Hello enthusiasts, I am going from Porsche 911's to a Ferrari. Which Ferrari I am not sure of yet. I have been reading these forums for some time, and every time I log on this site I am absolutely blown away with great information. Let me preface my intentions. I performed all maintenance small and large on my own with my 911's. Prior to Porsche, I was a old GT Maserati fanatic (Mistral, Bora, etc) but, the maintenance drove me up the wall as well as the parts cost/availability. I see that 355's are becoming more affordable and to me, the 355 is the perfect mix of "new school Ferrari" and "old school Ferrari". Most questions I had about the 355 have already been answered but, I have to ask if the 355 is just as reliable or close to as reliable as a mid-80's 911 ('84-'89 911's can be driven off a cliff and still run at Lemans the next day)?? I realise that a Ferrari is more of a living and breathing creature than any other car on the planet but, can someone give me an idea on the above question regarding to reliability? I need to know before I step up to the plate. Can it be driven across the country? Could it be used as a daily driver(I would never do that but, I am curious)? Does the a/c need to be charged every summer? Are the valve guides really that bad? many thanks in advance everyone! -john
Hi John, I,ve done exactly this. from several porsches (still have 2) to a 348gts. I do everything from engine/ gearbox builds , paint and panel repair, suspension/brakes, you name it. New and used parts are cheap and plentifull for P cars. My 348 has been very reliable but sourcing and paying for service parts is depressing, especially here in HK. God forbid you need an obscure trim part. But you've done your research, so go for it and enjoy. Mike.
John For starters, I've lusted after F-cars since I was around 10. I could afford 911's before I could afford Ferarri's, so I started with a 1997 911C2, traded that for a 1972 911 PCA race class GT3S) with tow vehicle and trailer, and finally sold everything and bought a 1996 355GTB. While I miss the race car, the 355 is very capable on the track. It's been very reliable and easy to maintain. It is not a fragile as some would have you believe. As for the track, there are plenty of guys I've talked to who traded up from 355 to 360 and regret it at the track. While the 360 is ultimately faster, the 355 is more involving IMHO and a lot of fun for a lot less money. On the street, I would have to say that you wil llikely end up driving the 355 (or whatever F-car you buy) less frequently than your 911. It just happens. I drove my 1997 911 in all kinds of weather and didn't care...with the 355, I tend to only drive it in nice weather. I've driven it in the rain, and it is fine, but ultimately I prefer to drive it only in nice weather. But I do drive it to/from work regularly when the weather is nice. I also have done lots work on cars. The 355 is not scary at all. Oil changes require removing some underbody trays, and that's a pain, but easy to do. Other fluid changes are easy. Endgine access isn't great, but there's really not much to be done. Hydraulic lifters, so no fuss there. The only big ticket item for me was cats which blew out at 9000 miles (but they were 9 years old at that point). As with my GT3S, I used breakage of parts as an excuse to upgrade, and so I went with the HyperFlow cats...sound great! You can look up 355's on here and get lots and lots of threads on maitenance, etc. Lots of valuable information to be had. I say GO FOR IT! On the other hand, I'm starting to drool over the 997-based GT3, so I may yet go back to 911's. Best of luck, Kevin
I'm in the same boat! I currently have a 996 and have been looking at a 997 or 996TT, but that Ferrari bug has been eating at me little by little for years. I figure you only live once and only a small amount will die that actually got to own a Ferrari. I just have to figure out 348 or 355? They are both great looking cars!
I went from a 993 to a 328, certainly a few leaps behind the 355 technologically. FWIW, driving the Ferrari still feels like an event, whereas driving the 993 (or my brother's 964) felt "normal" in comparison. Great car, but you could always turn on the radio, roll up the windows and pretend you were in everyman's sport coupe -- that's a virtue of Porsche's engineering and quality. In hindsight, I spent too much time agonizing over whether to replace the Porsche - a stone-reliable car with a huge dealer and parts network - with a Ferrari, any of which can be in the shop for a week at a time and requires regular, expensive maintenance. There's tons of info on this site about 348 vs. 355, and on the wisdom (and cost implications) of driving a 355 every day. You just have to put "passionate" above "practical and efficient" on one of those psychological tests.
I had the same decision point 9 months ago. Ultimately, I chose a 996TT because everyone here convinced me anything short of a 360 could not be a daily driver. The 996TT is hands down the best DD on the planet. One minor yet important aspect is that a $130k TT is still somewhat under the radar, so I don't have as many parking issues, the stare annoyances, or the unwanted gas station conversations that any Fcar owner deals with. And doing the maintenance thing, remember it could take WEEKS to get F parts, tough on a daily driver. BTW, I'm on here looking at a 348 as a weekend car......really the best use of a Ferrari
I had the same urge to get out of my 996 and into something more enjoyable. For the price of a 997 I went for these instead...93 348 SS and 88 911 Targa. Both with 12K miles. Old school baby. Both are 1000% more fun to drive than the 996 and couldn't be more different. Image Unavailable, Please Login
hello, great choice and a wonderful problem of which to drive. one of my favourite porsches has always been the 86'-89' 911 carrera. had the classic 911 look and didn't have the fluff of latter carreras (automatic transmission/power steering/ABS/traction control/AWD etc.) the same with the ferrari 348's. they were mostly unloved, not as beautiful as the 328 and not as modern as the 355. they were, in my opinion, the wrong ferrari at the wrong time (first car after enzo's passing/debuted shortly before a worldwide recession/first assembly line cars/woeful F1 team) however, i loved the pint sized "testarossa" look and the steady improvements made during the models lifetime (1992 and later) for the money, a relative bargain in ferrari speak. more photos please. regards. joseph
I went from a 996 and 993 to a 348. And I don't see myself turning back Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ferrari owners (and potential owners) all have this BS mindset that the cars can't be used.......or only used as weekend or occasional cars.........for that special occasion. Give me a break. I have had 308s, Mondials, Mondial t, TR, 348 and an F40. I drove them cross country, to work, the grocery store and the track......in the sun and the rain. While I have always had a bunch of cars...the Ferrari's get used like the rest. I do alot of my own service.........parts have never been a problem, nor has reliability. If people in this country would just treat them well and drive them.......the cars would not be an issue.
That's why I've kept my 951, Greg. Keep your 911, John, and get the 355. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I went from a 1991 911 Turbo (which I still have, but is for sale) to a 1993 512 TR. Always wanted a Ferrari and am happy with my purchase. Go for it. Life is too short. And as someone said above, you only live once and only a small amount will die that actually got to own a Ferrari. Image Unavailable, Please Login
For all you enthusiasts who only get your cars out in nice weather, I live in Las Vegas and 359 days a year is perfect Ferrari weather here. Being a Las Vegas native, this town is lucky to get 4 inches of rain a year. The only issue is of course the 115 degree heat in mid-July. Can the 355 sit in traffic with the a/c on with no problem? There is no way I would plan to get my 355 jammed in a traffic like a size 14 foot trying to squeeze into a size 8 but, if by some freak accident it does happen, has anyone encountered overheating issues? I was driving home the other day and noticed a 360 in the lane next to me puttering along in rush hour traffic for better part of 30 minutes. That guy did NOT look happy. Car sounded fine though. On a completely different note. My first sighting of a Bugatti Veyron took place on that very same day. The Veyron was driving southbound on Las VEgas blvd just past the Mandalay Bay casino. I was going the opposite direction but was too blown away to see someone driving that peice of jewelry on the road.
You bet, I drive mine to work every day unless there is a typhoon. Wash it once a month, polish it never. Steerings heavy, clutch's heavy and HK's traffic is a *****. It's got a little road rash and shopping dings but so have I. Mike D.
Mistral / Bora ownership is simply self abuse, nothing less! Finding the right, sorted and de-bugged 348 / 355 can often prove a challange but once found they are bomb proof daily drivers. NO, they are not as reliable as the Panzers are, nothing is. Porsche = classy, fun transportation, hang a pair of hair dryers on them and they are faster than hell Ferrari = Pure Passion, driving fine art, don't see one at every stop light I have a number of customers that drive them every day that hail is not predicted. One individual started with a 328 and moved into a 355GTS F1 and WILL NOT give it up. He has found what he considers to be the ultimate driving car that suits his every want (this is a guy that needed 2 aircraft to fill those wants). He plans to repaint the nose every couple of years and drive the wheels off it. If maintaince is done right, the correct car is found, if not abused, the 355 needs filters and oil changes in between 5 yr engine out services. I do have a few customers that are frusturated with the tire wear rate. I then put on hard compound tires, stand the camber up straighter and give the cars back. Within weeks the cars are back to get reset to the "fun settings" with the owners saying to hell with the tire wear make it fun again. Having said this, I have yet to own either marque but have been working on the Ferrari's for a life time, so this is from feedback of my customers. Did a stint working on Porsche's back in the early 80's but found the owners lacking the passion I now enjoy every day. Dave
Tell me about it- I was just starting to look at some 355 spiders, then found out our first baby is on the way & that put everything on hold (for a great reason though)! Then the spring came, and I can't get enough of my 911 which I've had almost 4 years now....plus love the cheap mant. costs & took me so long to find the right one, how could I part with her? Why is it so hard- the 355 is so beautiful. I plan on keeping the porsche even with the baby, but a 355?.... let alone get a 355 and somehow keep the 911 Oh well- someday While I long for a Ferrari, I'm truely thankful I'm fortunate enough to have a porsche, which does make some nice sounds itself- not a symphony like a 355, but more like a jazz trio Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Well said and your priorities are to be complimented. I had a TR-4 before we were married that Kris and I enjoyed almost every day. Along came the first son and I found a way to fit a car seat in it with the Lab squished along side. Along came our first daughter and a second car seat and the luggage rack on the trunk got a small plywood box and the Lab would lay in it with a bunge cord over her. Never did get pulled over from that but did get a finger wagging or two. Along came the second daughter and away went any chance of a Sports Car. Twenty years later.......... looking for something a bit more exciting than the diesel dually. Dave
I have both a Porsche 911 and a Ferrari 355 GTS. I having been driving a 911 for several years and the Ferrari for about a year. They are both great in different ways. The 911 is like old faithful. It drives and handles great and will always be my favorite. The 355 is fun and gets the looks but is much trickier to drive than the 911. I am still getting use to the way the Ferrari handles and drives which is much different. I know exactly how far to the limits I can take the 911 in performance but the 355 has shaken me a few times at lesser limits than the 911 and so I am still somewhat shy on pushing the 355 on performance handling. I am sure I just need to learn how to drive the 355 better. Any way both are great cars and you can't go wrong with either one.
I thought I was the only one. I have been restling with do I buy a 996TT or do I buy a 355. I am afraid I would not drive the 355 as much. I just can't see running in to get a video in the 355. I already have another car I don't drive much. I really want a driver. Not daily. I want to hop in it and go with out heavy clutches, bad wheel hop, ect. My wife would like the 355, So would I! Just seems the 996tt is a little more practical for me. If I would go with a NA 996 I could swing both if I sold one of my other cars. Just not sure if the 996 would make me happy. I really wish there was an easy way to find out. The 355 are beautiful though!! Much better looking IMHO. The only cosmetic flaw to me are the popup headlights. They are not bad,but it would be nice if they were more like a 360 or a C6 Z06. I will probably get crusified for that comment Any how GREAT THREAD!
