A Question for 348 Shoppers

Whoa, I saw my name mentioned so I thought I would chime in. I was shopping for a nice 355 GTB, a 1995 model of course. Had a 348 spider, been there done that. Then this poor 348 SS caught my eye. What a cosmetic dog it appeared to be. No history, other than carfax. So it takes an act of pure faith and confidence in yourself to ferrit out a lemon along with having some cool Stooge friends to back you up.

I definitley would not go the route I took without some experience, skills (yours or someone else's) and a bit of pure luck. I did an eBay auction, was able to see and drive the car (a pretty rare opportunity for eBay offerings) and was able to essentially pick up a bargain.

Call me lucky, call me an informed shopper, whatever. It worked out for me. Essentially the odds are on your side, The engines are pretty bullet proof compared to Ferrari power plants. The 348 is also much less complex than the 355. With minor mods, it can be made to perform well beyond your ability (or desire) to exploit. There are lots of nit picky things that need attention, but to me this stuff is just minor and optional. The inconsistent electronics - bah - the A/C that works when it wants to (usually not when it is warm) - whatever - the minor rattles and interior gooey stuff. Who cares, just rev that baby up with your gothspeed exhaust howling at WOT, hit a perfect shift and blast through a corner like M. Schumacher and it doesn't matter. Park that gorgeous baby in the sun after a generous detail and feel your knees weaken. That's your car, dude and there's only 100 of them and one in these colors.

Wouldn't do anything different. Go ahead and just do it.