Hi, I'm considering which car would be best for me as an ownership proposition. Been visiting these forums for quite some time and read a lot of posts about two cars that have my interest, the F355 and the Challenge Stradale. I've driven the CS since a friend used to own one, haven't driven the F355 but I've only heard good things about the driving experience. What I'm trying to find out is which one will be most painfree in terms of things going wrong and maintenance. My questions are for those of you who have ownership experience of either the F355 or the CS (or both). Drivetrain: Are they likely to have 'total' engine/drivetrain failures? I'm extremely mechanical sympathetic but who knows about the previous owners. Can the engine be repaired if something happens, is anything likely/unlikely to happen, and does it mean a new engine. I'm asking since Porsche have some sudden engine failures which mean new engines. Maintenance and 'stuff': The F355 needs to have the engine out for service where as the 360CS doesn't? How often does the engine have to come out? How many hours labour is that? What about other small stuff requiring attention? My guess would be the F355 needs lots of things (suspension, rubber, rust?) attending too regularly but as less of a cost to the CS? Thank you, and for the record I have searched but havent found any thread comparing the ownership of these two cars.
CS is more special (not that 355 is isn't), has much better performance, is more raw, and will likely hold their value better due to their relatively limited numbers. I believe that they are also easier to maintain, seeing as how they are a variation of the 360. Neither Ferrari should ever have a catastrophic engine failure unless they are VERY improperly maintained. On the 355, if one were to say drive around with a cracked exhaust manifold it could fry a piston and then you are looking at big bucks. However...the early 355s are known to have valve guides that need to be replaced, problematic cats and the aforementioned exhaust manifolds. If one were to purchase a car that needed to have these items addressed, it could add some 10-20K to the price. So...best then to find a car that has had these issues addressed. As with an F-car purchase, a quality PPI and test-drive is really mandatory. Also, if you've never driven a 355, you would certainly want to do that. Remember...the CS is the "Challenge Street" version of the 360, thus it is basically a slightly de-tuned race car fro the street. The 355 is likely much more refined. Note: If you can find a 355 with a Capristo III exhaust, you will have THE best-sounding Ferrari ever made.
I don't think its fair to use these two cars as a comparison. The CS costs three times as much as a 355 in today's market....
I don't know if the long term reliability of the CS is known, it's 7 years younger and usually a lot less miles than the average 355. That being said, the 355 has more known issues at this point, which is both good and bad. Bad that there are some, good that they are known and already addressed in a lot of cars. The main issues are valve guides and headers/cats. My ownership experience has been fairly good so far, but I do all my own work and I've only had it 3000 miles and 8 months. I had to do the clutch and t/o bearing, another of those known issues though luckily a fairly minor one in terms of cost, but otherwise it's just been the odd fluid leak here and there. Maintenance wise I doubt they'll be too different. They both need belts on the same interval (5 years), though it's a little more work on a 355. They both need clutches after 30-40k miles, though it's easer on a 355. Less electronics on the 355 but they're also a little less robust, so it's kind of a wash. There are some minor issues with the 355 - shock actuators, throwout bearing, electrical connectors - that can be an issue but I'm sure as the CS's age they'll have some similar ones. The 355 is 17 years old vs. 10 years old for the CS at this point, so keep that in mind. If you are looking for a low maintenance 355, get one that has had the valve guides done, has high flow cats or test pipes, and has a gated shifter and it should just be major services and other small stuff. Regarding the two cars, 355 if you want a gated shifter, CS if you want F1, imo. The 360 interior is a fairly big jump in terms of ergonomics and quality, but I like the styling and proportions of the 355. The 360CS will be a big performance jump. If I had 360CS money I think I might go a different direction and go 512M, but that's just me as I'm a sucker for TR's and love the gated shifter. I'd have to drive a CS to see.
Thank you very much guys. Good to know they dont suffer sudden engine failures. In regards to manifolds potential for frying pistons, how long after the issue will the fault show up? E.g. If I buy a car with new manifolds fitted 300miles ago or whatever, can the car still suffer damage later on or will it be immediate? In regards to the manifolds and valves, when they have been changed, are the problems gone for good? Are the latest cars produced fitted with a different quality manifold? And yes the F355 would be manual, possibly a Spider - and I know about the Capristo -heaven!
A thing that I can't help thinking of when looking at what's for sale is the condition of the F355s and their advertised mileage. I realise some of them will have driven mainly in traffic and therefore show a bit more wear than 'higher speed' miles. But I just saw a car advertised with 187.000kms which looked as good as many of the cars with a fourth of the mileage. Can these readings be verified on the older car or just from the 360 onwards?
I'm dying for a CS myself (have a '99 355F1 now)...but as mentioned above, tough to justify nearly 3x the price. I LOVE the 355F1...and while the 360CS is newer, better raw performance, etc...I don't think I would love it 3x as much
I love the CS.. always have and always will but.. one brake job with rotors cost more then to fully update and correct all the issues with the 355.. Carbon brake rotors must be replaced in pairs, the brake job could cost you 20K... at this point pick your poison.. I love the 355 as well. Nothing sounds like a 355 wide open with test pipes.. nothings. but the CS sounds wicked as well.. two different putas.. R
If an F1-equipped car is what you are after and the price gap is not a major concern, I'd go for the CS. If the cost of the brake job is too much to bear, just substitute a good, more typical steel high perf setup when the time comes. Ask the CS guys about that. At least one of them is a Brembo dealer, and he would obviously know more about that than me. I wish they had made at least a few of the CS's with manuals. THAT would be a modern Ferrari I'd darn near break my neck to get into.
oh yes on the CS brakes, I'd instantly take off the carbons and put iron on there...then put carbons back on when selling the car.
I love my 355 but if you have the means to get either then I would go CS all the way. It's rare and it's raw. Great combination for a Ferrari.
Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge. Definitely a lot of food for thought. Regarding the carbon ceramic brakes, I probably wouldn't track either car anyway so they should last a long time, but good idea regarding the swap. I'm reading on through the posts on these forums
