Daily driving a 355? I mean really daily driving it

I am semiretired and dont drive a whole lot but need a daily driver. My wife and I are down sizing. She still works and has a brand new car I was going to buy a new car when we arrived here in Charleston.
I was running errands in my 355 today and was thinking why do I need another car. Some background on my 355. Its not perfect but looks great. At 43000 miles it has some chips but you really have to look. Interior looks great dye is worn a little in a couple of spots on seats but still looks fine. Spider top looks great and works well. It runs like perfectly tuned machine...amazed how the car runs so well and sounds so good with Hyper-flows and a tubi.
Everything has always worked with no issues ..no dash lights suspension lights nothing ever..and yes the bulbs work.
Now the bad...it lists a minor accident on carfax. that alone really destroys appreciation to a big extent. Its not perfect and will never be a Concours car. It will be a valuable parts car someday but not now it runs and drives perfect and I really love driving the car.
I was thinking today why buy another car? Why have a $3-400 a month lease or car payment just put that away for maintenance and use it like a daily car. If I get a newer car after what I lose on depreciation and taxes and other things for a car I will never enjoying like my 355 just driving the 355 instead seems much more appealing.
I can do a lot of the work myself and when it has needed some stuff I picked it up from Ferrparts used or from Bruce. Other than header failure and a clutch it hasnt needed anything major. i bought aftermarket headers so that issue is addressed and when it needs a clutch again i can do the labor myself.
In 2017 it will need a belt service but if everything checks out shouldnt cost much more or maybe even less than a years ins and payment on a 5 series BMW
maybe I'm not seeing the real downside to this other than racking miles up on the car...but like I said as I keep driving its on its way to being an organ donor anyway...what say the experts I would love to hear your opinion...
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If you have the space to keep it why not pick up a decent older Japanese car or SUV for times when the weather or situation makes driving the 355 less desirable? Pay cash for a well maintained car and you shouldn't be out much on a monthly/yearly basis. Just an idea...

 

There's only one reason I wouldn't use my 355 as a daily, and it's got nothing to do with the car.

It's because I believe any car - no matter what it is - would inevitably become less "special" if I drove it every day to work etc. I don't ever want my 355 to not feel special, so I only drive it when I really want to.

There's no reason why you couldn't use it that way, though.
A properly maintained 355 can be very reliable, and is very comfortable.

Financially there's no reason why not to drive your 355 (I lost $50k in depreciation alone on a new BMW in 3 years. )

 

I hear you on the depreciation ...one forum member had a yellow spider on here with a fresh major for $45k ...that would be a hell of a parts car for mine lol. Mike I understand your thought but ven if I bought a used Honda for $10k thats an engine out service with a lot of extras and were not even figuring in the ins costs...another problem with down sizing is not so much room. I used to not drive it much but now more and more I its the one thing I really love doing. Especially on a night like tonight in Charleston

 

If you enjoy driving the car, and can afford to keep it maintained vs cost of another car ... GO FOR IT.
After all you only live once

 

I DD'd my 355 and found myself having to cut my normal errands short due to the lack of storage space. Also, having to quarter into intersections to avoid slamming the nose around town got old pretty quick.

 

Steve I think this is the first time I completely agree with you!

 

well if it's not raining im driving my 355.

a month and 1/2 shy of one year of ownership I've put on close to 3,000miles.
just hitting 22,000 miles on the odometer recently.

my 97 GTB is neither flawless but would never sell.
so racking up the miles is not a concern for me.
in fact it runs and drives better the more it's driven
compared to when I first picked it up, where the last owner barely drove it.

that said I do have a secondary car when it's raining or not practical to take the 355.

on a side note; please describe again the signs, signals, sounds when your headers went bad. I'm running stock headers which are still ok but this is one thing that I'm paranoid about!

a set of Fabspeed, Nouvalari or even rebuilds would run me over 4k after shipping and horrible US/Canada exchange rate.

 

Haha! There's hope for me yet!

 

The reality is... daily drivers are considered expendable "assets". After three or four years of that it'll cost more to restore, so just get another low mileage car and start over.

 

Mine was a ticking noise that sped up and slowed down with RPMs. I found it after I smoke tested the exhaust one thing to remember is it takes awhile to build up enough pressure to fill exhaust then push the smoke through the insulation then build up more pressure until it seeps out of the clamshell. I found the best way to do it is in the dark with a flashlight. The smoke leaking out can be so subtle it's very hard to spot under daylight.

 

For sure there is no sense trying to restore this car with a car fax ding.

 

I totally agree with steve i enjoyed my car more when i left it in california for the summer and only got to drive it when in california for two week periods in The winter. The one advantage i find from driving it everyday is it seems i do a lot more driving and less fixing and it also gives me a chance to fix the little things when its at home for long periods.

 

Forgot to memtion its kinda hard to just drive it slow as well so i think i would likely get more tickets if driving for a year or two everyday. Ha Ha

 

Of course, the upkeep would be much more expensive due to wear and tear on brakes, clutch, heat cycling on everything else in the engine bay, etc.

But most importantly, before the F355 I used to DD a Porsche Cayman, and it really kills the special feeling to use it for everything. Whenever I took a break from driving it, it felt so good to get back in after a few days.

This is why even with unlimited funds I would not DD a Ferrari.

 

Sure.

get a $1,500 Integra for when the 355 is getting service.

The "special" thing - a car does not change for me with repetition. The 355 is very usable.

 

I bought a pickup truck in 2004. Bought another real nice one in 2009 to use as a DD. It is the most practical car ever made. As much as I love driving the 355, I just cant use it as a DD. I am full on family and work for the next decade (or two)! I can't wait to have your problems.

Randy, I don't know about Charleston, but where I live in SC my yearly property taxes on the 355 are only about $45! Another great reason to keep some vintage cars around.

I was down at Kiawah a few weeks ago, I should have looked you up.

 

I bought a pos minivan to drive down when we moved. It looked horrible Mazda MPV someone rattled canned the rust spots and wheels. That thing was so practical. More room that a full size suv. 6 adults no problem. My friends were laugh at how much I talked it up. If your ever nearby give me a shout.

 

These cars are meant to be driven. Drive it, use it, enjoy it!!! You only live once. Too many of these cars only see the inside of a garage every day.

 

I have to agree with the above. Having done it before years ago, you become a bit numb to the characteristics that make the car fun. The comfort and nuances of a real daily driver become missed, and the impracticalities of the car you are in become more apparent. It ruined the car for a while for me... even for a while after bringing a 'normal' daily car back into the fold.