I placed a deposit on the new M3, the delivery date and price is not known yet but I'm thinking 65K range, in about six months. I'm contemplating taking a completely different route by purchasing a 2000, 360. My reasoning is depreciation and passion of course! I'm getting fed up with buying new cars selling them after a couple of years and losing over 30%. Although the Ferrari costs more, I assume that after 7 years it has reached a very slow depreciation rate. I know cars are not investments but if I lose less money in three years driving a ferrari than an M3, that would be a wise investment to me. I would appreciate any information in regards to maintenance and depreciation costs and your opinion in general. (this will be my daily driver). Grazie!
The 360 should be a good daily driver. I would recommend a 6 speed versus the F1. The F1 for the 360 model is very abrupt. The F430 F1 is very good. The oil change cost are about $450 per year. The belt change is every 3 years and is about $4500. The fluids change is at 5000 miles and it is expensive also. You may want to avoid the three piece wheels. I had them and had no problems with them but i have been told by dealers to be careful because they break easy and cannot be repaired. The replacement cost two years ago was $4000 each. During the 3 years I had my 360 I had no problems with the car at all. I lost about $10-20K when I traded the car in. The dealer was asking about $3k less than what I paid for it. I assume if i wanted to I could have sold it someother way and done better. These are great cars. other than cost of the maintenance you will love the car. i am sure you know to avoid a European spec car. Also avoid the 1999 360 they had some issues although I suspect they have been taken care of by now. The 360 is a sweet handling car and is a great every day car. I traded in my 2003 360 6 speed at the end of 2006 for a F430F1. I love that car also. Good luck to you Lee
I say go for the 360. I'm pretty sure you're going to enjoy the 360 more than the E90 M3. If you buy a M3 for $65K right now and sell it after 2-3 years, you might end up selling it for $36-$45K depending on the mileage and condition of the car. If you buy a let's say '01 360 for about $130K right now, if you sell it in 2 years, you can still probably sell it for around that price. I think you're going to end up paying more for depreciation in the M3 rather than the 360. Good Luck choosing the right car for you.
I would of course say go for the 360, since I have a fully serviced MY2000 F1 Loaded with every option and is only $115,988...Yellow and Black/ with yellow stitching and Carbon Fiber Seats!
I had two M3's, stick and SMG. Nice cars but not in the same league as a 360. The new M3 is really overpriced. It is basically an obese corvette with a $20,000.00 premium.
agreed. I have two cars: an E46 M3 convertible (6-sp manual) and a 360 spider (6-sp manual), and they are night and day different. Not even remotely in the same league. The E90 M3 should be better than the E46 M3, but still, it's just a 3-series BMW at the end of the day. I use my M3 to go to places where I don't want to take the F-car. Otherwise, I drive the F-car as my primary driver.
here is an issue with using your 360 as a daily driver. if you drive 12,000 miles a year, the value of your 360 is going to plummet. alot of the comments about the f car keeping it's value is based on a 2-4,000 mile per year use. put 36,000 miles on per year, and pay for the belt and fluid changes that the mileage requires, and see what it costs you then. listen, my opinion with these cars is when you spend $100,000 or more for a car, i would just go out and get the car that you like-screw the resale. i don't disagree with getting the 360 as a daily driver, as long as you are not in a cold winter climate. i would get the 360 and drive it every day-just don't let anyone convince you that it is going to be a better investment then the m3-it might very well be much more money over 3 years than the m3. if you like it and can afford it-i would go for it.
I appreciate all your suggestions. I don't really drive that much and have a very short commute to work, I probably average 7000 miles per year. Too confuse matters even more I'm also considering an 04, SL55AMG!
I would go with the 360 for that short a commute but you really need to desire a Ferrari and if you do then the comparison and hair pulling are not necessary you want the Ferrari, I have had a lot of cars but when you drive a Ferrari then jump in your other cars you know why you have an Fcar
frankly a Ferrari is a Ferrari. Mercedes and BMW arent Ferraris. I own an E 55 AMG and a BMW sedan for daily trasportation. The 360 spider I have is a fun car. It is not for daily transport as far as I am concerned, though it can be. There is no comparison between a 360 and those other cars. Sorry. A Ferrari is a Ferrari. Period.
Ferrari of North America won't honor the warranty on a non-US car, and it's easy to tell from the VIN. Once it's out of warranty, I don't know that it matters, but I'm sure someone here can tell you.
I never heard that about 3-piece wheels. I know they are expensive but depending on the brand, i think most are very strong.
I could be wrong but, isn't the warranty three years anyway.....you were talking a 2000 modena, right?? The emissions equipment warranty for your state may be another story, it is either 5 (far expired)years or 8 years (for california).
