Best 360 model years?

if it was a choice between a 99, 00, or 01 then the 99 would probably be the better choice since it was the only year offered without pre-cats.

and there are some people that have had problems with the pre-cats

I don't know about the 02's + but I know there is a upgrade in the TCU.

 

Camdom53 addressed this question already in the sticky thread at the top of the 360/430 forum:

He says:

What’s the best 360 to get? Some 360 model years better than others?

It appears all 360s were NOT created equal but can be made so with some effort. As with all Ferrari street cars, there were problems with earlier models that were corrected over time through factory campaigns and upgrades. Some issues are quite serious because failure involves very significant damage and repair costs, such as the cam variator shaft, cracking of the rear frame, cracking motor & transmission mounts, starter ring gear, and transmission throwout bearing & seal. Some of the lesser issues are suspension bushings, several fluid leaks, major ABS and F1 transmission ECU & software upgrades.

All major issues and most minor ones were corrected by the ’02 model year. Upgrading the ’99-’01 cars was covered by factory warranty but only IF the early owner(s) used an authorized maintenance facility and/or cared enough to make sure all campaigns and upgrades were performed. I looked at several ’99-’01 cars whose owners claimed certain upgrades but had no documentation to back it up. I also found several instances where documentation appeared to indicate upgrades but careful examination of the car seemed otherwise. There are no pre-cats in the ’99 cars and some claim this adds a few HP but I found no empirical evidence of that.

Then there are the so-called “Euro cars” built for the European market but imported and modified for sale in the U.S. (identified by “B” instead of “A” in the 8th character of the VIN). These seem to be perfectly good cars assuming they have all the EPA and DOT paperwork to prove the “federalization” was done properly and legally. Without complete paperwork there can be real problems selling and registering these cars in some states. Because of the potential problem(s) these cars are typically priced noticeably lower than U.S. built cars.

I concluded that buying a Euro or a ’99-‘01 must be accompanied by significantly more work to determine what (if any) paperwork, upgrades and campaigns are still required and what the additional cost(s) might be. However, if (and it’s a big “IF”) everything has truly been upgraded to latest factory standards, there is little or no real difference. My personal choice was to stick with ’02-’05 U.S. built cars and simply bypass the extra work and worry.

 

In the Ferrari business we have a saying that is true in a general sense for all Ferrari


"The newer, the better".


They are made in small numbers so as problems are discovered they are corrected and that can take some time. There are so many things, many of them small it would be difficult to list and those are only the changes Ferrari told us about.

Everything from beefing up the frame to rerouting the wiring harness so the frame wouldn't cut through it.

 

the 2005 had the transmission program softened up too much inho.

 

First off for full disclosure I have a 2000, so I'll be upfront about my potential bias....

Now that I have had my car for over a year, based on my experience thus far, discussions with fellow 360 owners and perhaps most importantly my mechanic I would have to say to focus on getting the best car you can regardless of year. I'd have to think the overwhelming majority of earlier cars have had any key recalls done by now (updated cam variator, etc).

The only "upgrade" my car has not had is the starter ring upgrade (still has original clutch), which my mechanic says we'll do whenever I need a new clutch. A $600 or so item- in the grand scheme of things not enough money to make a difference between a 2000 or 2005 car to him or me.

Overall, the 360 seems to be a big jump forward in function and reliability from prior models, but these are not run of the mill porsches so there are sometime little strange things like a check engine light that is a sensor or sometimes even nothing, things like alarm batteries that are a pain to change, or people having to do things like change wheel bearings in 20,000 miles....you get the picture

I cannot comment on the differences in the F1 system from 1999-2005 as I never reaserched it, so others can add color there.

Overall, when I first bought the car I was worried about this or that- all the stuff mentioned in the 360 buyers guide section. My mechanic has been the best person to talk to however- he looked over the car when I first got it (it had been PPI'ed by a mechanic I didn't know since I bought it from the other side of the US) and said everything was fine- a minor hose change and that was it. I asked about all the stuff on here- starter ring, variator, frame, etc etc and he said most cars dont have these issues and certainly not multiple issues. He says stop reading f-chat if all this talk is making me nervious- well, I didn't take that advice and I like to be informed about how these cars work and what can break, but don't get all wound up about it anymore. He told me to drive the car and we'll deal with things as they come up if they come up. I have used his philosophy and my enjoyment of the car is much higher becasue of it. I just drive it and enjoy it.

The key is finding a good one and getting a proper PPI. While there were a lot of 360's made on a relative basis compered to other Ferraris, they are still a rare car. If you are looking for a certain color or a stick or certain mileage or what not, I think you'd be better off focusing on the condition than the year. It will likely be hard enough to find what you want unless you get lucky, and focusing on later years that may not be any different or better than the earlier ones will just make things more difficult. It took me 6 months of looking and I still had to get my car from 1,200 miles away.

Anyway, if you're looking for an F1 others can comment on that. At this point all 360's are old cars, so focus on condition is my recommendation.

 

I think Hunter S. Thompson put it best "buy the ticket, take the ride"

you can find the perfect Ferrari, have a complete checkup inside and out with a PPI and do all your research

and two weeks after owning the thing have a small failure of some sort and blow the engine to hell.