Just wondering if anyone here who currently owns a 348 or F355 bought theirs new? No reason other than simple curiosity.
Hey David. Not original owner here but I feel like one! Just got my 348 and it has 15k original miles. The prior 4 owners did not use it much at all How are you liking yours?
1998 355 F1 GTS Rossa Corsa over Nero. Bought new from Ferrari of Los Gatos. Image Unavailable, Please Login
That picture is at the Wynn after her last major. If you ever were at Ferrari of Los Gatos you would know the cars were parked quite a bit closer there. I have about 8200 miles on her. Ryalex was the last one to take her out on his birthday. This was my third Ferrari, and the only one I bought new. I daily drive my sixth Ferrari, a 2004 575M.
I'm almost positive that FChatter Stentboy bought his time-capsule 348 new. It only has a handful of miles on it now. AFAIK, it's about as original as it can be. Hoping to get to see it one day to see what the really looked like when they left the dealership.
Amazing. You should publish a book of high res photos of exactly how a pristine 348 is supposed to look. I'm very serious-- it would be an awesome resource, especially as the cars get older and stray further from stock.
In the past I restored Mopars and reliable resources such as what you described were virtually nonexistent. However, I think it will take another 10 or 15 years before collectors would really value something like that for modern Ferraris. In the meantime anybody who wants to look at mine is more than welcome. The really cool thing about mine, in addition to it being a low mileage one owner, is it has never seen rain or even been washed. So there's no flash rust and all the assembly line marks are intact. Thanks for your comments.
Pretty cool- I'd love to see the 348, but it's all the way in Texas . I love seeing all original cars, but having a car like that and not driving it would also make me nuts... If I had the money I'd get two, one to look at and one to drive . Can you share the story/thoughts on the car- did you buy it day one to preserve or get too busy to drive it as the years went on?
I hear you but I'm in too far to start driving her now. I thought about getting a 328 or 348 to drive more but so far that hasn't happened.
Oh I agree- at this point it would be a shame to start driving this car to any large degree. But I was curious as to how this came to be- did you have other cars and the car sat for the first decade or so and then figured you'd continue to preserve it, or did you intend to keep it a time capsule from day one? I'm often curious as to how some cars accumulate so few miles... some I get, like the 1976 eldorado convertibles where people thought they were buying the last Cadillac convertible (only to be duped a few years later, but by then plenty were squirreled away with sub 100 miles or whatever), or people buying a GNX and putting it into a collection right away...I guess people could justify doing this with any Ferrari as they are relatively few made, but maybe more for the limited edition models (550 barchetta, F40, 16M, that sort of thing)
About 600 of the 1900 miles were put on her the first few weeks and then I drove her in decreasing amounts as the months and years passed. And yes I did have other cars that I drove more and had a keener interest in. It's ironic though that they are all gone and Ferrari remains. She's had one engine out service which the technician indicated was probably unnecessary and has her fluids changed regularly. I start her about every 10 days. The tires are original but appear to be in good condition, not that I would drive her on 23-year-old tires.
Honestly you'd be better putting the car on a battery tender, and only starting it up for a drive/running the motor (oil) to full operating temperature, even if only 3-4 times a year vs. starting it every 10 days. The fuel I guess might get old as the tank might only be filled every 1-2 years, but if you ran it/drove it enough maybe a tank each year? (using the best fuel you can- ethanol free if you can get it by you, and also mixing in fuel stabilizer)
