360 Stradale questions Before i buy

Hi everyone, Im new here to the forum. I've always been a ferrari & porsche & nsx lover. But I'm looking to buy a Challenge Stradale or a F355 F1 in the next couple months and just wanted to get people's suggestion on which would be better suited for me. I'm infatuated with both cars appearance, especially the stradale, but I'm more concerned with the sound of the car and its performance . I know that the 355 has a higher pitched F1 sound, while the stradale is a car i've never heard in person before. I've downloaded soundclips, but i know that quality of sound of a recording does not do the car any justice. And as for performance, which car has better acceleration and more responsiveness ( i know that the CS would probably be more superior on handling) ? And reliability is also a concern i have. browsing through forums and talking to people, they tell me that ferrari's are prone to frequently having many mehanical/electrical issues, especially the 355. Well i appreciate any suggestions you can give me, and i appreciate you all welcoming me on the forum. thanks - William

 

the cs is much faster, better handling and lighter and more modern car....the f1 on the cs is far more advanced, and faster and smoother shifting....with out tubis, i like the sound of a cs better...the 355s dont sound like a formula one cars..but no road car made today really sounds like an f 1 car...anyone who says so hasnt heard an f1 car in person....both the cs and the 355 sound better with a tubi...the big advantage of a 355 is the cost...you will probably save 100k over the cs.....

 

wiliam,

without a doubt go with the CS if you can spare the change. i have had both cars and CS by far is a better car and more reliable than the 355. AFter driving the CS, 355 will feel like a toy car in comparison. CS is a real horse that can be driven daily.

 

I dunno I think the Carrera GT sounds fairly close to an F1 car in person. These car are really to different animals in my opinion. The CS is a special car with limited numbers and a raw track car. The 355 is more of your street cruising car with an amazing but somewhat dated design. If the funds allow I would say CS hands down. It's curently what I'm looking for.

 

William:

While the 355 is a wonderful car, IMHO, there's no comparison between the CS and the last version of the (1999) 355 F1. The F1 system (hardware and software) has evolved significantly in the ensuing 5 years, with the CS having the best (and fastest) shifting of all the 360's. HP, overall performance, technology, body rigidity, maintenance cost, reliability..... in fact, everything has been improved on the 360 over the 355 and the CS is the ultimate hard core version of the 360. There are vast differences between the two models. Of course, the cost differential between a 1999 355F1 and a 2004 CS is also quite significant.

Good luck in your search. Doing the research will be a lot of fun.

 

thanks everyone, your input is much appreciated, I think i'm leaning towards the 360 stradale.

 

good point, the carrera gt does sound close to an f1 car in person...great sounding car

 

I think the thing I need to do is test drive both cars to see which fits me best. The only thing i'm worried about is being only 20 yrs old, i might intimidate the dealship from letting me test drive or even take a ride in the car, especially the CS since it's a limited edition car. Should I maybe walk in the dealership with the cash or a cashier's check to show that i'm serious about buying the car ? What do you guys suggest? thanks again- William

 

Having a cashier's check always helps to provide a level of seriousness.

Comparing the two cars is like apples & oranges because of the huge price differential between them. If you can swing it, a CS is one of the ultimate cars you can buy south of $200k.

 

I'm a little surprised that you would consider both. They're both great cars, but if you are willing to write a check up to $200K for a toy, then the choice of the two for most people would be a CS (it's newer, still has a warranty, is more rare, has better performance and handling, etc). Is your uncertainty influenced by other factors you haven't mentioned? E.g. the F355 probably won't depreciate much more, while the CS may? Are you afraid the CS may be too "raw"? Or perhaps you're thinking of getting two $100K cars versus a single $200K car?

Also, it's hard for us to figure out which is "better suited" to you without knowing more about you. Have you owned your NSX for long? How do you drive it? Do you track it? Have you had other high-performance cars? Do you like twisties or straight line acceleration? Why do you think you want a Ferrari?

 

Yes, the dealer is not likely to take you seriously (not because there aren't a few 20 year-olds that might afford the cars, but because 99.999% of the 20 year-olds can't).

Thinking that you would walk in with cash might be effective but would also be dumb frankly. Cashier's check is slightly better, but it would be easier to have the salesman just call your bank manager. If you really have the money to afford this at 20, then you most likely had help from your parents/family - either advice or seed money or inheritance. Perhaps you should ask an older family member to help you out here. I can think of few things that would make me more proud than to walk into my F-car dealer with my son in 4 years (when he's 20) and tell the salesman, "he's looking for his first Ferrari, and he's buying it with money that HE made!"

 

worse first ferraris to get into than the CS
get the CS,end of story and TRACK HARD. those who have a CS and don't track don't deserve the keys

rock on

 

Oh i definitely plan to track the car on the weekends in the "race" "traction control off mode"

 

I suspect you will not intimidate the dealer. Perhaps they may not take you seriously, but I doubt they will be intimidated.

 

I drove scud's car last weekend, and I'm only 23yo - so it can't be too hard.