Concerns regarding valve guides in a 95 F355...

Just budget to proactively replace the valve guides at your next engine-out service (e.g. 30k service). Should add only about $1,500 or so on top of the regular charges if you do the fix before there's an actual problem (e.g. bad compression/leakdown that might require your heads to be rebuilt for $13k at Eugenios).

 

A 1995 with only 10k miles....................... the compression should be near perfect! However as ND said start putting money aside for the guides.... !!

 

I dunno - I've seen some 6,000 mile '95s that needed valve guides or had them done.

For comfort, my 1995 car has 32,000 miles and no issues. It could happen, but its not a deal killer. If your PPI is sound and you like the car, that's about as good as you can do.

 

I am also in the market for a 355 Spider. I will share with you my due diligence on choosing the right one. If anyone has anything to add that I missed please add.

First, I would take stock of the best year in the model group I am considering. Also known as best of breed. For me, from what I read it is the 97. While some will swear by the 99 because it is the last production year, I like the 97-98 model year. Visit several dealerships and arrange a few test drives to make sure it is a fit for you and your style of being and body type. Next, examine your financial situation and make sure you're ready for ownership. Again, for some this may be a subjective decision but for me that means being able to pay cash for it and have a cash reserve on hand for maintenance/upgrades. You would be surprised at how many people take out second mortgages or finance the whole car and then can't pay their mortgage or kids tuition. I am not sitting in judgement of anyone but I think you need to have your finances in order as well as your priorities. I have seen friends cash out their 401 k's to buy a lambo- personally, I think that's crazy. If you feel you could afford the purchase and maintenance, I would then call my insurance carrier to make sure that the Insurance for the car is well within my means. Get a number of quotes from different carriers.

I would allow plenty of time for choosing the right vehicle and not allow myself to be rushed. I would buy the best sorted car I could within the budget I feel most comfortable working with. Get a feel for the market and prices.If a car comes up that you like, I would ask the seller about prior maintenance records and then follow up with a phone call to said dealership or independent service center for verification. You would be surprised how many people lie and tell you it had the engine out or had such and such work and when you call to verify, the dealership says it was never even serviced there. If you are still interested in buying the car, ask for receipts to then be faxed over to you. In addition run a carfax and experian autocheck. While both can yield bogus results, running them can sometimes steer you away from a car with potential problems or to many locations and owners. Next, I would negotiate a price pending a full PPI(Compression/leakdown). In the interim, if the seller doesn't have all maintenance records, I would try to locate the prior owners to see how the car was maintained and establish a complete book of maintenance records from the car's inception. I would make sure that all the major issues(read the f-chat threads) were sorted out.

If the vehicle is located outside your state, I would also ask for plenty of closeup pictures, taken with a digital camera. Make sure all the electrical components are working. When I bought my TR, I heard excuses from owners when the subject matter came up that totally turned me off to dealing with them. From what I am seeing shopping for the 355, nothing has changed. You might be familiar with some of them:

"Well, now that you ask I don't believe the radio works but that doesn't matter to me because I like to hear the sound of the engine when I drive." (Testarossa/348/355)


"No, the a/c is not working but this isn't a Lexus. You have to understand that Ferrari's aren't into glamour nuances"(355/TR)


"The top doesn't go up. The micro switch is broken but that's okay I always drive it with the top down. I mean it's a spider."(355)


"Power windows, no. The last time I brought it in for servicing the mechanic told me it was probably just the fuse that blew. I didn't change it because I rarely open the windows anyway" (89 Testarossa)

"Service records?? The car only has 15,000 miles on it, so it really didn't need much service"- (87 Testarossa)

Next, if at all possible, drive it and use the power of contrast from prior test drives to sort out the feel of the clutch and suspension. I would give the rightful owner a fair price. If the seller has a well sorted F-car with all maintenance records, tools and books, he is giving you a nice package and someone will pay for it. A pristine F-car is worh it's weight in gold.Take a look at some of the cars that are on the market and you will see what I mean.

Finally, run it through F-chat. The guys on this forum are the best in show. They will tell you more in 5 min than most can cover in any magazine article or thread.

Thank the LORD for the ability to own the best auto in the world