have been here observing the various issues with 355s for a few years. Here are the issues that come up the most often:

1. Melting exhaust headers. The OEM ones ALL eventually melt for some reason and the only thing that can be done is to replace with aftermarket or OEM, or have them rebuilt. If you replace with OEM, they will melt again. Pretty expensive to fix.

2. Valve guide issues. Very expensive to fix.

3. "Gooey" interior parts.

I wouldn't buy a 355 unless there was documentation that both #1 and #2 had been addressed.

Birdman

 

Speaking as a dealer...for me...documentation means everything. I am not scared of wore valve guides, sticky dashes or shrunken leather etc etc.

As long the car has been taken care of AND it is documented I would not be scared of a 5k mile car or 50k mile car.

They are great cars, but you do have to work harder to find a nice one since so many haven't aged as well as compared to 308\328.


Hope that helps

Steve
www.sportauto.cc

 

Look for:

Body/interior:

1) cracks in the paint just below the rear buttresses - it will need repainting or it will rust

2) Damaged interior leather (dashboard, driver sear side bolsters) - a real ***** to fix

3) Scuffed wheels - sign of a careless driver

Engine:

1) Cracked exhaust manifolds - outrageously expensive to replace, a very common problem. Ideally they should have been replaced with Tubis (the originals are junk, they'll just crack again).

2) Burned exhaust valves (Check the cylinders' compression ratio) - if a car has run too long with cracked manifolds

3) Worn out valve guides - check for oily smoke, low compression ratio. A VERY common problem which requires a top-end rebuild

4) Make sure the previous owner didn't rev the car from cold: this rapidly kills the bearings (check the oil pressure under full acceleration when hot)

Vehicle dynamics:

1) Watch out for noisy suspension (drive on a bumpy road), listen for squeaks and rattles.

2) Make sure it tracks straight and true: all F355s do unless they've been crashed and badly repaired


Good luck!