All the sad 355s.....

+1

These cars are about comitment. They will give you good days and bad days. Thats part of the allure.

 

+ 355!!!

I couldn't agree more!!

We should catch up soon....when is your car back from the shop?

 

At least another 3 weeks. maybe a club run before xmas . . .

 

Cool, I'll be interested to hear all about that....if you can stomach the topic that is.

 

I think you should cheer up! Regarding the first paragraph above, the 360's aren't $20K cars....they are high $70's and up well over $100 for the later spiders for good examples. I for one have made the first Ferrari purcahse in my life, and I can tell you it is a momentus event for me. Yes I passed over some of the crap 360s, but like anything else that is costing you more than $1,000 many or most people do some research. I started looking for the 360 right around the time a few months ago when "the sky was falling" (and it still kind of is mind you) and people were talking of how you could buy a great 360 for $60K. I can say first hand you could not (and definitily not a 6-speed stick that I wanted, but that is another topic). Anyway, these cars will always be special- at this buy in point I don't expect my car to lost half it's value in a few years like a new car would, and I am aware of the expenses and intend to properly maintain the car. Several years ago I wanted a 355 spider, but a growing family pushed that off. Then the prices lowered so much I was able to move up to a 360 for still less than the 355 spiders were going for 4-5 years ago- it opened an opportunity for an car nut (me) to buy a car another car nut is selling for something else. The desire is still there- if I sell the car in 5 years even for $45K, you can bet that guy is going to be a car nut too!

Regarding the second paragraph above, the better examples will always have value. Look at the later 928 GTS- a low mileage, high dollar car to maintain relative to the buy in price. The price dropped down years ago and then stabilized- you can't get a 40K mile 928GTS in mint condition for $15K. The air-cooled 911s dropped and then stabilized and held their value at an even higher % of initial price due to lower maint costs.

I'm not too worried- in an age of automatic/manumatic/all wheel drive XYZ, there will always be people who want a Ferrari to experience driving...not to mention to me the highlight of the modern Ferrari designs in the 355/360 and even 550/575 for a more low key look.

 

Just a quick note- that thread is there because of the damage that the variator failure did, but considering the thousands of 360's out there the failure rate is VERY VERY low. Consensus is building that this part should just be changed out at every other belt change for a cost of $800...or $3000 if the camshaft needed to be changed in a worse case scenario if someone wanted to replace the part with as I said has a very low % failure rate (and there is rumor Hill Engineering is working on one that will be stronger). Not going to stop me from enjoying a 360- none of the things you mention are since hopefully informed buyers (fellow f-chatters) aren't expecting these things to be like Camrys.

I believe long term the 360 will continue to be more reliable than the 355- I have researched and followed these cars for 5 years now and finally pulled the trigger on the 360, but I would have done a 355 too and paid less for the car but budgeted more for maint. Either the 355 or 360 is a great buy if people research the issues with the cars, buy a great example of one, then turn the key and start living life!

Man you guys are depressing, especially considering it's a Friday

 

Good luck trying to drive a Ferrari "to the extents that it can be driven [to]" and especially on a public road.

 

I've always wondered WHY I see SO many 355s and 360s on Ebay and such..

Do people get bored with them? If so, HOW? Or do they just want the latest and greatest toy? Or...is it the maintenance? Probably a variation on all three, depending on the specific individual. But jeez...they seem like such great cars, and I can't imagine ever getting bored of hearing a 355 rev!

 

There are a lot of non enthusiasts out there who just want one to say they had one on their life resume. After a year, they can check it off their bucket list.

Why do you see so many Car fax's with 5 owners in 5 years? Why are there so many will less than 500 miles per year? It's all the same thing.

I'm sure the first repair or mantenance bill also shocked them.

Not everyone thinks like you, unfortunately.

 

Also you see a lot for sale due to the simple fact that there were a lot of 355s and 360s made relative to some of the other models...factor in an average ownership of 4-5 years and you can quickly see how there would be a lot for sale at any one moment in time. One thing is these cars are for sale in all 50 states (if you're in the US), which I quickly found out means there are not too many within say a 1 hour drive from where one lives especially if you are particular about color, transmission, condition, mileage, etc...

 

Don't you guys work? Jaysus.

 

Many just don't have the innate funds to maintain her properly.

 

Come for a ride eh?

 

Could be the recession we are fighting through and some guys just need the money more than their 355's/360's

 

It is sad. When I went to buy my 348 I had this picture what a ferrari was meant to be like. The first 3 or 4 I looked at where in really bad condition. It was heart breaking cause thats not what I wanted. My dream car was meant to be perfect. One of the ones I looked at was in so bad condition I told the guy he should have treated it with a bit more respect.

But the truth is I did find one 348 that was in perfect condition, 11,000km's and the body work, interior matched it. This guy had 6 cars in his garage all in the same year bracket as the 348. There are nice ones around. just takes time to find the right one. If you have real passion for a ferrrari you would spend the time finding the right car for you.

 

Bought my 355 spider 6speed sight unseen after a good PPI. Price was very reasonable but I knew there were items to be taken care of. Since march 09 I have replaced the tires all belts belt bearings, recovered the seats with oem leather, put in an awesome stereo, replaced the oem headers with tubis and of course done regular maintenance. And I'm not done yet! I LOVE driving my 355. That's why I bought it. The fact that it is one of the most beautiful cars ever penned is icing on the cake. I will never sell it so resale is not an issue for me. I will keep "restoring" it while I drive it at every chance I get. To paraphrase another car company : There is no substitute. And it's been cheaper than owing a boat!

 

Bravo!
We certainly need more responsible owners like you out there.
To quote another company: You don't actually own a (Ferrari in this case) you're merely keeping it for the next generation.

I'm also planning to keep mine forever

 

Awesome, you were born to own a Ferrari.

 

Excellent...and you are right, one has to take his time for the one that he thinks is right!