Doing research on a 355...who knows...maybe ;)

Sorry couldn't help you on that particular car's history here.
It sure looks nice from those photos. It's already got the desirable fender shields and rear challenge grill too.
Price seems pretty good also
and most of all it's a '99 F1! Of course I'm biased here.....

Is '99 better than any of previous years?? Maybe, maybe not.
Better is such a subjective word. Especially here on Fchat you'll going to get a whole lot of different opinion from owners of various years vowing for their car being the best year.

For me the choice was easy since I wanted F1 trans so that limited my search to '98 and '99 only. And I was lucky enough to find a late '99 production car so I wouldn't have to worry about the dreaded valve-guide issue. So what year is the better 355??? To me, it's '99 fore sure....but did I mention I'm biased??

Good luck searching for yours!

 

Looking at that car made me understand again why I used to love the F355 so much. It is such a beautiful design and if it is not standing next to a 360 it doesn't even look dated. All I can say is WOW!

 

Jim, you have PM.

 

Never posted before but need advice. Have opportunity to buy my first Ferrari but don't know much about them. The one I may have a chance to buy Is '99 F1 F355 Spyder with less than 3000 miles on it. One owner who I am sure took meticulous care of it. What price range would be reasonable for this car? What things should I be extra careful to have check by someone knowledgeable on my behalf? I live in a rural area fairly far from a Ferrari service center--how reliable is the '99 F355? Is it a model that has been known to have a lot of problems or relatively free of them? Any advice here would be greatly appreciated. The car has never spent any length of time parked outdoors.

 

I'm with Patrick and also biased, '99 F1 is THE one to have! There are some F1 horror stories out there, but don't be scared by the pump cost. Some quote $12-16k from Ferrari, but many have fixed it for $1-2k (and they don't fail nearly as often as the early valve guides). There's also merits to an early Motronic 2.7 car which has a bit more power, IF you find one with the valve guides done. And need to point out the one downside to the F1 - it does go through clutches faster. A smart driver can extend the life, but in general they'll wear faster than a good 'ole fashioned 6 spd...

Over the course of production on any car many small things are improved as the manufacturer realizes the 'oopses'. The only real documented change I've heard of is the improved valve guides, but there's likely other small details that improved too. That was my logic....good luck!

 

Definitely have someone knowledgeable and experience check the car out first and a PPI is also a must. Regardless of mileage, car is due for a Major Service unless it's done recently. Price is depending on many variables/factors such as mechanical condition, service history, exterior/interior conditions, mileage, color, geographical location and of course how badly you want this car. Since it's a '99 then valve guide is a non-issue. However, headers will go eventually so is F1 clutch....But at 3000miles I think you're still ok for a while. Again, a proper PPI is a very good insurance. Once you get the car and Major Service is done then all you need is a Capristo with Hyperflows and you'll be driving and sounding like Michael Schumacher!!! Of course all these will take $$ to make it happen...but hey you've got to pay to play, right?

Best of luck getting this car.
Hope to see you posting as its new owner soon.

 

did the car belong to an attorney and is black on tan?

 

No. It's red

 

Jim, you pretty much cover all critical area of what to look for before buying a 355. One more thing I would focus on a Berlinetta is to see if there is stress line fracture/crack at the base of C-pillar. As far as the story of anal owner repainted the whole car to match new bumper cover??? Well, I don't buy it. Imagine having to convince the next buyer with the same story when your time comes to sell this car.

 

JIM!

I can refer you to one man, and one man ONLY!
I will PERSONALLY drive you to him if need be!
He is the best....Period!

http://emelbon.tripod.com/eugeniosferrariservice.html

 

+10,000

edit: hey Jim, E is your man
and BTW did you find your car yet?
Here are a couple just came across.
'99 GTS 6-speed with sport seats!!: http://www.sportauto.cc/inventory_ferrari/1998_Ferrari_F355GTS_Red/index.htm
'97 B 6-speed: http://www.sportauto.cc/inventory_ferrari/1997_Ferrari_F355GTB_Red/index.htm

 

I'm pretty much in the same boat - I'm looking for a 95 355B - and my checklist looks a lot like yours, including the paint on the sails. Some things that I've noticed:
Headers - you see a lot of Tubi Exhausts. Keep in mind that these are mufflers, not the same as the headers. You may just plan on getting the headers QVed after you get the car for #3k(?) or so.
Do a compression and leakdown test before the rest of the PPI. Bad numbers are a deal-breaker for me.
There seems to be a preference for USA model cars.
A cockpit fire extinguisher may indicate track use (only 6,000 miles - at 8,499RPM )

Oh - one other thing - double your projected maintenance bills. You know about the really big hits, but keep in mind that there can be a lot of small hits, too.

 

Jim,

check pm

 

So do you still want my F355 Chris??
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Maybe, Since you FINALLY got some exhaust on the thing

I think I can learn to cut hair

 

Cutting hair is the easy part???

That capristo really adds an air of 'intensity' to it!!! I will detail the car then take more pics!!!! BTW I got some spacers for the rear too !!!!