Becoming Scared of a 355

From my many years involved with Ferraris the 355 is the scariest ferrari to own. I would buy a ferrari without leakdown test except on a 355. Even then the leakdown is a snapshot and not 100% accurate. That said if you are lucky enough to get a good one they are amazing sensual cars. I always liked a higher mile ferrari because you know it is a driver. the 10k mile 355 scares the crap out of me. All that said you know we all enjoy risky behaviors. There is no thrill without risk.

 

What he said.

I don't know anyone who doesn't like how the 355 looks, sounds and goes.

But if you're worried about the occasional $5000 repair, you might want to consider a 308/328 or a CPO 360/F430.

 

If you're handy with a wrench and equally adept at clicking 'search' on Fchat, you can mitigate many of those costs. If you're the type who will tow to a dealer for a dead battery, well you had better have a big wallet! You'll find some horror stories on Fchat of maintenance cost, but for every one of those there's many others running with max. of a few hundred per year maint on avg (then a major every 3-5 yrs.)

After 3 yrs, I'm 100% thrilled to have a 355 in my garage!

 

Mark,

The service bills on the 355 can be high, but if you find a well sorted car you should be fine. I bought mine with 16k miles I got it at a great price but only because it needed work. I did the clutch, tires, brakes, and the 30k service while doing the 30k I replaced the headers, cats and put a tubi exhaust on. In the first year I spent about 17k to get it sorted not all of it was needed like (cats and tubi) That year I put 7k miles on it. Since the 30k service 1 year 3mo ago. I've put over 8k miles on it and have only had to change the oil. I drive it at least 3 times a week in the rain or 110 degree weather and don't think twice about it.

 

I'll never forget when I bought my first exotic which was a 355 (still own it). Ya Ya I had the compression/leak down done when I first bought it, but that didn't help me rest easy.

For the first three or so weeks I had the car, I was seriously stressed... I was literally crapping myself wondering what was going to go wrong with the car and whether this car was going to turn into a money pit and eat me alive. It had an overheat issue which I was really worried about because I thought it might be my waterpump. But I must say, the fchat guys really helped me out. I've come to learn that sometimes the radiator fans on these cars have their own minds and agendas...

Nevertheless, as time passed (and the milage too), this car has worked out to be pretty friggin awesome. The only problems I had to fix were problems that the car came with that I knew about up front when I purchased it. Other than that I've done fluid changes on the car, and have really gotten to know it inside and out. Now that my car is fully sorted, I firmly believe that I could pack the boot up and drive across the country without any problems. I'm actually considering doing this over the next month or two.

Sorry for the ramble... But I totally agree with FatBillyBob 100%. My car has been driven and it's also been serviced. This thing runs like a champ.

I'm convinced now that I will NEVER buy a garage queen, and I will NEVER own a garage queen either. I'm going to buy cars to enjoy... My driven F355 is nothing but a joy for me now. I can confidently take it out and run it all friggin day without a worry in the world.

 

Pretty much my exact situation as well. I'll do 99% of the stuff like oil changes, brake pads, fluid changes, battery changes, etc. and let Competizione do the serious stuff like majors and clutches. Car's been rock solid. Bobby said it well about the garage queens. I'm certain there are some great cars that have very low mileage but find one that's been regularly exercised and maintained and you'll likely find a gem.

Having said that, when it does go into the shop it's always at least a four figure repair so make sure you're comfortable with that before buying.

 

+1. Ferraris, and all cars for that matter, were built to be driven.

 

I say keep the 348. Not because the 355 is a bad car, but because you know your car and are happy with it.

I know many peopel who sell a car they love, only to regeret it later.

Either way, you'll have a nice ferrari regardless.

 

My experience over 2yrs has been good and I would only buy a car that has had a fresh major and up to date service records... a thorough inspection along with a Carfax/Autcheck. If you get serious about a car have the compression/leakdown test done first and end the PPI if it fails at this point, don't waste the money on the rest of the PPI.

I wouldn't buy a car like this if your going to be worrying about it all the time - it's not worth your sanity, having said that I love my 355, my favorite modern V8 Ferrari, it's awesome!

I have all the service records for my car and just for kicks one night I added all the repair costs over 13yrs and it averaged $2K per yr. Have access to $5-10K if the need should arise.

A documented car with miles and clear vehicle history would be my bet, good luck to you!

 

I bought my 355 bout 18 months ago, and got a great price. The dealer told me the car had been gone through and was perfect. Would need an engine out in a year or two. PPI's seemed to agree. That was $21k ago.

Here's what I would say from my experience:
If the headers and/or cats have not been replaced, knock $10-15k off the price at least.
If a major has not been done in last 24 months, knock $5-7k off the price.

There is no question that these expenses will come up soon if you buy the car. Maybe there are some lucky guys out there who will never have the problems, but from what I can tell, these are givens once the cars have 10k miles on them.

If I were given a re-do, I would have bought a higher miles car from a private, and spent a long time talking to his shop.

The car blows the 348 off the map. There is no F-car I'd rather drive on a sunny day when I want to go fast -- it is a deep, solid, aural experience that makes the nerves tingle, not too big and incredibly tight. (The Dino is a whole different deal.) You can drive it all day, too.

Just take your time and don't let color or lust confuse you. You'll never know for sure until you've had it a couple years. I'm hoping mine is done busting my hump for two or three years... God it's awesome to drive!

 

I have to agree. I told myself that I would wait a year and do my homework on these cars and then buy. Where am I 9 months later? Basically where I was at the beginning. It seems like it is a 60/40 split on no problems/ton of issues people. This has still put me on the fence between looking at the 355(the style that brought me into wanting to purchase one of these cars, and the 360(more reliable to a degree and also within my price range). All that being said I am still educating myself on both models, though I have to admit the 355 guys do show more "boob" shot photos which has swayed me slightly . And I have to give you guys a big thanks for bringing your problems/adulations of these cars to this forum. It has educated me greatly.

 

I have to agree. I told myself that I would wait a year and do my homework on these cars and then buy. Where am I 9 months later? Basically where I was at the beginning. It seems like it is a 60/40 split on no problems/ton of issues people. This has still put me on the fence between looking at the 355(the style that brought me into wanting to purchase one of these cars, and the 360(more reliable to a degree and also within my price range). All that being said I am still educating myself on both models, though I have to admit the 355 guys do show more "boob" shot photos which has swayed me slightly . And I have to give you guys a big thanks for bringing your problems/adulations of these cars to this forum. It has educated me greatly.

 

I've had my 355 going on 3 years now, and I agree with all that's been said here. To wit: if you are looking at any 355 which has not had headers and cats replaced, count on doing that for sure. If you look at a 355 with bad leakdown #s, count on doing valve guides. These are just realities of 355 ownership. I personally would prefer to buy a car needing a major, which allows me to bargain this expense into the purchase price, rather than believing paperwork stating a car has had a recent service (unless you can verify the work actually HAS been performed). Other issues with the cars are usual stuff (alternators, brake pads, sticky interiors, etc) which are not unique to the 355 model nor are they particularly expensive or difficult to make right.

As to the 360 being "cheaper" to operate... maybe, maybe not. Yes, belt services are cheaper, but the revised gearbox design dictates removal of tranny for a clutch job. On 355's, the clutch is staring at you when you look at the back end of the car. Clutch job difference = $ savings from a major service. Net result: same price to keep running if you need a new clutch every 4-5 years on both cars. The 360's have SOME issues with headers, but doesn't seem to be ubiquitous as it is with the 355. Cats are issues with 360's just like the 355's, and all Ferrari's, for that matter.

Bottom line, if you like the 355, get one. Just plan on the one-time expense of making right the design flaws Ferrari allowed out the door. Once sorted, the 355 is a reliable car which can be driven daily. I know, because I drive mine daily.

John

 

You really need to keep in mind that although there are a lot of well intended opinions on this website, they are mostly personal experiences, and there are far more 355 owners out there than there are here on this website. With that in mind, I suggest talking to a seasoned mechanic who has worked on 100's of these cars. He can tell you what you can expect from these cars. My Ferrari mechanic worked on only 355's in London for 8 years. Needless to say, he has worked on quite few of these cars. I spoke with him before I bought my 355 and I also spoke to the mechanic who worked on the car for the previous owner, I even took it a step further and had the 2 mechanics speak to each other about the car before I bought it. That is the only way I will buy a Ferrari (along with both an auto check and carfax). I also agree with the gentleman who said to get a car that needs the major service an bargain down the price based on that. With all that being said, after working on 100's of 355's, my mechanic prefers the berlinetta with the manual gearbox.

 

I'd be real careful there about who's 348 you are talking about. Some of our lowly 4-8's would shock the crap out of you.

 

Ive had my machine for over 5 years now and this year I spent a good dollar on it. The car always drove great but its now even better. It has more power for sure and runs the same day in and day out(Thanks to Dave's kit). Here is a list of the stuff I did totaling around $21K.
The 355 is an unbelievable car to drive and look at. I actually enjoy upgrading the car to where it should be.
Engine out service including all belts, Hill engineering bearings and a new water pump.
Dave helms precious metals connectors kit
New Tubi headers
Heads re and re with new steel valve guides
New clutch including Hill engineering release bearing
Injectors ultrasonic cleaning and testing and new o-ring seals
Samco silicon hoses
Cleaned all throttle bodies and replaced rubber air intake seals and mounting gaskets
New cv joint boots
Cam timing advanced to challenge spec.
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Ouch. That would buy me a heck of a lot of upgrades for my lowly cheezer 4-8.

 

Well the cost I incurred is mostly parts. Tubi headers are around 6k. Valve guides alone are over 2K and then you have to install them. 1K in clutch parts. 2K in machine shop ect ect ect.

 

F car techs love to see 355 roll into the shop

 

Can i ask, what does this do for the performance of the car?

 

+1

I've yet to come across a 355 that "blows my 348 off the map".

 

I would have to agree. I love my F355, but you already have a "known commodity" with your 348. All the issues have been sorted and it runs well. As has been previously stated, extensive service histories and PPIs do not guarantee that the car you purchase will be trouble free. While I, personally, have not had any problems with my F355 (Great, I just jinxed myself), they can be the proverbial nightmare. Sorry to be pessimistic, but I've known too many people that have sold a well-sorted car, only to have nothing but problems with its replacement.

 

How many times will we talk about problems w/ the 355? Seems like this is always an issue w/ people who would love to have a 355 but are scared away due to the possible repair costs. My advice is to buy a car you can afford to drive and maintain. The reason I bought my 348 Spider instead of a 355 Spider was to have some extra cushion around for maintenance. At the time I couldn't get into a nice 355 and have some money as a cushion for maintenance. Plus I always loved the 348 Spider. I suggest, as other have, one should be able to shell out $10K if needed for problems that may arise from owning these types of vehicles. All Ferrari's have their own issues. Engine out service, vs. new clutch. The list goes on and on. I would by the car you feel you can maintain and can afford in case something goes wrong.
My .02

 

It changes the power curve. With the cam timing I have now, I get much more power in the 5000rpm and up range.