Educate me on buying an F1 360. Does model year matter?

Not to get into a manual vs. F1 thread but I want to know what to look for when purchasing a 360 with a F1. I assume that the most recent model year would be best, but I'm not looking to spend 100K for an 05 model. So my question is aside from the TCU upgrade is there something beneficial to buying an 03/04 vs 99/00/01?

To me it seems that there are some very nice sub 80K cars out there, even more at 85K and less and it seems that above 85K it's either the real cream puffs or the dealers who seem to think their 02/03/04 are "worth" 95K.

I'm looking for a car to enjoy and actually put some miles on and not interested in getting a 360 to have it sit in the garage. My gut is telling me 80K should get a nice red/tan F1 360 but with the dealers asking 90K+ am I missing something here??

Seems that there are plenty of happy owners with 99/00/01 models yet all the dealers are insisting that 02+ is the ONLY way to go when considering an F1 car.

 

Did you read through the top buyers guide?

 

Yes, several times. I just can't imagine that all of the pre 02 owners are unhappy with their cars. Looking for more real world experience rather than the usual newer is better rationale.

 

Some threads are out there on the detailed differences... Precats, headlights, cam variator, motor mounts, tcu... Having ordered parts, it seems like many minor fixes were made as time went on. Still some love the 99's best.

Edit - +f1 relay, maybe an ecu update, bushings I think?

 

I own a 2000 car with the earliest TCU. The car drives great and I have no issues with it. Just learn how to drive it correctly.

I looked at a CS TCU upgrade and then drove a car with one fitted. TBH I couldn't tell much difference and felt it wasnt worth the money. Just my opinion without starting another argument on it........

I think too many people watch the onboard from F1 cars and expect them to be the same. The change is leisurely at low revs and brilliant at higher revs.....It does not punish the gearbox at all. Perfect, seamless changes during normal driving and everyone who passengers in the car comments how good it is.

Standing starts are the skill. You need to be smooth and positive. I can get off the line at 1500 rpm with minimal clutch slip. As said on other threads you can feel what the clutch is doing and just drive it like a manual.

 

I have a 1999 F1 360. I purposely bought an F1 because I knew this car would see track time, and I already own two gated manual Italian cars (308 and Pantera).

I for one love the F1... The only minor issue I have is sometimes it shudders a bit when slowly leaving a stop. I simply up shift and it usually goes away.

I have always liked the way my F1 shifted when I first purchased it. Though I haven't done my homework to see if the TCU has been upgraded or if it is still an early one.

What I have done since purchasing this car was to add the Formula Dynamics shift module. I use Josh at Exotic Car Specialties in Sterling, Va for service and he suggested the module after all of the positive results he had with his Maserati customers. This has greatly helped speed up the gear changes on the street. I noticed an improvement on how quickly the F1 engages gears especially when leaving a stopped position. It gets rid of some of the lazy feeling of the stock setup.

I can tell you that after three days on Summit Point this past weekend for the FCA event, my F1 performed flawlessly. Many 8K RPM up shifts and it didn't miss a beat.

I want to say that installed was around $2,000 but I am not 100% sure on that. It was a few years ago.

 

The one big advantage of a 99 is no pre-cats and no possibility of them causing engine damage. If you get a 99, 00, or 01 get a re-flashed CS TCU from Eric355. Later ones can be re-flashed as they have updated chips.
Alan

 

I bought an '01 F1 Spider, and I'm very happy with my car. I've also had a lot of work done to it. Mine came to me with the most updated non-CS TCU, and I replaced the whole exhaust system because my header insulation was falling apart. So, I no longer have the "problems" associated with the older TCU and the precats.

The thing to realize is that there are many ways to "improve" these cars to your liking, regardless of the model year of the exact vehicle. All you gotta do is pay the bill.

When I was buying, Model Year of the vehicle was a VERY VERY low priority for me, such that I would have bought any model year car, as long as it fulfilled all the criteria up the list. At that point, I was drawn to the earlier model year cars because they were generally less costly. And I'm a cheap bastard.

 

Mine is a 99 and I love it to death. Runs excellent. Like any car of this age, it's going to need a few things from time to time. Just keep up on the maintenance and she'll keep you very happy.

 

I have a 2002 360 Spider F1 that's a really nice one. Just reduced price to $82,900.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/ferraris/447043-2002-ferrari-360-spider-17k-miles-3-owners-highly-optioned-extremely-clean.html

 

Just saw that, beautiful car. I'm looking for a red/tan coupe under 30K miles but not a garage queen as I plan on actually using the car this time around...

 

put me down as a wildly in love owner of a 99, but my 99 came with a 04 TCU (very expensive radio installation mistake by previous owner, fried TCU). The 99 without pre-cats sound great and like all years they run great. Mine is a higher mileage car that is used daily, so I have replaced worn out suspension parts and the like, but nothing broken yet.

 

I have a 99 and I love it. 6 speed and a tubi with no pre-cats make for a great sounding drive! With that being said, you can't go wrong with any year 360. Just make sure you keep your service up to date. Best of luck!