360 Reliability Questions ... please read...

Nearly all of your questions relate to buying a Ferrari in the US rather than buying a 360 in particular. As such only your first question really applies to the general audience here.

As far as I have been able to tell there are no particular recurring problems with any model year. As with all cars various owners have had various problems - for me (direct experience of 4 360's) every one of them has at some point had a detached cable from the outside door opener - very easy to fix but irritating.

 

No real problems that I've heard about. There is a recall on the 360 so make sure it's checked.

 

Since you're concerned about reliability, it might be worthwhile visiting a couple of Ferrari service centers and asking questions. When I did that, I heard lots of horror stories -- mostly about cars which aren't driven regularly.

 

i know that the f1 system was not so great in the early years 99-01 also the batterys would die in early model's and yes the door cable.

 

Same topic in another thread at the bottom of this page: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22847

 

I don't have the manual in front of me, but isn't the 360 warranty 3 years?

Gary

 

Yup. 3 years/unlimited miles.

 

I think it's now 2...........

 

Are you sure? They've gone down in # of years covered? Doesn't make sense.

 

The 360's warranty is 3 years, not 2.
And, yes, there is now an option to extend the warranty.

 

Here's 2 sites that state that 04's are 2 years........

http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/ferrari_360modena_spiderf1_2004/14750/style_warranty.html

http://comp.autosite.com/2002autosuite/clients/Autosite/Landing.asp?AS3_Vehicle1=9401&AS3_VehicleUID1=14747&AS3_Numvehicles=1

 

My 03 360 is 3 years/unlimited. I really doubt they would reduce warranty coverage on the 04 model -- it's basically the same car.

Maybe it's 2 years on ROW 360s...

 

as far as buying any ferrari goes...it's always much better to regret something you did, than something you didn't do......

your alternatives are

Porsche...has less faults than charisma (none of either!)

Lamborghini....has more faults than charisma (too much of both!)

 

My Thoughts

1- Buy a 6 speed There are plenty of posts concerning the F-1, however my 6 speed had a seal go bad. It felt like somebody poured syrup doen the clutch shaft.

2- Ferrari warranty service was excellent. They came down to pick up my car in Indy and flat beded it to Chicago.

4- Mine had/has 3 year warranty.

6- Be patient and stick to all your criteria. Be sure to have all service, books and other items in order. Have fun in your chase of the dream car and be prepared for an awsome driving experience!!
Good Luck

 

I think there were a few threads discussing the 360's reliability, search the forum and you may get more info!
The word reliable to me means something I can count on day in and day out w/o worrying if the car is going to strand me on the side of the road. If that is your question, I have had mine for three years/16.5k miles and never had any reliability problems. I have tracked my car several times and only drive it when I am ball to the walls.
On the other hand, since mine is 2000 MY there were numerous updates to seals, bearings, alarm, clutch assembly, etc... all fixed and updated by FoSF under warranty. In general, different owners have different experiences with their 360s. The probability of finding identical 360s in maintenance and behavior is there but probably rare. Each owner has a different experience with his/her car... For example, a few complained about their main battery and some complained about their aux alarm battery, mine are still the original. It could be due to how often the car was driven... But generally speaking the car's been very reliable with a few nuances of updates and repairs under warranty.
FoSF has been going through some changes and their service was not what you expect from a performance shop! But my last service there was very satisfactory and great overall. They may be coming around. You want a peace of mind and the security that the car is going to hold up at the speeds it was designed to run. I have that comfort zone with my car and regularly get it in the 150+ where ever I can.

One word of advise...if you are buying a 2001 make sure it is a late model 2001. All 1999 through early 2001's could have a catastrophic failure of left bank variators. Ferrari has re-designed the part and recalled all their 360C cars to be fitted with the new part. I have seen several fail at various dealers and countries during my investigation. The repairs are costly if it breaks while driving ($20K+). I have taken the issue with FNA and while they are very courteous and tray to dance around the issue they do not want to admit to the defect. Good luck with your purchase.